Near new old 1996 Mercury 115

[reelfishin]

Back in 1998 I owned a super clean 18ft Starcraft Holiday with a then nearly brand new Mercury 115 two stroke motor. I absolutely loved that boat and motor. Work moved me to a lake area that didn't allow two stroke motors, it was four stroke or electric only at that time.
The 115 is an oil injected 20" shaft motor with a stainless prop. What I did back then was buy a new 70hp four stroke Suzuki from a local dealer there. I removed the 115 myself, first running it out of gas before disconnecting it. For a while I had it standing in the garage in the corner, later I installed a section of heavy pallet rack across the front of the garage, and I padded the upper shelf with a few old quilts and I laid the 115 on the top shelf and covered it up knowing that I'd want to put it back on that boat once that job was done. I've since moved twice, and never used that motor since. Its got about three trips around the lake on it since it was brand new and has been sitting since 1997 with the cylinders fogged for storage. Last week I built a stand and me and a few buddies got that motor down off that shelf for the last time. The intent was to find another boat for that motor. When I did , it just happened to come with a minty clean four stroke Yamaha on it.
I've come to the conclusion the 115 will go for sale, as I get older I don't foresee another boat that will need it.
My question is, what is it worth? Its in new condition, has perfect compression, will likely need a new water pump impeller after all these years and likely need the carbs gone through, but its basically a new motor otherwise. I doubt if its got more than 10 hours of use on it over the season and a half I used it at my old house in PA.
I did some looking around and most that I see are in the $2k range, but those are a year or two newer, but not nearly as pristine as the mine.
My motor was a lake only motor, run only in a lake in NE PA. I also have the original controls that came with it somewhere in the garage.
I really hoped to find something fun to put it on but the reality is I don't have the space for another boat or the time to tinker with another project.

The motor is now in NJ, on a stand that I built for my Yamaha 150 when I replaced the transom last year. I do not have a tank or hose for the motor as those were built into the boat.

 

[racerone]

List it for $5000 or more .----Lots of buyers out there today.----Good " used " motors are scarce in some areas.-----Take pictures of it and put it on craiglist / facebook / local bulletin board.

 

[Chris1956]

Unfortunately not many want older 2 cycle motors. I doubt you will get near $5K for it.

 

[Faztbullet]

Might bring $3K in my area

 

[slowleak]

List it for $5000 or more .----Lots of buyers out there today.----Good " used " motors are scarce in some areas.-----Take pictures of it and put it on craiglist / facebook / local bulletin board.

I'm seeing very few outboards lately for sale, 2 or 4 stroke around here. Nothing but junk parts motors for the most part.

Unfortunately not many want older 2 cycle motors. I doubt you will get near $5K for it.

Its been the opposite around here lately, most guys seem to be going back to 2 strokes.
Less weight, more power, less maintenance, simpler to repair, etc.
Many older boats, which likely make up more than half the boats on the water here, don't do as well with a heavier 4 stroke motor, which often needs to be a higher hp motor than a 2 stroke to get the same performance. More often than not the boat won't handle the extra weight on the transom.
A 4 stroke can be 1/3 or more heavier than the same hp 2 stroke motor.
A friend of mine just bought an older, smaller speedboat which came with a blown up 2 stroke on it, the boat was rated for 120hp max, or 250 lbs on the transom. That pretty much rules out any four stroke unless he goes with a smaller motor. He just bought a used 1997 Mercury 115 at a local dealer for $4,500, carry out price. Its in fair condition with a new water pump and a 30 day guarantee.
It ran okay but he had to buy a new prop, as the one on it was wrong for the boat, and he's in the process of repainting it now. He'll have upwards of $5,500 into it when its all done. I'm sure he'd have bought a cleaner motor if he had the chance but he looked for a year before finding the one he's got now. Finding anything that's not salt eaten here it tough, especially in a larger motor.

 

[Chris1956]

Slowleak, there is one born every minute. $4500 for a 24 year old motor?

 

[racerone]

In some areas folks are paying $100,000 over asking price for houses in small towns.-----So what is wrong with asking $5000 for a reported " near new condition " item like an outboard motor !!

