No more E techs

[jason p]

http://ir.brp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/brp-advances-marine-strategy-focusing-boats-and-new-technologies

[redzone1]

Wow!  They’ve been making unreliable outboards for a long time.

[fishmanjj]

Did they sell out to Mercury or just close down ?  That’s the last of the two strokes.

[qdup]

Shutting down production of the outboards, and Mercury will take over boat packages. A shame that there's one less choice now, and to lose a brand with such a long history in the marine industry. I love my 150 HO etec. Great torque and fuel efficiency.

[mdemott]

Those of us who grew up with Evinrude and Johnson will be sad to see this news. Will Honda be next?

[Lap it Up]

Whether you like them or not.  Limiting the competition hurts the consumer more than anyone else.  Less competition means you can dictate price and that normally means prices go UP.  

I grew up on OMC.  I still own a handful of them.  It will be a shame to see the name go away.  

[MuddyBottomBluz]

  Spoke with the BIL and he said it's true. He said they had a bunch of non-boaters running the boating division and they wanted to focus more on the boat line rather than the outboard line, how many outboard companies have tried that!?

  All warranties will remain in effect. He heard they are staring on some new ghost type technology for their boat lines. Their not gonna lose money on that are they?

[lurem]

It does mention new projects in the link above.

Pursuing new opportunities within Build and Transform phases of strategy

With this announcement, BRP will be positioned to expand its presence in the pontoon and aluminum fishing markets through technologically advanced solutions. We will leverage our track record of ingenuity through our R&D resources to enhance the boating experience with unique new marine products, such as the next generation of engine technology with Project Ghost and the next generation of pontoons with Project M, code names for new products we expect to transform the industry

 

[jason p]

“Project Ghost” sounds like an electric outboard to me. 

[DonV]

As an owner of 13 various 2S engines, 9 of which were OMC,  it's kinda hard to see them go!! However it looks like the 4S takeover is complete. Yamaha covers the new boat market, Suzuki covers the re-power market, Mercury is sneaking up to kick both their rear ends....big time and Honda is, well just there. As Lap it Up says, less competition is not really good. When large capital investment firms buy major portions of companies like BRP and they don't see the return they were looking for, too bad you're gone. Bombardier's aviation division is next on the chopping block.

[MuddyBottomBluz]

To think Mr. Evinrude built a motor for his row boat in  1907. The reason; his wife loved Wisconsin ice cream and he had to row 5 miles to get it. Well during the warmer days the ice cream would melt on the way back, so he thought there had to be a better way, hence the birth of the outboard motor.