posted 03-29-2009 08:20 PM ET (US)        

I like the Whaler, but I fish and dive out of Barnegat Inlet a lot (no more than 10 miles out). It feels bit small some days, but generally works well for this purpose. I can't afford a new boat unless it is $5,000.

posted 03-29-2009 09:27 PM ET (US)            

A running 70-HP has some value, and a dealer may be willing to take it on trade if you purchase a new motor. Spring is a good time to sell a motor, so you may find a buyer yourself.

posted 04-05-2009 08:22 AM ET (US)            

The link below takes you to the home page of Mercury Remanufacturing:

http://sites.mercurymarine.com/portal/page?_pageid=33,1&_dad=portal& _schema=PORTAL

Under the heading of remanufactured products, only components of outboard engines are sold. For example you can buy a power head or a gear case, but you cannot buy a complete outboard motor.

Under the heading of certified pre-owned you are informed that you can buy a complete outboard motor through your dealer.

Several years ago I inquired with my local dealer about the availability of used engines being sold by Mercury. I had been talking to a Mercury field technical representative (at a Boston Whaler dealer event) who had told me about this program, and he seemed rather positive in his comments about the engines. I was correspondingly enthusiastic about the possibility of getting an engine at a discount--well, aren't we all--and the Mercury used engine program seemed like a good way to do that. I asked my local dealer about it.

The dealer, however, was not so enthusiastic about the Mercury used engine program. He explained that these became available from time to time, and he could put in a "bid" for them--I think that was how he explained the process. But the dealer was not particularly encouraging about selling me one. In retrospect, I can see his point of view. As a dealer, he would certainly prefer to sell a new product with a full warranty, and sell at a full retail price.

I also got widely varying accounts of the typical history of an engine I might get in the program. The most favorable version described the engines as being hardly used, completely refurbished, gone over with a fine-toothed comb, carefully returned to new condition, etc. Less favorable accounts described the products as being given a cursory inspection, cleaned up, tested, and re-package for shipment. These stories tended to align themselves with the tellers. If the teller was a Mercury employee, the engines were always hardly used, carefully checked, and great bargains. If the teller was a Mercury independent dealer, the engines were ones that had blown up and were replaced under warranty or run hard for a season at a fishing camp, given a good clean-up, and covered by a limited warranty, thus caveat emptor.

If you give this situation a little thought, you see that each version of the story has the teller's self interest well represented. At the corporate level, if you have truckloads of engines that you have taken back from customers for various reasons, or engines the company has used itself in promotion, and you need to re-sell these engines, it is natural to put the word out to prospective end-users that these are great deals and terrific bargains. On the other hand, if you are a dealer trying to make a living from selling engines, you probably do not embrace the concept of your supplier sponsoring an alternative distribution channel in which the customer can pay far less than retail and get a completely equivalent product.