Favorite used outboard to buy?

[jbjennings]

I thought I'd post my thoughts on my favorite used outboards to buy, and see what anyone else thinks.

Best overall bang for the buck:

Any 50's or 60's johnson/evinrude 18hp outboard.
Why: reliability, used/new parts supply, good speed with a light boat, able to carry 2 people and some gear at a reasonable speed, ease of starting, parts reasonably priced. THE favorite: '57 or '58 18hp OMC. Why: looks, adjust. high/low speed jets, easy as pie to work on. If you don't have one, I'm sorry.

2nd place:

Johnson/evinrude 7.5hp from '55 to '58.
Lightweight, not much heavier than a 5.5hp motor.
Easy to find cheap, plenty of parts.

3rd place:

johnson/evinrude 10hp from '55 to '63.
Just plain ol' awesome motors. Easy to find parts for. I don't see many '58 10hp motors that have good lower units, though.

Tidbit: I see every once in a while "the 4-strokes run forever" comment. I have to disagree because the lower unit is basically the same as the 2-stroke and I find that the lower unit goes bad long before the powerhead on any motor. Example: There's probably a bazillion motors out there with good powerheads but lousy lower units. Check the price on a NEW lower unit----they are outrageously expensive.

Tidbit #2: There is are incredibly few good deals on a used outboard that the new buyer doesn't know how to work on---I've bought VERY few used outboards that didn't need work! I don't care how OLD it is!

Motors to avoid if you don't have a strong pulling arm:
#1 A mercury, in particular a '70s 20hp mercury
#2 A pull-start-only early 50's 25hp outboard.

Motors to avoid if you aren't an outboard genius that has lots of special tools:

'50s Mercury Mark 10 or 15 .........impeller change? You don't wanna know!:redface:

Is there an OMC I don't like? Yes, the 9.5hp-- it's ugly and can be annoying to fix some common problems like exhaust gaskets and motor mounts.
Other OMC's I don't like used: electric shift models--why? I don't know how to work on 'em, and parts are high.

Not-so-widely known good motors........Gales by OMC.


JBJ

 

[rsw21282]

Re: Favorite used outboard to buy?

do you have any newer motors you prefer? this is the kind of info i was looking for on my motor opinions(multiple) posts.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Favorite used outboard to buy?

My father and a LOT of guys around my area run yamaha 25hp outboards. I live in Louisiana and outboards get run 12 months a year in nasty, stumpy, weedy waters. They seem to be good outboards.

I've heard good things about the yamahas in larger horsepower too. I don't hear bad things too often about the newer mercurys/tohatsus. I just don't like the size/weight of a 4-stroke, or their weak torque.
Hondas also seem to have a good reputation, but expensive.

I noticed you were thinking of "less than 10 years" old as far as reliability. If it were me, I'd be thinking more along the lines of "less than 4 years" if I wanted that new of a motor. Down south, 10 years is about the time a motor starts getting completely worn out in the hands of a truly good feller that works very little and fishes/hunts a lot! Also, a 10-15year old motor that has low hours as evidenced by the paint/ skeg/etc. could be a very good buy. That's what I'd look for if I were you---a low hours johnson/evinrude/yamaha in any year. BTW, almost every seller will claim "low-hours". Just look at where the motor lives to give you a good clue to that claim. Also consider asking the owner what he does for a living. Some folks work so hard they don't have time to put a lot of hours on a motor. (I try not to do "such things")

I thought Silvertip's advice about getting help from a very experienced outboard man in looking at a future prospect was very good.
You should post some pictures of the outboards you're interested in. Sadly, in your position, you may find it hard to locate a "steal" since most of them are already bought before you have time to ask us about them.

No-no's/wear-and-tear "tells" to look for: New paint on the motor, wrinkled paint on the powerhead, especially the cylinder head, dinged-up skeg with very little paint on it, bent-up prop, prop that doesn't spin true (indicating bent prop shaft), over-all shabby condition that indicates it wasn't taken care of, sloppy owner's yard/car/truck. Milky lower unit oil! Check all spark plugs--- with a $6 spark tester from autozone, for a spark that will at LEAST jump a 1/4 inch gap with a nice blue spark. $20 compression tester to do a compression test, at very least check for good compression by pulling over motor with plugs in and seeing how it feels. If at all possible, run it on a boat to see if it will hold gear WOT (Wide Open Throttle), and see if it stays cool and pumps water good, then recheck lower unit oil for water.

You really need to decide what size and style you're looking for. If you decide on a used fiberglass rig----you'd better dang well know what you're looking for and I'd REALLY suggest having a pro go with you to look at it. Fiberglass boats can be nightmares. I prefer aluminum. If you don't have a place to store your boat out of the elements, sun in particular, don't buy a fiberglass boat. (JMO)

I like your idea of the 6hp kicker/reserve motor for offshore. You might really enjoy a 40hp yamaha or mercury/tohatsu. I hear good things about suzuki motors as well, and the ones I've ran, ran well and smooth. I try to buy American if I can, but I hear some of the mercs (maybe not all) are made in china. Chinese stuff is worthless junk. Don't fall for any of that chinese "yamaha knock-off" junk like "Parsun" or whatever. It's typical chinese junk from what I've read about here from knowledgeable folks.

Post some links to stuff you're looking at and we'll give you our opinions. I often ask questions about a motor I'm looking at and ALWAYS get excellent advice. Folks just need the particulars, as you have noticed.
I always love looking for outboards,
JBJ