posted 07-30-2014 11:25 AM ET (US)        

Is it worth purchasing at $450? Is this known as a good motor? Reliable? I would imagine it is a bit of a gas hog, around 2-MPG to 3-MPG. Easy to work on? Easy to fix?

posted 07-30-2014 11:29 AM ET (US)            

If you do want a hobby in itself, they are great.

VERY high quality engine. VERY complex. MANY MANY MANY parts. VERY few people these days really know how to work on them. I've had two on two different Whalers. Both ran like stink *when they ran*, which was not all that often.

Symptom you describe is carburation. They need a rebuild and that's that. Simple enough to do.

They are classics Enjoy your new hobby... ;-)

Dave

posted 07-30-2014 11:35 AM ET (US)            

Do a leakdown test to see about the potential for a burned piston. With a bad piston they will start and idle but not produce power. This mimicks the more common carburation problems. These are high compression engines and need good fuel to prevent detonation and the resultant problems associated with that.

Still, it's probably a dirty carb (or two or three)... They have several... count 'em... ;-)

Still both of my old-school Merc 90s would outrun my 2 stroke Yamaha 90s on the same hulls without breaking a sweat. You just need to want an engine hobby.

Dave

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posted 07-30-2014 11:38 AM ET (US)            

If they are a quality engine, how can they run not all that often?

Thanks also Bink.

posted 07-30-2014 12:26 PM ET (US)            

Very simple answer then: Don't buy it. Put on a nice new Evinrude eTec 90 if you can afford it, and if not look for someone selling a good used classic 2 stroke Yamaha 90. Either would be perfect for that hull.

"If they are a quality engine, how can they run not all that often?"

They are "high quality" like a 1970 Jaguar XKE is "high quality", meaning wonderfully designed and overly complex, with the resultant need to LOVE playing with them in order to "enjoy" them.

They are a complex, high compression, high performance *antique* with multiple carburators, six coils, enough high voltage wiring to wire an airliner, and bring all of that along with their performance. And it all needs to work.

They are the epitome of the "Mercury is a high performance freshwater engine" versus "Evinrude is a high reliability mule of an engine that works great in salt water" paradigm that was absolutely the case in the 60's and 70's.

If you're in the "I just want it to run" school of boat owner, buy something else. If you want a high performance engine and get off having aerospace quality cowl latches and all of the other expensive stuff that was bolted onto these and to enjoy the *hobby* of running an antique, then knock yourself out.

Personally, I would love one of these on a Sunday-Boat. I wouldn't dream of having one on my working boat.

Dave

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posted 07-30-2014 01:49 PM ET (US)            

<link>http://duluth.craigslist.org/boa/4523102721.html</link>

So, it looks like 80's to 90's Johnson or Evinrude 88, 90, 100 tops the short list so far. Any specific years to look at or avoid?

The Yamaha 90 is also on my looking for list.

posted 07-30-2014 08:41 PM ET (US)            

Well, you don't see too many 90-horsepower outboards for $450. The big question is, can you fix it, or do you have someone that can?

posted 07-30-2014 08:48 PM ET (US)            

From what Dave has said, this may be beyond me.

posted 07-30-2014 09:40 PM ET (US)            

Just get an engine from the 80's so you have electronic ignition and you should be in good shape.

You should be able to find a good V4 for less than $1000, have no distributor to worry about, and only two carbs instead of six. You can also fix anything that would fail on it.

posted 07-30-2014 10:48 PM ET (US)            

We had an Mariner 90 (same as Mercury) on our 1984 Montauk. It was a Strong motor and pushed the Montauk to a WOT average of 49.7mph with an aluminum propeller. It had more power than we ever needed. Outside of the power, it was a very loud and smokey motor compared to my OMC V4 of similar power. It also did not like idling and was prone to stalling when coming in and out of gear. Even after a lot of carb tuning it would stall here and there.

posted 07-31-2014 06:22 AM ET (US)            

The is a new "leftover" one at Bass Pro, Arundel Mills Mall just South of Baltimore, MD.

No idea on price.....

posted 07-31-2014 07:24 PM ET (US)            

The mechanics are of new generation as well and are trained to handle more current motors. Sure there are still a few good mechanics with knowledge to fix them, but its still shop hours and they have gone up a ton around most places.

posted 07-31-2014 11:46 PM ET (US)            

Dave

posted 08-01-2014 10:23 AM ET (US)            

quote: Engine has been sold, so not meant to be.

