Trouble Finding a Motor

[FishyItch]

I have a 14' v-tin that I'm going to be decking and fixing up this spring. Right now I have an antique Sea King 3 HP motor for it. (Maybe some of you saw that thread.) Anyway, I'm looking to upgrade to something that will be able to push my boat around a little bit faster. I'm looking for something between 7 and 10. I don't think I'd need to go more than 10 HP just because I don't think I've seen something bigger than that on a 14' while searching the forums. Also, the boat is probably only good up until 10, and let's be honest, I'm not out there to win any races. I just want to get from point A to point B with a decent speed. With just a 14' v-tin I'm not going to be fishing huge lakes, but I still want to be able cruise down a half-mile of shoreline and not have it take forever, especially when I could be fishing instead of driving. My lake that I want to make my favorite is around 2000 acres with 9.4 miles of shoreline (Waubesa near Madison, Wi). Maybe the 3 HP is enough, I just don't know. I was just thinking that if I am going to buy a motor, the winter is probably the time to do it since prices will be sort of down. If I wait until June, the prices might be up.

Anyway, I'm having a really hard time finding just a motor for sale, especially something in the right HP range. It seems like I might as well just buy another boat so I can have the motor, but I can't imagine my fiance would approve of that. I'll admit that the only place I've been looking is craigslist, but I don't know where else to go to find a used motor. Is it just the wrong season for used motors to be selling? I'm worried that prices will inflate the closer we get to spring. Also, my budget isn't huge, but I'd definitely be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars. I think I'd have reservations with spending anything over $500.

Do I need to expand my budget? Expand my search? Would you be fine with just a 3 HP on a 14' v-tin? Thoughts in general?

Thanks in advance! Even though my boat is gutted and parked in an outbuilding at my parents' house, this site has got my gears turning.

 

[ShadowWalker]

you should be able to find a motor under 10hp for well under 500. Are you checking surrounding area's on craigslist besides the one closest to you?

I always see quite a few whenever I look

 

[FishyItch]

After I posted I was doing quite a bit more hunting and found something called "searchtempest" which searches all of the craigslists in the country and sorts them by distance for you. I wish I would have known about this sooner!

Right off the bait I found this 6 HP posted just yesterday...
https://madison.craigslist.org/boa/2143859626.html

I think 6 would be a big improvement from the 3.

 

[jasper60103]

Hope it checks out, but if you're still having trouble locating a decent motor.
This guy is located in central Wisconsin. Seems like he knows his motors.
https://www.youtube.com/user/plm947#g/u

 

[devilmutt]

It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Madison but I saw these on Craigslist. La Crosse is one of the areas I always search on CL.

Not sure about the first one, why leave it laying in the snow?

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/boa/2134914323.html

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/boa/2098102178.html

 

[po1]

The 9.5 rude for $300 sounds like a good deal. Call the guy and get some more info and pictures from him. Unless you've got some open water up north you've got the winter to find a good deal. Good deals come to those who keep on searching. Another place to check for used motors is do a search of marinas in your area. Alot of times during the winter you can talk them down for a better deal, winter being their slow season. Might want to check these guys out their prices are a little higher, but if they go threw their motors it could be a good deal: https://twincityoutboard.com/

 

[FishyItch]

I think the only open water I could find here in Madison would be in my sink, so I do have the entire winter to search. I just don't have a car of my own right now, so getting around to find a deal is a bit more difficult.

 

[BaitCaster]

When I was looking for a motor last spring/summer on CL there were tons of them available. Most of them were 9.9 hp. I suspect a bunch will come on the market in the spring.

 

[bobberboy]

I think you're likely to find better prices right now but not as good a selection. As spring nears more people will be posting ads but usually the prices are higher at the beginning of the season. Fall and winter are really good times to buy if you find the motor you really want. Good luck and be sure to post what you finally decide on.

 

[anglerinawrangler]

found something called "searchtempest" which searches all of the craigslists in the country and sorts them by distance for you.

Hi ALL, first time post. I have had some success using https://allofcraigs.com too. It's a little quicker than searchtempest, which is a great tool too.

Looking forward to participating in more threads in the future.

 

[devilmutt]

A 9.9 Rude in Onalaska for $300

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/boa/2152083641.html

 

[FishyItch]

I think you're likely to find better prices right now but not as good a selection. As spring nears more people will be posting ads but usually the prices are higher at the beginning of the season. Fall and winter are really good times to buy if you find the motor you really want. Good luck and be sure to post what you finally decide on.

That's sort of what I was thinking.

 

[Pappy]

The 9.5 rude for $300 sounds like a good deal. Call the guy and get some more info and pictures from him. Unless you've got some open water up north you've got the winter to find a good deal. Good deals come to those who keep on searching. Another place to check for used motors is do a search of marinas in your area. Alot of times during the winter you can talk them down for a better deal, winter being their slow season. Might want to check these guys out their prices are a little higher, but if they go threw their motors it could be a good deal: https://twincityoutboard.com/

Parts are becoming quite hard to find for the 9.5hp engines as opposed to the 9.9hp engine. They have a nasty habit of fuel soaking the upper mount and disintegrating it. Mounts are, of course, no longer available. Would stick to the later design 9.9hp if possible.

 

[po1]

Pappy brings up a good idea about parts. I found the best approach to finding parts is to search and buy before you need to repair your motor. Parts are like motors never know when and where they pop up, so I'm always looking and purchasing extra parts, just in case I need to repair one of my motors.