Evinrude E-Tec 50-horsepower engine provides all the benefits of E-Tec's technology in a small package that is ideal for smaller runabouts and fishing rigs.

Photo: Mike Fuller

We’ve been predicting some changes for Johnson since the brand’s mainstay products fall on the wrong side of EPA mandates. The ultimate fate of the Johnson product line is still unknown, but we do have some updates from Bombardier.

All V4 and V6 Johnson carbureted models will be retired for model year 2007, which includes the 90, 115, 150, and 175 horsepower models. Additionally, all Johnson engines below 9.9 horsepower will be retired for 2007. The good news is that Johnson 9.9 and 15 horsepower two-stroke models will be available in the 2007 model lineup. Get them while you can folks – these legendary fishing outboards will likely not be around after 2007.

BRP is introducing a new four-stroke Johnson 25 horsepower model for 2007, which will be available in remote, tiller, and manual start models.

The 1.7-litre V6 E-Tec is relatively compact compared to its Yamaha 4-stroke counterpart.  The E-Tec also outperformed the Yamaha in acceleration and top speed.

BRP has no official answer on the future of the Johnson outboard line. Although Johnson is still a powerful brand name, its current selling power pales in comparison to the high-dollar marketing-bolstered heydays of the 1970s and ‘80s.

It’s been clear for several years that BRP intended to keep the Evinrude and Johnson products unique, which is a sharp contrast to the old OMC days when those two brand names were essentially the same engine with different exterior paint. The big push for BRP is the Evinrude brand name, with its yearly product line expansion, while BRP retires Johnson outboards - many of which were legacy products.

Wellcraft 352 sport fishing rig powered by triple 250-horsepower E-Tec engines offered smooth performance, if somewhat understated.

While we could not perform any strict comparisons at Key Largo, we were able to experience a E-Tec’s performance on a variety of boats and configurations.

First, we spent the day aboard a Ranger 2200 Cayman powered by Evinrude’s flagship 250-horsepower E-Tec. The Cayman is flats fishing boat, and was equipped with Raker propeller and Lightning gearcase. Evinrude Team angler Captain Bryan Watts guided us through the backwaters while we ran the Ranger at 50+ MPH speeds through some very nasty wind-swept chop. I was able to get very close to the large V6 during these runs, observing the E-Tec’s nearly vibration-free performance and effortless torque throughout its RPM range. Though it’s a two-stroke V6, it doesn’t have the characteristic growl we’ve become accustomed to for most of our lives. While the 250 is not as quiet as a I-6 Mercury Verado, the 250 E-Tec manages to deliver its smoke-free power at sound levels much lower than traditional two-stroke engines.

Heading over to a multi-engine configuration, BRP provided a Wellcraft 352 center console sport fishing rig powered by triple 250 E-Tecs. We were not able to spend as much time on this rig, however, we were able to get some top-speed runs in before the day was over.

18 cylinders and 750 horsepower translate into some very torquey performance – and that it was, but refined is a word we’ll also add to that adjective. With a full load of fuel and four adults aboard, the large Wellcraft managed a modest top GPS-recorded speed of 49 MPH. With all three large-displacement E-Tecs running at full throttle, carrying on a conversation in the boat was surprisingly easy.

Bombardier also had a full lineup of 2007 accessories available for testing.  These system add-ons give boaters the opportunity to have a complete BRP system, with components engineered to work together for maximum performance.   A new prop hub system and controls will debut soon, as well as an expanding I-Command instrument system.

It's clear to us that Evinrude's E-Tec engines are putting the heat on Yamaha, but our real interest is seeing E-Tec challenge Mercury's 10-year mature OptiMax platform.   Yamaha might start sweating as direct-injected products from Evinrude and Mercury reinvent 2-stroke outboard performance.