9.9hp Motor Hoarder

[boatyard]

Let me start with a short explanation first.
There's an old guy down the street from me here who has a house full of boat motors and several boats in his yard. He's in his mid to late 80's.
He came to me a few weeks ago and asked if I could come down there with my tractor and pull his boat out of the weeds.
He goes on to tell me he bought it new in 1995 and never used it, he backed it in the yard and there is sat till the wild rose vines swallowed it up. Its a 14ft Grumman on a galvanized bunk trailer with plastic bunks. I drove the tractor down there and cut the thing free and pulled it out front for him. The boat was filthy but there's not much on those to go bad.

He then asks me if I knew anyone who may want a new 9.9hp outboard, he's got a few for sale.

He shows me his garage, and there's a pallet rack in front of his car with a half dozen outboards in boxes and a few hanging up high on a rack on the second level. The newest is a Mariner four stroke, the oldest are a couple of older OMC 9.5hp motors or maybe one of the Sea KIng 9.8hp motors. He pointed to each one and said what year they were and he started with 1969. One for each year. The then showed me his living room, where he's got 9 more never used old motors all around the room on iron stands bolted to the floor and wall each with a 9.9 motor on it displayed in a clear plexiglass box like a sculpture or something.

He then asks me if I knew anyone who needed a motor because he has more than he has room to display.
He said its too heavy for him to carry and put on a boat at his age.

To get to the point of this post, he offered it to me for $1,500, brand new, still in the box from 1995 or so.

Its a four stroke Mariner shoetshft tiller still in its original box. I was just about to go try and make a deal at the dealer but a new 9.9 hp motor right now starts at about $2,800 and up, more for Honda or Yamaha.

Looking at the Mariner is apears to be a Yamaha power head, but on a US made lower and mid. Its light enough to carry like a suitcase, about the weght of a 20hp two stroke or so. I'd guess around 100lbs.

He said if I wanted one of his OMC motors I can have that for the same price, but he won't sell the older motors. Those that are in the living room are there for eternity i guess. He had one 90's era Yamaha four stroke too but that one is a "power Thrust model wtih a huge lower pitch prop. Its also in its original box but not for sale.

He won't take less, if I want the Mariner, its $1,500 or I go buy a new motor at the dealer for nearly double that. What I'm thinking is that extra $1,400 or so is a lot to pay just o have a warranty.

 

[mirrocraft16]

New is new and if you save a few bucks, I'd say that's a deal.
Those Mariner motors were basically Yamaha engine but with the more robust Mercury lower.
Both easy to work on and hard to find these days. They came about around the time that the contract Yamaha with Mercury was expiring and the Yen vs the dollar was at a disadvantage so I pretty much figure that Tohatsu under bid Yamaha being the larger company and from about 1997 or so on they were all Tohatsu.
The Mariner is a couple pounds heavier than the Tohatsu but not by much but it has more torque.
I've got the Yamaha version of that motor here in a long shaft that spins a 11" prop. I use it on my 14ft boat in weedy lakes. It pulls like a tractor.

That place sounds like a gold mine to me, not for profit but for a lifetime supply of good motors.

 

[Seafarer]

I'd keep the location of that guy to myself if I were you.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy an old motor if it was in new condition, in fact I'd prefer it to anything they sell now.
I would count on a new impeller though, its likely taken a set from years sitting without moving. I'd change the oil in the motor and the lower unit just to be safe, and I'd likely run a synthetic oil once its broken in a bit. Maybe even the fuel hose from the fuel port to the carb or filter but otherwise its likely good to go.

There's been a dozen or so super clean, but not new 9.9hp motors listed here all for $800 to $2k and not a one has sold all summer. I've been watching one that's at $200 for a while now and its been up for 3 months. I keep offering hm $100 but he won't bite on a clean 2002 Merc. I just figured if he's clueless enough to list it for $200 he might just sell it cheaper but not yet. I'm just surprised no one else jumped on it. He's a good hour ride from me.

 

[Lost But Happy]

He let you in to see his gold and that's his first step in clearing some of it out.

Walk in with a fist full of cash and make him a reasonable offer on what you want. Money talks and well, you know the rest. If he flat out refuses you and doesn't even counter, walk away and don't waste yer time.



Oh and welcome to our little corner of the internets. Don't be a stranger.

