Life expectancy of an outboard?
 

I know a ton of stuff goes into this but just trying to get an idea. What is the average life expectancy of a motor used for offshore fishing? I see a lot of used boats for sale in the 900-1500 hour range. Are these motors at the end of their life even if well maintained or how much can you expect to get out of an outboard used for offshore fishing? I just don?t want to buy a used boat and unknowingly have to replace the motors in the first few months. What are your guys opinions?

Depends on 2 stroke versus 4 stroke and what RPM they typically were used at. 1500 - 4000 hours can be common. 2 stroke would be on the lower end and 4 stroke would be higher.

4 stroke only. Not look at any 2 stroke. Really looking at 4 stroke Yamaha primarily but would be open to mercury

Know a crabber in Dularge with over 5,000 hours on a 250 4 stroker Yamie.

Good to know!!

So with all that said, would y’all be weary of buying and 250-350 yam 4 stroke with 1500 hours?

Always do the routine checks. Do a compression check and if possible run a bore scope down the bore and check it. Check for wear in the foot and such. If it seems legit and the price is good I wouldn't worry too much. I have no clue how many hours mine has, compression seems good though, always a risk.

Do a quick google search on "Yamaha Exhaust Corrosion" before you pull the trigger on a used Yamaha 4 stroke.

ask a lot about it. try to see if they will say wat work they have done on it and if its had any problems in past and how long they have had it. I bought a brand new 1998 C 150 Yamaha used in saltwater all its life and has been a great motor. Only thing ever done to it is change spark plugs and water pump. so there is a good chance if I ever buy another one it would be a yamaha

Yea. I’ve had great experience with Yamaha. I saw the exhaust corrosion stuff but it seemed to only be the f225 model in the early 2000s. How would y’all compare mercury to Yamaha? Same, better, equal? I know they cheaper

What size?

FYI, my Merc 115 four stroke and my father in law's Yahama 115 four stroke are the same engine, different foot and cowlings/hood. I didn't believe it until we took mine apart due to a fire, I robbed parts from another Yamaha in town....haha.

Looking at mercury 300-400hp

It?s like asking which brand of truck is better. They are all good if you maintain them properly

I currently own and run the below engines on my boats. Last year my 17 year old Evinrude 225 died. I replaced it with a new 225ho Etec with 8 years of non declining factory warranty. Easy decision for me based on warranty alone.

2007 Merc Optimax 225 ~300hrs
2017 Evinrude 225ho ~80hrs
2001 Evinrude 150 ficht ~350hrs
1997 Yamaha 40
1987 Mariner 40