Buying a used outboard

I have a 12 foot Valco aluminum boat. I am looking to buy a used outboard motor and I have been searching craigslist. There are a ton of options and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. My budget is $600. The boat is rated for up to 18 hp. I currently have a 1960's 9 hp Chrysler sea king. With just me in the boat it will go 14 mph but once I add trolling motor, battery, and other fishing gear I am lucky to get 8 mph. When fishing with another person it goes 5 to 7 mph. Although it would be nice to be able to get the boat on a plane with me and one other person plus fishing gear, the main reason I am looking for another motor is because the sea king has been running poorly and I would like a more reliable motor. I hate being uncertain if the motor is going to start or run poorly and not get me back to the boat launch.

Most of the time I fish on smaller bodies of water but sometimes I fish for salmon and walleye on large reservoirs. Usually I stay within 2 or 3 miles of the boat launch so speed isn't necessarily a top concern. Also I have a minn kota that I use for trolling so this motor would be mainly used to get from A to B.

Based on searching craigslist over the past week it looks like with my budget I could get any of the following options:

9.9 to 15 hp late 70's or early 80's Johnson or Evinrude

Newer 4-7.5 hp 2 stroke Evinrude 1990's to 2000

Mid 80's Honda BF75 to BF100 7.5 to 10 hp 4 stroke

Newer 4 hp 4 stroke Yamaha or 4-6 hp tohatsu late 90's to early 2000

I have been doing a bunch of research on other forums and watching youtube videos and right now I am leaning toward getting a newer motor in good condition with less hp vs getting an older motor in worse looking condition with more hp. In a perfect world I would get a newer 10 to 15 hp motor but so far I haven't found any on craigslist that fall within my budget. I am leaning toward 2 stroke vs 4 stroke but I am also thinking that the 1980's Honda BF100 would be a good fit or that a newer 4 hp yamaha and 6 hp tohatsu 4 stroke could be slow but super reliable.

Would I be able to get 6-8 mph with a motor as small as 4 hp? Could an older 1970's 15 hp motor be just as reliable as any newer motor? Most of my searching has been done on Seattle and Spokane WA craigslist. I am not in a really big hurry but I would like to make the purchase in the next month or so before most of the lakes open back up. I have very little experience with outboard motors and any input or experience you guys have to help me narrow it down would be great.

Thanks

Get a Johnson or 'rude - go up to 20 to 25 hp and you will be set

older ones are great and simple

I used to have a honda 10hp, it was super reliable and very quiet. Great for trolling for salmon and walleye. Great on gas. Heavy motor
that will probably not greatly improve your "on plane" issues.
Tim

Mid 80's mercury/mariner had an 18HP in their XD series that is basically the same as the 20hp model i have which is just a brute. Only weighs 105lbs, and it will purr nicely for trolling. They should be right in your price range if you can find one. A buddy of mine has one laid up from his father's boat, though I don't think he's looking to sell it.

Captain Ahab said:

Get a Johnson or 'rude - go up to 20 to 25 hp and you will be set

older ones are great and simple

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I'd go with an older Johnson or Evinrude , as they are easy to maintain and relatively cheap to purchase

Thanks guys, how old of a Johnson/Evinrude are we talking? 60's 70's 80's?

I have seen a few 9.9's from the 70's for between 4 and 5 hundred bucks.

Valco12 said:

Thanks guys, how old of a Johnson/Evinrude are we talking? 60's 70's 80's?

I have seen a few 9.9's from the 70's for between 4 and 5 hundred bucks.

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I would say 78 and up,reason being is no points or condensers. If you get a used motor,always check the compression first ,shoot for 110 psi or better. Most anything else is fixable. The boat is rated for 18 right? If it were me I'd go with a 15, mid 1980 to 90's Excellent power to weight ratio , good speed and easy on fuel.

Charger25 said:

Valco12 said:

Thanks guys, how old of a Johnson/Evinrude are we talking? 60's 70's 80's?

I have seen a few 9.9's from the 70's for between 4 and 5 hundred bucks.

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I would say 78 and up,reason being is no points or condensers. If you get a used motor,always check the compression first ,shoot for 110 psi or better. Most anything else is fixable. The boat is rated for 18 right? If it were me I'd go with a 15, mid 1980 to 90's Excellent power to weight ratio , good speed and easy on fuel.

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I agree - 78 and up is better



I strongly suggest you go bigger then a 9.9 - at LEAST 16 hp but 20 or 25 is better


You have a 10 hp that is not doing it - another 10 hp range motor is going to not do it again

I wouldn't go down in HP. I Personally wouldn't get one of the 4-6 HP Tohatsu's. They have weak gear cases. I barely hit a stump & it damaged the forward, reverse, & pinion gear. #-o Not even a nick in the prop. I had the lower unit rebuilt for $350 with labor included but it took 6 months for the parts to come in from Japan. :evil:

I have a honda7.5 (blue and white one) the motor is awesome! I used to run it on a 12' loweline until I sold the boat I will probobly keep the motor for life the motor turns over easy. I'm 180 and my uncle is 210 and we probobly had 100lbs of gear and we had the motor going 13.4mph gps speed that is the only time I had it gpsd but I know I've had it going much faster with me and my little brother probobly 17-19 the motor idles excellent and trolls like a dream the only problem I've ever had is when I left old gas in the carb over the winter if the happens to you just clean it another good thing about this motor is it gets GREAT gas mileage which is important to me my cousin has a 6hp Johnson and we go up to a camp over the summer and run relatively the same distance but mine was on a 14r sea nymph and his was on a tracker 1232 and we used less than half of the gas he used!! Plus I think it has a considerable amount of power more the the 6 horse if you want a good reliable motor go with this you won't be disappointed 8)

I used to have a 12' Valco with a 69 9.9 Johnson. I moved along pretty good with 2 people and gear. Also had a 13' Valco with a 89 15hp Johnson. It was a screamer with 2 people. That late 60's Johnson was a great motor with lots of torque and got up on plane pretty quick. I wanted to add that I bought the boat new in 86 with a 6hp Evinrude. It ran O.K. but was underpowered. The 9.9 seemed to be the perfect balance between weight and power.

onthewater102 said:

Mid 80's mercury/mariner had an 18HP in their XD series that is basically the same as the 20hp model i have which is just a brute. Only weighs 105lbs, and it will purr nicely for trolling. They should be right in your price range if you can find one. A buddy of mine has one laid up from his father's boat, though I don't think he's looking to sell it.

