Putting a new outboard on an old boat

[Catch and Grease]

I have a 15ft 1985 Lowe aluminum thats in srtucturally good condition as far as I can tell, and it has a 1980 mercury 25hp outboard on it that has been nothing but constant headaches. Im contemplating saving up money and buying a new outboard and getting it installed on my boat. Would it be dumb to do that on such an old boat, I can get my current motor running again but Its something that constantly has something breaking on it (Its just not realible.)

 

Would it be more wise to just keep fiddiling with this old outboard untill i save enough moolah to buy a new boat and outboard at the same time? Which would take me awhile...

[Angry John]

I think the most inportant part of the boat is the TM.  If the hull is sound and you have spent the time and effort to get everything else dialed in then a motor swap would make sense.  IF its just one more problem with the boat, then i dont think so.

[WRB]

You can rebuild the Merc for a few hundred $$ if the issues are minor. New 25 hp OB is a few thousand $$$$, your choice.

Tom

[fishnkamp]

Sometimes you can find a good deal on a mid 1990s to mid 2000s 2 stroke engine that runs fine. many times these get replaced because someone wanted a 4 stroke.  I paid about $2000 for mine. It was a perfect running 2002 Merc 2 stroke.

 

You may want to check around some of the boat dealers near you. It might be easiest if you get it with the control box and harness as there are some changes over the years. 

[Catt]

I want my motor to do one thing...get me off the water in cast of foul weather!

 

How much is your life worth?

[MickD]

You didn't mention what is "breaking," but that sounds unusual.  The old motors generally are reliable.  You aren't talking about carburetion and/or fuel problems, are you?  If that's the case a carb job, new tank and hoses will most likely solve your problems.  Then use Seafoam religiously and buy good quality gas.

 

 

[flechero]

5 hours ago, Catt said:

I want my motor to do one thing...get me off the water in cast of foul weather!

 

How much is your life worth?

What a reminder.... Haven't thought about this in a long while but I was on Lake Texoma in 1994 (shortly after buying my boat) when some nasty storms cropped up from nowhere that day and there were several confirmed tornadoes...  and we came across a water spout while trying to get back to our camp & ramp!  Never been so scared before and I beached that brand new boat at a pretty good clip and just threw the anchor around a tree trunk. 

 

I am a bit more careful about watching the forecasts now-a-days.  lol

[Fishing Rhino]

Sometimes, it costs more to keep on patching and putting bandaids on a motor that is constantly giving you trouble.  

 

A boat on the other hand can get shop worn, but they have no moving parts to wear out.  A boat is dependable, while an old worn out motor is not.

 

There is nothing wrong with putting a new motor on a used boat.  

[Catt]

@flechero been known to run a boat on a bank!

 

@Fishing Rhino in the aerospace industry we called it BER, Beyond Economical Repair!

[Catch 22]

IMO if you like the the boat hull and are comfortable with it,fishing wise ,family, wise safety wise and are not concerned with recouping the true financial value  of the rig===then put a new motor on it and be happy.I just put a new 60 on a 1999 boat and am delighted with it. Probably saved 20K over  a new rig.Fish don`t care if they are landed in a new boat or old one.If you want  to impress the crowds and keep up with the Jones, by a new rig.

C22

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

@flechero been known to run a boat on a bank!

 

@Fishing Rhino in the aerospace industry we called it BER, Beyond Economical Repair!

That is why they still fly B52's and CH47's, no such thing as BER in the military until it burns a hole in the ground or becomes a reef....

Definatley can waste $$ if the old OB is BER!

Tom

52 and 47 are the years those aircraft were initially put into service!

[Catt]

12 minutes ago, WRB said:

That is why they still fly B52's and CH47's, no such thing as BER in the military until it burns a hole in the ground or becomes a reef....

Definatley can waste $$ if the old OB is BER!

Tom

52 and 47 are the years those aircraft were initially put into service!

 

Everything in the military is replaceable including the soldier!

So ya never scrapped a part?

I aint flying nothing you worked

 

Comparing a $300 million aircraft to a 25 Merc, yes that's fair!

[A5BLASTER]

I'm going to be the odd - man out and say instead of dropping a few grand on a new motor bring it to a merc certified mech, and have it completely rebuilt and maybe a lil upgrade for much less.

 

Now I said that i don't know what mech's charge where you live but where I bring my motors it would be around two grand for a complete rebuild and upgrade.

[WRB]

44 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Everything in the military is replaceable including the soldier!

So ya never scrapped a part?

I aint flying nothing you worked

 

Comparing a $300 million aircraft to a 25 Merc, yes that's fair!

 

9 minutes ago, A5BLASTER said:

I'm going to be the odd - man out and say instead of dropping a few grand on a new motor bring it to a merc certified mech, and have it completely rebuilt and maybe a lil upgrade for much less.

 

Now I said that i don't know what mech's charge where you live but where I bring my motors it would be around two grand for a complete rebuild and upgrade.

