looking at a few older 40's

54bobby

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Dec 12, 2010
Messages
181
ok guys, i just picked up a made from purchased plans 16' 20" transom Garvey/dorey, i wanna put something inexpensive on her and am leaning towards the 60's thru early 70's engines. in particular, i am looking at a 69 short shaft 40 #40973 with complete set of selectric shift controls, looks clean but not a confirmed runner yet. for 75 bucks
also an 87 40hp #E40RLCUD, carbs claimed to be professional redone,garage kept but hasn't run in 3 years claims perfect compression. long shaft, pull start, tiller which is what i desire. price 425 firm.
next up is what looks to be a mid 60's 40 hp listed in fair condition. it says electric start on the lower part of the upper cowling face plate. no other info.comes with a tank. 175 dollars
next is what looks to be a 70's era 55 hp Johnson with controls. he says the lower end doesn't work (short shaft) but he has a long 20" shaft that comes with it. the lower cowling and exhaust housing look to be evinrude. i say that due to the blue color while the upper cowl and gear case are johnson cream color. the long shaft included matches the evinrude color. no salt water stated . a Vermont engine for 200 bucks.
then there is another mid 60's electric start with controls good compression and original owners manual.not used in a couple years. 200 dollars
next up is listed as a 73 but pretty sure it's a 71 ski twin 40 hp. tiller, pull start, manual shift. in storage for 5 years but it's 250 miles away. also looks the cleanest of all. 275 bucks.

are there any specific years here i should be wary of? how good is the 55 Johnson and is it a lot more powerful than the earlier 40's.
how available are the parts and what's the difficulty level of converting an cable steering system to a tiller.
sorry for the long post but you guys are the brains of the outfit. lol and i wanna look this weekend.
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
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Jul 7, 2006
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28,195
Whew, what a bunch of choices. Probably the first thing you should do is exclude the ones that are long shaft without a 5" extension section. Then exclude the ones that do not have the mounting place for the tiller.
 

54bobby

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
181
Whew, what a bunch of choices. Probably the first thing you should do is exclude the ones that are long shaft without a 5" extension section. Then exclude the ones that do not have the mounting place for the tiller.

see, i just learned something. i did not know that some had a mounting place for a tiller handle. thank you
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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I myself would be looking for late 80's early 90's motors with the tiller all ready to run
 

54bobby

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Dec 12, 2010
Messages
181
I myself would be looking for late 80's early 90's motors with the tiller all ready to run

looked at a few but the're a little more than i wanted to spend and with the 60's engines i'm familiar with the designs. just a creature of habit i guess.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
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Jul 23, 2011
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looked at a few but the're a little more than i wanted to spend and with the 60's engines i'm familiar with the designs. just a creature of habit i guess.

many of the motors remained for the most part.... unchanged. however better materials for the shafts, seals, etc. made their way into the designs in the late 70's and early 80's.
 

racerone

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Dec 28, 2013
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36,032
With the older motors you will spend a little more on fuel.----On the other hand if you can do the repairs and maintenance yourself they are still the best option.-----The key and the challenge is to find a good / low hr one to start with.
 

54bobby

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
181
With the older motors you will spend a little more on fuel.----On the other hand if you can do the repairs and maintenance yourself they are still the best option.-----The key and the challenge is to find a good / low hr one to start with.

i'v got 2, 25 hp, and 3, 18's now from the same era. i'm familiar with the technology and am comfortable working on them.
 

oldboat1

Fleet Admiral
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Apr 3, 2002
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9,598
That info. changes the equation. Consider '60s motors with controls.
 
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