Installation happened with only one hitch - Sunset Marine had some difficulty getting the composite prop off the old motor. On an aluminum or steel prop, they would have simply heated it with a propane torch, but obviously couldn't do that with a composite prop.

A quick call to Piranha Propellers came up with a possible solution - since Piranha props have a lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty on the hub, they told us to go ahead and do whatever was needed to get the hub off, then send it back for a replacement if it was unusable.

By the time we got back to Sunset Marine, however, they had already removed the prop. They had left the motor out in the sun, and resulting heat was enough to loosen it.

A couple of things worked out better than we expected:

• The E-TEC 90?s oil tank is under the cowling, so there is no need for a separate oil reservoir. This freed up some storage space in the console, where the old VRO tank had been located.
  
  
• The old motor required an adapter harness to allow the 2000-vintage gauges to work with the older engine. This was no longer needed, which cleaned up a mess of wires inside the transom around the battery lugs.

Overall, Sunset Marine did a clean, workmanlike job. They accidentally disconnected TB2's rear running light while removing the old wiring harness, understandable given the mess inside the transom. They also gave the boat and fuel system a once-over, and replaced the fuel-water separator filter.

The motor is skinnier and a little taller than the old V-4 90. This makes sense, as it is an inline-3

The color on the covers is molded in, so scratches won't show up as easily. The Saltwater Edition is a very light cream color (not quite white).

The oil reservoir is inside the cowling, and holds 3 quarts, which is supposed to be enough for at least 50 hours of operation with traditional TC-W3RL oil, 100 hours with Evinrude?s XD-100 synthetic oil

The fuel lines no longer use the traditional OMC bayonet connectors. The fuel line and cables go directly into the cowling. This means it is not possible to hook up an auxiliary tank directly to the motor, without some sort of tee fitting. Sunset Marine's Service Manager said it was an emissions control requirement. If I get the increase in fuel economy that I'm hoping for, I won't need the aux tanks anyway, as I should be able to get 180+ mile  range

The lower unit looks smaller than on the older V-4 (at least the skeg is sharper and smaller), but it is definitely wider, in line with their claims about using larger gears. It still uses the old 13-tooth splined shaft for the props, so my old props still fit.