Sound, efficiency, environment… when it comes to engines, recreational boaters are fuelled with options.

As with many things, a little time spent before buying an engine can save you time and money over its lifespan. This applies to seasoned boaters as well as to people new to the sport, given that there are new advances in engine technology. For example, consider the industry's first high-performance all-electric ski boat, designed by Montreal-based LTS Marine, and bio-boats, such as BC-based Campion Marine Inc.'s bio-diesel-powered boats - creating talk at this year's boat shows. They give a tantalizing glimpse of what the future of propulsion might hold.

While the type and size of boat often influences the general category of engine - such as outboard or inboard motor, and stern drive or jet drive - outboard motors remain the most popular means of propulsion sold in Canada today, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association Canada, based in Bolton, Ont.

In the past decade, the outboard market has moved from the traditional, oil-burning two-stroke motors to cleaner four-stroke technology, with big-brand engine manufacturers investing heavily in the new technology. Two-stroke engines have also seen some advancements, with a new generation of direct-injection models - namely Bombardier Recreational Products' Evinrude E-Tec engines - creating huge buzz since they launched in 2003 because they run cleaner, are more efficient, and operate much more quietly than earlier two-stroke incarnations.

With these advancements, some boats that have traditionally operated with inboard engines are being retrofitted with outboards to increase performance and cut fuel costs, says Craig Ritchie, with Boatguide Canada and Boating Business magazines, based in Oakville, Ont.

"[Outboards] are a huge weight saver… you can cut the weight by as much as 600 pounds. If you're looking for better performance and fuel efficiency, getting rid of that extra weight will definitely have an impact," he says, adding that the ease of maintenance of an outboard versus an inboard is also driving outboard sales.

Performance is a key consideration for people buying outboards, says Dave Trott, sales manager at Seamasters Services Ltd. in Dartmouth, NS. But with new outboard models selling for anywhere from $4,000 to $7,000 for low-horsepower models, to $35,000 or more for top-of-the-line high-horsepower engines, most people have to balance what they want with what they can afford.

Although many people look online for a good deal on a boat or engine and are willing to travel outside their area to buy, staying local can save money and trouble in years to come, says Patricia Nelder, executive director of the Atlantic Marine Trades Association, based in Mahone Bay, NS.

"If you buy and service your products locally there is an enormous benefit - you'll have someone on hand who is able to deal with problems quickly."

From the cost of purchase to maintenance and ongoing operating costs, running a boat isn't cheap, as anyone who has one knows. "People are always keen to find ways to save money," Nelder says. "They're looking for an engine that will last forever."

That desire to save money on fuel and operating costs has propelled boaters to embrace the new four-stroke models.

"It's a whole different technology," she says. "It's much cleaner in terms of performance and fuel efficiency."

Noise levels are another top consideration, Nelder notes; people, especially boomers, don't want noise outside of the sounds of nature around them.

"They want quiet, and they are willing to pay more for it," she says.

While the new generation of outboards are so quiet people have been known to try to turn them on when they're already running, the ultimate in low operating costs and quiet operation will come with electric motors, becoming more available through companies such as Torqeedo, a German-based firm that manufactures outboards comparable to 1 to 9.9 horsepower gasoline engines.

"Electric power is going to generate more interest in the coming years as it is perceived as the greener choice," Nelder says.

Ritchie concurs that electric is the way of the future. "It still only exists in small applications… and can only go up to a certain size of boat, but that will change as the technology develops. People will pay up front in the purchase, but they'll get it back in operating costs."

Quiet, and cheap over the long haul? No doubt people will jump on board.