opinion on used outboard

So since I'm gonna have to purchase a used motor for my tin.
I was wondering what everyone thought are the best make to look for
if any.

Just hoping to not make a big mistake when I finally buy one.

John

Earlier than 95' I'd only buy Johnson/Evinrude. If in the Late 90's, 2000's I'd look at Yamaha and Merc. I would never buy, Suzuki or an older Merc. Tohatsu is Merc/Nissan under 50hp? btw.

Pay close attention to see if the motor was ever used in salt. Compression test would be smart too. Don't shy away from a used motor. It's all I ever owned.

This is my opinion. Almost like asking me either Ford/Chevy, I'd say Toyota :shock:

Lol
I know it was a loaded question but just worried about a used one. Mostly cause my buddy is making me paranoid about it. Also need to find out how not to buy a lemon.
I should have said it will be between a 30 or 40 Hp used for flats fishing in fl.

I bought a 1989 fisher boat with a 1988-89 johnson 48 hp spl on it last year, guy said it missed and did not run right. Seemed ok to me in his backyard on some muffs. I took it down to my buddys place last year to fish, he listened to it and said to check the plugs. They were gapped at about 90/1000, should have been 40/1000, the engine runs great, starts right up everytime, never misses a beat at low or top speed. I love it. Same buddy has a 1970ish 10 hp johnson that still runs great, he has been using it for 30 years.

OTOH, this same buddy and I had a wellcraft with a 1984 150hp johnson on it, never ran right for us. I hated it, finally 2 pistons cracked rings and then seized up and broke 2 rods and screwed the crankshaft. Me and my buddy fixed it, marine machinist who bored the block for us told us the cylinders were out of round, all 6 of them, from the factory I guess. Just saying.....

Tim

Most important thing when buying a used outboard is to check for compression. This will tell you if the internals are in good working order. You are looking for 100psi or better in all cylinders and no more than 10-15% difference in each cylinder.

Johnson/Evinrude made great motors like stated above until the late 90's and will run forever if taken care of properly. I don't like to ever tell anyone to buy Yamy's but they did make a **** solid motor in the 90's and early 2000's from what I have seen. I do not recommend older mercs at all as also stated above. They seem to sell for a premium and are not near as well built as the older J/E.

I like to read the seller to try and get an idea if they knew how to take care of there motor. I am the type of person that will wipe my motor down after every fishing trip and when I sell a motor it goes very quick because I take care of my engines and can show the buyer why and how I have taken care of it.

Speaking from experience old Mercs are what you make of them.The only thing about Mercs is the electronics.The older ones went through quite a few changes.Mercs have a little higher compression than Johnson or Evinrude.I won't touch a Merc under 130#.They are alot faster than their competitors of equal horsepower.I have had no problem finding an old Merc for a reasonable price.
I own all 3 mentioned & have no personal preference other than horsepower. [-X

Thanks for all the input. The more the better this way
I cab make a informed decision.

Since you are in FL most likely anything you come across will be a salt motor, and if they are claiming it's not I'd call BS. Easiest way to tell the water jackets condition is pull the thermostat. It's usually easy to get to and will reveal if the motor has if indeed been exposed or flushed properly.

IMO is you plan to spend more than 1k on a used motor and don't know what to look for It's probably best to pay a Marine tech that works on that particular Mfg'r for an hour of his time. It could save you LOTS of $$ down the road and buyers remorse.

I agree with six-gun....like I told you before...Go to a marine service center and start asking questions. They will more than likely have an engine for you to look at, or they will keep their eyes out for ya. I know the guys at Promarine, I will ask them for ya. I cant remember the name of the place up in clearwater, but there used to be a place off of alt 19 that serviced and sold outboards. Compression is key to any motor. I would not pay anymore than 1000 for a 30hp. I found my 25, only 100hrs on the motor, and it came with 12'gamefisher and a new trailer for $1200, which I will sell when I finish my mod. I am guessing that I could easily get 800 for the extra boat and trailer.

bigwave said:

I agree with six-gun....like I told you before...Go to a marine service center and start asking questions. They will more than likely have an engine for you to look at, or they will keep their eyes out for ya. I know the guys at Promarine, I will ask them for ya. I cant remember the name of the place up in clearwater, but there used to be a place off of alt 19 that serviced and sold outboards. Compression is key to any motor. I would not pay anymore than 1000 for a 30hp. I found my 25, only 100hrs on the motor, and it came with 12'gamefisher and a new trailer for $1200, which I will sell when I finish my mod. I am guessing that I could easily get 800 for the extra boat and trailer.