 

[Still Afloat]

Sounds like a good deal if that’s what you want.

On the flip side I think fuel injection was the best thing that happened to outboards. Not trying to talk you out of it but, I personally would not buy an outboard that’s been setting for 30 years.

 

[hoarder]

I wouldn't worry in the least about how long it sat, the only part tob e concerned with is the impeller, its new enough to have modern neoprene seals and those wear out they don't rot.
The fuel hose would also be something to change just because of todays' ethanol fuels but it may already be okay since most fuel line after about 1987 or so could tolerate ethanol. If its that gray stuff, throw it away and spring for the $2 for a new piece of hose from the carb to the fuel disconnect.

I may be the odd man out here but I really don't want anything I can't fix out on the water on my boat. Fuel injection is on that list. Besides, what powers the injection on a rope start motor?

If its anything like the fuel injection they use on some pressure washers and generators, I'll pass. Those have been an absolute nightmare.

The Yammy/Merc/mariner is a good motor, they start easy and make good power. They were the first four stroke to do so, they were just too pricey and they moved to a cheaper alternative in the Tohatsu in later years.

I absolutely would do all I could to get at least one of the old OMC motors but in use, the four stroke is hard to beat. The two stroke is just a bit quicker and a bit lighter but you will have to mix gas and buy oil and oil is getting expensive now. A day on the water is no longer only a few bucks even with a small boat and small motor.

 

[Still Afloat]

Some people prefer carbs and that’s Ok.

Parts availability is another thing to consider. Maybe that’s worth bringing up if you attempt to negotiate. New 9.9s are usually available online for $2300 or so.

To answer your question; The EFI system charges enough to start after an extra pull or two. They are usually running on the 2nd or 3rd pull. The OB manufacturers seem to have it dialed in pretty good.

I have six outboards ranging from 115 to 9.9. Two have carbs and they are the only ones that are acting up. I just don’t have time to rebuild carbs right now.

 

[boatyard]

I don't think I'd want fuel injection either, I want something easy to fix if it dies 10 miles from home.

I did look online but none of those $2300 deals are in stock, and $2300 is still more than $1500, and there will be tax on the $2300, but not the $1500 private sale.

Ive been running an old 12hp Gale that's getting pretty tired, I paid $350 for it in 1982 and it's leaked lower unit oil as long as I've owned it. I've hung onto to since I've got a huge suppy of free oil to burn in it, and I've even started to put the same oil in the lower unit since I have to drain it after ever trip to let the water out.
The gears are pretty well pitted from rust and they want more than the motor is worth for good used gears so I just keep changing the oil.

Back in around the time that I bought the Gale motor I found four dozen cases of Shell 20 and 30wt motor oil that was being thrown away at work. The cans had started to rust through on some of the cases so they tossed it all. The cans predate SAE ratings and at the ie was perfect for my 47 Chevy truck. But I sold the truck in 2012 and still had two huge stacks of oil left. I also have about 50 mayo jars full of oil out of the cans taht rusted through on the bottom.

I've been running 1 qt per 6 gallong tank, and I carry two full tanks of fuel when I go fishing, plus an extra jug of fuel. It burns through both 6 gallon tanks a day, which has gotten expenive lately.
I figure the four stroke would save me at last one tank of fuel, maybe more.
I could also still use up the 30wt oil in the crankcase of the four stroke too. If not its only good for weed for the string trimmer, chainsaw and lawn mower.

As I get older I want something easier to start and not getting stranded out in the marsh is even more important the days. I'd hate to die trying to trudge my way out of the marsh if the boat died somewhere while out fishing at 2am.

 

[airshot]

Not sure why all the carb issues ! Been a boat owner for 60 years and only one or two motors ever needed carb work. My small motors (2 stroke) typically start on second or third pull, always have. My bigger motors always fire right up....I am very big on maintenance and use of fuel treatments. On the rare occasion I have a starting problem, it gets fixed pronto !! Fancy electronic fuel injection and motors run by computers scare me, the oldies are much easier to service and with proper care will run forever. My 32 yr old outboard is proof of this.

 

[boatyard]

Fuel injection doesn't scare me, I just don't want to pay for it, either now or down the road because when it breaks, it'll be ten times as expensive as a carb kit and some carb cleaner.

I've never taken a motor to the dealer for any work in all my years and don't plan to start now.

