1981 Johnson 35 horse

[whalerbeliever]

I am possibly trading for this motor, to put on my 13 ft whaler. It's a 1981 35 horse johnson. Just making sure this year doesn't have some major problems to avoid. How do you think it will compare in performance to the old 1965 33 hp I had on it? One more thing, what price would be reasonable for a good motor like this 1981 model? Thanks.

 

[Whoopbass]

Re: 1981 Johnson 35 horse

Bullet proof motors.
I would think performance would be about the same but who knows.

25 hp JohnnyRudes are priced anywhere from $200-$1000 in my area. The low priced motors are hard to get unless you happen to see the ad and respond within a few minutes of being posted. I would think $500-$700 is a fair price to pay for that motor.
I have recently purchased two 25 hp JohnnyRudes this year. A 1978 25hp Evinrude with a jet and prop lower unit for $450 (the jet is worth that).
I also just bought a 1981 Johnson 25 hp with all the original manuals and the case they came in for $350. Both motors were very clean.

 

[outkast7222]

Re: 1981 Johnson 35 horse

I have a 1982 35hp Evinrude long shaft electric start...on a 15' tinny. Been a great motor...other than carb cleanings and rebuilds I had to put a CDI into it and a rectifier. Not bad for a 27 year old motor. Wouldnt trade mine for anything.

 

[5150abf]

Re: 1981 Johnson 35 horse

I really don't think OMC ever made a bad outboard prior to 95-96, but they can be neglected so do a compression test at least.

I have an '81 50 and it still has the original power head on it compression is still 135 cold both cylinders so these engines can last a very very long time if taken care of.

The new motor should do a little better than your old one, in 65 they measured HP off of the drive shaft, in 81 they measured off the prop shaft so your 65 would actually be a 25 horse.

As far as the new engine, they are pretty bulitt proof if taken care of.

 

[whalerbeliever]

Re: 1981 Johnson 35 horse

I have recently purchased two 25 hp JohnnyRudes this year. A 1978 25hp Evinrude with a jet and prop lower unit for $450 (the jet is worth that).
I also just bought a 1981 Johnson 25 hp with all the original manuals and the case they came in for $350. Both motors were very clean.

Wow! I'd love to come across a jet unit like that. What a deal. This motor is a 15" with controls and the guy is wanting $1000 including installation.

 

[whalerbeliever]

Re: 1981 Johnson 35 horse

The new motor should do a little better than your old one, in 65 they measured HP off of the drive shaft, in 81 they measured off the prop shaft so your 65 would actually be a 25 horse.

As far as the new engine, they are pretty bulitt proof if taken care of.

Thanks for info. 10 more horses sounds good. It also looks like it would be a bit lighter....quite a bit smaller.

 

[Whoopbass]

Re: 1981 Johnson 35 horse

$1000 seems kinda high so I would talk him down. Installation isn't that hard.
Tiller handle outboards are generally worth more then cable controlled outboards so he should come down on the price. If outboards are hard to come by in your area then he might not come down much.
I recently bought an ok shape 35 hp longshaft 1981 Johnson for $250 and installed it on my 11' Avon RIB that I picked up for $100. Fun boat to play around in when the fish aren't biting.

The jet drive is severely underpowered for my boat even though I done the carb swap to make the 25 into a 35 hp motor. I have a somewhat heavy 15' aluminum boat and with two guys it might reach 15mph with a good tail wind and both of us paddling.

If your not in a hurry to power your boat you might want to wait for a deal but you will need to watch Craigslist constantly. A good deal will come along eventually if you wait it out.

 

[whalerbeliever]

Re: 1981 Johnson 35 horse

A friend of mine called Sunday night, and said he had a motor that I could have for parts. The lower unit would't match up, but the shaft and gears looked the same, so I tried them. Reverse is a little jerky, but it may just need adjusting with the linkage. Anyway, jumped right on plane and scooted down the river.