1968 Johnson 65 hp

I recently had someone offer to sell me a ouchita boat with a 65 horse 1968 Johnson for 400. They said the motor did start last year however they never actually put it in the water to run it. I have read things about the electric shift in these giving trouble. I think this motor does have the electric shift. It did say on the engine cover electric. I don't have alot f money and just want something to get around the small lakes here and do some bass fishing. Is this motor something decently dependable. Should I buy the boat for this price? The electric shift worries me alot. Any thoughts?

Re: 1968 Johnson 65 hp

welcome aboard.

if it is electric shift and it works, budget to replace the whole motor when it has its first problems, or pass. it won't be worth fixing even if it's not the shift.

remember that to test a motor you have to run it in the water under load. Few people selling a $400 boat are going to let you do that.

$400 for a decent basic hull and trailer (I assume) is not a bad deal, but it might not be what you want if you don't have more than $400.

You also need to have good clear titles for both the boat and trailer, or no deal.

Re: 1968 Johnson 65 hp

If it is in fact a 1968 Johnson 65 horse, then it is definitely a mechanical shift V4. It would be the last year of the early, small-displacement V4 and yet the most refined. The small 70.7 cubic inch V4 started as the 50-horse of 1958-59, then Gale inherited it and brought it to 60-horses for 1960. Johnson/Evinrude inherited it back from Gale for 1964. For 1968 horsepower went from 60 to 65. The compression was raised, plus it got a new CDI ignition system (replacing the old belt-driven distributor-magneto type). Plugs changed to surface gap for '68.

1968 also saw the start of the loop charged motors with the new 55-horse triple. That motor basically made the small V4 obsolete, so when the V4s were revamped for 1969 the small version was dropped. Meanwhile the looper 55 went to 60-horse for 1970, then 65-horse for 1972. For 1974 they went to 70, staying there for years. In 1975 they added a performance oriented 75 horse that worked better on fast, light hulls while the 70 seemed torquier at midrange under load (port timing perhaps?)

You need to determine which motor it is since the early V4 and 3-cylinder loopers are worlds apart in design. Post a model number if you can.

Does the motor have a mechanical shift lever on the starboard side?

Which of the motors does it look like below?