old outboard question

[Mr.Stuart]

I've been watching the local ads in my area for a small aluminum boat and have been noticing quite a few ads for older outboards in the 15hp and under range, some stuff dating back to the mid 1930's and the prices on them seem inexpensive to me, the 1935 Evinrude I saw advertised was listed at $130 obo and the ad said it looked good and ran fine, there's also been quite a few outboards out of the 1950's for around the same price range. some running, some not, some ugly, some not so ugly.

My question is, would one of these old outboards be worth picking up? My thinking is that it would give me something to tinker with, maybe gain a little outboard experience, and then being able to run one on an old 12 foot boat for nostalgia reasons I think would be kind of cool, I've done some searching on the internet for parts for these older motors and yes, I agree parts might be somewhat hard to find, but not impossible, and I am mechanically inclined and have had my fare share of working on smaller two strokes from model airplane motors to lawn mowers, so it's not something I'm afraid to dive into.

I guess my other question would be, how reliable can these older outboards be if properly cared for? Is one of those older motors something I could trust on the back of my little 12-foot boat (that I haven't got yet) on a lake or small river somewhere if I decide to use to go adventuring for the day?

I've already got a newer 9.9 horse evinrude for the 12 footer, (when I finally find the boat I want) but had seen these ads and kind of got to thinking that an old outboard might be kind of fun to fix up and run on the back of the boat every now and then.

What’s your opinions on the subject?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: old outboard question

i've had 2 55 15hp, and have a 59 3hp & 58 35hp. i would stay above 55 as parts are easier to find. there as easy as a lawnmower. just make sure they have good compression, and the guts can be hard to find. electrics, and consumables, are readily available at laingsoutboards.com, they specialize in the older motors. all on these motors have been dependable. a 15 hp would be alot on a 12 footer. the 9.9 in perfect. an older 7.5 would be a cool motor for it.

 

[wbeaton]

Re: old outboard question

For your first motor I suggest a 1954-58 Johnson or Evinrude. Parts are relatively cheap and easy to find. All tune-up parts are still available at your dealer. I have several 1950's Johnson/Evinrudes from 3-30 hp and they are super reliable outboards.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: old outboard question

Ditto on the Johnsons from that era. Very reliable, easy to service and handle. 10 hp would be about tops for a 12 foot boat, but there are several models/hp to choose from in those years. One caution though, the old iron is kind of like cats...get one in the shop and pretty soon you have more than you bargained for, not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: old outboard question

ok, I'll look for an old Johnson or evinrude, I want to get something between 5 and 10 horse, and they seem cheap enough.

I have/had (can't find it now) old 1955 5 horse Scott Atwatter, and have literally dug the garage apart, and either someone "borrowed" it when I wasn't looking, or I just haven't found it yet, and I'm guessing it's gone never to be seen again, I haven't seen much in the way of old scott atwaters for sale locally, I kinda miss that motor, it was a clean looking thing and ran fine as best I could tell the last time I fired it up which would have been about 10 years ago.

I'll keep you posted on my motor search progress

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: old outboard question

what do you guys think about an old Scott Atwater? I found this one on the net, I'm guessing it's maybe a mid 50's?


the ad says:
"7-1/2 outboard it's an oldie but a goodie, has good compression i've never run it, i'm trying to sell it for a friend, for the price its not a bad deal for someone"

he's asking $75 for it.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: old outboard question

stick with the J/E motors, parts are available. the S/A are harder to find. not in production check the S/A forum for more info.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: old outboard question

Scott's are good motors, but that model, the bail-o-matic, was kinda the Edsel of its day. They engineered the outboard's cooling/water pump to also bail water out of boat using a tube. Nice concept in theory. They are hard to service and sometimes problematic. Nice wall hanger though, if you want to spend $75. The older, pre-56, Scotts are just as stout as OMC products, but parts are no longer available as TD says.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: old outboard question

ok, I'm going to stay away from the Scott Atwater, I'll keep looking

 

[jbjennings]

Re: old outboard question

My opinion----definitely a 10 hp johnson or evinrude '55 to 57. I have a '55 7.5hp but the 10hp feels like it is twice as powerful, and almost as fast as an 18hp. You'll like it much more. My mechanical abiility is similar to yours and I think the '55 to '57 OMC's are very easy to work on. Be prepared to put new coils, clean the carb, and reseal the lower unit on these, but it's no big deal and a heckofa lotta' fun. They are more than reliable when you get that done. Careful, though, you buy one of these and you'll wanta buy 'em all! I don't smoke dope, drink, gamble, or chase women but have a terrible addiction to 50's OMC's. For example, my best pickup is a '98 model chevy with 235,000 miles on it and I still couldn't resist buying a '58 evinrude 18hp the other day.
Have fun,
JBJ

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: old outboard question

My opinion----definitely a 10 hp johnson or evinrude '55 to 57. .... For example, my best pickup is a '98 model chevy with 235,000 miles on it and I still couldn't resist buying a '58 evinrude 18hp the other day.
Have fun,
JBJ

That’s kind of like me, 98 Jeep, 165,000 miles and still going strong, it could use a little help here and there, but nothing major, if and when something goes wrong with it, I'll fix it, but until then, I'd rather be working on a boat.

I like the looks of those old motors, and for nostalgic reasons, I thought it would be fun to have one to run on an old boat, I'm not afraid to tear into it at all, I'm learning to not be so bashful about working on my 78 115 horse Evinrude, or the 89 9.9 horse, they just don't seem as complicated as I had thought they might be before I owned one, and I find that when in doubt, or I have questions, there's always someone here to answer those questions and get me headed in the right direction. with that in mind, I'm looking forward to picking up an old outboard.

