Old Merc 950/95hp, worth buying?

[CaptOchs]

I'm thinking of buying an older '67 or '68 Merc 950 / 95HP engine. The guy is selling the boat/trailer/engine for $600. He says it runs. Is this a good motor? Do you know if it has power trim? Seller is clueless and it's a decent ride to see it.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Old Merc 950/95hp, worth buying?

If you're expecting it to be turn-key then no. If you don't mind getting greasy then I'd say yes. They are easy to work on and standard repair parts are still pretty easy to find. If you have to replace anything major you'll be hunting for decent used parts.

600.00 worth of boat/trailer/engine is what your buying and odds are that's exactly what you're getting. Do the math, it could easily end up costing you the price of a better boat and motor.

 

[jeff_smith_0423]

Re: Old Merc 950/95hp, worth buying?

The inline sixes, while good strong engines, are not for the faint of heart. Plan on getting dirty. You'll probably get to know every functional area on that motor before you get it wet (as well you should with any motor). Distributor parts are becoming rare - and if you have any powerhead related issues to solve, you're going to be going on the hunt for parts.

That being said, you could probably part out the whole thing for more $ than the asking price.

 

[CaptOchs]

Re: Old Merc 950/95hp, worth buying?

I had a Merc 65HP about 7 years ago. I miss my Merc 650. It didn't give me any trouble until I sold it. It was a great motor for the 14ft runabout I had. I put it on a larger 16ft tri-hull. The 65 HP on my tri-hull was a bit underpowered. I upgraded to a 100 HP Johnson, but that turned into a money pit.

Anyhow, I'm thinking of either leaving the 95HP on the boat it's on or moving it to my tri-hull.

My boat: 1972 Glasspar 1600 Cutlas 16
Potential: 1971 Glastron Sportster (tri-hull)

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Old Merc 950/95hp, worth buying?

Hay there Capt

I by no means the expert here !!! but that being said , I am on my third motor here !!

My first was as you said it was the boat motor and trailer , 500 $ had a 90 hp merc and a tri-hull love the trihull so got it !! didn't have a comp, tester then !! she died changed the plugs and tool her out again and ran for a mile or so and died !! took that one to my guy and he checked her and number 3 was down to 65 lbs so the motor was shot !! it was a 1978 !! so I got just the boat and trailer for my 500 !!!!

Well needed a motor and found a 1962 1000 100hp Merc !!! loxed that old girl she did cost me think i paid 850 for it !! but met the guy before it bought it on ebay !! call him unck Joe now !! yea i trusted him , and she run for 3 years !! never had a problem with her till the end !! then it was cause by losing number one cyl !!! and she pushed my 15.6 foot boat nice !!

ok that was last month when she died , seen this ebay add and this guy had a 125 merc a 1969 in line 6 [ The Tower Of Power ] they call them !! and it was a free boat and trailer with it !! hahaha yea the boat needs work its a Hustler a 1968 little 17 foot speed boat !! and he had a buy it now for 399 $ yea !! he said the motor run good and the compression was good on all cyl !! so I got it and put it on my glastron and man she flys !! 43 mph !! well till Tue here ! went out fishing here Tue and she run good to our fishing hole and died on me !! the lower leg froze on me !! had to get towed in !! its really not that bad a used leg for her 200 to 300 !!

So I guess what I am trying to say here is you get what you pay for !! sure you can talk to the guy and see if you can trust him !! and see if he can check for the compression , if thats good then you can save her !! and what a new 90hp is 7000 !!!

so if you handy then I say go for it , but if you want turn key that not the one for you !!! John