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SSCape wrote:
Also- For Sale One 1982 MERC 3 cyl 70 HP outboard motor. Best Offer. ;-)
Well, now you've opened a whole new can o' worms. I was about to argue Tom's out-of-hand dismissal of a great outboard (the Yamaha 90 two-stroke looper), but I'll save that for another time. You didn't mention how much you have to spend, but here are a few suggestions:
I've seen still-in-the-box-new Yamaha 90s go for well under 6k on eBay and elsewhere within the past few months.
You could probably find a really nice remanufactured one for much less than that. Atlantic Boats in Plymouth (atlanticboatrepair.com) does a good job with rebuilds. I bought a '91 Yamaha 40 from them back in 2000, and apart from burning through two tilt motors since then, the engine has never given me any trouble whatsoever. They are very easy guys to work with, but their inventory is limited.
You might also try the Outboard Exchange down in Waterford, CT. They're a little pricey, but they have a good rep for quality, and they have a huge selection of engines from which to choose.
If you need to go really cheap, you'll have to spend some time beating the bushes on craigslist and similar websites. There are some good deals to be had out there, but finding them takes time and effort. In general, I would suggest you look for the 3-cylinder Yamahas (70, 85, and 90hp) first. After that, I'd look for one of the older (eighties and nineties) OMC V-4s. These engines are smoky, noisy, and thirsty, but they are also, powerful, reliable, and cheap. For even less money, the 3-cylinder OMC 70hp models built in the late 80s and 90s were excellent motors as well, and they would push your Sakonnet along pretty nicely.
Good luck with your search, and keep us posted on your progress.
That's so great. Thank you.
I actually found a 2009 Yam 4 stroke 60HP still under warranty and ready to go, with an ss prop for $4995 on Craigslist, but the wifey limited be to $4000, and I would still need cables and controls. 60 is the minimum recommended size though.
If I don't find one, I am going to have that starter rebuilt on the 70 I have and try to get it cranking. I could get lucky. If I do that, I can buy a new kicker motor and just get along until I have the simolians for what you guys have recommended, and what I really want.
SSCape wrote:
...If I don't find one, I am going to have that starter rebuilt on the 70 I have and try to get it cranking. I could get lucky. If I do that, I can buy a new kicker motor and just get along until I have the simolians for what you guys have recommended, and what I really want.
That migt not a bad idea, either. If you are going to keep the old lug for a while longer, it's probably worth having a good outboard tech give it a thorough once-over before you put the engine back in service.
I definitely hear that. When I first got the boat, I took the motor off and I sent it down to our Marine tech school here on Cape. They have two master techs running the program, one a Merc guy. They had it for a whole school year and they told me then that it checked out fine, had good compression, and that I should get a few more years out of it. Then the economy went in the toilet and the money I was making went elsewhere, so my project sat still for a while. I put the motor in my garage, back close to the house, and built a stand for it, covered it and it sat for two years. This winter I started again, finished the boat as far as I could, (didn't re-gel the hull yet) and then hung the motor and found the starter issue. I now have a very good friend/neighbor/mechanic and marine electronic tech helping me. He works at a high end Marina here installing electronics on absurdly expensive boats. He did all my wiring for the console re-do, and he has been helping me now with the engine. I did buy a manual online as well.
It all sounds cheap and shoestring on the engine part I know, but I was really always working toward going with new power, but I had to give this engine a try, without dumping money into the unknown. Once the starter was dead I figured, Okay, I tried, and now I would just go new, but the wifey pulled the rug out on me on that idea, so now I am back to trying to make this work. I just wish I knew the former owner did regular maintenance but I suspect he did not. That lower unit scares me. I would like to take it off and change the oil and throw in a pump kit but I am concerned the shaft will not come out, or I will break the case in the process of removal. If either of those things happens, I won't get in the water this year. That is, unless I find a great motor, with accessories, for under 4k.
Well, after finally giving up on the new outboard fantasy I had, I decided to go ahead and try and work with the 1982 70 Merc I got with the boat. It had compression tested well, so I went all out as much as I could justify to get my Whaler, finally into the water. The boat has been ready since May, the power for it has been another thing altogether, along with delays for family wedding, visitors, and work. In between all of that I worked on the motor. I had the starter rebuilt, bought and installed new carbs kits, new plugs, fuel filter and lines where needed, and fixed a couple of goofy Mercury wiring issues. I had that sucker idling at about 1000 rpm in my driveway Thursday night. I tested it as best I could. I went into and out of gear, and repeatedly shut it off and turned it back on. Boom, first start every time. My kill switch tested fine, my new control cables were in and adjusted well. Everything looked good for my first weekend on the water in years.
SO last night after work, my buddy who owns a new boat and a house on our big lake here on Cape Cod, Lake Wequaquet, came by and we headed over to the lake launch ramp. Lowered the motor, made my connections, primed my fuel, turned on my battery, and turned the key. Boom, started right up. I smiled. We idled for a for a couple minutes and I said okay let's back her off the rest of the way. Tom was going to take my car and trailer to his house, and then he would bring his boat out in the middle of the lake to meet us. I would have just idled around a bit, and let it work under the load, and not stress it our or anything. So, I go to shift it into reverse. I heard that clicking sound when it doesn't engage in gear, and the engine revved, but did not go into gear. I tried that a few times, back and forth to get it in gear, and nothing. Then the engine quit. I re-primed, choked it, and starter fluid..and nothing. It wouldn't pop for us at all. I waited and did the same series of things several time over the next half hour 40 minutes, and they gave up in disgust. Put it back on the trailer, and went home. Oh the joy.
