[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by bigshrimpin

I've been on 2 different boats where 250 Fichts went down hard (rod through the block in both cases). Etec design isn't too much different from those 2003/4 bombardier fichts . . . I rather have a simple carb 2 stroke than a DI motor. New plugs every 70 - 80 hours and expensive oil $40/gallon eats up most of the fuel savings.

The 2003/4 engines weren't that bad. Those were still FICHT engines, but had the bugs worked out by BRP. BRp didn't call them FICHTS though, but instead FICHT RAMS or DFI's. ETEC was simply a redesign of the FICHT technology. It was the 97-00 150/175 that had the most issues. The 200+ had lower unit problems until around late 01 or 02 when they came out with the new lower unit(when they upped the displacement in 01, it made it MUCH worse and neccesetated the need for the improved lowers). Personally I don't think all the FICHTS were bad, but until 01 they had quite a few quality control issues. Still today the best milage from a 2 stroke was from the early FICHTS(and yes, they were MUCh better than the ETECS that replaced them, and eeked out the OPTIMAX in MPG as well). Unfortunately they never could overcome the bad stigma that the 97-00 150/175's gave the FICHT never could be overcome. So BRP had the foresight to rename them ETECS to get beyond the FICHT stigma.

With all that said, I still would not own one. I can buy ALOT of gas for what an EMM costs.