Outboard life expectancy

racerone

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Looked at a trailer load of parts motors the other day.----A few fairly new 4 strokes in the 25 / 30 HP range.-----Seems the dealers / owners just opted for a new motor instead of attempting repairs !!
 

redneck joe

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I have an 82 merc with unknown hours, condition of the boat tells me not a lot of use. All four cylinders at 120 psi.

The wife comment is dead on. You get back what you put into it.
 

roscoe

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4 Strokes didn't and still don't have the Acceleration/Torque Curve that the 2 Strokes have/had. Add their much heavier Weight, and Boats that were capable of Pulling a Couple of Skiers with a 50hp, are Slugs unless fitted with 150+hp
Does everyone want or need the most powerful or fastest accelerating motor? I sure don't.
Not everyone is fishing tournaments, or trying to make up for their male deficiencies.
Give me a solid motor that can push my boat at 30 mph and I'm good.
 

roscoe

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4 Strokes didn't and still don't have the Acceleration/Torque Curve that the 2 Strokes have/had. Add their much heavier Weight, and Boats that were capable of Pulling a Couple of Skiers with a 50hp, are Slugs unless fitted with 150+hp
You might want to check out the weight differences on the newer motors. They are much closer than you think. Only 15 to 50 pounds difference for many of them.
 

airshot

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Well let's take a brief and incomplete and possibly inaccurate history of 4 stroke outboards.There were several small and short lived companies as far back as the 1920's. But successful companies include:

Tohatsu 1956 !
Homelite /Fisher-Pierce 1960
Honda 1964
Suzuki and Mercury tried 4 strokes in 1965
Yamaha 1984/5
Mercury 1994
Suzuki 1998

So we have 4 stroke history that tells us plenty.
Not exactly, with so minimal number of those being sold and used, it would be difficult to make a fair comparison. For example, a friend has a Chevy Corvair with over 300K miles on it, all original engine, never rebuilt, runs like a top !! Could we assume from that one midel that all Corvairs are that reliable?? The number of those old four strokes were few, and most were much lower hp smaller engines which would lean toward better sucess over a period of time. With todays high output, high hp motors turning 7K rpm or more and pushing heavy boats is hardly a comparison to a ten hp motor pushing a rowboat. Now....with that said, the new 4 stroke motors may very well be reliable, but at their current cost and the cost of an overhaul, only time will tell if todays motors will stand the test of time.. Will be interesting to see how many motors built in the last 6-8 years will be around in good running condition 40 -50 years from now, and will these older motors be worth rebuilding when they wear out in 30-40 years if they make it that far !!
 

airshot

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Does everyone want or need the most powerful or fastest accelerating motor? I sure don't.
Not everyone is fishing tournaments, or trying to make up for their male deficiencies.
Give me a solid motor that can push my boat at 30 mph and I'm good.
I agree totally, but then again I am 73 yrs old. In my younger days I wanted a boat that could do 35 mph while everyone else was trying to get to 25-30...
My neighbors son has an aluminum boat about the same shape and size as mine. Both 16' side console models, his is a Tracker and mine is a Sylvan, both weigh about the same, mine slighly heavier due to extra trolling batteries. He has a Honda 50 hp four stroke and I have a two stroke Merc 40 hp classic. My boat will out accelerate and out run at wot his boat. Yes, he uses a little less fuel, but not that much, we have ran ro the same fishing areas and back numerous times. Mine uses 4-5 gallons where his uses about 3 gallons. For the cost of a couple gallons of fuel, my performance is better and my motor is lighter so the boat sits better in the water. Guess I am just an old two stroke diehard !!
 

redneck joe

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Does everyone want or need the most powerful or fastest accelerating motor? I sure don't.
Not everyone is fishing tournaments, or trying to make up for their male deficiencies.
Give me a solid motor that can push my boat at 30 mph and I'm good.
thats why im probably staying with my 50 on my 18 footer rated for 115. 28 mph on my small lakes delving deep into coves and hiking to the falls and taking a nap works well at that speed.

had a boat that did over 70 and when bad things happen the resilt is exponetially worse at that speed.
 

flashback

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Not exactly, with so minimal number of those being sold and used, it would be difficult to make a fair comparison. For example, a friend has a Chevy Corvair with over 300K miles on it, all original engine, never rebuilt, runs like a top !! Could we assume from that one midel that all Corvairs are that reliable?? The number of those old four strokes were few, and most were much lower hp smaller engines which would lean toward better sucess over a period of time. With todays high output, high hp motors turning 7K rpm or more and pushing heavy boats is hardly a comparison to a ten hp motor pushing a rowboat. Now....with that said, the new 4 stroke motors may very well be reliable, but at their current cost and the cost of an overhaul, only time will tell if todays motors will stand the test of time.. Will be interesting to see how many motors built in the last 6-8 years will be around in good running condition 40 -50 years from now, and will these older motors be worth rebuilding when they wear out in 30-40 years if they make it that far !!
Suspension was the problem!
 

racerone

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The big 4 strokes can be " serviced " by your local shop.------They can not be rebuilt by your local shop.-----Cost of labor and ----" I need it by the week end "----means they suggest a new motor.
 

airshot

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The big 4 strokes can be " serviced " by your local shop.------They can not be rebuilt by your local shop.-----Cost of labor and ----" I need it by the week end "----means they suggest a new motor.
That is why I would be concerned buying one....expensive to begin with, then expensive again down the road for replacement. You know they won't give you squat for your old trade in. I can see this becomming a tough sell about 10-15 years down the road...
 

racerone

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Just got a 2004 Yamaha 90 HP 4 stroke from a dealer.----Traded some used parts a while ago.----Dealer pulled cylinder head off.----Saw lots of corrosion in head gasket area.----Sold customer a new motor.----I do not believe owner got any beer tokens for it as it was declared scrap.
 

JimS123

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TAKE CARE of any motor and it will last a lifetime.

The new 4-strokes simply run so well that why would anyone want an old 2-stroke (unless you can't afford it). I have 69 of the old and 4 of the new and guess which ones I run when I simply MUST go for a boatride.

Costs more to repair than a new motor - so what's new. That goes for any product made in today's world.

Sure the oldies will last forever as long as you can get parts, which in most cases isn't an issue. So, you have the tools and time to DIY. Oh, no? Then you're screwed since no dealers will work on them.
 

airshot

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I have plenty of service shops willing to work on two strokes, it is the four strokes that no one wants to work on, other than routine maintenence. The only shop that will do serious repair on four strokes is the local BassPro shop, but the motor needs to be under warranty, without warranty, the lead time is 6 months minimum!!!
 

jimmbo

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2 Stroke Forever. They sound Nicer, have much better Hole Shot, and there is that Sweet Smell of Burnt TCW, plus the added Bonus of Mosquito Control. 4 Strokes sound like someone hung a Sewing Machine on the Transom, Boring...
 

racerone

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The new 4 strokes are wonderful for folks who do not worry about $$$$.-----The 2 strokes are for those on a budget.-----Sure they use a bit more fuel and oil.-----But if you look after a 2 stroke and understand a 2 stroke you will never get sticker shock.-----I would love to see the look on peoples faces when the shop tells them the following.----" The motor that you bought 10 years ago can not be repaired "------We can install a new one for $15,000 by the weekend.
 

airshot

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TCW smells different than Oils for Air Cooled engines
The Pennzoil TCW3 that I have used for decades states it can be used for all two stroke engines, both water and aircooled. Never knew there was a different oil for air cooled !! Never had an engine issue and the Pennzoil gives far less smoke than other brands!!
 
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