Exploring the Used Outboard Market

While some boat owners are beginning to think about winterizing their crafts, others are plotting well ahead for next spring. If your outboard engine has recently gone kaput, you might be tempted to look for a brand new motor. In fact, it may be a better plan to scan the market for used engines from such quality names as Yamaha, Evinrude and Mercury. These motors have proven dependable over the years, but of course they should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Magazines like Consumer Reports are especially helpful guides to evaluating an engine’s dependability, and you might also get some insight from online product reviews. Age and use are perhaps the two most important factors to consider, but they should not be confused. The age of the engine is only relevant insofar as you’ll need to know the proper formulation of oil to use. Most quality motors manufactured in the 1990s or later will use a TC-W3 formulation of two cycle outboard oil.

For obvious reasons, an engine will decrease in value as its use increases. Pay special attention to the number of hours run rather than miles. Although a well-worn motor might work out fine for a while, it will no doubt require frequent maintenance and there’s little guarantee it will run without incident.