Mercury vs Evinrude

[MN Shutterbug]

I'm looking at a couple boats and one has a '88 Mercury 40hp and the other a '93 Evinrude 40 hp. Can I expect pretty much the same reliability from these 2 motors?

[jentz]

Mercury was so far behind in reliability for years in comparison to OMC.Yet to this day special tools and failing powerpacs have put them behind OMC.I would go with OMC.Even some of them are lemons but cheaper to repair.do some research. I think you'll find OMC has better ratings.That said I know there are lots of Merc guys out there.This is my opinion from seeing both in action since the 60s.

[gunner55]

I would do some research before seriously considering the Evinrude.Does it have oil injection?If so,does it have the VRO oil pump on it?Almost all of that size OMC motors from around that period were made with the VRO pump & it was junk.I'm not sure of the exact year it started but we have a 96 60 hp Evinrude that scored a cylinder & cracked a piston before it even was broke in.They tried to say it was our fault of course but after talking to a buddy who is a mechanic for a marine dealer I got the truth.We had to have the powerhead rebuilt with OMC supplying the parts but we covered the labor.We still have it but don't use it very much.I'm not certain but I think it took 3-4 yrs before it was changed so the 93 could've been before they started using it.

[MN Shutterbug]

After doing a bunch of research, it appears to me it's a Chevy vs Ford scenario.

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

I wouldn't expect a lot of reliability with any motor that old. Look for something newer!!!

[JeffB]

If you can test drive them or at least run in a tank I would buy the one that runs the smoothest.

[MN Shutterbug]

I wouldn't expect a lot of reliability with any motor that old. Look for something newer!!!

I don't consider a 1987 outboard that old. After all, most don't fish more than 10 days a year and many much less and the outboard is typically used to go from point A to point B so I'm guessing maybe a couple hours per day. I'd be surprised if a motor this age would have much more than 500 hours on it. A typical car will put that many hours on in 1 year. Of course there is no way to know. It would be nice if outboards had an hour meter on them. Most people I know get their boat out no more than 2 or 3 times a year. That's the way it used to be for me when I had a boat. My outboard probably got used little more than an hour each outing because I used the electric for trolling.

[MN Shutterbug]

If you can test drive them or at least run in a tank I would buy the one that runs the smoothest.

One I want to check out is 60 miles north of me and the other is 100 miles south. By the time I got to the second one I'd have forgot how the first one ran. One is from a reputable boat dealer so that would probably be my best bet. If I like it and it runs smooth, I'd probably be inclined to save miles and just grab this one. A guy can go crazy looking for a boat. Car shopping is actually easier.

[gunner55]

Just a little more to add.I guess our 60 is a 93 that we picked up in 94 & that was the year with the most problems.It related almost entirely to the 50,60,&70 hp(3 cyl) motors too.

[BobT]

One I want to check out is 60 miles north of me and the other is 100 miles south. By the time I got to the second one I'd have forgot how the first one ran. One is from a reputable boat dealer so that would probably be my best bet. If I like it and it runs smooth, I'd probably be inclined to save miles and just grab this one. A guy can go crazy looking for a boat. Car shopping is actually easier.

If the one at the dealer location has been checked out by the dealer and he is willing to back it up with some level of warranty, I think I'd take that into consideration.

I believe as you said, it comes down to the Chevy vs. Ford vs. Dodge scenario. They are all functional and reliable but it really comes down to how well they were taken care of over the past 20+ years. How many runtime hours? What type of use have they had? Lots of extended trolling/idling vs. WOT running. How often did it catch the lake bottom and suck up sand or get wrapped up in weeds drawing junk into the cooling system? Did it ever overheat? Proper winterization and storage? Regular maintenance or neglected? Did they ever forget to mix the right fuel/oil ratio? Cheap oil or quality oil? Grinding the gears when shifting into forward or reverse rather than dropping them into gear quickly as they should? Pulling tubes or skiers vs. just pushing the boat?

I don't know how much truth there is to this but I was told once that a good barometer regarding a 2-cycle motor is how well it will idle down. I was told by a mechanic friend of mine that a 2-cycle that is warn down and lacking compression will not idle well and so the idle has to be set higher than spec.