Honda 45hp that needs lower unit Questions

[HybridMX6]

Hello. I'm usually over in the J/E section, but came across a used Honda on ebay. Seller states: "I had this motor on my boston whaler i hit something and broke a piece off the lower case. The motor still works fine but a little piece is missing. someone told me that a piece could be welded on it but i don't know, you may need to replace the lower casing.
the motor works fine and has the controls, cables and ignition.staneless steel prop."

After seeing the pics, it's a nice chunk missing. My question mainly is would anyone know if a lower unit from a Model BF 50 fit this particular engine? I am waiting to hear back if he has a model # for it, all he says right now is it's a mid to upper 90's 45hp. I've always liked these motors, and it's actually close enough where I could go pick it up, but I don't want to be buying something without knowing a little more about it, or at least knowing what/how much it's going to take to fix it, or replace the lower unit.
Any help would be appreciated. Any chance hitting something and doing this kind of damage to the LU has done other damage elsewhere? I've hit some things pretty hard with my Johnson, but have never done this kind of damage.
Thanks in advance for any info/thoughts on it.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Honda 45hp that needs lower unit Questions

Ask the current owner to ask Honda a repair quote to new, if breaking anything on the tail, would also check: propeller rubber hub & shaft, swivel bracket for bendings, engine lock sytem for broken/bent parts.

Happy Boating

 

[Jake Windemere]

Re: Honda 45hp that needs lower unit Questions

It is hard to run an outboard in Alaska's rivers without "customizing" the skeg.

A good outboard repairman with aluminum welding skills might be able to make the thing as good as new.

The trick I have been told is to weld the assembly without disassembly to avoid warping.

I have had several skegs weld repaired and after repair they were as good as new.

It is unlikely that the other components of the lower unit were damaged unless the guy was running a stainless prop. Usually the failure of the aluminum parts protects the steel parts from damage.

But it is a good plan to have a Honda repair tech give it the once over.

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: Honda 45hp that needs lower unit Questions

Thanks for the advice so far. It's not really close enough to go check it out real quick, but it's drivable on a weekend, about a 4 hour trip one way. I don't know what kind of prop he was running on it when it happened, but I'd have to assume it was SS since that's what he is including with it.
I can get a used lower unit for $30 for a BF50, that's why I'm wanting to know if that lower unit would fit or not.
I doubt this person is going to take it to Honda for me and have the check it out, so I'm gonna have to see what all he says when he replies.

 

[Jake Windemere]

Re: Honda 45hp that needs lower unit Questions

Ooops, I didn't notice the stainless steel prop in your original post.

I put a serious hurt on a Johnson 2 stroke 25 hp once when I put my stainless prop into a submerged boulder while I was attempting to put a 14 foot inflatable on step. The impact was horrendous. There was no immediate noticeable damage but upon closer inspection I noted that the stainless steel prop shaft was bent slightly.

The bend was not apparent when the engine was run. It was minor and would cause the back seal to fail after a couple of seasons.

It was not a big deal to replace the seal every other year and it was a lot cheaper than replacing the slightly bent prop shaft.

I'd probably shy away from a damaged outboard unless they are practically giving it away and you are willing to eat the cost if you get a lemon.

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: Honda 45hp that needs lower unit Questions

Yeah, it's cheap right now, but it has like 9 days to go, and might go up more than I'd be willing to pay for a damaged motor. I just wanted to try to get an understanding of it and if that other LU would fit, so as it gets nearer, I can get a little more serious about maybe buying it. We'll just have to wait and see right now though.