do we put a new out board on our 1982 boat or do we rebuilt the 1992 mariner, as we don't fish as much as we used to.  If we rebuild the mariner, still is a 19yr old motor or do we when it conks out put a new four stroke on the old boat?  The old mariner has been serviced every year sometimes twice a year when it was younger as Bob fished a heck of a lot more, going to the Bank here in Perth then the second bank in Leeman.  We decided to meet the problem when it happens.

repower with a new fourstroke - expensive maybe $20K - seems excessive on an older boat  .... but it depends on how much you fish, how far out you go, fuel consumption .. as we've been told  these new outboards are fantastic on fuel, less noise, don't even have to put the muffs on to wash engine, just stick water hose on and it flushs itself.

You also say old boat, ours is old but a hell of a lot more fibreglass in our Seeker than the new models out, Bob would love to get her a total hull refit, but like the outboard can't justif.  Oh boy one power ball and all our problems solved ha ha.

Roberta has nearly said it all,just because the boat is 10years old doesn't mean a thing if its in good condition.adding a new motor you can be safe in the knowledge that it will start every time, guaranteed for the next 3 years by most manufacturers and heaps better on fuel consumption,something that will help pay for itself if you use it frequently.
Rebuilding the old one leaves you with an old motor with some new bits but still with what is now outdated electrics,excessive fuel consumption and a question mark on reliability
If you do have a look at a new engine have a look at the Evinrude Etec's.I have a 60hp and it has never missed a beat,exceptional fuel economy,reliability and no need to service it for the first 300 hours or 3 years with no running in period.They come complete with instruments and controls.

intend on keeping the boat for a while and the hull is in good nick, then if I were you I'd consider a new(er) engine like a 4 stroke or DI 2 stroke. Rin around a few yards and see if you can get a used one - I'm sure some people have upgraded somewhere along the path.

Bear in mind though you will probably have to power down from the 200hp if you go 4 stroke due to the greater weight in the engine. You could probably keep the status quo 200hp with a DI 2 stroke though, but dont quote me on that.

Why do you all think i've been asking LB questions lately???

 Mate, I told you, go with the 4-stroke and I'll buy bait for the rest of the year....how can you go wrong with that offer?!

haha....if you look behind me in my avatar you can see the old engine!  R.I.P.

But if you dont have the money for a new engine

It wont be too hard to rebuild, 2 strokes are as easy as it gets. Can get a workshop manual from the pitstop bookshop in the city, or they are online to order. 

Should be able to pick up a second hand block at a reasonable price. Rebuilding this engine is a very easy job for someone with very basic mechanical skills.

Just out of curiosity what part of the con rod let go mate?

I dont know yet - Ernie reckoned looking througj the hole in the case it looked like it had detached from the piston.  He mentioned somne sort of clip arrangement I have not heard of.  I guess I won't know till the engine is apart.

Some food for thought there.  Surprised so many comments suggesting the new 4 strokes - Ive got to admit its tempting since Im up for significant expense anyway.

Have look in the west and sunday times and see what you can find. Might be able to get last years model or good deal. Especially heading into winter

Ben  

Brad i reacon if you were to repower a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke would be the way to go. Power to weight would be fine and you would only really see a minimal drop in top end speed IMHO.

The other option is i saw Saltwater marine was advertising a v6 yamaha 2001 either on boats on line or in the paper, can't remember which.

Sorry to here about the orginal motor and will be interesting to find out what Ern thinks happened.

Dont bother with Yamaha :)

If your going to repower, why 4stk? just curious??

Evinrude Etec's are great engines, and cheaper than 4 stks, also lighter.

If 4stk is your preference, Suzuki have been proven to be one of th emost efficient, quiet 4stks ont he market, the only disadvantage, they are slightly more expensive.

But might be of interest for your to price a 175 suzi.

I almost bought 2 175 etcs a little while ago (These engines might still be for sale) they were brand new 2007 engines, think he wanted about 16ish k per engine.

PS: Etec's have 300hr 1st serice too.

Dont bother with yamaha??? whys that??? If they were shit they wouldnt be the market leaders, and you just need to look at what most commercial operators use, nearly all yamaha. why buy a 4 stk, no oil, except engine oil changes at 100hrs. no oil smell. smooth running, quiet. no DI 2 stk can compare. i am a marine tech and play with outboards everyday and own a DI 2stk. my next engine will be a yamaha 4stk. wouldnt own an e-tec if i was given one.
On your failed 200hp If the rod has damaged the block i highly doubt it would be able to be repaired. buying a second hand powerhead has its risks.if you want reliability buy new or late model.
cheers andy

Ive been on a few boats with 4stk yammys and they just never performed well at all (compared to etecs, optimaxs and suzi's.

Didnt have the pickup and just felt sluggish (Mind you they were only 115's and 150's).

the Etc's i have been on quite a few boats now with these donks and the oil smell is almost non existant, so i dont seee that as an issue at all. Very quiet too (only engine i can think thats quieter is probably the new hondas).

Very economical and at the end of the day, cheaper to buy too.

But each to their own, you being a marine tech would probably know more about each engine than i would, im just basing it on my own experiences.

The engine is alot newer technology, 4 valves per pot also the suzuki also has Multi Point Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection.

Each to their own, Ive always been a biased yamaha fan, I do love the yamaha brand - I have an older yamaha 2 stroke 90, old technology but very basic and very reliable and my family has always ran yamahas since I can remember.

Having said that If I was to get a new 4 stroke the way things are at present It would definately be a Suzuki.

(thats also a pretty big call to say you wouldnt run an e tec even if you were given one....theyre a well regarded engine mate. If you do get given one sometime chuck it over my way then!)

The old outboard Chestnut. '

Why does one company hold 38% of total market share sold. Must be the pretty colour

Having sold thousands of outboards in my time i'm never surprised any more. But i'd guarentie colour is not the reason Yamaha's are number 1

its a big call to renew or replace about $10 k difference, and 10 years isnt old for a boat , new motor will add value etc , i have had Evinrudes all my life and ordered a new etec on my present boat and ended up with Verado, big mistake, dealer then changed to 150 optimx , great motor but very noisy on the island cab, ended up changing to a 4st yama 150 , nice and quite , just slower on the take off, good on fuel, same as the OPTI. rebuilding a motor always leaves many other parts that can break down and ongoing problems, best 2nd option to look at near new 2st or 4st as dealers will offer warranty .my mate has the same boat with the Yama 200 HPDI and loves it . most 4st will give the same top end speed as 2st just different in pick up, but dont down size hp to save money which will change performance

Thanks to everyone for all the advice - especially Kane for his offer of help with the rebuild.

I eventually decided to go with the second hand Yamaha that Rod spotted down at Saltwater Marine.  Comes with a 3 month warranty which hopefully will be long enough to shake out any unknown problems - I'll just have to make sure I get out on the water enough to give it a good run over the next few months  (I'm sure Eddie will be sad to hear that).

It was a tough decision - I hope I've gone the right way.  The best price on the new Yamaha 4st was 23,300 + fitting.  It would be fantastic, but 5,500 is a lot less.

It turned out blocks were hard to get (like shipped from Queensland) and expensive (3,300 + freight sight unseen).  A new block is ridiculously priced - 19,000 - I guess they don't want to sell any.

This engine is newer than my old one, but pretty much identical - I've almost got a complete engine of spares.  I'll keep an eye out and if I ever see a cheap block I might try to rebuild myself, just out of interest.

 I'll post again in a few months - hopefully happy that it all worked out and not a message of woe.