Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

[SeaKaye12]

Hi! I'm asking for a "GOOD NEWS POST"...kinda like a "Good News" Newscast...where they only talk about the good things that happen...<br /><br />Most every post here re: the outboards depict problems...severe problems, recurring problems, **EXPENSIVE** problems...<br /><br />Surely there have got to be people who have owned outboard boats for years and years who have never had **ANY** problems...just year after year of reliable service and fun!<br /><br />So; tell us about it! I for one could use some up-beat stories fight about now... <br /><br />Thanks,. Chuck

 

[JB]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

I've had many, Chuck.<br /><br />Only once has an outboard failed me on the water. Flywheel broke. My kicker took us home very nicely. That is once in about 60 years of boating.<br /><br />Good care and maintenance do the trick. Always get a Service Manual, always do what it tells you to do when it tells you to do it. Never take a boat to launch that hasn't been test run within the past few days. Never take advice of launchramp or shadetree know-it-alls.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

Actually I've never had a lot of trouble with any outboard I've owned. If I buy a used one I do all the normal stuff -- carbs, water pump, head gaskets (if the motor has head gaskets), lower unit grease etc. From there its just use 'em and do the normal stuff.<br /><br />Any motor I scuffed a piston in was a race motor and each time it was my fault -- trying something new / different. <br /><br />I had to clean the carbs on my crossflow early this spring. But that was because we hadnt used the motor in 4-5 months. Got kinda busy last year with hurricanes and repairing hurricane damage. So by the time we finally got back to the boat things had kinda gummed up. No big deal.<br /><br />Looking back I cant say I've spent much time reparing my own. Built lots of them for myself. Took a used motor and stripped down every nut & bolt and rebuilt / repainted. Lots of fun. <br /><br />I've had the usual power pack go bad or a coil etc but nothing real major.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

My 69 Merc 125 horse always runs, always starts. I just do normal preventive maintenance, and it never has failed me, ever. I have a 57 Johnson 5.5 as a kicker that, with the new ignition system I put in when I aquired it, has proven to be equally reliable. I also have a 1954 Goodyear Seabee 5.5 horse that I am restoring, but always ran. There are plenty of reliable outboards, but the person maintaining them needs to be equally reliable, or dependability will suffer.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

gee i sure do have one.. 5 years ago bought a new nissan 40 for my new hand built boat.. <br /><br />started/ran perfectly right outta the box.. NOT NARY A TOOL touched her for 2 years ( water pump ).. <br /><br />that's it ..!! 'cept this year.. had to drain the carbs cause of my fault.. varnish..

 

[roscoe]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

1985 Johnson 15hp, 1 prop and 1 impeller (maintenance) in 20 years. <br />1995 Force 70hp, 2 impellers and 1 fuel pump diaphram, all maintenance replacements.<br />2001 Merc 4hp.<br /><br /><br />Winterize, decarb, maintain.<br /><br />knock knock knock on wood.

 

[noelm]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

I had a pair of 1982 70HP Johnsons on a boat that I had for about 5 years and never ever had anything done to them, including water pumps, now I will probably get a lot of abuse here but I never even changed the gear case oil, pretty slack huh! but hey, they went like a swiss watch, the guy I sold the boat to had them for another few years but I don't know if he ever got them "serviced", he sold it and I never saw the boat again, maybe it fell to bits!

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

And another thing Chuck,<br /><br />Reliable outboards don't bring boaters to this forum much, because they mostly come here for advice on problems.<br /><br />So for every post here, there'll be hundreds out there who'll never see your question. All enjoying trouble-free boating.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

Another vote for the OMC triple.... My 1981 Johnson 75hp Stinger has been one of the best motors I've ever owned. It was blown up when I bought it 12 years ago (previous owner had no idea you were supposed to change the impeller periodically!), punched out the cylinders, installed new pistons, rebuilt carbs, new WP impeller and the only thing I've had to do since as a result of a failure was to replace the powerpack about 6 years ago when it started dropping a cylinder. It has never once failed to bring me home (KNOCK ON WOOD!!) It gets an annual physical with a compression check, decarb and new plugs. It gets a new impeller every 3-4 years, and I'm pretty good with keeping it fed with OMC/BRP oil and 87 or 89 octane gas. It gets run hard, harder now that the 10-year old has discovered watersports. Probably 1200+ hours on it over the years and it still punches 140+ on all three holes. Great motor!!<br /><br />- Scott

 

[Major Woods]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

2003 250hp Evinrude @ 350hrs. No problems with regular maintainence.<br />I'm offshore almost every week, up to 60 miles from the nearest land.

