How long do outboards last?

[whichway]

Hi

So how many years can you expect from a well maintained outboard. If you look on the US sites where they run in fresh water mostly, they seem to still have lots of 1960s models still getting around (having the boat out of the water for six months of the year because it is too cold helps extend the life).

But in SEQ we've run in salt, sometimes with a fair bit of sand mixed in as well.

So how many hours / years will you get from a two stroke, a four stroke. Will the average outboard wear out due to wear and tear of the internal components, or will it basically corrode away. Or does reliability become the main issue, and the electrics just don't work any more. Is a modern four stroke with its incredible complexity going to last as long as a two stroke, which is a much simpler motor.

Any ideas

Whichway

[PADDLES]

there's so many factors that will influence how long a motor lasts and some of them would even come down to the quality of manufacture. maintenance, cleaning, fuel quality, air quality, water/sand ingress, the list goes on. i asked the mechanic this very question when i got him to look over my current boat before i bought it and he basically told me "how long's a piece of string?" he did indicate however that for most engines as long as they are looked after and regularly maintained and don't do anything silly like run out of oil (for the oil injected motor which i bought) or have a metal failure that there should be no problems seeing at least 1000 hours and then some ......................... with a bit of luck ......................it's guesswork by the sounds of it ;D

[Grand_Marlin]

It all depends on what brand...

An Evinrude will last for years....

A Mercury will last for weeks......

;D ;D :D ;D ;D

The professional Abalone divers in Tassie used to replace gearboxes at 1000 hours and replace the motors at 2000 hours - by then they were considered worn out.

As Paddles said, there are so many variables ... but a well looked after recreational motor should give you at least 10 - 12 years use.

If you look at the second hand boat market - anything with late 90's model motors still seem to be good packages.

Anything from the late 80,s to early 90's is starting to get dodgy, and nearly always has "rebuilt" somewhere in the for sale add.

Cheers

Pete

[Noelm]

A properly maintained outboard will last for thousands of hours, because of the roller bearings on big ends and so forth, but they usually die from some failure or misuse long before the hours they are capable of, if propped to acheive max RPM and with regular service they will almost NEVER wear out, but a dud water pump, no oil or corosion will get them first.

[ahoj]

GM do I sense a discrimination agains mercs? Gearboxes should last as long as motors if one don't ram the reverse in while the motor is in high revs.... cardinal sin....

Ahoj

[blaze]

ab divers do gearboxs because they do at least a 100 times more gear changes than a rec boat does, holding the mark over a diver on hooker gear takes a lot of skill and a lot more gearchanges, they spend hours going foward/reverse.
cheers
blaze

[Hot_Snappa]

They will last for as long as you are prepared to continue to pump money int the!! ;)

[stevedemon]

Hi whichway mate i am running 115hp yamaha yr 1989 and it is still running hot and strong still has good comp Normal 130psi still on 120 all cyc it all depends on how you look after them flush properly regular services and keep motor clean and free from salt corrossion

Me i degrease motor every 2 - 3 trips hose of and lanolin spray or Wd40

flush tank

first flush fresh water and white vinegar this keeps the corrossion out

second flush add Coolant to tank this replaces teflon on inside motor and kills any corrission left but it also helps seals and impeller to keep clean

3 always remove plugs to keep them clean for good contact and check plugs

flush tank also helps to check impeller spray that your always clean and clear of any blockages before you leave home and when you return home to clean boat

have done this with all my boats last boat was a Seafarer 16.5ft with a 85hp Evinrude yr 1980 on the back the guy that brought the boat off #me #still has it and the motor is going hot and strong and yes it was a rebuilt motor i had it rebuilt in 1995 #

Cheers ;D ;D
Steve #8-) 8-)

[Spaniard_King]

Whichway,

There are way too many factors involved with determining the life of an outboard motor.

A couple of factors which you can do to help are.

Change the gear oil every 6 months or 100hrs
Change the engine oil every 6 months or 100hrs (minimum) for a 4 stroke
Ensure you have a Quality fuel filter/water trap on the boat
Lubricate all the manufacturers lube points every 6 months with a marine grease
Clean and protect the engine with a suitable corrosion spray (like Lanoloin) every 3 months
have a qualified marine techo chgeck the engine over at least once a year ensuring he chacks all anodes attached to the engine and have him replace the parts as -per the manufacturers schedule ie water pumps, thermostats fuel filters etc

The biggest thing you can do is USE the boat regularly like at least once a month ;)

this is a basic guide that will assist in

cheers

Garry

[BaysideMarine]

Noel,

Your post is absolutely spot on.