I went down the street to talk to the neighbor with all the motors this afternoon, he's apparently having second thoughts about selling it, or at least selling it for $1,500. Apparently his son in law or someone has been telling him how much a new motor sells for now and he's talking he wants to see it bring more. He then says his son in law who lives in Florida and thinks he has a buyer for it at $2,500. I told him go for it if his son in law is going to come pick it up and sell it for him and give him the full amount. But a drive to FL will likely cost him $350 plus a night or two in a motel somewhere. Then I asked if he wanted help putting it in his car.

I walked away for now, if he wants to play game, there's a few super clean one's just like it on CL for the same money. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I'll spend $1,500 and not a penny more for a newer or new motor. For something I used maybe 30 times a year if I'm lucky and we get good weather and no wind, I can't justify spending more for a toy then I paid for my whole boat and trailer.

A buddy of mine also mentioned that maybe I should sell the 14ft boat and get a 16 or 17ft model and run a 30 or 40hp which are easier to find here.

The reality is that 9.9hp motors are only good for one lake and the upper river here, in the salt, they likely won't have enough power to get the boat on plane thus using more fuel. My only point though is that for $1,500, I'd be hard pressed to buy a decent used OMC 9.9hp that's 30 years old or more. There's a ton of those listed for cheap but all need something, either they're long shaft motors with no controls, or their long shaft tiller models that need to be converted back to a short shaft, or they have broken skegs or fins.

I looked at one which ran and looked almost new a month ago that had 3/4 of its skeg broken off. It had been listed for a year on CL and FB for $400 with no takers. After I looked at it, the seller put one of those stainless repair skegs on it and up the price to $1,200. It was gone the next morning.

What sort of really got me is that I sold my Gale this afternoon, the guy who wanted it showed up with cash and I took it figuring if I didn't the chance may not arise again anytime soon. So for now my only motor is a 34 year old Riptide trolling motor. I wasn't going to sell it till I got the other motor but it didn't work that way.

 

[airshot]

Area is everything.....here in the great lakes area, the 9.9 is the most popular trolling/ kicker motor you can buy. It is rare that one comes up for sale and if it a nice one, the price is high ! Yep, lots of junk pops up for sale but just sits or sold as part motors. One never knows what people think or will do when buying something...shop hard, shop carefully !!

 

[mirrocraft16]

9.9hp motors are popular here as well but the reality is that most buyers who need them are not big spenders and usually only buy cheap used motors.
They buy $100 motors and hope for the best. Those who can afford a new motor generally don't buy small motors.
Those who can afford a new motor generally buy larger boats and larger motors and don't buy used.
There's also not a good way to sell a used motor these days. CL and FB are full of scammers and have gotten so screwed up most don't bother looking there anymore.
FB even restricts who can see which ads and how many they see.
Both are loaded with fake ads and flaky buyers. The problem is there are no other options when it come to finding or selling a used boat or motor.

I've emailed over 50 ads in recent months and got zero replies from sellers. Replying to most ads gets you a slew of spam calls after the fact. The ads are only there to mine for phone numbers.
As a seller, maybe one email in thousand leads to a sale. The rest are a split between scammers, low ball bottom feeders and data miners.

It got way worse after around 2008 or so, when money got tight, the scammers doubled down. Its gotten worse since then, especially in the past three years.

Now if you have a good used motor to sell there's no good place to list one and no good place to look for one if your looking to buy.

In the real world, if you want a good reliable used motor, two or four stroke your going to spend $1000 to $1,500 for any size motor. Larger motors are cheaper because the used market is smaller and the demand lower. Any thing less is a parts motor at best.

 

[OldSailor85]

We still have lakes with horsepower limits (<10 hp), plus the kicker use on Lake Erie.

FWIW, I sold a fine running 9.9 Johnson for $575. Exactly what I paid for it a few years earlier.

