Is it safe to buy Evinrude?

[Swinghead]

With them out of business, is it safe to buy a used boat with one one it? Found a 2011 E-Tec with 200 hours.  It’s a 150 on a Ranger Z118. Most of these have a Merc on it. Wish this one did. 

[Michigander]

I would check your local marinas and see if they have qualified service techs for these. If not, you'd be on your own with a major problem, should one arrive.

 

I value peace of mind very highly so I would not be comfortable with the purchase.

[diehardbassfishing]

Don't walk away until you get the info to make an informed decision.

 

https://www.evinrude.com/en-US/our-evinrude-customers.html

 

 

 

Karl

[K1500]

Regardless of the continuing support from BRP, I would imagine that at the very least the value of an Evinrude equipped boat would/should be quite a bit less than a the same boat with a currently manufactured power plant.  You should get a really ‘good deal’ on price to entice you to buy an Evinrude powered boat. 

[slonezp]

Parts will be available. If there's a warranty question, I would pass.

[Bluebasser86]

I've know 3 guys with 150 E Techs on their boats. All 3 motors blew up within 5 years of them buying the boats. Maybe coincidence, but no way I'd buy one. Not many techs around here work on them either, so it's hard to get them worked on when something needs done.

[NHBull]

It may really hurt resale! The fact that you are asking speaks volumes.....pass

[GaryH]

1 hour ago, NHBull said:

It may really hurt resale! The fact that you are asking speaks volumes.....pass

X2

[A-Jay]

Is it safe ?

Though to say.

In the short term and especially the long term,

purchasing a rig equipped with a motor on it built by a company that is still producing them (and parts),

seems 'safer' and considerably less risky to me.  

The reasons that rigs with these motor are 'for sale',

may be the very same reason not to purchase them.

Good luck with your decision.

A-Jay

 

 

[scbassin]

I would not put any value on that motor only the boat & trailer. That way it quits It will not hurt when you have to repower it. When it does I would put the rated horsepower back on it. If it was me I would not mess with it.

[Captain Phil]

It's so sad what happened to this great company.  I was a Johnson Evinrude fan for years.  When everyone was bolting on 150 Mercs, I stuck with my Johnsons.  They were great engines back then and I never had one let me down.  I finally made the switch to Mercury when they came out with the Black Max.  I blew up a pile of black motors.  Rods came out the side, triggers misfired and lower units granaded.  In the early tournaments, Merc service techs would fix your motor for free.  I remember idling around a marina before dark breaking in a new powerhead.

 

All that has changed.  Modern engines hardly ever break.  I ran a Yamaha ProMax in tournaments for almost ten years without a single problem.  My pontoon boat has a ten year old Merc 4 stroke and it runs like new.  Service availability is the main problem with current Evinrudes.  If you have the right mechanic, you should be OK.  The question then is, What happens if your mechanic goes away?

[Guitarfish]

I read in another forum that BRP gave dealers no warning that they were stopping production. This resulted in Evinrude only dealers being left in a lurch.  They had to scramble to get other motors. So now they refuse to help with Evinrude warranty problems.

 

That said, my bud has a 115 on his Whaler for the past year and it's pretty sweet.

[Shimano_1]

I ran evinrudes for years but all older motors. I wouldn't touch a new one unless it was dirt cheap.  Heard of more problems than I'm comfortable with but most of all them goin out of business.  As stated peace of mind is worth a lot and I would always be worried if I had one. Plus resale value would play a huge factor. 

[Further North]

On 11/24/2020 at 11:14 AM, Guitarfish said:

I read in another forum that BRP gave dealers no warning that they were stopping production. This resulted in Evinrude only dealers being left in a lurch.  They had to scramble to get other motors. So now they refuse to help with Evinrude warranty problems.

That would be absurdly short sighted.

It doesn't hurt BRP, it just hurts their customers, who will go elsewhere.

[Further North]

I love E-Tec motors and would have no problems buying one.

Everyone I know who has one, with one exception, has had no problems.  The one problem came up early and was dealt with under warranty with no subsequent issues, and that was several years ago.

[Boomstick]

On 11/24/2020 at 7:38 AM, NHBull said:

It may really hurt resale! The fact that you are asking speaks volumes.....pass

It very well may hurt resale. See if you can use that to negotiate a better price, if you can get the price right, it may still be worth it.

On 11/24/2020 at 8:49 PM, Shimano_1 said:

I ran evinrudes for years but all older motors. I wouldn't touch a new one unless it was dirt cheap.  Heard of more problems than I'm comfortable with but most of all them goin out of business.  As stated peace of mind is worth a lot and I would always be worried if I had one. Plus resale value would play a huge factor. 

Funny, I have personally heard of more problems with older ones, even when they were new than the newer ones, but that doesn't mean it's the majority by any means.