Best outboard you ever owned?

[Warlord]

I got to thinking that my current late 50's evinrude 3hp may be the best outboard made. I had a similar Johnson years ago that lasted through my entire childhood with no issues. It weighs 30 lbs and lasts forever.

What are your favourite outboards?

 

[JTK]

We've got a mid 50's Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 and a Sportwin 18hp. Cool old engines that have served us well over the years. The 7.5 we got out of an old man's basement many years ago. Bought it from him on it's original, matching Evinrude engine stand, with the original manuals. It was basically brand-new. Coils and water pumps are always an issue, plus the pressure tanks (fuel tank) and associated parts are hard to come by.

IMO, the best 2-stroke engines I've used were Tohatsu. Lots of power, they start with barely a yank and are good on fuel.

The new 4-strokes are amazing. Whisper quiet and sip fuel. Also amazingly expensive.

The most unreliable (and odd-ball) my family ever owned were Scott-McCullough (sp?) outboards. They were odd-ball hp ratings too, like 29hp and 34.5hp or something like that. We could never get them to start or run right. Lots of frustration with those. This was in the early 1970's and I think they were late 60's.

Joel

 

[expat]

I've had 3hp Johnson, 5hp Johnson and 12hp ELTO, all were Bulletproof.
I still have the ELTO. Loud, and a heavy beast, but with the built in gas tank, it's very handy.

I've had several Elgin (Air cooled), All were junk.

Probably the best for long life was/is an old Seagull I have, it's so battered that I don't even know what model or hp it is.
No maintenance in Decades and it still runs first pull.

 

[Barkleymut]

Easy, it was a 25HP Johnson from 68 or 69. I bought it for $75 and ran it for 3 years, then I sold it for $100. It was tough to start but ran pretty well once she got going.

The reason that was so easy is that was the only outboard I ever owned. So I guess it could be the worst also :0

 

[mva]

yamaha 6hp

starts first pull every time since 1992

 

[sciphi]

Parent's sailboat had a 1972 Johnson 5 hp 2-stroke. That thing started very quickly once you knew "the trick" of throttle and choke settings to get it going. We did about zero maintenance to it in the 8 years we had it, and it still started well every year.

 

[UncleS2]

The only *good* one we ever had was a well-kept old 10-HP Johnson, green with silver "fins" on the rounded cowl. From the mid 1950s? It was on a little 14-ft Duracraft open semi-V boat, a sweet combination. Long gone mow.

 

[SteveSRT8]

I owned a great Mercury 115 hp vertical six cylinder in the 70's. It was on a 17 foot Cobia bow rider and was a terrific motor. My little low profile Evinrude 9 hp kicker was still running nicely 10 years after I bought it.

We never did much of anything to it, and had it for years.

I shudder to think about the issues with ethanol these days, as almost any of my boating friends are raving about negative issues!

 

[Slick17601]

I grew up with a 50's vintage Evinrude 3hp, what a great little motor. Ultimately, the splines striped from the driveshaft and we couldn't get parts. I replaced is with a 1998 Mercury 8hp motor. The Mercury is a fantastic motor. Always starts within 2 pulls, even on the single digit morning during my duck hunting days.

 

[Maritime Storm]

My father and I have been blessed with 3 outboards over the years that we're have never once caused us to curse. The first was a Evinrude 4HP twin late-70's model, the next was a 9.9HP Johnson twin, the third lives on the back of my sailboat an early 70's Mercury 40(single). All three started on the second pull, everytime, lived on a steady diet of 40:1 synthetic oil with fuel stabilized gasoline. The only issue between the 3 was on the Evinrude, every 2 years it needed and new paper headgasket, cost $6.

 

[Papa Bear]

Nobody had a Chrysler outboard that they liked ??...

 

[Warlord]

Originally Posted By: expat
I've had 3hp Johnson, 5hp Johnson and 12hp ELTO, all were Bulletproof.
I still have the ELTO. Loud, and a heavy beast, but with the built in gas tank, it's very handy.

I've had several Elgin (Air cooled), All were junk.

Probably the best for long life was/is an old Seagull I have, it's so battered that I don't even know what model or hp it is.
No maintenance in Decades and it still runs first pull.


I was looking at an ELTO 12 horse for the back of my jon boat. I think I'll pass on it. It doesn't have a built in tank and needs one of those pressure tanks. I think a mid eighties 9.9 Johnrude would suit me better.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: Warlord
Originally Posted By: expat
I've had 3hp Johnson, 5hp Johnson and 12hp ELTO, all were Bulletproof.
I still have the ELTO. Loud, and a heavy beast, but with the built in gas tank, it's very handy.

I've had several Elgin (Air cooled), All were junk.

Probably the best for long life was/is an old Seagull I have, it's so battered that I don't even know what model or hp it is.
No maintenance in Decades and it still runs first pull.


I was looking at an ELTO 12 horse for the back of my jon boat. I think I'll pass on it. It doesn't have a built in tank and needs one of those pressure tanks. I think a mid eighties 9.9 Johnrude would suit me better.


Ahhh, But the port on the bottom cyl is drilled for the standard OMC (of that era, square) fuel pump. You can add the pump and run off a modern tank.

 

[ac_tc]

Papa Bear


Registered: 08/11/05
Posts: 4604
Loc: CANADA's tomato capital ..... ... Nobody had a Chrysler outboard that they liked ??...

Oh yeah...
Ive ovned a 140 hp chrysler and it was an amazing engine.
-very reliable
-very strong
-but also very thirsty
I´ve ditched it once at full trottle once up and dried it
was back like before.

 

[expat]

I always thought the Chrysler OB's Butt ugly,
But I'm not sure why

 

[Warlord]

Those Chrysler's look to be very stout. Seems like they would take a lot of physical abuse. Unfortunately I've yet to see one that wasn't stained black and brown.

I remember as a kid my Grampa had a Chrysler outboard sitting in his shed and I thought "how odd that Chrysler makes boat motors too".

 

[JTK]

Some were definitely more eye appealing than others. The old tall inline Mercs were always my favorite! They were like a piece of artwork with the chrome and such.

Joel

 

[JTK]

The old V-block Evinrudes were downright rude.

Joel

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Some were definitely more eye appealing than others. The old tall inline Mercs were always my favorite! They were like a piece of artwork with the chrome and such.

Joel


Ahhh.. the 'Tower of Power' used to see them on race boats, they look real mean!

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: JTK
The old V-block Evinrudes were downright rude.

Joel


I remember once having to carry one of those beasts.
It makes my scrotum ache just to look at it!