Outboard Quality

[kkj]

How would a list of good and bad outboards look.<br />I know I am very unspecific, old and/or new ones, just give me some idea of your opinion.<br />Reliability, easy to repair, or whatever.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Outboard Quality

It would look like this:<br /><br />If the company that made the outboard is still making outboards, it's likely that it's a good one. If the company no longer exists it's most likely a bad one. Right now I think you'll find most people agree there isn't a bad one being built anymore, so if you're looking at new ones you can only select from good and excellent ones. <br /><br />Naturally, there's exceptions to the rule. The 4hp Mercury Gnat sticks out particulairly in my mind since I did a lot of work on one, but all the outboard companies have built a dog at one time or another.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Outboard Quality

Ha! That's what everyone needs on the water...more Gnats.

 

[kkj]

Re: Outboard Quality

"If the company no longer exists it's most likely a bad one" <br />Have you seen any Archimedes-Penta lately?

 

[DJ]

Re: Outboard Quality

"If the company no longer exists it's most likely a bad one" <br />

I do not agree. OMC (Johnson/Evinrude), as an example.<br /><br />They bankrupted themselves with: mis-management, overspending, diversity and poor decisions. I must clarify "diversity" as getting into too many areas.<br /><br />The Johnson/Evinrude brands live on under the Bomabardier name. They are fine products and have gone back to providing high quality engines at a reasonable price.<br /><br />The new J & E "e-tech" engines are proving themselves to be industry leaders.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Outboard Quality

I kind of half-edited what I first posted. "No longer exists" should have been replaced with "No longer makes". I figured this would cover both J/E and Penta properly (which is specifically what I had in mind!) since clearly Volvo still exists and is not making outboards, and J/E do and still are. Perhaps I should have specifically excluded parent companies like OMC because I didn't mean them.

 

[khc1970]

Re: Outboard Quality

British seagulls!!!!!<br /><br />Excellent all round (small hp) engine, bomb proof and can really take some serious abuse.....

 

[JB]

Re: Outboard Quality

The early OMC Ficht V6s and the early Merc OptiMax were unreliable engines. The modern versions are good engines.<br /><br />I consider many of the small engines based on Tecumseh/Power Products and Clinton air cooled power heads poor engines. They seem reliable given proper care, but they are often balky, noisy and smelly.<br /><br />I believe that most engines in the market today are good engines.<br /><br />I think the best outboards ever made were the OMC twins from 3 to 40hp made after WWII until fairly recently. Low tech by modern standards, but simple, easy to work on, reliable, smooth running little gems.

 

[kkj]

Re: Outboard Quality

JB wrote aboat OMC:<br />"Low tech by modern standards, but simple, easy to work on, reliable, smooth running little gems."<br /><br />That's a sentence I like! <br />The Evinrude 5.5 hp from the -60 I have just located can be an nice little one

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Outboard Quality

they all break

 

[kkj]

Re: Outboard Quality

What a depressing situation, sob.<br />BUT some break earlier then others......maybe?

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Outboard Quality

JB,<br /><br />I agree with you on the old twins. Today, while driving to the store, I saw a nice 14' Lund with a newish 35hp Johnson hanging off the back. Looks lighter than my 1958 model and, for a moment, I envied the owner. <br /><br />But then I asked myself how many of these newer 35s will still be running 47 years from now, like mine is. Darned few, I'll wager, but there are tons of folks here on the iboats forums with 30-40 hp Big Twins, using them regularly.

 

[MichaelMullis]

Re: Outboard Quality

Rock on OMC. My 59, 35 seahorse runs like a top and starts easily except when very cold. But the older motors are bulky. My 35 is almost twice the size of my 72 40hp.<br />Michael

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Outboard Quality

I'll bet most of the bulk is the midsection cover though right? The actual weight difference isn't that great. A '59 35hp comes in at about 140 lbs, and a '72 40hp (OMC) comes in at 135 lbs.<br />Afterall, they are still made out of aluminium.

 

[05GlastronSX]

Re: Outboard Quality

i think the best looking outboard out right now is mercury. coming in a close second would be both the yamaha v-maxs and the new american flag evinrude e-tecs. As for reliabilty, i think all of the major manufactures such as mercury, yamaha, omc, ect. are all pretty even since technology is so good now adays.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Outboard Quality

Running = good<br />not running = bad

 

[kkj]

Re: Outboard Quality

Two things of importance you don't want to happen and a reason to buy the right outboard<br /><br />1. Motor stops 5 hours from home and can't be started again because to complicated piece of machinery.<br />(I have seen many boats with a 10 hp beside the 90 hp outboard. The owner obviously do not trust his engine) <br /><br />2. Motor get serious trouble when the boat season begins and it will take almost the whole summer to fix it <br />(The repair shop has 48 other customers with similar problem and on top of that, shop closes for summer vacation and it will cost a fortune to repair this very exotic and complicated piece of machinery!)

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Outboard Quality

the new american flag evinrude e-tecs

but they are canadian.......<br /><br />go figure

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Outboard Quality

kkj,<br /><br />Well, your first point doesn't really ring true. Sensible boaters have a second motor on their boats for two reasons: 1. For slow speed operations, like trolling. 2. As a get-home motor in case the large one stops running. There are no outboard that are guaranteed to run forever. The wise man has an alternate means of propulsion.<br /><br />Your second point applies to ALL outboard brands. It's not the outboard, it's how things work. Lots of people do not properly maintain their outboards, and lots of people store them improperly during the winter. So, Spring and Summer come along, and they bring their outboards in to correct problems. All dealers are busy that time of the year. It's expected. During the non-boating season, smart people get their work done. Stupid people wait until just before boating season.

 

[JB]

Re: Outboard Quality

Another thing about the greatest generation of small outboards. A fifth grader with a manual can fix most troubles with the tool kit she (or he) got for Christmas. No six weeks in the shop.<br /><br />Pretty close to the same for major repairs. People who can't program a VCR but can read the manual can overhaul that little Johnny in a weekend and be back on the water by sundown Sunday.