[willy]

from what my research has shown me none of the new engines are user friendly, the warranties on all the current engines are effected by a owner installed engine.
the warranties have to be registered by a dealer/authorized service cetner. They have to answer some tech questions about the set up, rpm prop etc. All of them, Suzi Yammie and Etec. Even the two stroke carbed yammies are this way now.
I do like the improvements the new tech has brought us. But I do not like the fact that they are very much computer controlled, which eliminates regular guys doing much diagnosing and repairing. A lot of it is so sensitive to minute program/electronic variances that it makes it like cars today. Buy it and run it until the warranty is finished and then get rid of it otherwise you will be taking major hits in labor and parts.
These hits will make it worthwhile to swap out in the long run.
In fact you go on any of the major fishing sites and that is exactly what most serious fishing guys are doing, they are unloading either the whole boat or the motor and repowering just before their extended warranty is finished.
In some ways it makes a good straight inboard more attractive, the engines can be bought new for less than half the price, a lot of the work you need to do you can do yourself and has a lot of crossover to the automotive industry. Yes you can buy a new engine with all the full computer control but you can also buy simpler set ups with carbs or basic fuel injection setups.
I do not like being taken out of the loop with products I buy for a lot of money, nor do I like being dependant on a 115 an hour mechanic to diagnose and repair the engine