Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

[lester]

Found this on the ol' Craigslist and really want a two stroke 40 short shaft, but nearly impossible to find. Does anybody know about these older Evinrudes? I believe it is the 1974 Norseman 40 hp model short shaft two cylinder. I've seen it fire up on first pull and run from all standpoints as fine. It has 130 compression in both cylinder (saw this myself) and is clean inside. I also have found out I can swing it for $1000 cash. Opinions? Are these hard to get parts for?

"Rare 15" Short Shaft 40hp Evinrude, tiller steering, manual start. Many fresh repairs and new parts upgrade (September/08) including OEM driver coil, ignition points, carb cleaned/rebuilt, new driveshaft seal, new OEM complete water pump assembly, fresh drain/flush/refill of lower unit lubricant, spark advance assembly trued/balanced, and ignition/carburetion components synchronized and adjusted. Engine was also cleaned/sanded/primed/sanded/painted/wetsanded/and repainted. A very low hour engine with great compression, at over 130# per cylinder on a 'dry' test. A great looking/easy starting/excellent running engine that's currently mounted on a boat and ready for testing. (boat not included)"

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

That's an awful lot for a rope-start 40hp of that vintage, frankly. Lots of drawbacks to it.

The same money would buy you something newer, and with electric start. I promise you that you will not enjoy rope-starting a 40hp twin, especially if it's cold or if there's anything at all wrong with it.

Short shaft 40s are not rare. They've been around forever, and are actually a little less valuable than the long shafts, since most boats from the 70s and later call for a long shaft.

The real drawback, though, is the rope start. Even if you're looking for a tiller model outboard, electric start is almost a must when you get to that size. Lots of guys hate roping even a 25hp.

I'd look for something newer, for that money.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

I agree - $1000 is way too much for this motor. I would say that $500 - $600 would be more appropriate. I wouldn't worry about the rope start too much, though. Starters, with the appropriate bracket, can be found in lots of places and are easily installed.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

first is would require the water test, to make sure the clutch dog is not bad. that is the biggest drawback on those motors. the 40 has the compression relief valves for rope starting. but still takes a man.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

TD, are you sure this motor has compression relief? I always thought that mechanism was discontinued with the late 50s motors. The early sixties 28hp and the middle/late sixties 33hp motors don't have it. His motor ('74 40hp) is a derivative motor of the 28hp & 33hp.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

I too think they don't have the compression relief. My 63 40hp does not. I think they did do away with it in the late 50's, but I have been wrong before.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

Looking at the parts diagram of his outboard, there is no compression relief system on it. I've pull started an old 35hp big twin. It's OK when it's warmed up, but a cold start is quite a workout.

As for adding the starter, that can be fairly expensive unless you buy a junker with the parts on it.

Bottom line is that $1000 is too much for this outboard, by quite a bit.

 

[lester]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input. The seller is actually asking $1250, but let me know he would take $1000 in cash. I knew it wasn't smart, but sometimes you just need to hear it.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

sorry i'm guilty of not checking first. he would be keeping it for a long time at $1,000. when you put that kind of work into one, you either keep it for show, or expect to take a loss for the love of doing it.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

On the starter, I agree that it would be expensive if new parts were purchased from an OMC/BRP dealer. The good news is that the powerhead on this motor is a derivitive of the same one that has been used on the non-superquiet engines, all the way back to the 50s. The mounting points for the starter brackets should be the same as throughout the series.

Used starters and brackets are seen on the auction sites pretty frequently, and can be found in repair shop boneyards. The starter motors can still be rebuilt at a cost of about $100. I would look for one off one of the 60s model 28hp or 33hp motors, because the bracket will best fit the Norseman. The bracket for the 50s motors is a large aluminum unit, with mounting points for the cowl, while the newer ones are stamped steel and are smaller. I also recently discovered that the starter motors can still be purchased pretty inexpensively, because they are used on a number of small, currently available industrial motors.

I still agree, however, that a grand is way too much for this motor. I have seen repainted motors like this before, and an unrealistic asking price seems to be common for them. I think the folks that do this kind of refurbishing think that just because a motor looks new, people will view it as new.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

paint also covers up old problems, like paint blister from running hot.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

I have 2 of those. A '74 and a '75. Had the '74 in the shop when we took it on trade for something, and when I started my boat project that needed a long shaft 40, I snatched a tiller for it off of ebay. Well, when it came time to do motor work, I found that the lower end was trashed. Would need a new prop shaft, pinion gear, most of the bushings, and one of the drive gears, plus all the seals. I wasn't interested in spending that much on it, so I found the '75 on Craigslist, and got it, since it uses the same tiller.

Because I suspected a leak in the lower end, I rebuilt the lower (seals only - all parts inside were in near perfect condition). I also rebuilt the carbs, fuel pump etc. When it was all said and done, I think I still have only 450 in that '75, and half the crap in it is new, not to mention electric start.

I certainly wouldn't put much more than 450 in one of these, although it is actually one of the best motors I have owned. Cold starts faster than many of my motors will warm start. Never misses a beat, and pushes my real heavy 15.5 aluminum jon boat about 30.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Is this motor worth it? Evinrude Norseman 40.

For comparison sakes, I just bought a 40HP 1974 Johnson for $200 and it came on a boat which I sold for $300. That one was electric start with controls. The motor wasn't cosmetically pretty but it was running and very healthy. A fresh impeller and two plugs and it's a great running motor.
I also got a 40 HP Evinrude with rope start $65 which turned out to be a good motor as well. The owner had given up on it after it had fallen over in the garage and cracked the cowling. It also had a pull start clutch ring that was missing all but one tab, making it pretty hard to get a full pull on the motor.
I added a used recoil clutch ring, a new impeller, two new spark plugs and fixed the cowl. It now runs like a new motor. I've seen these around these parts for sale in good running condition anywhere from $300 to $600 tops.
At $1,000, he'll most likely own that one for a long time.