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I'm currently contemplating repowering my Grady with a set of used/certified pre-owned DFI engines (HPDI or Opti) and the one concern I have with the Optis is the noise levels. A friend of mine has a 225 Opti on his pilothouse and it seems significantly lounder than my OX66s. He believes that is due to the design of the PH and the way it traps sound. So, I was hoping those of you with Optis on center consoles or walkarounds could comment on your opinion of the noise levels?
Louder at idle than just about any motor. Once on plane they're all about the same. Mine don't bother me at all. FWIW--I think they sound absolutely wonderful when they're spooling up. You know you've got something behind you wth these.
i have the 07 250 pro xs and you can here the air pump woop woop at idle some what but not bad just enough top let you know its running ,
. cruse i can talk on my cell and people dont know im on step
my friends 2004 twin 200 optis are louder without woop woop but stll a wisper compared to my old johnrunde 225 ocean pro
we do alot of trolling with the 200 optis and really not bad ,
cant speak for the yami ox66 or hpdi
__________________ If its on the back it better be mecury black because the race never ends .
2 stroke because 4 strokes are 2 to many and 1 is not enough
yes your suzuki has tons of toqure because its geared high enough to make a weed eater pull a house .!!!! Did you change your oil yet boy ???
My new 300 opti's are about the same noise level as a pair of 250 hpdi's i use to have, they just sound much better, and do not give me any problems,
i actually rented a 22' Angler in the Keys with a 150 yamaha 4 stroke a couple of weeks ago, and that thing was louder than my 300's while running, no kidding,
I was thinking, well this 4 stroke is gonna be quiet, but, I sure was wrong,
and the sound that the F150 made was horrible
__________________ 2012 Fountain 38' Open with quad 350 verados
38' Fountain TE with triple verados
233 Formula CC w/6.2 MPI Horizon
The sound of my 135 at the dock or any startup is audibly impressive if I do say so myself. They are louder than others at low rpms and mid. I say this because of my fishing mate has a Sea Swirl with an Bombardier 225 DFI and it is some what less noticeable. As pointed out earlier wind noise will over ride just about any of the offerings on the water above 4000 in a center console.
I've got a 2001 150, and it is a bit loud, but sounds great. The newer models, like propbender's, are supposed to be quieter. It's totally a personal matter based on your boating priorities. I'd much rather hear the motor than another blow-hard on my boat yaking about how quiet his 4-stroke is by comparison. Thankfully I can usually drown him out with a burst of the throttle, and also potentially send him overboard at the same time.
And the noise argument also happens to be the only argument the 4-stroke-huggers have left, after the DFI's have been proven to be better in fuel consumption, torque, top-end, weight, initial and maintenance costs.
I have to admit I find it quite humorous that alot of the testosterone-driven tournament teams brag about, of all things, the quietness of their Japanese motors....
If only the 4-stroke-lovers could be s quiet as their motors, there might be some benefit to the reduced engine noise.
I have a pair of '03 225 Opti's and they are definitely loud.. But, it's not so loud that it unbareable or anything.. IMO, there's nothing like the sound of a pair of big block Opti's singing at full tilt.. Screw the quiet and refined outboard.. I love the sound of 12 cylinders singing behind my head.
That they are.. I run out around 50 miles to my favorite hot spot, and I usually troll for a few hours with one of my 225's running at 1400-1800rpm.. then, run 50 miles back in.. I usually cruise at 45mph or so, which is around 4200rpm for me.. On average, I burn around 45 gallons on those trips.. Interestingly enough.. I once hammered back in at 58mph @ 5600rpm (running from a storm), and only burned about 5 gallons more than what I usually do. I've seen my buddies with other DFI 2 strokes, and all sorts of 4 strokes, and none of them usually match my fuel burn @ the same MPH.. We usually cruise out together, so we match speeds and compare fuel burn over a beer or two at the dock when we get back. I ALWAYS get the free beer.
Optimax Sound Levels 
