Has anyone ever come across a used duck boat motor without a destroyed lower unit?

[RaisedByWolves]

Holy cow, these guys must go through motors like grass through a goose.

I picked up an 84 25Hp last year for $30 and the lower was so beat up it looked like some kind of modern art. The power head seems fine, may have sheared the key though as it wont fire. Got it mostly for ignition parts so I never dug into it any further.

Then last week I picked up another camo colored beauty, a 76 35hp for $60 that is complete save for a giant crack running from skeg to water pump. The skeg is a bit......off and the prop looks like a demented windchime. I spent 5min cleaning the points and it fired and runs great. Even has good compression.

What the heck do these guys do?

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Stuff happens when your boating in thick ice.

 

[turbotodd]

yeah all the time.

Problem is, if the foot's not hurt, something else usually is. I steer clear of duck boat motors for that reason. Out here flooded timber is where the ducks are at and flooded timber means lots of junk laying on the bottom, which means trashed powerheads, foots, legs, trim/tilt, tilt locks, broken tillers (and halfway welded by joe blow down the road who's got a mig), the list goes on and on. Basically when a duck hunter (in this area) sells a boat motor, it's either (1) trashed beyond repair or (2) not fast enough for them, or (3) both.

 

[wmk0002]

I've noticed the same but there are also a lot of ducks guys who want the most modified, tricked out boat/motor they can afford and in reality hardly ever use it or baby it when they do. Similarly to how people do with Jeeps - buy one and begin putting on lifts, 35+" tires, lockers, stereos, brush guards, etc to have an ultimate offroad machine, yet it never leaves the pavement a day in its life.

Best time to buy from a duck hunter seems to be right before the season starts. Right after the previous season they will often sell lots of gear and then if they get tax refunds they may go buy a new motor that's quieter and better suited for fishing season, but alas is not fast enough to hole run so they take a huge loss selling it late fall when the used motor market is down.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Never thought about ice or ducks wanting shallow water.

The one I just bought definitely hit something and seems to have lost a seal in the process. Then it froze and cracked.

It doesn’t turn easy like it should or shift for that matter.
The crack I can get tigged at work and I should have it apart in the next couple days to see what’s up inside. I just made a puller to get the bearing block out.

The kicker is I have a salvageable lower from the 84, but the shift rod is different.

Might as well take that one apart too.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Took the duck motor apart to find the lower had water in it and froze so bad it blew out the snap ring groove that holds the guts in. The gears look good but the bearings are a mess.

Then I took the other lower apart from the 84 25hp and the internals look good, so I bought a lower housing off of eelbay.

Should make a nice motor when I get it all together.

 

[ClemsonAlum]

Yeah, it's kind of hard not to hit stuff...at 2 AM...in January...freezing...trying to get to that spot before everyone else..in the nastiest places where ducks want to be. We are a different breed, takes dedication and a little craziness..[emoji23]

I spun my prop first week I got the boat. Got a new old stock prop. Just finished drilling and tapping set screws into my old prop, will try it out soon to see how well it holds and if it is balanced enough.

Good luck with the rebuild! So far I have cleaned carb, swapped fuel pump, checked impeller, changed gear oil in my old 9.5 Evinrude. LeeroysRamblings . Com has a ton of good info.

-Kurt
14', 1960 Polar Kraft, '73 9.5 Evinrude

 

[FatChad]

Kurt, you sound like me. My favorite is when the fog is so thick it makes more sense to run without the spotlight and suddenly a whole tree is coming down the river at you

 

[ClemsonAlum]

Kurt, you sound like me. My favorite is when the fog is so thick it makes more sense to run without the spotlight and suddenly a whole tree is coming down the river at you

Oh yeah...or when you thought the river went right when it actually went left...and you hut that tree and get thrown in the front of the boat, and crush the bow [emoji23]

-Kurt
14', 1960 Polar Kraft, '73 9.5 Evinrude