Re: 55 hp johnson that sat for 10 years
I have a bunch (quite a bunch actually) of old motors that I like to play around with in my spare time. Winter projects actually. I put them on an old classic and putt around.
However, for my everyday go-to-vacation and saturday-fishing boat I don't have time to play around. Anything less than 100% is unacceptable. A fishing down day is not an option, and a broken motor on vacation is a catastrophy.
The last 2 every-day motors I bought looked pristine. Regardless, before I ever ran them I took them to a dealer for a tuneup, impeller, carb kit, gasket seal, etc. etc. Several hundred to "recondition" them. Both let me down on vacation. All my current goto outboards were bought new and run regularly.
JMO and YMMV.