Evinrude E-Tec 30

The E-TEC 30 is the world's first direct fuel-injection two-stroke 30 and was released on the Aussie market in October 2008. Manufactured in mainland China, this 30 is the result of a joint venture between Bombardier Recreational Products' Evinrude and Rotax divisions.

The 30 has a split crankshaft with one-piece connecting rods and is the first E-TEC to have this design, which is common to Japanese two-strokes in this power range.

The only other BRP outboards to be manufactured this way were in China with the two-stroke Johnson 2 to 3.5hp models. The lower unit with the same gear ratio is straight from the old carby, two-stroke Johnson 30.

The E-TEC 30 is the first two-stroke 30 in the BRP range to have optional Power, Trim and Tilt (PT&T) and like the carby 30, it doesn't need an external battery to operate. However, unlike the carby 30, electric start versions retain the manual overhead recoil starter.

As with all other E-TEC models the 30 utilises a single-stage DFI system that has stratified and homogenous combustion to combine extremely low trolling fuel consumption with traditional two-stroke performance.

Other features include an integral oil tank with the filling cap inside the upper cowl and a tiller arm that can be set at different angles for operator comfort.

The PT&T tiller steer versions have a trim/tilt switch located at the end of the twist-grip throttle with an adjustable idle speed switch on the tiller arm which varies trolling revs from 650 to 900.

Mounted on a side console Blue Fin 4.2 Mangrove Jack, spinning the standard 13in pitch alloy prop and pushing a total of 550kg, including two adults, the demo remote control PT&T 30 did a very good job of pushing this load.

Trolling at 700rpm it averaged 3.0kmh and 0.3lt/h and planed us at 22.4kmh and 4000rpm. At my recommended maximum cruising rpm of 5000 the averages were 34.5kmh and 5.1lt/h, and no prop ventilation occurred through full-lock figure of eight turns at these rpm.

The Wide Open Throttle (WOT) averages were 45.4kmh and 9.3lt/h at 6000rpm where we could talk normally at the helm.

THE COMPARISONS
In my opinion the closest competition to the E-TEC 30 is Tohatsu's four-stroke EFI MFS30B, which also doesn't need an external battery to operate. On a side console Stacer 400 Bass Elite, spinning a 10in pitch alloy prop (the gear ratio is 1.92:1) and pushing a total of 550kg including two adults, the demo 30B trolled us at 3.8kmh and 850rpm using 0.5lt/h. The hull planed cleanly at 19.8kmh and 4000rpm, and at 5000rpm averaged 32.4kmh and 4.7lt/h, while the WOT averages were 43.8kmh and 9.1lt/h at 6250rpm. Having three cylinders, the Tohatsu was smoother than the E-TEC across the entire rpm range and at WOT it was slightly quieter. Unlike the E-TEC it needs servicing every 50 hours or six months, although it does retail for around $600 less. Warranty is for three years.

The demo E-TEC 30 started instantly hot or cold with no smoke appearing at anytime, nor was there any oil smell.

Providing the antiventilation plate was kept immersed power astern was good.

Powerhead access is tight with the cowl split to reach the engine. Servicing intervals are after the first 300 hours or three years and annual lubricating of throttle/gearshift linkages is recommended.

The 30 has combined Hydrocarbon, Oxides of Nitrogen and Carbon Monoxide emissions of 133.4 gr/kW/h, giving it lower exhaust emissions than any other 30hp outboard, including the MFS30B, the Honda BF30 and Yamaha F30A. It easily gains an OEDA 3-Star emissions rating. Warranty is three years for recreational usage.