Would this motor be worth messing with?

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nathanielrthomas

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My stepfather was given his grandfathers old boat. It is an old fiberglass trihull from the 70's. Anyway, it has this 30hp Yamaha electric start/short shaft on it that hasnt been ran in over 10 years. Its not locked up, but it does have some dryrotting up under the cowling. I think its a 1980 model, but Im not sure. I could get it for free(the motor, not the boat), under the condition that I cant sell it. It would need a tiller handle added to it, and all the other tune-up/replacement parts required to bring it back to life. He said it had very little hours on it, and ran great ten years ago.

My mother is pressing him to get it out of her yard(not a pretty yard ornament sitting on the old boat), so Im thinking about taking it up as a project.

So I guess what Im asking is, are these good motors? Would it be a worthy project? I heard they were made by mariner during these years, not sure though... Any info as far as specs or personal experiences would be great. Free is a helluva price too, even if I did have to invest $300-400 to get it going, but is a 1980 yamaha worth it?

Thanks guys
 

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I would go for it, work on it as time and money allow. Yamaha made the motors for Mariner.
 
I'm not 100% but I think Yamaha made Mariner outboards,not the other way around.
Is it posssible to see if you can get it going as is?
Compression check,have spark/new plugs,carb cleaning,fresh gas,check of water lower unit,water impellor prob. needs changing.
I'm sure theres a few more things but I'd check those out before ponying up for a tiller conversion.
That being said it may well be worth the money/time.
 
It looks to be in real good shape for not having been run in ten years. If it was running when parked it should not be too hard to get running again. Take it and work on it as time and money enable you to and you may have a nice little motor there.
 
I just read another post...
You already have another 25hp,whats the year/brand?
You might gain 1-2mph with the 30hp.
Although it is nice to have acouple motors:)
 
Zum said:
I just read another post...
You already have another 25hp,whats the year/brand?
You might gain 1-2mph with the 30hp.
Although it is nice to have acouple motors:)

Yes I do have a 25hp(1992 Evinrude) now, I just bought it a few months ago. I wouldnt really be getting this one to replace it, but I may if it turns out to be a good running motor. I just hate to see a motor sit out in the weather when it could be put to use. I just didnt know if a motor would like this would be worth investing the money into, and/or possibly replace my evinrude in the future. 2 motors would be nice, but im not looking to increase speed.

No doubt tho, if this yamaha could be running right for less than $400, I wouldnt hesitate to sell my evinrude and keep the difference.

Thanks for the input guys.
 

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