 

[seahorse]

I see quite a few nice looking motors for sale here, rarely are any 'running' but often its a matter of the seller not having a fuel tank, or controls, or they've inherited the thing from a deceased relative and they have no clue how to start it or what to do with it other than they looked up and saw what others are selling for. They have nothing in it and don't care if it sits for a year before it sells.
Then you get those who just want it gone and all bets are off then. I've gotten motors for free in resent years, including a free 9.9hp Yamaha a few months ago. I don't think its ever been run but the seller somehow jammed up the recoil cord and listed it as 'Motor won't turn over, rope won't budge'. so no one replied to his ad. He didn't state in the ad that he had pulled out the recoil rope and used it to tied the motor to the tie down loop in his truck. He left a knot in the rope that jammed in the recoil, it runs fine, needed nothing but the time to dig out the jammed rope and remove the knot. I paid $75 for it. I had seen the ad up for a few months but ignored it due it being almost 20 miles away. Then the same seller listed a clean 9.5hp Johnson for $40 that he said runs great. He listed that under auto parts for some reason. I emailed him my number, he called right away and I drove out to buy it, then I saw the Yamaha motor, which he had listed for $100 under Boat parts.

There's plenty of good motors and deals to be had on CL but most just don't bother or take the chance to go see. I find that nine times out of ten its just a seller who is terrible at writing an ad.

As a rule, I never pay fair price for anything, if I don't get it for free of close to it, I don't bother. My rule of thumb is never buy anything that I can't resell for double what I paid after I'm done with it and I get more satisfaction out of making do with junk then spending cash for fancy toys.

 

[airshot]

Your lucky you get a response ! My daughter is looking for a cheap vehicle as a go to work car. We have responded to well over 100 ads in the past three months thru CL and FB, less than 5 have gotten back to us ! Of those 5, only two have actually returned calls and made arrangements to see the vehicle. The two we went to look at, lied thru their teeth about the condition of their vehicles! Can't win no matter what !!

 

[freeisforme]

We still have lakes with horsepower limits (<10 hp), plus the kicker use on Lake Erie.

FWIW, I sold a fine running 9.9 Johnson for $575. Exactly what I paid for it a few years earlier.

If I could get $500 for every good 9.9 Johnnyrude out in the garage they'd all be gone in a heartbeat. What I find here is either no replies at all or $100 offers claiming their mechanic is going to charge them $800 just to go over it before they can use it so its not worth anything.
My reply is always the same, if you can't do your own work, you shouldn't be buying a used motor non the less one that's 40 years old.

As a rule, the best motors are 1974-1992 Johnson Evinrude motors when it comes to smaller motors. Parts are plentiful and they made millions of them. Up until around 2021 or so they would sell for $800-$1000, then the buyers disappeared completely. Boats, motors, fishing tackle, and even bicycles and atvs all quit selling. I keep about 500 items listed on Cl, and maybe sell one or two things a year these days. FB has been a total waste, with no replies as a buyer and no sales as a seller.

I find that on FB, I never see local items even though I have my search area set to 20 miles.
I get mostly items in New England, five or more hours away. If I put in my old zip code, I get items near me and items 800 miles south of that zip.

I never see the neighbors ads or any ads close by. Many I can't even find unless someone sends me the link. I just had a guy in RI call me and ask if a boat he was looking at was near me, it was two blocks away and it never showed up when I searched for it. I couldn't even find the ad till he sent me the exact link. It doesn't even show up if I searched the exact title.

I also found that for what ever reason it disregards some categories, often those I'm most interested in. If I'm looking for a boat, I'll notice that its blocking out those items and showing me only electronics or trucks in VT or ME for some reason. If I'm getting those results, then my ads are likely being misdirected as well. I almost never could find my own ads if I singed in under a different account.
Its no wonder things don't sell if they're only showing them to people too far away to have any interest in them. I hadn't listed on FB in almost a year and went to list a few things there and got the warning saying that "Listings for your area have reached the maximum daily limit" "Please try again later" ? I went back an hour later and the ad I wrote and tried to post went up, was visible for a half hour or so then it disappeared and could only be fond through my account page. In the 27 minutes it was up I got 31 spam messages asking totally unrelated questions or asking for my address and phone number and asking me to take down the ad because they were buying it.

When I looked at the history on those accounts none of them had any at all, four were full of pics from what looked to be India and the one had pictures of a truck with foreign license plates.

CL is just dead, no buyers, no contact at all. When there is I get crazy people who want me to deliver things far away or they want to meet hours away to buy something.

I had a chainsaw listed two months ago, a year old 18" Stihl saw for $120 in near new shape. I had a guy who emailed, then I we spoke on the phone who said he was coming to get it that weekend. Then he never showed. I get an email a week later saying he forgot, and wants to do it the next weekend. He again makes an appointment and don't show, so I emailed and asked what happened and he then tells me he thinks the saw is overpriced, Will you take $12 for it?.