 

[Chris1956]

Sure, let him try it. Just trying to set expectations.

He is in Jersey now. No one will believe it is a freshwater motor, and only a DIYer will buy an older motor, and they like garage sale prices.

Just saying...

 

[racerone]

Just needs one buyer.

 

[starcraftkid]

If your running an older boat, you need a two stroke, I have a Starcraft with a 40hp max, if I hung a 40hp 4 stroke I'd be too heavy in the stern, maybe to the point of being unsafe, and I'd be down on power vs. my current 1989 OMC 40hp twin.
Finding clean older 2 strokes near the coast is almost impossible, every one I've bought used though came from inland, at least 200 miles from saltwater.
You can tell if a 25 year old motor has been in salt just by looking at it. The damage by now would be extensive. They corrode bad enough in just freshwater due to all the minerals in the water, saltwater eats things up fast.

There's definitely a big demand lately for clean older two strokes.
More than once I've been offered to trade my 80's freshwater only, new looking Evinrude 40hp for a newer four stroke but I'd feel I was going backwards.

Everyone thought that they were going to ban 2 strokes, but they didn't, and likely won't ever for saltwater or river use here. Folks are realizing they took a step backwards when they switched to a four stroke, and after the four strokes didn't last due to lack of maintenance that wasn't required on their old motors, they're out looking for clean older motors now but all of them here are pretty well salt eaten these days.
I they also want motors they can fix themselves.

A buddy took his newer injected Suzuki four stroke into the shop for a no start, by the time they got done fixing the thing the bill was over a grand. A quarter of the bill was a diag fee and shipping to get some special cable or scanner they needed to test it with. A week later it was dad again. After getting towed five times he bought an older motor with a carb that he could fix himself. The four stroke is still at the shop.
There's a lot to be said for an old, simple, carbureted motor, especially if your not made of money.

 

[Chris1956]

Starcraftkid, Not sure what century or world you are living in, but most/all of your statements are incorrect.

The weight difference between new 4 cycle and 2 cycle direct injection motors is small or nil. Older 2 cycle motors may be lighter, but boats are rated for power, not weight.

No one (well maybe you) thinks that a new 4 cycle OB is a step backwards. They run clean and are powerful. They are not prone to breakage any more or less than any other OB. Maintenance schedules should be followed. 4 cycle OBs to require more maintenance than carb 2 cycle OBs.

new 2 cycle carb motors are no longer sold in the US. Older motors are grandfathered in.

Some lakes have banned carb outboards. More will follow.

Freshwater OBs show almost no corrosion. Saltwater OBs resist corrosion fairly well, but over a long time the aluminum alloys get converted to an oxide. Even the cylinder block will change it's metallurgy over time. Steel or stainless steel fittings, when in contact with aluminum, cause issues.

 

[racerone]

Fact is that many folks want things they can diagnose and repair themselves.----Not every one has the " haulover inlet " center console budget.

 

[reelfishin]

Starcraftkid is very correct in being concerned about weight on an older boat.
Most older hulls, while rated for a certain hp, were rated with what ever motors were available when that boat was built.
I own several older aluminum boats, none newer than 1979.
I'll use the example of a 16ft Starcraft Jupiter, with a rated HP of 85hp max.
Two common motors back then were the V4 OMC or an inline 6 Merc. Both were right around 200 lbs, and on that boat were on the heavy side when it came to freeboard and handling characteristics.

If you were to hang a modern four stroke, first off I'm at a disadvantage because they don't seem to make an 85hp, and the closest I can come is a 75hp. Using Yamaha as an example, that means I now have 10 less hp and a 353 lb motor on the transom that likely wasn't built to hold more than maybe a 250 lb motor. The boat, which has a narrow transom is also setting deeper in the water at the stern, and likely deep enough to be a real concern free board wise.

My solution on mine was to run a 70hp Evinrude triple, which is far lighter, and without the need to drag around the excess weight of a larger motor itself, it gets on plane faster and runs on far less fuel than if I were running an 85hp two stroke V4 or inline 6.

