Anyone who’s been lucky enough to inherit an old cottage knows that it can be a mixed blessing. Along with glorious summers at the lake, there’s a long list of maintenance tasks and unexpected upgrades to deal with. An older boat can present similar challenges, which is why “repowering” is an important concept for cottagers. “The reality is that the vessel lasts a lot longer than the engine,” says Ab Ghaznavi, Honda Canada’s marine sales & operations manager. “There are so many benefits of upgrading, from reliability to both water and noise pollution.” By upgrading your old outboard engine to a newer model—especially if you’re still using a two-stroke engine, you’ll be doing yourself and the lake a favour. Here’s why.
Keep fuel and oil out of your lake
Two-stroke engines combine oil with fuel for lubrication. “That fuel-oil mixture doesn’t all get burned up through combustion, and some of it ends up in the water through exhaust,” says Ghaznavi. Modern four-stroke engines, like those made by Honda Marine, are far healthier for our waterways because of less leakage.
Minimize noise on the water
Aside from water pollution, older outboard engines create far more noise pollution on our otherwise quiet lakes. “Decibel-wise, engines get quieter year over year because of how they’re insulated and exhausted,” says Ghaznavi. Less effective air intakes, plus the fact that two-stroke engines are inherently louder due to their power cycles, are other noisy factors that keep cottagers from sleeping in.
Use less fuel
“One of the biggest differences between older engines and modern four-stroke upgrades is fuel efficiency,” Ghaznavi explains. That’s partly because of the lack of oil mixing and its resulting fuel waste, but there are many other updates, from higher thermal efficiency to lower RPM operation, that make new engines more efficient.
More reliability, less maintenance
All engines need to be maintained, but Ghaznavi points out that newer four-stroke engines simply need a lot less of it. “Modern engines have a lot more time between maintenance, and for cottagers who need their boat to get back and forth, that reliability provides peace of mind.” With a short summer, we all want to make the most of our time on the water—and no one wants to be stranded when an old engine conks out.
Ghaznavi adds that, because of Honda’s expertise in designing and manufacturing four-stroke engines for other vehicles, the brand’s outboard engines are among the most fuel-efficient and reliable marine engines ever made. Honda has never produced a two-stroke outboard motor, based on the philosophy of founder Soichiro Honda that “watercraft should not pollute the water.” To learn more about repowering your boat for a better experience on the lake, visit marine.honda.ca.