Stolen Mercury?

[craigr]

Alright folks, I've got a long story here.<br /><br />Many years ago, I owned a bought with a good friend. I owned the boat & he the motor. A mid 70s Merc 40 hp, pull start & Tiller. He was up there in age, & I ended up buying his half of this outfit from him. He has since died of old age & was a VERY honest man.<br /><br />I used the boat many years, then finally passed it down to my oldest son.<br />My son has recently picked up a electric start Merc 20hp w/steering. So, he sold the 40hp to someone off the web.<br /><br />The motor does not have any serial #'s on it. The place where they should be is very smooth, no grinding marks.<br /><br />When I had it, I wanted to put an electric start on it, but wasn't sure of the exact model, so I posted a message on here and on Brotherhood of Catfishermen.com to try to figure out what model it was. I got responses from both sites that Mercury produced motors in the 70s that didn't have any serial numbers on them and that it is tough to find parts unless you know the exact model motor you have. Some suggested looking on the part that attaches to the transom, I didn't find anything there, so I just gave up & bought a new boat & motor.<br /><br />The guy that bought the motor for 200 dollars was shown that it has no serial numbers & was okay with it. He has determined that it is a short shaft & now he can't use it on his boat. He said he took it to his local mechanic & another guy and they told him that they are 100% sure it's stolen.<br /><br />So, again what do you guys think?<br /><br />Can I email Mercury and get some kind of explanation from them?<br /><br />craigr

 

[Laddies]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

If he bought it knowing it didn't have a serial number and the unit was not misreperested to him in anyway then it's his problem now. Don't be bullied into a refund or price reduction, there are many jerks out there.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

How do they know it was stolen?<br /><br />I've had motors with no numbers too. <br /><br />Sounds like he is using any excuse to pressure you.<br />Hold your ground.<br />Don't give in.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

"Another guy" sounds like a real expert to me. You'd better watch out in court. <br /><br />Without a number, Merc can't help in any way. They're slaves to their computers and you need to feed them numbers. Otherwise they'll sit there looking something like this... <br /><br />Look for a plate under the steering arm where the motor tilts. Sometimes there is a welch plug on the powerhead with the serial number.<br /><br />Without the numbers, there is no proof it was stolen. Only assumptions. If they're 100% sure, they must be the thieves. It's just as plausible that the part it was attached to had been replaced. How many 70s motors are out there that haven't had parts replaced? Zip, zilch, nada, none! You did not represent it as a longshaft (an assumption on my part) so the buyer should've checked if it would fit his boat before purchasing. That falls under the heading "Tough Schit!" Extension kits are available from Bay Manufacturing. Used kits are probably available thru twincityoutboards dot com.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

did your son use ebay and paypal. if so file a grevence with both. paypal is very good at working these things out. if nothing else offer for him to ship it back, at his expense, when recieved send the refund,.. he will think twice about shipping a 40hp motor. will probably decide to resell it.

 

[JB]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

No engine was sold without identification of some kind. It would have been on the original bill of sale.<br /><br />Sometimes the plate/sticker falls off, sometimes it is removed by a thief.<br /><br />This becomes a real problem for people who live in states that title outboards and import one that has no title, because you must prove that the engine isn't stolen to get a title. Usually this means a bill of sale with the ID listed on it plus bills of sale for previous sales.<br /><br />Any outboard with no identification is like the "Rolex" the guy in the alley offers you. Guilty until proven innocent.

 

[KCLOST]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

craigr,<br /><br />Did you ever have to register the motor in your state?<br /><br />If so you would have had to provide an ID#?<br /><br />Look in your paperwork,,,, Maybe

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

Looking at it another way, good nameplates are often stolen from outboards to be put on stolen ones because everyone's on to the idea that if their's no nameplate the outboard is stolen. And no one wants a stolen outboard. So not having a plate proves your one wasn't stolen right?

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

Hey Paul,<br /><br />Interesting observation. Forest-Tree syndrome. I like people who think on their feet.<br /><br />Mark

 

[craigr]

Re: Stolen Mercury?

Well, we haven't heard from him for a few days, so I'm guessing it's over.<br /><br />Too bad it had to get like this, he got a great deal. He will probably end up selling it to someone else for closer to what it is worth.<br /><br />Thanks for all of the replies,<br />craigr