Possible Business

[poconojoe]

I applaud you for chasing your dream.

I once thought about doing something similar with classic cars. I enjoy working on them, did some work for friends and thought I could develop a business doing it.

One thing I would worry about is insurance. I hate insurance, but what if someone has an issue with your repairs or gets hurt after you worked on the motor? It might not be your fault at all, but in this sue happy society, you never know.
Maybe you would need to have an LLC designation so you can't be sued personally.

Think about hazardous waste costs. Old oil, etc.

You have to charge enough for unforeseen problems. What if you strip a thread, a ceased bolt breaks off, crack a case while trying to remove it or the many other mishaps that can occur.
When I did my bellows job, there were a couple unforeseen things that needed attention. Seals, shift shaft bushings, plastic bulkhead fitting snapping off, removing stubborn bolts. There was one that I had to drill out, then pick out the remains without damaging the internal threads. If I hadn't been careful, I would have had to spend big bucks on a new part. It was quite time consuming, but it was mine, so I didn't care how long it took.

If you're doing this at home, will your neighbors complain?

That being said, I personally prefer small independent repair shops. They are usually more down to earth, charge less, more willing to explain what has or what was done. Basically more personable.

I wish you luck in your endeavor.

Let us know how you make out.

 

[ahicks]

You don't need much inventory, or insurance, to fix up an outboard you bought not running. Just patience, and a drive to make absolutely sure it's done right before you sell it.

I test run motors up to 90hp on a sturdy home made engine stand on rollers. I run them in a cut down trash can. If they've had HEAVY engine work done on them - which I doubt you'll be doing right away (blocks, short blocks, cranks, etc)- you'll need a test boat so you can go out and run the snot out of it to make sure it's OK.

No, you are not going to see good purchase candidates every day, nor are they always close by. There's short road trips, and longer ones....

The idea of small engine repair is a good one. A guy down the street does lawn mowers and garden tractors. He makes a KILLING in this spring season coming up soon, with stuff he's purchased on the cheap or picked up off the curb not running earlier. He'll have a half dozen all fixed up and ready to go, for sale at VERY reasonable prices. Taking non running trade-ins is a SMART move on his part.... He's a middle aged stroke victim, and really enjoys getting his hands dirty. He'd do it for free I think, for something to do! If you're going to try this plan, pick your projects carefully. If you pick them based on what they're going to cost you only, you'll end up with a yard FULL of junk - and local authorities wondering when you'll have that mess cleaned up because you have a neighbor complaining....

Both of us avoid working on anything we don't own. It's nearly impossible to make anyone real mad this way, and you work at YOUR pace. Nobody pushing to get anything done yesterday....