 

9 minutes ago, A5BLASTER said:

I'm going to be the odd - man out and say instead of dropping a few grand on a new motor bring it to a merc certified mech, and have it completely rebuilt and maybe a lil upgrade for much less.

 

Now I said that i don't know what mech's charge where you live but where I bring my motors it would be around two grand for a complete rebuild and upgrade.

Then you ain't flying!

Didn't say the old Merc shouldn't be scraped if it's needs to be. 

Tom

[Catt]

17 minutes ago, WRB said:

 

 

Then you ain't flying!

Didn't say the old Merc shouldn't be scraped if it's needs to be. 

Tom

 

I worked on Air Jamaica's A320s their owner was the same mindset out of 6 planes in the fleet 2 were grounded by Airbus Structures Design Engineer CDG & another was locked in a hanger because of lack of payments.

 

Northrop had a head engineer that after a million plus manhours of labor & the plane not being 50% complete the Air Force BER'd the plane...cost him a 45 yr career.

 

You right I aint flying

[WIGuide]

Nothing wrong with putting a newer motor on an older boat. You won't get the value you paid for the motor if you choose to sell it, but if you're planning on keeping it a while, it might not be a bad investment. You could also look for a "newer" used motor. Lots of them out there are in great shape. A lot of them are out there because an owner wanted to upgrade an under powered boat or upgrade to a 4 stroke. Economically speaking, that's probably the better option, but it's your money.

[WRB]

Until the OP comes back and explains what his engine problems are we can offer good advice. 1982 25 hp Merc isn't a sophisticated engine to make minor tune up repairs and maintenance by replacing hoses, filters, rebuilding carburator, rebuilding ignition and replacing wiring, etc. if the power head is the problem...too many things to guess what maybe wrong.

Tom

 

[A5BLASTER]

WRB is right.

 

But for me if it was a three cylinder two stroke ohhh you bet I would drop the cash to completely rebuild and sup up that pup.

 

I love me some old merc and yammy motors that or three cylinder two strokes.

[Catt]

8 minutes ago, A5BLASTER said:

WRB is right.

 

But for me if it was a three cylinder two stroke ohhh you bet I would drop the cash to completely rebuild and sup up that pup.

 

I love me some old merc and yammy motors that or three cylinder two strokes.

 

Pretty sure it's a 2 cylinder 2 stroke

 

Had a 25 Suzuki 3 cylinder, 3 carb, oil injected 2 stroke...unbelievably fast!

[RoLo]

On 3/22/2017 at 7:28 AM, MickD said:

You didn't mention what is "breaking," but that sounds unusual.  The old motors generally are reliable.  You aren't talking about carburetion and/or fuel problems, are you?  If that's the case a carb job, new tank and hoses will most likely solve your problems.  Then use Seafoam religiously and buy good quality gas.

 

 

 

 

Before any concrete decision can be made, I'd first try to determine what repairs are involved.

It may only need a carburetor job, which is only a fraction of the cost of a new outboard motor.

Most of the old engines didn't use injectors but were carbureted, furthermore, the gasoline

sold today no longer contains the additives it used to contain. When you couple a carburetor

with gas without any additives you've got a gunk-prone motor. If you get a carburetor job

and connecting lines, be sure to add Stabilizer (one of the additive removed) just as faithfully

as you add oil to a 2-cycle motor.

 

Roger

 

[MickD]

33 minutes ago, RoLo said:

 

 

Before any concrete decision can be made, you first have to determine what repairs are involved.

As Mick pointed out, it may be as simple as a carburetor job, which is only a fraction of the cost

of a new outboard motor. Most of the old engines didn't use injectors but were carbureted,

furthermore, the gasoline sold today no longer contains the additives it used to contain.

When you couple carburetion with gas without any additives you've got a gunk-prone motor.

If you 'do' get a carburetor job, remember to add Stabilizer (one of the additive removed) 

just as faithfully as you add oil to a 2-cycle motor.

 

Roger

 

And change, or at least thoroughly clean, your gas lines and tanks.  If the system is contaminated, it probably is degraded too, and even cleaning may not save it.  You may be right back in trouble again as the "chunks" go through your engine.

[Catch and Grease]

Sorry I havent replied sooner, came down with a bad case of the flu.. I decided im gonna just see about getting this one rebuilt by someone who knows what they are doing... plan on calling around and taking it to someone soon.

[thomas15]

If it were my boat I would just pay someone who really knows what they are doing to fix the existing motor.

[Further North]

Lots of good thoughts here.

 

There's not much worse than an outboard you don't have faith in, that's nickle and dime-ing you to death.

There's lots of good reasons to update to a newer motor as well:

• Fuel injection
• Computerized ignition
• Much more fuel efficient

Peace of mind and confidence is important on the water.  Everyone has to decide for themselves what that is worth in dollars.

 

On the fuel cost alone: I went from spending more than $500 in a week in Canada to less than $100 by moving from a 1991 v6 150 to a 2007 4 stroke 140.  Modern 2-strokes get the same kind of MPG.  You're looking at much smaller motors with much smaller price tags...