Technically a properly set up and maintained 2 stroke outboard should almost run forever as its lubricant is in the fuel.

It amazes me that people think 1000hrs or maybe 10-15 years is the life of an outboard.....

Cheers

[reef_king]

With good service history/maintenance the most i've heard of in a 2 stroke is lasting 2500hrs aprrox before needing a rebuild and in a 4stroke 6600hrs and still running with no signs of a rebuild neccessary yet(140hp suzuki).I was told that marine 4 strokes are basically car engines on their side.

[Grand_Marlin]

It amazes me that people think 1000hrs or maybe 10-15 years is the life of an outboard.....


In all due respect to your expertise ... the majority dont last longer than this.

And if they do ... very, very few would be considered "in good nick"

Cheers

Pete

[finding_time]

Pete

I think the 10 -15 years would be more of a factor that 1000 hrs i know of plenty of fours that have been going 3000 and running fine, all have done the hrs in pretty quick time though ;)

What's your thoughts on this?

Ian

[grasshopper]

hi guys
i run a 1974 2 stroke 50hp johnson, 32 years not a problem.starts first time everytime.
trick is rain water with vinegar or clr.allways fresh fuel,clean plugs and regular service.

dave

[David_P]

My dear old Dad had bought a V16C Haines, with a 75hp Evinrude way back in 1979. Admittedly he never did a lot of hours though it was used regularly, and it never missed a beat. I had no hesitation in selling the whole rig to a very good friend.

Like my Dad, Andrew doesn't do a lot of hours either, but the old Evinrude is now 27 years old and still going well. It hasn't had a rebuild, but was serviced every 12 months, flushed after every outting and lived in a garage.

How much longer will it last? Buggered if I know, but it has gone to a good home and will hopefully keep on keeping on! I suspect it comes down to good maintenance and not flogging the crap out of it. As a matter of interest, the boat is still in pristine condition, and it is still on the original Tinker trailer, without any major issues either.

Regards,
Dave.

[GAD]

2 years back I had to finally retire of the old yamaha 15hp .
It gave me 19 years of good service and it never missed a beat till the end then it just wouldn't start and it went in to the mechanic that has serviced it for the last 10 years , his advice buy a new one so I did....
Still got the old stesll hull though..

[Grand_Marlin]

My thoughts were based on a 2 stroke motor - 100 hours recreational use a year - in 10 - 12 years gives 1000 - 1200 hours.

I am not saying in the slightest that a motor cant go forever, but chances are it wont.

My honest opinion is that once a motor is 10 - 12 years old with 1000+ hours on it .... it has seen the best of its life, and chances of breakdown / unreliability are a lot more likely from now on.

I suppose it depends on where you draw the line as per the original question "how long do outboards last"

Is it until they become unreliable and possibly need rebuilding at the 10+ year old stage? or is it 30 years after every conceivable thing on the motor is stuffed, and it just wont fire, no matter what you do?

Cheers

Pete

[PADDLES]

my definition of when they're dead is when you start having to spend money continually on their upkeep over and above normal basic servicing. :'(

[Noelm]

one of the earlier post said something like "if you dont flog the crap out of them" this is nearly correct, 2 srokes LOVE revs if yours does not get at LEAST max recomended and is only propped to run at a much lower RPM I can assure you the life of your motor is greatly shortened, because of the way an outboard advances the timing, if you are running full throttle but only getting low revs, a problem called "detonation" WILL occur and a melted piston WILL result, trust me on this one, if you have to say tow someone home, NEVER try to go fast with full throttle but low speed, 'cause you are going to need a tow as well.(an a rebuild) seen it a million times (almost) just maintain them and keep those revs up!

[Grand_Marlin]

Noelm is spot on with this one....

Also running an outboard at around 4000 revs for long periods can do it as well - something again to do with the timing and fuel flow / jets (from memory what the dealer said)

I had a 115 Evinrude that melted the top in No. 1 piston for the same reason.

Can someone elaborate on this?

