Newer Motor/rough boat or Old motor/nicer boat?

[nguye569]

As the title suggests, would you go for a boat that looks a little rough, but functional with a newer motor (2000+) or a boat in very good condition with a slightly older motor (maybe 80's or early 90's)?

Most boats in my price range are in one of these 2 buckets, so just want to see what ppl think.

 

[Fishfreek]

I am partial to the new motor old boat theme.

 

[BigTerp]

I say nicer boat/older motor. Older 2-strokes are easy to work on or even rebuild if needed. Busted up aluminum hulls, not so much.

 

[Johnny]

it may be a Baby Boomer age bracket thing, but, personally,
I love the older tin boats with a passion. (in good condition, of course).
The motors are like horses - depends on how well they are cared for dictates their value
and trustworthiness.

If you were in MY world, I would suggest an older 2 stroke that is in the best condition that
you can find and an old Tin in good condition that suits your fancy.
The size of each would be considered to match your fishing conditions - large rivers and lakes or small
ponds and streams. Then, there are the ones that may venture out into open salt water on occasion.
SAFETY is your primary concern.................... meaning, you don't want to get a 1032 Jon with a
5hp motor, then take 3 of your buddies fishing....... not a good idea.

Jus my Dos Centavos.

 

[nguye569]

I'm currently look at 14 footers with a 10-15 hp motor.

I guess that's what I really want to know is how reliable are the older motors (if taken care of) as compared to something from the early 2000's? I can do basic mechanical work on cars (never an outboard), but suck at making things look nice. Hence if I buy an older boat that has some nice mods already, I don't need to worry about building a deck that looks like crap. I just don't want to be in a situation where I have an older motor and it'll be hard to do basic repairs or maintenance.

 

[Kismet]

I'm biased, but look at my model F rebuild pictures...pages 3 & 4. 1959 Hull and 1959 Johnson 10hp.

I am not skilled, just kinda stubborn.

And I'm selling a 1956 Johnson 10hp because I'm getting out of the rehab boat hobby, but the '56 is ready to cross one of the Great Lakes.

A 'rough boat' can be gradually made less rough; the old johnnyrudes can be brought back to life and will endure for generations.

Best wishes.

 

[SumDumGuy]

I have a '53 evinrude 15hp that runs as good today as it did then (maybe almost as good). :LOL2:
It is made of metal, simple to work on, and strangely enough it was also made in the USA.

I'll go with old motor and old boat (they can both be nice).

 

[bird35]

I have a 25 year old Mercy two stroke 25 HP. It has never left me stranded and is super reliable. The only trouble I had was a gas tank that needed to be replaced due to a clog and crack. I would feel good about buying a older motor and a new gas tank. The first gas tank lasted me 24 years before it had problems.

 

[RiverLife]

I would go for the newer motor and an older hull. As long as the hull is solid you can always paint it and your probably going to want to set it up for your particular use anyway.

Tons of boats out there that is for sure. Could always put it together one piece at a time as budget allows.

Thinking about it again I wouldn't hesitate to buy a really nice hull on trailer that had a crappy motor. Could always sell the crappy motor and recoup some cost and buy something newer.

Just have to dive in I guess and make it work.

 

[PBRMINER]

currently I have the same hull I've had for 4 years. its a little beat up but it works well. im on my 4th motor. the Merc 7.5 that came with it never ran (bad wiring and carbwork needed JUST to see if it would run)then, I got into a couple 7.5 Gamefisher Air Cooleds. Loud as hell and took some tinkering but I could make them run.... Burnt one up, the second one gave me a ton of trouble but I kept wrenching until one day I found a 2000 Johnson 8 horse in excellent condition I couldn't pass up. knowing its going to start and run well has been the best part!

 

[turbotodd]

How good are you at working on boat motors?

How good are you at working on the hull?

That should help a little to make a good decision.

Personally speaking, motors are my thing and I can do what's needed on a hull but I'm nowhere near a hull expert. So I prefer a newer, more up-to-date hull with an older motor (2000 model 25 hp/2012 model boat). But the motor only has 40 hours on it. Was brand new when I got it in 2010, guy bought it and it sat...he couldn't get it to start because gas plugged up the choke/primer circuit in the carb. Took me a while to find the problem, but I found and fixed it and since then it's been awesome. The motor paid me $100. I bought the boat/motor/trailer from the guy for $1500 + $100 in fuel to go get it, then sold the boat and trailer for $1700 and kept the motor.