Wrecked Lower Unit, Now What?

[MichBassMan]

Something (suspect BIG rock) took out the lower unit on my 115 yamaha, it's not fixable. For those of you who have had the same misfortune or know someone who has; is there a recommended place to buy a good used or rebuilt unit? Or place to NOT buy one?

     Thanks, it sucks not having a boat.   

[Dwight Hottle]

115 Yamaha is a pretty popular motor. Try a large volume Yamaha dealer for advice.

[Lund Explorer]

To start with, lets hope you have insurance.

 

Now here's the story of what happened when a guy hit one of those "BFR's" with his 130hp rice burner.  Blew the skeg completely off, folded all three blades straight back, and when the lower unit came off, the drive shaft looked like a cork screw.  Only fix was to bolt on a whole new lower unit and pay the deductible.  And two months later, discover you've spun the main bearing!  Thankfully, the insurance company with a whole lot of help from the repair shop decided that it was caused by the hit.

 

My words of advice is to make sure that your mechanic goes through the entire motor and not just what the visible damage is. 

[Way2slow]

Go on line and start searching outboard salvage yards, call them and see who has the best price.  Something like this one  http://www.marinepartsoutlet.com/

 

Might also check on Craigs list and local listings and ebay.

 

You might find one for a few hundred and you will probably find some idiots wanting as much as 1,500 or more for a used unit, you will just have to be patient and shop around.

[Gotfishyfingers?]

ebay

[Karma]

I have replaced basically everything electrical on my 1979 Johnson 140 from ebay. It's a pretty good place to find original parts. Although, it may take some waiting to find what you are looking for.

[Al Wolbach]

Insurance took care of mine a few years ago, prop also....

[MichBassMan]

No insurance, I'm still shopping, I found new aftermarket units at SEI for a very good price($845). But I'm a little leary about parts that may come from Asia. Does anyone have experience with these new aftermarket units made by SEI? I've seen only a few of both good and bad reviews.

Again Thanks for everyone's input.

[WIGuide]

Shop around online. Find out what other motors use the same lower unit (it's usually a hp range) and search for those used. Or find one that has a blown power head or some other issue. I picked mine up for around $300 with shipping if I remember correctly a few years ago. 

[MichBassMan]

Thank you all for your input.I'm still shopping.How about Crowley marine, has anyone used one of their rebuilt lower units?

[Way2slow]

Crowley has been around a long time, but never had any dealings with them.

Personally, I would shop around for a good used unit from and individual, that's where you are going to get the best price.

I've seen what some guys call a rebuilt/reman'd unit and with those, all you are paying for is that little bit of guarantee they give with them. Years ago, I knew a guy in VA that ran a small salvage business, repairing, buying and trading in used motors. Motors that would cost too much to repair, he stripped down and sold as reconditioned parts, meaning he cleaned and inspected them. His reconditioned lower units were normally just pressure tested, flushed and painted. If they failed the pressure test, he either resealed them or stripped them down and sold for parts. Granted, they were checked out, but most of the time, you were paying a very high price for a 1/2 hour of his time and a little paint.