Cheers

Pete

[ozscott]

I had a mate who bought a 60 merc with 2000 hours on it put up over 2 years on a small commercial boat. It looked at ran like new. The Merc dealer (trustworthy - mate of mine) said that the 50s and 60s mercs would do 4000 hours before being worn out - certainly this started and ran like a new motor each and every time. He said that most of the other mercs would do half of that.

I have a 94 115 Yammy that has done about 500 hours and runs like a dream. I dont get out as often as I would like, but I start it and run it 15 mins every 4 weeks which i reckon must help longevity. Underpropping is the big drama - apart from pinging, it can cause big end bearing wear and failure (ie thowing a rod).

Cheers

[ozscott]

...I meant overpropping - ie at WOT the revs are less than manufacturers reccomended - ie usually about 4500-5500 depending on the engine. I can get mine to 5500 at WOT with 2 adults and gear and about 5200 with 5 adults and gear, so mines in the sweet spot - top speed about 63kph (old Seafarer Vagabond with heaps of extras put it - read weight!).

cHEERS

[BaysideMarine]

It amazes me that people think 1000hrs or maybe 10-15 years is the life of an outboard.....


In all due respect to your expertise ... the majority dont last longer than this.

And if they do ... very, very few would be considered "in good nick"

Cheers

Pete

I still disagree Pete. I certainly see where you are coming from but I have sold engines 30 years old that are still running perfectly on their original pistons etc. But not just sold them, but continued to maintain them also with no more servicing requirements typically than any other engine.

But I understand your point.

Cheers

[Noelm]

hey trust me on this one guys, the chance of actually "wearing out" an outboard would require may years of running, they will die of some other "terminal" illness long before they wear out, they can and will last far longer than your car engine, but your car is not running in salt water every time you go out on the road, and compared to an outboard your car spends most of its life coasting downhill, try using your manual car in top gear only!! because thats how an outboard spends its life, always going uphill in a "compromise" gear.

[FNQCairns]

Also running an outboard at around 4000 revs for long periods can do it as well - something again to do with the timing and fuel flow / jets (from memory what the dealer said)

I had a 115 Evinrude that melted the top in No. 1 piston for the same reason.

Can someone elaborate on this?


Can a little bit GM, your situation has less to do with 4000rpm and more to do with a lean condition although your lean condition was certainly exacerbated by constant relatively low revs esp when as I suspect but dont know you were probably proped to lug to some degree.
Depending on what your engine was propped at and how lean the carb got it could have gone at any planing RPM although constant unvarying rpm can in a sickly outboard be the straw that breaks it's back, again esp if lugged and lugging is typically any wot rpm heavy that does not go within a bee's willy the top recommended RPM and in some Johnson V4s the top recommended rpm is still considered lugging if it can be reached light, closer to 6000 than 5500 is preferable for a long life.


IMO 2 strokes are all capable of 6000hours + (not toally sure about 100:1 Yamaha premix engines) not counting operator or owner abuse/lack of maintenance or a longstanding manufacturing fault that finally rears it is head but these hours only exist if the engine is not lugged in any way over time, a decarbon every 50hours can help a lot and a decent warm up before blasting off does wonders aluminium and steel expand at differing rates before the tolerance's they are manufactured to equalise until they do equalise the engine is being operated out of tollerance.

cheers fnq

[Grand_Marlin]

Thanks FNQ Cairns,

G'day BM,

I understand your point as well, and you are most certainly right.

Another thing I have noticed - the Queensland environment with hotter, saltier water is a lot harsher on marine equipment and outboards than the waters down south.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

Pete

[dave22]

Maybe a stupid question, but I know you have to aim for the top of the rev band for longevity,

( preferably with a load ), but in doing so where should the motor be in relation to trim, tucked

in all the way, mid way, or trimmed up to where the prop is about to let go?

[BaysideMarine]

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo yes....

Without doubt Pete!

Theres good money to be made buying boats in QLD and reselling down here. I know of a few guys doing it and theres at least 3K to be made per boat. As long as you have no scruples....

Vic boats are the best buy along th eeast coast because we have such lower hours than say NSW or QLD. Probably just our crappy waterways is the main culprit...!!

Of course there will always be good boats up north too but the number that are dodgy due to environment and usage is huge.

Plenty of crap boats here too but nothing liek the number of em north of Vic.

Cheers