Comparison Vitals Master LM 6335h vs CRAFT-TEC CT-OE820

The duty cycle of the petrol engine (see "Engine type") installed in the boat.

— Duplex. Two-stroke engines have a good ratio of volume and useful power, besides, they are simpler in design and cheaper than four-stroke ones. On the other hand, they have a rather high fuel consumption and noise level, and gasoline and oil must be filled not separately, but as a mixture. Such a mixture must correspond to certain proportions, otherwise the engine will either wear out and heat up due to a lack of oil, or smoke due to its excess. However high-end motors can use automatic mixing systems (see below), eliminating the need for the user to manually prepare the mixture. However, even when perfectly proportioned, two-stroke engines burn a certain amount of oil along with gasoline, which is why they are considered dirtier than four-stroke engines.

— Four stroke. For the same working volume, four-stroke engines tend to have less power than two-stroke ones. They also require compliance with specific transportation rules. However, this is offset by a number of advantages — primarily relatively low noise levels and gasoline consumption. In addition, gasoline and oil are refueled separately into the engine — this is more convenient and economical than preparing a mixture; and during normal operation, the lubricant practically does not burn out, which also has a positive effect on the environmental frien...dliness of the engine. At the same time, such units are quite expensive, as a result of which the four-stroke cycle is typical mainly for premium outboard motors.

The maximum operating power of the outboard motor, expressed in horsepower.

Horsepower (hp) has traditionally been used primarily to refer to the power of internal combustion engines, including gasoline engines (see "Engine type"). However, in outboard motors, these units are also used for electric models (see ibid.). This is due to the fact that the majority of gasoline engines are on the market, and boat manufacturers prefer to indicate the maximum recommended engine power in “horses”.

The general patterns when choosing outboard motors in terms of power are as follows. On the one hand, a more powerful unit will allow you to develop more speed and is better suited for a heavy boat (see "Maximum boat weight"). On the other hand, weight, dimensions, cost and fuel/energy consumption also directly depend on power. Therefore, it does not always make sense to chase the maximum performance.

In addition, the choice of motor for maximum power also depends on the characteristics of the craft on which it is planned to be used. It is not worth exceeding the recommended power stated in the specifications — firstly, the boat transom may not be designed for a heavy large-sized unit, and secondly, the boat itself may not be suitable for acceleration to high speeds. There are also more specific recommendations. For example, from the point of view of efficiency and safety, the engine power at the level of 60 – 80% of the ma...ximum specified in the characteristics of the boat is considered optimal. Lower values may be useful if economy and low noise level are important to you, and higher values if high speed and acceleration dynamics are key points.

There is one more specific point associated with this parameter: most often, the characteristics indicate the power output directly to the propeller, however, some manufacturers (mostly east european) can go for a little trick, indicating the power on the main motor shaft. When power is transferred to the screw, losses inevitably occur, so the useful power of the motor in such a case will be less than claimed. Thus, when choosing and comparing, it's ok to clarify what kind of power is meant in the characteristics — on the propeller or on the shaft.

The maximum operating power of the outboard motor, expressed in kilowatts.

The practical value of motor power is described in detail in “Maximum power" is higher. Here we note that the kilowatt (derivative of watt) is just one of the units of power used in fact along with horsepower (hp); 1 HP ≈ 735 W (0.735 kW). Watts are considered the traditional unit for electric motors (see "Engine Type"), but for a number of reasons, outboard motor manufacturers use this designation for gasoline models as well.

The working volume of a gasoline outboard engine (see "Engine type"). This term usually means the total working volume of the cylinders.

The larger this value, the higher the motor power, usually (see the relevant paragraph). At the same time, with an increase in the working volume, fuel consumption, weight and dimensions of the unit also increase; and power depends not only on this indicator, but also on a number of other factors — ranging from the number of strokes (see "Engine duty cycle") or the presence of turbocharging (see below) and ending with specific design features. Therefore, situations are not excluded when a smaller engine will have more power, and vice versa.

The total volume of the fuel tank provided in the design or delivery set of the outboard motor (depending on the type of tank — see "Fuel tank").

The larger the capacity of the fuel tank, the longer the engine will be able to work without refueling, the less often it will be necessary to replenish the fuel supply in the tank. On the other hand, volumetric tanks have appropriate dimensions and weight, especially when filled; the latter is especially critical for motors with built-in tanks (see above).

The gear ratio describes how fast the propeller of the outboard motor rotates relative to the speed of rotation of its shaft. For example, a gear ratio of 2 means that for each revolution of the shaft, the screw, in turn, makes two revolutions (that is, it rotates twice as fast). In modern outboard motors, this parameter, in fact, is purely reference, because. the practical characteristics of the unit (power, traction, etc.) depend on many design features and are practically not related to the gear ratio.

The total weight of the outboard motor. This parameter is indicated, usually, only for the unit itself, without taking into account the fuel in the tank and the tank itself (if it is external, see "Fuel tank"), as well as additional equipment. Motor weight data can be useful in order to estimate the overall balance of the boat and the change in its payload capacity.