HOW OLD IS MY JOHNSON SEAHORSE

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imported_ROB1

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I have a Johnson Seahorse 50hp model # 50ESL71S any idea what year this is likely to be?

Regards

Rob
 
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Paul Moir

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Re: HOW OLD IS MY JOHNSON SEAHORSE

It's a '71. Between '69 and '79 Johnson's model number system actually made sense!

E = Electric start
S - (forget. Electric shift?)
L - Longshaft (20" transom)

71 - 1971.
 
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Paul Moir

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Re: HOW OLD IS MY JOHNSON SEAHORSE


That isn't considered old around here. Lots of folks still have '50s era engines doing regular service. Literally thousands of 60s era. Age has nothing to do with reliability, just maintenance. Water pump service/decarb/lower unit fluid/grease/clean fuel. Look at a few posts here and you'll see pretty quick outboards almost never wear out, rather they fail due to accidents or abuse.

The triples have a great reputation, even the earliest. The hydro-electric shift lower unit is goofy but not nearly the trouble of the older selectric shift lower unit.

Only trouble I can think of is I think you've got the older ignition system that uses points. The points themselves are listed NLA. But that's no real problem since the points in that system never wear at all, and really only need very occasional cleaning & resetting.
 
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imported_ROB1

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Re: HOW OLD IS MY JOHNSON SEAHORSE

Im new to the boating game so still finding my feet. This is my first season with this engine and she is due a service i would imagine. Servicing here in England is expensive, is it possible to self service these engines.

Regards

Rob
 
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Paul Moir

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Re: HOW OLD IS MY JOHNSON SEAHORSE

Absolutely, if you're handy with a wrench. The first order is to get a hold of a service manual. Try to get the original factory one. You can often find them cheap on ebay using these search terms:
(50, 50hp) (evinrude, johnson) manual 1971
Some say they only ship to the US but it's been my experience that if you email them and tell them you understand shipping will be higher and that you'll be responsible for any import duties, they'll only be too happy to let you bid on them.

Parts are kind of pricey in the UK, but there are some options. I've seen a few places online that sell aftermarket parts that are located in Denmark and France with fairly reasonable prices.

It's also very important that your engine be set up to turn the correct RPMS when you're at full throttle. Aim for the very high end of the RPM scale with an average load.
 
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