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I've. Been to a few in my travels for work. I hit a few in pasco and in Hernando.
haven't tried close to home yet cause it seems I'm. Always headed north.
so far no luck every place has either to small to big or to new and expensive.

sixgun86 said:

Since you are in FL most likely anything you come across will be a salt motor, and if they are claiming it's not I'd call BS. Easiest way to tell the water jackets condition is pull the thermostat. It's usually easy to get to and will reveal if the motor has if indeed been exposed or flushed properly.

IMO is you plan to spend more than 1k on a used motor and don't know what to look for It's probably best to pay a Marine tech that works on that particular Mfg'r for an hour of his time. It could save you LOTS of $$ down the road and buyers remorse.

Click to expand...

Don't want to spend a 1000. I'm already in dog house with wife right now.
I'm. Hoping to keep it under even if it means I have to go loser in Hp.
don't want to live in my boat. Lol.

sixgun86 said:

Earlier than 95' I'd only buy Johnson/Evinrude. If in the Late 90's, 2000's I'd look at Yamaha and Merc. I would never buy, Suzuki or an older Merc. Tohatsu is Merc/Nissan under 50hp? btw.

Pay close attention to see if the motor was ever used in salt. Compression test would be smart too. Don't shy away from a used motor. It's all I ever owned.

This is my opinion. Almost like asking me either Ford/Chevy, I'd say Toyota :shock:

Click to expand...

It's a crap shoot unless you can look inside of the motor. I bought a boat that was used exclusively in salt water and it looked very clean! The trailer was toast (ended up buying a brand new trailer) and the first time I took off the lower cowling part of the power head, I saw all the corrosion on everything. I traded that motor in along with $3000 more dollars and got a newer used Merc that runs and looks even better.

BTW, I bought a new 2003 Toyota truck which was the first Toyota for me. It's going to be the last one too. It was built in Northern California and the quality sucks! I just bought a Chevy tow vehicle.

Watch your local craigslist and you should be able to get a decent 30 to 40hp for under a grand. I have bought two 30hp motors recently for $750 total invested off CL. One had a few minor issues and the other ran perfect, funny thing was the one I paid $250 for was the one that ran perfect and had better compression! The deals are out there if you look hard enough.

For under $1000 you will be looking at 80's and possibly an early 90's outboards. Johnson/Evinrude made excellent motors back then

if your wanting a cheap, reliable motor, get a two cylinder evinrude/johnson. they run forever and the electronics are usually foolproof.

my question is sort of related, so i thought i'd ask here.

some guy is offering me a 1990's 6.5 johnson, asking for the equivalent of $600. he gives me the personal guarantee that the motor was broken in (10hours), then stowed in a big boat as back up. he says it was never used since and is still in showroom condition. i think he's being honest. i still asked for photos just to be sure and the serial/model number for proper identification, but he's on vacation for a week or two.

is this motor a good choice? i don't see it often in the forums i visit, unlike the 9.9hp-15hp, so i have second thoughts about parts availability. i'd go for it if parts are not difficult to find.

Didn't realize they made a 6.5 hp in the 90's? I know there is a 6hp that you will have no issue finding parts for via the internet. Boats.net or Marineengine.com will have all the parts you need along with a few other sites.

Ok there are good and bad points about a motor that hasn't been run much in almost 20yrs. Seals can and DO dry up when not in use. At minimum it will need a new impeller right away and a carb rebuild and cleaning if it has sat as long as you stated. If it has been stored properly it will be a good motor but if it has sat out in the weather on the back of a boat as a kicker motor for 20yrs then it may not be as nice as you would think it could be. I would still check compression either way.

from what i can gather, the 6.5 in qestion was made in belgium and wasn't marketed in the USA. that's why i'm having second thoughts about the parts availability. it's supposed to be a commercial model with the charging system. should be a great feature, since i have some electronics/lights, and maybe even a trolling motor if i find a nice deal.

sorry for the confusion, but the motor was bought as new(old stock) only a few years ago. the seller runs a marina/dive business, i'll see if i can make him prep the motor before i buy it. he seems like a reasonable man, so i have high hopes.

So what year motor is it exactly? And the motor most likely only puts out 4 amps of charging at best if it is a 90's motor so you won't be able to run a lot of lights and accessories off of it. It will most likely just maintain the battery rather than actually charging it unless you run it for a very long time