My dad isnt that smart, and since we got rid of the thing in like 3 years it wasnt a big deal. Now we run an Evenrude(sp) E-Tech 225 HO, its a two stroke, burns regular, but its just as quiet and damn near as clean as the Mercury Opti 250XS. We stepped down in boats to, hence the drop in HP, even though the 225 HO supposedly turns out about 237. Sometimes I wonder how it is that our baots have bigger engines than some cars.