The one thing that still gets me about boating in general, and I know this is a little off topic, but everyone says, "break out another thousand" "it's a hole in the water to pour money into" ect. ect. What’s the difference between boating and other sports/hobbies/activities when it comes to money? I have a travel trailer, that takes money for maintenance and upkeep, camping in general can cost money, there's always something better then what you have that you want, I also fly radio controlled model airplanes, that's cost something to, so I really don't see where owning a boat is any different, the point is, it really doesn't matter what you do, if it's a hobby, sport, recreation, or what ever you want to call it, if you enjoy it, chances are, its going to cost something to do it.

 

[getinmerry]

Re: old outboard question

I fell into old outboards as a hobby by chance. When my grandfather died he left me his 12' alum. boat and 10hp Evinrude Jubilee motor. The motor wasn't long for the world. 3rd time out it threw a rod and self-destructed pretty much beyond repair.

About a year later I was at an estate sale and came across a large dusty box in the back of the barn. I asked the woman if there was actually a 1954 Evinrude 7.5 in the box as it stated on the box. She said yes, in fact the motor was brand new! In 1955 her father had won it as a prize for selling insurance, but wasn't a fisherman and had never used it. I asked her how much she wanted for it...her reply was $50.00. I told her I'd take it. As I was loading it into the truck she came up with another box...a brand new 4 gallon Cruise-A-Day tank. She said "I think this goes with it, but if not, you can have it". I thanked her and sped away.

I had to put a new impeller, coils, and hoses on the set up, but I have an incredible motor for under $200.00 now. When I'm out on the lake people have offered me as much as $600 for it, and I get at least an offer everytime I'm out with it. People all think it's a restore, but when I tell them it's 100% original they up the offers.

Since that time, I have picked up 2 more 7.5's. One the same as what I have (for parts should I need them) and also a real nice Johnston 1956 to restore.

I agree with everyone above though. Stick with a 10hp for a 12' boat. 7.5 works, but with a full load, it's not quite enough.

Chuck

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: old outboard question

wow, 50 bucks for a new in box motor, that's a find of a life time,

what got me going on this old boat/motor kick was finding a really old 12 foot boat trailer, I paid 50 bucks for it, brought it home, and promptly tore it apart and started sanding, grinding, re-welding, painting, and it's just about done now, it's turned into a complete restore, and I now have about 100 bucks in it, but for 100 bucks, I'm not going to find a trailer anything close to what I have now, I'm kind of proud of myself for how the trailer is coming out, it's a first for me, now I want to find an old boat and outboard to put on it, so I'm watching the local ads pretty close, a boat and motor will show up, I already have a nice 10 horse Evinrude, but it's a late model one, that will probably be my everyday runner, and the old motor I end up getting will be a "every now and then" runner for nostalgic reasons.

Stuart

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: old outboard question

I found this ad tonight on craigslist, these motors can't possably be worth this much can they?

"18 Horse power Johnson Boat Motor Runs good. Has original motor stand. $2300 or Would consider trade for a medium sized truck"

 

[wbeaton]

Re: old outboard question

Only if you're willing to pay that much. Seriously, professionally restored or mint condition originals can cost that much, but good luck trying to sell it for that. Only a show winning motor could fetch that price and only a few people in the world would pay it.

Keep looking. I bought my 1956 Johnson Javelin 30 hp for $50 and it came with a 1955 Viking 5 hp. Time is the key. Don't rush out and buy the first thing you see.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: old outboard question

I'm still looking, the local craigslist has been kind of dead around here the last couple of days, I'm still looking for a boat as well, but still haven't seen anything I want in the price range I'm willing to pay, but there was a boat last week that would have worked perfect for what I wanted, but the price was so cheap, it didn't last but a few hours, and I was a little slow and a day late on it, so I missed that one, but I'm still looking, sooner or later, something will turn up, I am kind of putting the cart before the horse, I'm still working on getting the trailer finished up, although I should have it done this week, the short shaft I ordered for my 1989 Evinrude 9.9 short shaft conversion is now NLA, so that set me back a little bit while I look for a used drive shaft or lower unit, so when it comes to getting a boat, or motor, or even the short shaft parts to convert my long shaft, I kind of find myself trying to do to many things at once, it will all come together, just takes time.

for an old motor, unless I get lucky, I'll probably end up with an old "fixer upper"

 

[ThumbPkr]

Re: old outboard question

If you would include your location in your profile it might increase the odds of finding something to your liking.Many of us would notify you if we knew what area you could reasonably be expected to travel to pick something up or at least go look at it.Ron G

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: old outboard question

If you would include your location in your profile it might increase the odds of finding something to your liking.Many of us would notify you if we knew what area you could reasonably be expected to travel to pick something up or at least go look at it.Ron G

there, hows that?

I've been watching the online ads again today, not seeing much of anything, I went to the local automotive spring place today and got all new bushings for the boat trailer suspension, so it should go back together pretty quickly now, next step, find a boat to put on it

 

[ThumbPkr]

Re: old outboard question

LOL,I'm on the other side of the world but you have some heavy hitters from your area on this board who are going to help you for sure.Good luck to you)I just updated my profile today once I realized how important it was.I had to reregister since I was using my email address as my handle and noone would help me change it but I have only been registered since May anyway. Ron G

 

[jbjennings]

Re: old outboard question

Mr. Stuart,
There's a nice looking johnson 10 hp from early 60's on ebay right now. The seller is "somethinggolden". I bought my 7.5 from her and had some trouble getting the tank but the motor was good and she seems to be an honest person--I would do business with her again. WBeaton is right---patience is the key....It seems like the best ones come up in the spring but obviously so the seller can get the best price--can't blame 'em. Let us know when you get what you want and post a pic of your rig!
JBJ