1972 vs. 1973 65 horse johnsons

[yooperangler]

I am about to begin tearing down and restoring an 18 foot starcraft mariner that has a 73 65 horse johnson on it I also have a 72 johnson 65 horse on my Dads old boat. Neither have been run in a few years both turn over fine and ran when last used. Both have broken/frozen control cables from sitting but controls for both motors seem fine. I have a number of questions and am sure I will have more So thanks in advance

1. Which is the better motor? Seems there are a lot of varying opinions regarding electric vs mechanichal shift which I believe is the issue I'll be facing ?

2. Is it possible to use the 73 controls for the 72 motor ? I believe the 73 has 2 cables and 72 only has one although may be wrong as I don't have the 72 here to look at. Reason I'm considering this is boat is c.c. and 72 controls are for side console although possible I could mount on left of c.c.

3. Are control cables still readily available for both controls ? I have seen some on ebay and johnsons website but say something about cables without ends not sure what that means??

4. When purchasing control cables is the only factor to consider the length of the proper cable? For example if I move my c.c. forward and only need 13' or whatever and order the proper cable in a 14' length will this work properly?
My understanding is that length of travel is the main factor and just trying to clarify if console placement needs to be exact for cable length?

5. The 1973 has power tilt on it (looks original) can I use this on the 72 ?

6. Are parts like carbs, coils, etc.. interchangeable between these motors ?

7. Is a 65 horse even big enough for an 18' aluminum boat to achieve reasonable performance? I have read a few threads suggesting these 3 cyls are more economical and perhaps more powerful than 4's and curious what sort of performance I can expect. The 73 looks like it may be original motor but not sure.

8. Anyone know what the last letter of model # means ? motors are 65esl-72s and 65esl-73r.

I guess thats more than enough for now Thanks again for any help you guys can offer and thanks for all the interesting threads I have already found here keep it up!

 

[F_R]

Re: 1972 vs. 1973 65 horse johnsons

1. 1973

2. No, not really.

3 & 4.. Travel is the same on all cable. Style and length are the considerations. Yours takes the 400 series (here at iboats). They come without the ends. Reuse the old ends.

5. Not sure. I'd have to research that one

6. Totally different ignition systems

7. As compared to the earlier V4's yes, much more economical and better performance, depending on what size V4 you are talking about. It will out perform a V4 75hp

8. Nothing, unless a mid-year engineering change was made. In that event, the letter indicates that. The parts book for whatever you are ordering will tell if there is a change.

 

[DJacksonRN]

Re: 1972 vs. 1973 65 horse johnsons

Don't know if you're still following this thread, but I'm just about to start working on a '73 J65 myself. I'll keep an eye on this thread to see if there's anything I see, hope y'all do the same!

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: 1972 vs. 1973 65 horse johnsons

I have to disagree with F_R (which I rarely do) on item #6. The 1972 and 1973 OMC 65hp, 3 cylinder engines have the same ignition system. They are magneto CD systems, with a 6 amp stator, a timer base, a powerpack and three ignition coils.

In fact, other than the shift systems (hydroelectric v. hydromechanical) and the fact that the '73 has a tilt tube for the steering system, the motors are essentially identical.

IMO, there isn't a clear cut answer as to which motor is better. On the hydroelectric models, if the motor has been well cared for and everything works, they can be great motors. On the other hand, they have a number of critical parts that are now NLA, so the '73 could be easier to keep "running."

Depending on how fast you want to go, I think either of these motors would power your boat just fine. I have a '72 65hp Johnson on my 17.5 foot fiberglass trihull. Measured by GPS, my WOT speed is statute 29 mph with a 15" pitch, cupped Powertech SS prop, at 5,100 rpm. My guess is that my boat is heavier than your 18" Starcraft "tinny." With the same engine/prop combination, you would probably get a couple of hundred more rpm and a few more mph.



???

 

[F_R]

Re: 1972 vs. 1973 65 horse johnsons

Yer' right and I goofed. The 1972 does have the mag CD system. Light years better than the one it replaced.

 

[TN-25]

Re: 1972 vs. 1973 65 horse johnsons

As far as the power tilt is concerned, there were kits available for the looper 3-cylinder models 1968-72. A different kit was used for 1973-up 3-cyl motors. So the answer is no, you can't swap the power tilt between 1972 & 1973 motors. As was stated earlier in this thread, for 1973 they switched from hydroelectric to hydromechanical shift plus the tilt tube steering on the transom bracket. I'm not sure how minor or subtle the changes were between the tilt kits for the early vs later versions of your motors.

 

[yooperangler]

Re: 1972 vs. 1973 65 horse johnsons

Sorry I haven't responded sooner been afk most of the winter and just now made room in the garage and have her in there thawing out thanks for all the info