I wonder if Larry ran up there and bought it. He has a few of them. I'm surprised that he has been silent on this thread.

posted 08-01-2014 10:41 AM ET (US)            

That old 90 Mercury would have been an excellent engine for an engine enthusiast. It was clean and looked fairly well kept. If Larry grabbed it, he got a great deal. The parts on it are worth far more than the asking price. That doesn't make it a good deal for the general end user though. I think everyone got what they needed out of this.

Dave

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posted 08-03-2014 02:01 AM ET (US)            

I just had the impeller and thermostats done and heads cleaned out, and it runs like new. This is basically routine maintenance for the engine every 2-4 years.

It starts good, idles fine, and has plenty of power for my Montauk. It planes well at 3000 RPM,. and sings at 4,000 RPM, which is about as fast as I want it to go. This with 4 or more adults, extra tanks, stern seat, etc.

Its a great match for the boat, and is still going strong at 20 years old.

If you can find the right one, in good condition, it would be a great value for power, reliability and price.

If I ever do replace it for something new, I would likely get an E-TEC.

posted 08-04-2014 02:03 PM ET (US)         

With new engines in that horsepower range selling from $8-10,000, any outboard that runs well and doesn't need constant attention will easily sell for more than $1000. I looked for over a year for a replacement for my '99 Ficht with no luck and I was looking for an engine in the $3000 range. I had two friends who own marine dealerships looking for me as well. Both of them told me they rarely see anyone trade in a good motor. When motors get replaced, they are generally shot or need several thousand dollars worth of work and are only useful for parts.

posted 08-04-2014 05:56 PM ET (US)            

Mercury was marketed successfully in fresh water areas of the USA in those days.

Evinrudes and Johnsons were marketed sucsessfully in salt water areas of the USA in those days.

Looking for used engines in Minnesota? You're going to find Mercs dominating.

The choices in used engiens today reflect both the geographic split, and that fresh water engines last longer than those run in salt water. So you're going to find more used Mercs *there* for one for the simple reason that that's where Mercs did well. They sure sucked in salt water. In the end the Evinrides all got nasty in the salt water too, but lasted a lot longer than Mercs.

Mercs are... what they are. High performance engines that run more highly stressed and that never really lasted well in salt water Longevity? Well... *if* I found a fresh water only used Evinrude I would put more money on it being good now than an Old Merc, but *if * I found a Unicorn I could retire too. You will find what you find.

Dave

posted 08-05-2014 12:10 AM ET (US)            

If you want a good 3 Cylinder or V4 OMC call Lockeman's Hardware and Boats here in Detroit. Ask for Dave or his son Doug and let them know you were directed to them from Continuouswave. They will help you out. They always have good used older Freshwater OMC for sale. They are always extremely helpful and support many people here in this community. While I know many who have driven from Chicago and even Minneapolis to go there, I would bet they could ship you a motor. That said, those motors are still valuable around these parts and bring a fair dollar or two...

Lockeman's Hardware and Boats
7630 W Jefferson Ave, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 842-0268

Your other option is to search craiglist's boat ad's find a decent boat with a good motor and make a low offer....but make the offer with the green cash visible in your hand when you make the offer. The worst they can say is no, If they take it buy the package, take the motor and offer the hull and the trailer for a couple hundred dollars.

Here is an example...buy the boat for $750 cash and take the motor.
http://mankato.craigslist.org/boa/4588954977.html

Or this
http://mankato.craigslist.org/boa/4532199394.html

Or probably $1200 cash or less could get this...
http://northernwi.craigslist.org/bod/4551384391.html

Another
http://brainerd.craigslist.org/boa/4600866541.html

Just change the way you are looking for a motor and I bet you would be surprised at what you will find.

Also, go search http://www.searchtempest.com daily for these keywords and I bet you will find what you want in no time.
Keywords:
Johnson 70
Johnson 90
Johnson 115
Johnson V4
Johnson 3cyl
Evinrude 70
Evinrude 90
Evinrude 115
Evinrude V4
Evinrude 3cyl
OMC 70
OMC 90
OMC 115
OMC 3cyl
OMC V4

Heck, Here is a motor
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/boa/4594112332.html

This would be awesome and look nice on your Currituck
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/boa/4591814568.html

posted 08-06-2014 10:51 AM ET (US)            

Thank you both kindly for your responses. I will only be looking at OMC engines, specifically the 70 horsepower.

Jeff,

I used to think I was a fairly adept internet sleuth. Thank you for the searching tips - I see there are many opportunities that I wasn't able to find.