mid 80's honda 7.5

[lordblitzalot]

i got a 9.8hp mercury ss 84 in trade for my bayliner but the new boat that i got takes a longshaft.
i put it on craigslist for trade for a longshaft and got an offer for a 84 or 85 honda 7.5hp longshaft 4 stroke.
i already have a 1985 15hp johnson seahorse ls that would be my kicker in the columbia and in the bay but i figured i would try to get something a little smaller for lakes and stuff like that where the 15 hp might be a little too much to get down to trolling speeds.
does anyone have any exp with honda motors of this year?
i have heard that parts are kinda hard to find for this motor, but wouldnt that be the same with my merc and the johnson because they are all around the same year?
are these reliable motors?
would this even push my boat?
would i be better off holding on to my merc until a better offer comes along?

the boat that it would be going on is a glastron trihull 21' with a cuddy, and like i said this motor would only be for lakes

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: mid 80's honda 7.5

the honda, may be harder to get service, do to where the service center is. the merc and johnson you should have no problems getting parts. either OEM or aftermarket. iboats sells a lot of the merc and J/E parts.

 

[lordblitzalot]

Re: mid 80's honda 7.5

alrighty thank you very much, that is what i wanted to know

 

[ondarvr]

Re: mid 80's honda 7.5

Forget the second motor and save your money, the 15 will work fine for everything you want to do. Worst case you would need to buy another prop, but I seriously doubt you'll need to.

 

[lordblitzalot]

Re: mid 80's honda 7.5

now i just need to figure out what i am gonna do with this merc, most likely i will trade it for some sturgeon gear or some hunting goodies.
it would be nice to have a backup motor though, so if i get an offer to trade it for a longshaft merc or johnson of around the same year or newer i will most likely take that

 

[pvanv]

Re: mid 80's honda 7.5

I'm with ondarvr. Get a different prop for the 15 to enable you to use it at slower speeds. Just as easy to change the prop as it would be to change motors, and cheaper to boot. Plus no fuel fitting differences to tinker around with.

There are some fantastic slow-speed high-thrust Solas props out now.