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He could get a 15 hp Force that only weighs 60 lbs and have a much safer ride.

He could - but I haven't heard anything positive or negative about them so I wouldn't recommend something I've had no experience researching. Though even going with the 18hp, that 3hp difference more than makes up for an extra 40lbs...HP is the energy required to accelerate 500lbs 1 ft/s, so adding 3 hp at the price of 40lbs is well worth it

l Like the 18hp Merc for that application too. They were made in the early 80s. Shop around a little and see if you might stumble into one that has had little use. The engine was the same as the 25hp of the same years. I believe it's only a carb change to make a really nice ride out of it.

The other alternative is a 60's to early 70's Evinrude/Johnson 18hp. Parts will be available forever for these world wide. These will make the boat fly nice too.

The most desired engine for this size boat is an 80's and newer 15 Johnson/Evinrude. Everybody loves these motors and the prices are increasing with the demand. Look for someone selling grandads old boat with one of these 15s on back. Buy the whole rig and sell the hull and trailer. I have personally scored many free motors in this way.

By the way, there are no miracles in the gas mileage department. If you are using (x) horses, then you're feeding (x) horses. Four-strokes are a percentage more efficient, but it is offset by their weight, complexity, maintenance requirements, and lack of low end torque.

Thanks everyone. I still haven't found anything yet. I almost pulled the trigger on a 1988 honda BF100 for $550 but decided to wait and keep looking. There are a ton of 1980's Honda BF75 and BF100's on Craigslist right now between $500 and $700. This could either be a good or a bad thing.

Also, there are very few 1980's and newer 10-15 hp Johnson/Evinrudes on craigslist. There must be a reason for this and after hearing what most of you have to say I think I should hold out until I find a 15 horse that looks like it is still in great shape.

Do the Mid to late 1980's 9.9's and 15 hp motors from Johnson/Evinrude weight the same? If so I should probably just wait to find a 15 hp over a 9.9 that weights the same with a 1/3 less power.

Anyways, Hopefully something comes up before salmon season this summer but at least until then this old motor will get me around to fish the lakes this spring.

Any increase in power in these motors is worth it. Don't settle for the 9.9 over the 15 or even the 15 over the 18 if you can afford to be patient or expand your search area.

The only reason I'd ever go with a smaller motor is to meet the restrictions of a particular body of water if I really wanted to fish it regularly. Hell, even then I'd be looking for a series motor (18hp, 20hp, 25hp mercury's for example) where a little modification under the cowl will net you a more powerful setup while still keeping the appearances of a compliant setup.

Valco12 said:

Thanks everyone. I still haven't found anything yet. I almost pulled the trigger on a 1988 honda BF100 for $550 but decided to wait and keep looking. There are a ton of 1980's Honda BF75 and BF100's on Craigslist right now between $500 and $700. This could either be a good or a bad thing.

Also, there are very few 1980's and newer 10-15 hp Johnson/Evinrudes on craigslist. There must be a reason for this and after hearing what most of you have to say I think I should hold out until I find a 15 horse that looks like it is still in great shape.

Do the Mid to late 1980's 9.9's and 15 hp motors from Johnson/Evinrude weight the same? If so I should probably just wait to find a 15 hp over a 9.9 that weights the same with a 1/3 less power.

Anyways, Hopefully something comes up before salmon season this summer but at least until then this old motor will get me around to fish the lakes this spring.

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My 89 15hp weighed the same as the 9.9 of the same year. If you ever fish on lakes of any size you will be glad you held out for a 15. You will leave a lot of small boats in your wake with that setup.

The 80s and early 90s Evinrude 9.9/15hp motors were identical size and weight. It was tuning that responsible for the power difference.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I have been looking at motors on craigslist for the last 4 months and I finally found one. I am in the process of buying a 1983 15 hp Evinrude for $300.

It looks like it is in good condition. The owner bought it along with a 12 ft Valco (same boat that I have except his is a 73' and mine's an 81') from his friend who can no longer fish due to health reasons. He said he hasn't used the motor but had it checked out at a shop... they told him that it runs well but they could only start it using starter fluid and that it needed a carb kit or new carburetor.

I don't mind working on engines and I would have no problem rebuilding the carburetor. I have talked with him quite a bit and feel like he is being honest with me. I really haven't seen any other 15 hp engines within a $300 to $400 dollar budget especially motors in this condition/age. Fingers crossed this is an easy fix and I am not getting myself into a mess.

I was the first person to call him about the motor and he's had a bunch of calls since I made the first call but he said that he would hold it for me until Tuesday. Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to pick up the motor in person as it is a 3 1/2 hour drive. My girlfriends father will be picking up the motor and bringing it to us when he comes to visit in a couple weeks. He doesn't know much about motors but I told him to check the lower unit oil, make sure that it turns over, has spark, and goes in and out of gear and if he doesn't mind, bringing a garbage can and some starter fluid to see if it will start. Anything else he should check? Anyways, unless a bunch of you more outboard knowledgeable folks think that this is crazy and that I should keep looking, I am finally buying a motor.

make sure you never take it to that shop.