EVINRUDE

G2 250

INDUCTION: 70-degree, 74-degree V-6, two-stroke, direct fuel injection

DISPLACEMENT: 3.4 liters

Evinrude’s promise is bold: No maintenance for 500 hours (or five years, whichever comes first). That means owners have the lowest cost of mechanical maintenance, by far, of any comparable outboard. Those savings are balanced out in the cost of fuel and two-stroke oil, but what is priceless is not having to haul your boat to the dealer for 20-, 100- and 300-hour maintenance cycles — and be without it for days or weeks waiting for the work to be done.

If there is a caveat, it comes from the more-experienced boaters who do much of their own work; they are likely to change their gear-case lube every 100 hours.

500 HOURS: Gear-case lube, water pump, undercowl fuel filter, spark plugs, back pressure probe: $875

MAINTENANCE PARTS: $375

MAINTENANCE LABOR: $500

GASOLINE: $12,061

HD100 TWO-STROKE OIL: $1,816

TOTAL OPERATING COSTS: $14,753