Re: Moving large quantity of outboards
I've got one room with about 400 or so motors in it, it measures 13'x30'. they are all standing up leaning on one another with a narrow isle down the middle. When I need one at the back, they all get moved. The rest are on various home built stands and racks made from either old engine stands or wood.
I had a new truck, didn't like it so I bought a cleaner version of the one I traded in and sold the new one. I have two new cars, bought less than a year ago, both are the same except for color. I can't sell the trailers or trucks, I make a living with them buying and selling auction items.
I look at it this way: If I find a nice clean 1965 boat that needs a motor, I have one, if I sell off all my motors and parts, then I find a nice clean 1965 boat, I'll be paying a premium for that mint clean 1965 motor I need for it.
I have two E-Tec motors, I prefer an older motor. I can't fix or diagnose an E-Tec 5 miles out in the bay. I can pull a spare set of points or a coil out of my tackle box and fix a 1965 motor though.
The number of motors goes up and down, I sell some, buy some, use some, etc. When you buy things in large lots, you gain quantity fast. The last lot I bought included 30 motors, so far I'm through about half of them and they all run as they were found. I figured for the $200 spent, I did OK. All of those were in the 1989-1999 range, all but one was an Evinrude or Johnson. I parted out the one Mercury and saved what appears to be a brand new lower unit.
It costs me nothing to keep them, the current building is 350'x40', plus a few retired containers, buses, and semi trailers.
One semi trailers is full of truck engines, car engines, and spare transmissions for various vehicles I own.
I also fish, hunt, and farm some land, those hobbies also add to the things I have to move. 5 tractors, 40 attachments, a few thousand fishing rods and reels, various firearms, bows and crossbows, 12 garden tractors, and two ATVs. I did have 5 motorcycles but sold those over the summer figuring my riding will change once I make the move.
Again, all that stuff is no big deal to move, it's just the outboards that concern me. They won't be sold off or scrapped, it just isn't an option. They are going with me. It took years to accumulate this much stuff, I sure don't intend to let it all go now. I also have my own personal machine shop and welding equipment, that equipment and various other tools will take up one whole trailer. I sold off the golf carts, snow mobiles, jet skis, most of my high end stereo equipment, and about 3/4 of my fishing tackle. Most of what I sold off was vintage tackle and collectible stuff. I couldn't justify keeping something I will likely never use. I will abandon most of the furniture, or dump it at the last moment so that's not a concern. I would gladly sell off all the outboards under 4hp, probably about 30 or so, those will never see use by me, but other than that, the rest stay for now. The minute I sell one, I'll need it the next day.