 

[boatyard]

I talked to the old man with the motors down the road last night and he said his son-in-law sold the Mariner online and a guy came and got it on Thursday for $2,500.
I really wasn't too interested in him or his motors after the offer and retraction but he said he'd let one of the 9.5hp motors go that have been used. I really didn't want to deal with him but the motor is like a time capsule condition wise and the one Johnson has all stainless hardware, something I've never seen on a 9.5hp before.
The clamp screws, all tilt pin, hinge pin, prop cone, cotter pine, even all the motor hardware is stainless steel.
Its not new in the box but he only wants $500 for it and he said he'll make sure it starts and runs if I want it.
I'm sort of inclined to just walk away, I've been using my buddies old 6hp all week and I really wanted to try a four stroke but not if its going to cost me more than $1,500 new or used.
The 9.5hp looks about like the Gale I sold and is cheaper than what I sold my old motor for, so I would still be ahead of the game after it all with a fresher motor. I do like the 9.5hp motors, like the old Gale they're easy to work on and don't need any special tools

 

[Still Afloat]

Not sure why all the carb issues ! Been a boat owner for 60 years and only one or two motors ever needed carb work. My small motors (2 stroke) typically start on second or third pull, always have. My bigger motors always fire right up....I am very big on maintenance and use of fuel treatments. On the rare occasion I have a starting problem, it gets fixed pronto !! Fancy electronic fuel injection and motors run by computers scare me, the oldies are much easier to service and with proper care will run forever. My 32 yr old outboard is proof of this.

It’s Ok to not like or be afraid of EFI. I’ve worked on both carb and EFI systems. The reason that I like EFI is because it’s more reliable, easier to work on and engine performance is dynamically optimized.

IMO, EFI is more reliable because there are fewer gaskets, seals and moving parts to fail. I’d much rather pull the injectors and replace or take them in for proffesional cleaning than deal with a carb removal with all the hose spaghetti and bolts in hard to see, hard to reach places. (My close in vision is quite poor.) Also, having the ability to plug a EFI system into a pc is a time saver.

Not trying to start a peeing match. Old tech is cool if that’s what you are comfortable with. My ‘97 Evinrude 115 runs like a bat out of hell when it’s running right. I just don’t have time to pull the carbs right now and I”m too cheap to take it to a shop.

 

[airshot]

It’s Ok to not like or be afraid of EFI. I’ve worked on both carb and EFI systems. The reason that I like EFI is because it’s more reliable, easier to work on and engine performance is dynamically optimized.

IMO, EFI is more reliable because there are fewer gaskets, seals and moving parts to fail. I’d much rather pull the injectors and replace or take them in for proffesional cleaning than deal with a carb removal with all the hose spaghetti and bolts in hard to see, hard to reach places. (My close in vision is quite poor.) Also, having the ability to plug a EFI system into a pc is a time saver.

Not trying to start a peeing match. Old tech is cool if that’s what you are comfortable with. My ‘97 Evinrude 115 runs like a bat out of hell when it’s running right. I just don’t have time to pull the carbs right now and I”m too cheap to take it to a shop.

I hear ya, my EFI vehicle runs great, very few issues over the years....but, when the EFI system took a crap, it cost me over 400 bucks to fix it myself plus a 75 diagnostic fee to confirm the problem. I could have rebuilt many carbs for that amount. Because I am a maintenance freak, I rarely have issues and when there is a problem it comes down to part/ parts failure, rarely ever a lack of maintenance issue. So for that reason only is why the electronic junk scares me. On my vehicle it is not so bad because I am beyond doing my own work, but on my outboard motor, I still do my own work if at all possible so being easier and cheaper means everything.

 

[seahorse]

I carry a scan tool in every car and truck I own, but you can also scan an OBDII car with a smart phone now. That's not the case with an outboard. Most of their diag equipment is proprietary and very expensive.

I run almost all late 70's and 80's outboards, anything newer and the quality really dropped off. The OMC 9.9-15hp motors are king here but personally i like the Chrysler/Ford 15hp too. They can be had for next to nothing and they're simpler and lighter.
my oldest is a 66 50hp, the newest a 1996 Force 15hp.