POLL - Is this a good Deal? Too big of motor?

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Is this a good deal and Is this motor too big?

  • Buy it now, this is a good deal.

    Votes: 13 92.9%
  • Don't buy it, this is a bad deal.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • That motor is too big.

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • That motor is just right.

    Votes: 8 57.1%

  • Total voters
    14
Joined
Apr 13, 2012
Messages
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$1500 - 1980's Meyers semi-v hull, 14ft, 25 hp Evinrude, and trailer.


I'm a newbie and would like some advice on an listing I seen, please?

Is this a good/bad deal, a steal/rip off?
Is the motor is too big?

If they don't put it in the lake, What should I look for when I go look at it?
I'm worried the motor is too big, so how do you check for transom leaks?
Should I have them fill the boat with water?
When you run the motor in a barrel, what do you look for?

Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
 

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Looks good to me. I have the same basic setup, around the same year, just different brands. 14' Gregor, 25 Hp Johnson. Mine was rated at 25hp max, and I wouldnt want a bigger motor on it. The 25 seems perfect. I paid $1700 for boat, trailer and motor. I'd jump on your deal if it looked good in person and the motor ran well. I would just look the hull over closely for holes, cracks or deep gashes. Have them run the motor in a trash can full of water. What i would want to see is it start from cold, not have it already been warmed up before you got there. If it starts easy,sounds good, the water pump pee indicator is flowing good and the hull looks sound, jump on it!-Tom.
 
They won't want to fill it with water... I know I wouldn't...takes to long and then you have to get the water out... Look it over close...check out the transome boards for rot (though you can replace it) it may give you some leverage for bringing the price down....

As for the size of the motor...just make sure the tag in the boat says its rated for that much HP. I have a 9.9 on my 14 Sea Nymph. And it will do plety fast for me...of course you do not have to go as fast as it will push you either. If its rated to 25 your ok.

Good luck and let is know what happens
 
Stop at Walmart or some place and get a set of earmuffs. Not the best way to test a motor as you can't put it under load but you can hear it run and see how it starts. The barrel of water is the best way of checking a motor.

When running mine at home I just use my trash can (with trash removed ;) ) then when finished I use the portable bilge pump to empty it out.
 
I think its a pretty good deal. The boat and trailer look to be in good shape. Even if the boat has some issues, they can be fixed. If it comes with a decent fish finder and trolling motor....that's another plus. That 25hp Evinrude is a great motor and more than likely will be suitable for that boat. Even if it turns out that the boat is rated for something less and you decide its too much motor, that motor will easily sell for a significant amount. If they've been using the boat with that motor, there's a good chance it is a good match to the boat. When you start pricing boats, trailers, fish finders, trolling motors and outboards, you'll quickly realize that $1700. won't get you very far....so I'd probably go for it.
 
I bought a 14 foot Gregor that had an 18hp and a 4hp kicker. I replaced both with a new 15hp four stroke Honda and an electric trolling motor that I already had so that kicked the original price wayyyyyyyy up!

My thoughts on used items are too buy as cheap as possible as I know I will be putting some work and personal touches into it. I just make sure the basics are solid. When buying used, it's always "buyer beware".

Good luck.
 
Looks decent. Take a good look at the hull, inside and out. Look at the bolts and fittings closely. Check the HP rating on the boat but you should be ok. Pop the cover on the engine and have a good look. Pickup a set of ear muffs as stated and bring a compression gauge if possible. Anyone who really wants to sell, shouldn't have an issue with a test run. I'd start around $1100 give or take.
 
Thanks guys. I hadn't thought of the ear muff things.
I was going to crawl all over and under the boat and trailer and at least act like I knew what I was doing...
 
You definitely want to run the motor to make sure it starts, idles smooth, and revs up nicely. If they won't run the motor for you, either walk away or offer $1000. Don't forget to let the motor idle for about 5 minutes to let it warm up before revving it. Make sure its peeing water nicely.

You can most likely assume the gas/oil they have on hand is old and has moisture in it. Outboards hate old gas. If possible, take your own small tank with fresh gas/oil. And make sure you have the proper hose to hook it up. I can't tell you how many times I've thought a motor was bad only to find out the gas was bad and the motor was fine.

You can buy an inexpensive compression tester at your local auto parts store or Harbor Freight. Pull both plugs, screw in the tester, and crank it over a few times. So some searching on here to find out what the acceptable compression range is for that motor. Most importantly, both cylinders should be very close to each other.

As far as the boat goes, as long as it looks sturdy, its fine. Its easy and usually cheap to fix up the boat itself.

Look the trailer over carefully. Check for dry-rot on the tires. Check for rust on the springs. Make sure lights work. Cycle the jack up and down a few times. Make sure the chains are long enough and not rusty. Make sure the hand winch works and isn't rusted shut.

$1,500 is a fair deal for that boat, IF the motor runs very well.

EDIT: Oh, in my opinion the motor is too big for the boat. Especially a tiller. Sure, it will be super fast, but its big and heavy too. That's a pretty light boat. I think a 15HP would be perfect.
 
I bought the Meyers 14' boat, I think it is a (Laker?)
The hull information plate is so worn and faded I don't know what it reads.
According to Meyers website, it looks like the motor should only be a 10hp
https://www.meyersboat.com/#/meyers/models/Laker

Attached to it is a Evinrude 25hp, 25252r (1972 Sportster?)
It started right up.

Does anyone offhand know the fuel mixture for this motor?
 
50 to 1, and it's prob a little over powered but that's no issue, in fact it will be better on gas because you wont have to go wide open throttle to go the speed you wanna go...nice boat!
 

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