Re: Quiet, dependable ,portable
Well, you mentioned that you were looking for a small portable motor at 60lbs or less. This just about tops out around the 8hp mark. The 15hp '79 goes at about 78 lbs. Most of the noise is contained in the lower leg and the exhaust goes out through the underwater prop. Some of the older models have larger idle relief 'holes' or ports at the water line to relieve back pressure at idle and might be just a little more noticeable but certainly not objectionable. <br /><br />What to look for?? That covers a lot, but a general rule is to look carefully at the motor as a whole. Be suspect of cheesy paint jobs, they can be an attempt to cover up past abuse. Look at the condition of the prop. Bent and badly dinged props can point to lower unit and drive train problems. Look for missing bolts etc. Remove the cover and inspect the powerhead. Look for signs of blistered paint near the spark plugs, this indicates an overheat condition at one time leading to scored cylinder walls and fractured rings. Look to see if the motor is loosing it's vital fluids, gas from the carb, lower unit leaking lube etc.<br /><br />The best case scenario is to pull the plugs and do a compression test and ideally go for a boat ride. Check the lower unit lube for water intrusion, usually bad seals or leaking fill screw washers (lube will look like a white milk shake) If you're new to the motor thing, you might consider having a marine tech. look at the motor and give you his opinion. The bucks you spend are well worth it. It's not uncommon to figure spending another 150.00 in parts to replace the plugs, points, coils, condensers, wires, seals, water pump impeller etc. to put a motor back into good shape.
