40hp 1980s Johnson Value

[thull]

I'm thinking about going to see this motor and wanted to know if $3,000 was too much. It's a 1.5 hour drive for me. The seller doesn't give the year, but I think the scheme is from the 80s. Assuming compression is good, is he $1,000 high at $3k? It doesn't have trim/tilt, but does have electric start and is the shaft length I need.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/boa/d/tarpon-springs-40hp-johnson-stroke/7473925379.html.

 

[JimS123]

Its worth maybe $800, but only if it is a confirmed fresh water motor. If it saw salt water, its worth almost nothing.

I'm speaking strictly about my area. Regardless, depending on where you live, you might be hard put to find someone to work on it. Parts are available, but not mechanics.

Remember, its almost 40 years old.

 

[matt167]

Considering you can get a brand new 40hp 4 stroke for around $5k yeah it's a good bit high

 

[racerone]

Is it a " commercial " model ?-----Model # is ?----Is it a short shaft ?-----A 40 HP short model might command a premium.-----Price seems high to me.

 

[slowleak]

I just saw a completely restored 1989 40hp Evinrude in a local dealer not far from me that looked like a new motor. They rebuilt and repainted it with all new decals. Every so often they have one they rebuilt like that for sale,
it like a new motor for a customer who died before it was done.
They were asking $2,500.

That era motor seems to have a lot of staying power, about 80% of the boats we see here on the river have 80's Evinrude or Mercury motors.
They're simple, they run well, last for a long time and parts are plentiful.

 

[racerone]

Not many dealers do that kind of work anymore.

 

[slowleak]

Not many dealers do that kind of work anymore.

I don't see where they have much of a choice. With BRP ending outboard production and there being nearby Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki, and Honda dealers, all they have left is to specialize in aftermarket parts and shop repairs.

 

[JimS123]

I don't see where they have much of a choice. With BRP ending outboard production and there being nearby Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki, and Honda dealers, all they have left is to specialize in aftermarket parts and shop repairs.

Truth is, the DO have a choice. When BRP took over Rude and dropped Johhny, most all dealers dropped them anyway, or at least added one of the competitors to their fold. When BRP bailed out there wasn't even a blip in their businesses.

The problem is that the new era of mechanics are trained in computer diagnostics and parts replacement. I talked to a young guy awhile back and he didn't even know what "points and condenser" meant. True story...

Most, if not all, dealers won't work on anything over 10 years old. 15 dealers in my area, not one will. OTOH, we do have one single "shop" that specializes in old motors. He's authorized Merc, but only sells parts and labor. No motor or boat sales. He's about at retirement age, so that's a concern to a lot of us.

The oldies DO run well and last long, and parts are not a problem. If you can't DIY, hard to find a mechanic.

 

[racerone]

Agreed with the above.----Older motor are cheaper to own.----But only if you can do the work yourself.

 

[crackedglass]

I'm a firm believer in "If you can't do the work yourself, buy new, because labor will kill any savings an older motor will afford you".
But new motors are way out of most folks reach these days. New larger motors are rare on the water these days, Its rare to even see anything four stroke. Even 25 year old motors are bringing at least half of what the same size new motor will bring. There are cheaper used motors but they're usually rough, having spent years in saltwater with no care. I find more newer motors though with bad salt damage than I do older one's.

I have a 1989 40hp motor on an open boat, I bought it for $400 from a guy selling off his dads boat stuff. The motor was fine running wise, but it needed a power tilt unit, the correct prop for my boat, and the controls that came with it wouldn't work on my boat. I ended up giving $240 for a good set of controls at a fisherman's fleamarket, the new prop was $75 online, and I installed a complete water pump kit, which was $90 at a local dealer (OEM). Plus another $90 or so in minor parts to hook it up, (fuel hose, fittings, spark plugs, a fuel filter kit, etc. So in the end I had around $900 in a motor for my boat. Its been great so far, but I did have one hitch in the deal.
One of the big wind storms we had put a tree down on my boat, that meant I needed a new hull. The new hull, took a long shaft motor, so I had to hunt down a 40hp parts motor with a good lower and mid to convert my motor over. The parts motor with a blown power head cost me $350 and a 200 mile drive. The gaskets, plus I had to reseal the used lower unit, all cost me round $210 or so by the time it was up and running as a long shaft motor. Now I have a two tone half Johnson, half Evinrude, (white and blue) combination motor with a few black Tracker parts mixed in as well.
But the alternative was spending twice as much for a turnkey motor, hoping it was really turn key after I got it home. This way I know what I have and can rely on it.

I was at a dealer last week that had an early 80's 40hp for sale, it looked really clean but the guy said it was just a super clean survivor. They had sheet of paper on it with a list of prices, Cash and carry, $1,995, They install it on your boat that already had an OMC with proper controls, $2,499, if they install it on a boat which needs a full OMC conversion, with new cables and controls, $3,599. I stopped by there today and it was gone, the guy said they installed it on a skiff on Friday.

 

[slowleak]

Truth is, the DO have a choice. When BRP took over Rude and dropped Johhny, most all dealers dropped them anyway, or at least added one of the competitors to their fold. When BRP bailed out there wasn't even a blip in their businesses.

The problem is that the new era of mechanics are trained in computer diagnostics and parts replacement. I talked to a young guy awhile back and he didn't even know what "points and condenser" meant. True story...

Most, if not all, dealers won't work on anything over 10 years old. 15 dealers in my area, not one will. OTOH, we do have one single "shop" that specializes in old motors. He's authorized Merc, but only sells parts and labor. No motor or boat sales. He's about at retirement age, so that's a concern to a lot of us.

The oldies DO run well and last long, and parts are not a problem. If you can't DIY, hard to find a mechanic.

In my area we used to have four dealers, one selling OMC, another selling Mercury, one selling Mariner who later took on Yamaha when Mariner went away here. The Yamaha dealer is by far the best to deal with but Yamaha motors are pricey. The OMC dealer was originally a Chrysler dealer way back in the day but switched to OMC in the 80's when Chrysler got bought out by Force, then Mercury, who handed off the franchise to he nearby Mercury dealer. Up until when BRP ended production, that same dealer still was the sole OMC/BRP dealer in the area. The Mercury dealer closed up, and all that remains now is the Yamaha dealer. That dealer has a good source for aftermarket parts too and keeps just about everything so old OMC motors are well covered but the dealer who sold them till the end is without new motors now. They do only repairs and used motors now. There are no Tohatsu, Honda, or Mercury dealers within 60 miles or so. Tohatsu/Nissan seams to mostly sell by internet or mail order, Honda, Tohatsu, and Suzuki have never had a presence here for some reason.