T&T: 2stroke vs 4stroke, was dinghy outboard recommendations

[Faure, Marin]

>Not as environmentally "friendly". In the total scheme of things
(product life cycle, I'm not sure this is true, but it's certainly
marketed that way).

There are new-generation 2-strokes that are said to meet the emissions
requirements for outboards.  I don't know who makes them, in what
horsepower ranges they are made, or even if they are actually on the
market.  But the "old generation" 2-strokes that have been around for
ever are not very environmentally friendly.  Depending on model, power,
how they're run, etc., I've read reports that they can put up to half
the fuel/oil mixture that runs through them into the water unburned.
Whether or not this matters to somebody is another question.  But for
every benefit there seems to be a detriment and the 2-stroke vs.
4-stroke issue is no different.  Four-strokes generate less emissions
but they are generally heavier, more expensive, etc.  So the question of
what to buy (assuming 2-strokes are still available new in your state)
becomes one of what's most important to you.

A decade or two ago the emissions from 2-stroke lawn mowers, chain saws,
outboards, etc. were not deemed worth worrying about.  But who would
have thought decades ago when people were capturing young Orcas to put
in Seaworld that environmental "disturbances," including water
pollution, would someday have such a debilitating effect on herring and
salmon populations that the PNW pods of Orcas would be listed as
endangered.  Which in turn means there is now legislation pending that
could put the whole whale watching industry out of business.  Actions
have consequences, but they never seem to be quite the consequences we
expect or predict.

We went through the 2-stroke vs. 4-stroke debate when we bought a new
outboard for our Livingston dinghy six or seven years ago.  We were
looking a low-powered outboard as we wanted to keep the weight on our
34-year old swimstep as low as practical.  At the time, 2-stroke engines
were as readily available as 4-strokes.  However, we elected to get a
small 4-stroke, a Yamaha 4hp.  We could have gotten a little more power
for the same weight and less money going for a 2-stroke but in our case
the environmental benefits and efficiency of the 4-stroke were more
important that an extra horsepower or two.

While it's certainly easy to say that in the overall scheme of things
one more 2-stroke outboard on the water isn't going to make any
difference, the overall scheme of things is made up of all the things
that make it up.  Which includes whole cities who don't do much (or
anything) to treat their sewage before they dump it into the bay, whales
and seals taking a poo when they need to, and an individual trolling for
salmon with his two-stroke kicker motor.  It all adds up.  We have no
power over when and where whales and seals relieve themselves, but each
one of us has power over the impact we each have on our surroundings.
My wife and I chose to not add another shoreboat putting a little bit of
unburned fuel into the water.  But it's a decision based on what a
person puts value on.  The only sure thing is that the consequences,
good or bad, will happen.