 

[tommays]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

i owned 2 5.5 6 33 40 and a 50 HP johnu/rudes all were as trouble free as any machine could be<br /><br />now in a moument i will allways reget i bought a 4hp chrysler kicker that was packaged with a sailboat i dont believe it ever had a trouble free moument a good day was when it started with out 4 letter words<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

I have three Evinrudes from the mid 70s that I started using when they were new and I was a teen. Now I'm 50 and these motors still run very well and have had no problems other than coils and other small items. I have lived on the water most of those years and they get used a lot, many days they may run for ten hours at a time while I,m fishing and at times I fish 5 days a week. I just bought a 1976 200hp Evinrude for my bay boat, cleaned it up changed the coils and it runs great. The newest Motor is a 1997 90HP 90* Evinrude with a jet pump on it, no problems.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

Nobody comes here to discuss the outboards they have that are running fine. That's the nature of the forum.<br /><br />My dad has a 1959 Evinrude Fat Fifty that he bought new in 1959. He still has it, and still uses it. It always ran great, and still does. He has replaced some parts over the years, but it's the most reliable outboard I know of.<br /><br />Myself, I have a 1958 Johnson 35hp. I just got it this year, so I can't say what its long-term history will be. Still, it's 47 years old, and all I had to do to get it running again was replace the impeller and replace the crankshaft's woodruff key because the previous owner hadn't torqued the crankshaft nut properly.<br /><br />So far, it has never failed to start and runs perfectly. It'll even start with the recoil starter, and a lot easier than you'd think, since it has built-in compression release valves.<br /><br />I do wonder how many of today's outboards will be running 47 years from now.

 

[snal]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

Had a 1986 25hp Rude for 15 years...never a problem...current 1996 88spl has never given me a lick of trouble either.<br />My lifelong fishing buddy has had 3 Mercs in the last 25 years...all had electrical trouble...but nothing major...and he's still a Merc fan...I just towed him back to his dock last weekend! <G>

 

[snal]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

Had a 1986 25hp Rude for 15 years...never a problem...current 1996 88spl has never given me a lick of trouble either.<br />My lifelong fishing buddy has had 3 Mercs in the last 25 years...all had electrical trouble...but nothing major...and he's still a Merc fan...I just towed him back to his dock last weekend! <G>

 

[snal]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

How did that double thang happen?

 

[swist]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

Reliable outboards don't bring boaters to this forum much, because they mostly come here for advice on problems.<br /><br />So for every post here, there'll be hundreds out there who'll never see your question. All enjoying trouble-free boating.

How true. This skew also makes it impossible to use this forum as a judge of outboard reliability. Many people think Yamaha/Honda/Suzuki are the cream of the reliability crop but there's no way you can prove that statistically.

 

[Perfidiajoe]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

I have a 1995 Merc. 225, I do all the work on it myself. This being the 11 season on it, I have so far replaced 1 coil, the first season, which was covered. All the rest is regular maintenance, & I do always flush it w/ Salt-Away. Prior to that I had a 1964 Merc. 85 HP for 31 seasons, with which I can still hear my uncle/Partner/best friend, (rest his soul) yelling at me, "But Joseph dosen't this boat have any other speeds but canal, & wide open?" We gave that motor away running, never having been inside it deeper than water pumps, & ignition parts. I would call that pretty good!

 

[ratracer]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

My '88 9.9 Johnson that I've owned since it was new. Only things I've ever done other than routine maintenance were an impeller change and fuel pump rebuild during a winter layover. <br /><br />I always ran it at the originally recommended 100:1 mix too after its initial breakin period, until a couple of years ago when I switched to 50:1. <br /><br />It always starts, always runs.

 

[artburr]

Re: Do any of you own trouble-free outboards?

I have had lots of Johnsons & Evinrudes and never had any serious troubles. Now have two '89 Nissans (40 & 5) and the only problem is that no one in this area wants or knows how to work on 'em. I finally got them running pretty well myself and have my fingers crossed.