Good luck BRP

[SpeedJr]

As a long time die hard ETEC owner, it's time we part ways. I've purchased multiple Etec's every year for the past 6 years to keep up with my racing habits. Traveled all over the Midwest not only competing, but winning boat racing events. I never asked for a thing from BRP, other than someone to talk to about concerns or areas for improvement. I sent emails, dozens of phone calls to all departments, event drove to Sturtevant in the hopes to speak to some in engineering only to be turned away by a woman that treated me like a solicitor and a nuisance. My father came with me. He had Evinrude's since he was 11 years old. He was wearing an Etec hat, a racing shirt with his Etec powered drag boat across the back of it, asked if there is ANYONE we could have a conversation with? Nope. Please send an email to whom you wish to speak too she said. I told her I've done that many times. She said "oh well".....As I left the lobby, I looked at the sculpture of the F1 boat with the F1 V8 on it just outside. Those were the days, my dad said. Those days are LONG GONE. So I'm switching to Mercury Outboards on my new twin engine rig and my next drag boat. The introduction of the G2 motor just confirmed my decision to make the switch. I don't know where it all went wrong. Where people pushing someones product to the limit(on their own dime) becomes a nuisance? What do I know right? I'm just a loyal customer....or was one....Just sad. I hear you loud and clear BRP. Good luck.....

Jr.

[onthespot]

Sounds like there dealers,ask the local dealer if i could pay an hours labor to talk to a tech they told me kindly, nope not this time of year..wounder this winter if they will feel the same way.Good luck with your merc's.

[E-NATION]

SpeedJr, we are very sorry for the frustration you have experienced with Evinrude BRP. You should not have been elevated to this degree and we hope to get in touch to discuss these issues with you directly.  Please send ENATION@brp.com with your e-mail and contact info and we will get someone in touch with you. We apologize for your inconvienences and hope we can resolve something for you.

Thank you,

E-NATION

[roamer7]

I wouldn't write off the entire brand because you got flipped off by some b*tch at the front desk. BTW the G2 IMO is awesome... it'd be a bad time to switch brands. I can't wait until it trickles down to some smaller models like the trips and v4s.

[SpeedJr]

This has been going on for years.....Heck, I even sent a resume in and applied for jobs(That I don't need) WAY below my pay grade/experience with no response? I'm building a boat right now that I'd love to bring down to Lake of the Ozarks Shootout and stick it to the Mercury Outboard Powered 28 Skater & 32 Doug Wright....I know the boat will do it, I know my Etec's can do it, but I need a little help from BRP with a issue that costs them $0. Just a few hours of their time. How come they don't want this to happen? I'm not even talking about drag racing, the Shootout is a 1 mile course with a radar gun at the end. People from all over the country come out to see who's the fastest. So does anyone else wanna see twin Etec's put the smack down on a $300,000 Doug Wright Catamaran with 300XS's? With just a little help I can send him back to California crying....IS ANYONE FROM BRP INTERESTED IN SEEING THIS HAPPEN?

Larry 847 707 2590
gemppjr@comcast.net

[SpeedJr]

My slow family boat..Not the new boat....[URL=http://s1267.photobucket.com/user/SpeedJr/media/digital%20file1%201029_zpsdmsd7x8j.jpg.html][IMG]htt...

[SpeedJr]

I guess not.....Funny, I received an email from the Regional Business Director of Mercury inviting me to come to Fond du Lac the day after I posted this thread. Haven't heard a thing from BRP like the previous 5 years. I'll be taking Reid up on his offer. All my Etec's will be up for sale this week on Scream and Fly or Ebay. It's nice to see one company cares more about a potential customer more than BRP cares about there current customers. Huh.....how sad.

[BluewaterBill]

Haven't heard a thing from BRP like the previous 5 years.

Hi Larry,

Don't forget that I contacted you some time back and we had several conversations about your opinions of BRP and about high-performance parts and support, or lack thereof. Your concerns were fowarded to the appropriate departments by me.

I'm sorry to see you go over to the dark side, if that is really what you want to do. These new G-2 engines are amazing and would surprise you.

[trimup]

I read that first review with the G2 mounted to a swim raft and it did not surprise or amaze me it made me want to puke. Evinrude marketing is in an echo chamber it appears they have totally convinced themselves there is no market for performance oriented products, as there are so few inquiries from customers. The equivalent would be if Ski-Doo built nothing but Tundras and Skandics for 25 years straight and then started saying there must be no market for a machine like the MXZ because our customers have no interest. Evinrude also does not seem to grasp the concept of halo products. Chevrolet makes Corvettes for the image it gives them in the marketplace not because Corvettes are a great money making product on their own.

[SalmonHuntr]

I TOTALLY understand your frustration. As good as the engineering is at BRP, the folks at BRP/Evinrude could be kicking a lot of Mercury & Yamaha motors off transoms IF they would listen to owners on how to improve some of their motors to fit specific markets. Just like your experience, I have also found that BRP/Evinrude attitude towards feedback from owners is one of arrogance and total rejection of any positive suggestions to improve the engineering on their motors. (Mercury & Yamaha ought to be very happy about that, b/c if Evinrude would listen to owners' suggestions, the ETEC motors would be even more AWESOME than they already are!)

 I bought my first ETEC this summer; the 15hp ETEC HO kicker. After years of frustration dealing withcarbuerator issues inherant to the 4 stroke CARBED Mercury Pro-Kickers, my ETEC has been an absolute DREAM to own. No more carb clean out jobs every single year. I still have one Mercury 4 stroke on my 18' Alumacraft Trophy. Compared to my ETEC 15hp Kicker, the Mercury 4 stroke sounds like a washing machine on the transom.

I think that I am one of very few salmon or walleye ALUMINUM boat owners who have the 15hp ETEC HO kicker. If the engineers at Evinrude were open to a few small design modifications, ETEC literally would sell 1000's of 15hp HO kickers to current owners of Mercury ProKickers & Yamaha T8, and 9.9 4 strokes. I, too, called and then emailed Evinrude Engineering at Sturtevant, WI. (about 30 miles from where I live) to suggest the improvements they need to make. Not interested. On the phone I was told that they have "excellent engineers who don't need suggestions" on how to improve their products.

What a shame that the arrogant attitude of some folks working at Sturtevant is costing BRP/Evinrude a LOT of potential sales of a clearly SUPERIOR product that is NOT being marketed properly and has several design flaws that could be easily fixed to make the Evinrude 15HO kicker the GOLD STANDARD of kicker motors.