8' Jon boat

[cliff58]

I have some info that will help you find out what year the Merc is. Get your serial number and compare to this list:

HP MOD CYL SERIAL NUMBER AGE BUILD LOCATION
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 9741139 9792524 1993 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 9792525 9831991 1994 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 9831992 9881648 1995 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 9881649 9928545 1996 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 9928546 9974569 1997 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 9974570 0P018172 1998 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 0P018173 0P59703 1999 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 0P059704 0P107431 2000 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 0P107432 0P156868 2001 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 0P156869 0P210981 2002 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 0P210982 0P270558 2003 Belgium
3,3 3.3 1-cyl 0P270559 - 2004 Belgium

Glad you'll be able to register the little one without any big hassle. It was fairly painless here in Florida too.

 

[Jim]

Nice job on the boat so far neighbor!

 

[JMichael]

I had a couple of pin holes in my boat that were thru and thru. I squeezed some 5200 through the holes and let it dry and it's been holding for a few years now with no sign of leaks. And 5200 may not be billed as an adhesive, but it sure grips like one IMO.

Unless you need more power, you'll probably be happy with that Johnson motor. My buddy has one that looks the same from the side but slightly different face plate so it's probably a year or 2 diff model. His is 2 cyl and water cooled if my memory isn't failing, and runs like a sewing machine. I borrowed it once for use on a HP restricted lake. It didn't break any speed records with my 15 ft boat, but it preformed flawlessly.

 

[onthewater102]

... The Mercury seems to be a little lighter and quieter than the Johnson - but I don't think either will have an issue pushing an 8' boat. Any recommendations?...

Yeah - hold on! any motor on an 8' is going to be zippy and unstable maneuvering at speed.

Which ever is easier to get parts for/service is the one I'd be holding onto. Did you ever figure out if they're air-cooled? I can't see water pickups down below from the pics but they're not clear enough for me to be sure. If not swap out the impeller before you go using it or you could be in for a mess.

This winter is insane...we'll still be waiting for ice-out in early May at this rate, more in the forecast tomorrow but after that we should finally see above freezing temps for what feels like the first time this year.

 

[bobmwsc]

The Johnson is a 1987 and the Mercury, I believe, is a 1996. Parts don't look like an issue for either motor. They are both water cooled. The previous owner of the Mercury was getting rid of this one for an air cooled version. The Johnson is a two cylinder and the Mercury is a single. They're both nice in that they have fuel tanks attached - one less thing to have taking up space in a small boat. When the weather improves (sometime in August) I'll just take each one out and see which runs better on the boat.

 

[onthewater102]

I live down in CT and I'm looking for a similar setup for some of the small ponds around here, and if you're going to sell one or the other I'd be interested in whichever you opt not to hold onto.