Cost for Used Outboard Motor

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Messages
510
Location
Ohio
A friend of mine is selling his 2000 to Tohatsu long shaft 9.9 hp outboard Two cycle without controls. I’m interested in buying it but I have no idea how to gauge the value of an outboard. I’m new to boating and just was looking to get some ballpark figures on with this motor might be worth. I appreciate all responses in advance.
 
Tohatsu are one of the best outboards out there. They made engines for OMC, Mercury, etc. Outside the USA they are considered the best commercial outboard available. They have things like zinc lined water passages to make them last many years longer than most run of the mill outboards.

The thing you need to know in pricing a used outboard is what shape it's in? If it's been run in salt water and put away wet a lot, even a Tohatsu will be worn and corroded. If it's real clean and has been well maintained, it's prolly worth 1/2 of a new motor ...
 
Last edited:
Are you limited to 9.9? We have limits of 9.9 on some aluminium john boats here. If you aren't limited, buy the biggest motor that the boat will take as you'll never wish you had less motor.

I bought a 2 smoke 25 Merc outboard for 400 bones, pull start with stick throttle. There are lots of outboards out there, in good shape, for not a lot of money. If you want to pay 2500 for an outboard let me know and I will drive the Merc to you and put a 1 year unlimited hours warranty on it. Or I have an air cooled Sears 3.5 you could get as well for that lol.
 
Ask yourself two things:

What boat is this for? Is that the right engine for that application. Just buying an engine since it is available isn't a reason to buy an engine.

After that, what kind of service is available for that brand where you are. Tohatsu, while a fine brand, has exactly two service / dealer locations here in the Twin Cities. Better than none, but you can skip a rock and hit a dealer for Mercury and Yamaha here, and if you are good, Honda and Suzuki too.

Food for thought...
 
Rule of thumb for outboards is about $150 per HP for a 4-stroke, $100 per HP for a 2-stroke, showroom new with warranty. Some manufacturers are a bit higher than that (Mercury, Honda) while others are quite close.

Adjust your used price based on a discount from those figures, based on condition, hours, etc.

An outboard is considered end-of-life at 2,000 hours. You may well get more hours out of it, especially if well maintained and used occasionally, but by 2,000 about 50% have failed or are on the verge of failure.

I highly recommend running the motor in a drum of water before buying. Beware lower unit damage ... bent prop-shaft is common in locations where a motor can be expected to hit underwater obstructions; a new lower unit is rarely less than $2,000.

Outboard Motor power ratings are regulated; the advertised power cannot be more than 10% higher or lower than actual power at the prop housing. "9.9" HP motors exist because many lakes limit gas powered engines to "less than 10 HP" but almost without exception a 9.9 is 10~10.75 HP
 
Originally Posted By: thastinger
Are you limited to 9.9? We have limits of 9.9 on some aluminium john boats here. If you aren't limited, buy the biggest motor that the boat will take as you'll never wish you had less motor.


I'm looking at this 9.9 because some of the good sightseeing lakes in my area are 9.9 limited. Eventually, I would like to put a 30-35hp motor on this boat, but not this season.The boat is a 1967 Sea Star 14 footer that I picked up for $700. I'm having difficulty finding specs and capacities for the boat and am unsure how large a motor/weight I can hang off the transom. I'm currently running a 1978 Johnson 25 hp that came with the boat. No idea how the motor was treated in the past, but it runs. The seller of this 9.9 Tohatsu is a friend of mine who takes good care of his stuff. However, he did mention that this motor has been sitting on the floor in his garage for two years and hasn't been started. Again, I appreciate all the responses. It's good know there is a resource on this board for a newbie boater.
 
Long shafts are intended for sailboat applications. A motorboat would want the regular length.
 
Around here the small motors go for $600-1000 without much price difference in HP up to around 25hp, twin cylinder 25hp motors are like gold and tend to go for a premium, same for the 2-4hp motors with a fuel tank built into the power head. I'd offer $4-600 for the 9.9 depending on what kind of condition it's in and see what he says.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top