Not everyone is running big dollar modern boats. I for one will never own anything newer. I currently own about 9 older riveted Starcraft boats and a few Grumman and Mirrocraft boats as well. I own one four stroke, an older Mariner four stroke 9.9hp but only for four stroke only lakes with hp limits.

For a while I had a pontoon boat with a four stroke Yamaha 115 on it, the boat was rated for up to 150hp. After getting tired of the poor performance and issues getting to the motor for oil changes, I switched from the 115 Yamaha four stroke to a 1990 Evinrude 110hp two stroke I picked up down in TN. The two stroke motor was in like new condition and I got a deal on it at an estate sale, (it came attached to a fiberglass boat and trailer). The lower height of the older V4 made accessing the motor easier and it also leveled out the boat due its lower weight. But I gained a lot of acceleration over the 15 year newer 115 four stroke.

Then there's the matter of cost, a good clean carbureted two stroke can be had far cheaper than any newer four stroke. The last I saw, a typical 115hp four stroke is upwards of $10k.
There's just no way I could ever justify spending what they want for a new motor as long as there are good clean two strokes out there for sale for a fraction of the cost. $4500 is a drop in a bucket compared to what they want for a new motor these days.

 

[racerone]

Just be patient .----A buyer for your 115 HP ( if in fact like new ) will come along.-----There are some wise boat owners who will recognize value in that motor.

 

[82rude]

Chris1956 i have an 60hp etec and definitely think a 4 stroke would be a downgrade.

 

[Chris1956]

Well, then you would be in the minority. I predict a dark future for direct injection 2 cycle OBs. e-TEC is already gone. Optimax is still being manufactured, for now. I couldn't easily find out if Yamaha HPDI is still being made, but it doesn't appear so.

The reason IMO, is that 2 Cycle DI models do not offer any serious advantage over 4 cycle motors. They are about as heavy per HP and are about as complex and about the same cost. Buyers do not like the smoke or sound of them.

Of course the e-TEC advertisement bragged about how much better it is to burn the engine oil, rather than change it. Not sure I agree with that marketing approach.

 

[82rude]

Chris1956 i have zero repeat zero smoke or smell.Ive been running my motor on the xd100 setting for several years now.My oil consumption is so minimal that if you didnt know any better you would think the system is broken.On my 1976 starcraft ss160 which is rated 85hp i get 35mph max.The beauty of the motor to me is no matter how much weight i add to the boat and trust me ive added a ton i lose a wopping 2 mph ! Emission numbers are better than yam and merc too! Im still stumped as to why they stopped making them.Up here they were selling a lot of the 15 to 30hp to people that fished in the middle of nowheres.Im 63 now and its my hope that she outlasts me,only time will tell.My only possible concession to 4 stroke would be a 4 stroke kicker .If i was brp i would of adapted their a.c.e snowmobile engine tech to outboards which would of gave them both 2 and 4 stroke tech.

 

[racerone]

Fact----The general public thinks that a 2 stroke is an inferior motor.----Some of the newest parts motors I own are 4 strokes.-----Modern motors with computers and sensors and all the wiring are expensive to repair.---Often they re simply replaced.

 

[82rude]

A bum computer scares me as im sure it cant be replaced with an abacas.I treat my 60 like it costs a million bucks ,60 bucks a gallon canadian for oil for starters.xd100 oil.Im on my 3rd year of the same gallon.Mind you our boating season is fairly short compared to the more temperate southern USA.A weekend at camp equals approx 75 miles of water travelling up to maybe 90.P.S. at the time of my purchase a 60 4 stroke was min 60lbs heavier i believe,and more expensive plus a lesser warranty then.I had a 6 year warranty.

 

[Chris1956]

Like any motor, if you buy the service manual, and read it, you will understand what repairs you can do with no diagnostic equipment, which you can do with reasonable-priced diagnostic equipment and those which require expensive diagnostic equipment.

Optimax motors require dual pressure gauges and a diagnostic device to effect any non-trivial repair. I haven't priced them, but they may be only a few hundred $. if you repair your motor twice in it's lifetime, it could be worth it.

The good news is that the expensive diagnostic tools remove much of the guesswork a mechanic used to do. Guesswork is not free.