Old outboards vs the newer models (just 2 strokes)?

[BloodStone]

Besides the obvious fact of "newer" & or possible difficulties in finding certain parts, are there any real advantages (besides price) to owning an older outboard motor (I.e. late 50's to mid 70's)? I had someone tell me (I think it was BassBoy :?: ) that horsepower on an OB was measured differently back "in the day" than it is now. And that actually, an old 15 horsepower Evinrude OB (with everything being equal-compression, tuned up etc..) may actually be closer to 18 hp. Thoughts....

 

[bassboy1]

Actually just the opposite. The the older 18 is about equal to a newer 15. Way back when, motors were rated at the crankshaft. However, they generally lose 10% of that horsepower between the crank and the prop. Back in the mid 80s, the regulations were changed, so now motors had to be propshaft rated. So, a new motor of the same horsepower will be about 10% stronger than an old one.

 

[shizzy77]

I really dont know if there is any advantages with an older engine aside from price and simplicity. I got my 1965 Johhny 6 horse for $250 and for another hundred put all the new parts in it I needed to have it last me another 20 years. A brand new Johhny 6 horse IS NOT $350..... that buys me plenty of gas and oil.

 

[cranksbait]

There is a huge difference. I had a 1993 Evinrude 50 on my Lowe 170. It was loud, smokey, and used A LOT of gas. I had to really plan when I went out. to make sure that I had the gas and the time to get there.

I then upgraded the motor to a 2008 75 E-tec. Put it on the same boat. It made a huge difference. It was much quieter. Ran smoother, and smokeless. Obviously faster. Here is where it really shined. I went to a bigger motor and used LESS gas. Very noticable. For what I paid for the new motor will be what I save in gas money in about three years. I was really impressed. I was able to make to those far away places with ease and new I could get back.

 

[redbug]

I had the same thing with my 99 175hp vmax I now run a 225hpdi vmax and burn less gas than my 175 used

 

[bassboy1]

Like the past two folks said, an underpowered boat will use a LOT more gas than one maxed out. The smaller motor is just having to struggle more, and take longer to get from point a to point b. As far as motors of the same size, as opposed to the upgrade, you will certainly save fuel, but likely not enough to justify the cost over an older one if your ONLY criteria is cheaper in the long run.

 

[redbug]

Like the past two folks said, an underpowered boat will use a LOT more gas than one maxed out. The smaller motor is just having to struggle more, and take longer to get from point a to point b. As far as motors of the same size, as opposed to the upgrade, you will certainly save fuel, but likely not enough to justify the cost over an older one if your ONLY criteria is cheaper in the long run.

i agree with bb1, on a smaller motor under25hp you wont save that much on gas to off set the expense

 

[BloodStone]

Like the past two folks said, an underpowered boat will use a LOT more gas than one maxed out. The smaller motor is just having to struggle more, and take longer to get from point a to point b. As far as motors of the same size, as opposed to the upgrade, you will certainly save fuel, but likely not enough to justify the cost over an older one if your ONLY criteria is cheaper in the long run.

Yeah I agree with the underpowered statement. I had (still have) my 1980 7.5 hp Chrysler. I just yesterday found a 1957 18 hp Evinrude that I purchased for $150.00. It is in great shape for the year, compression & spark are real good. Ditto for the prop. Has a tiller control & also the ability to hook up to a steering & throttle/shift outfit. It also has the ability to add electric start. 8) The guy said he purchased the motor 7 years ago from one of his buddies after he had it tuned up & had a new prop & impeller installed. The guy never got to use it so it just hung on his wall. In case anybody is wondering, the motor weighs 75 lbs (yes I weighed it) & came with two pressurized gas tanks. Funny thing about this is, on craigslist there was another guy selling the exact same motor only his was a 1955 with no prop, tank or pressurized hose & he was asking $250.00 :shock:
Below is the pic of my "new" :wink: motor (no, it hasn't been repainted either by me or the guy I bought it from).