1000s mate if maintained, no worries. 500 is just run in!

Second tim-o comment of 1000's if they have been maintaned and run at cruising revs. If it was run WOT for 500hrs would be a different story.

 these engines suffer more from lack of use than over use.

Generally speaking it seems the gearboxes get to about 2000hrs and need a rebuild but the engines themselves 2000hrs is roughly the equivalent of 150-200,000km though they do work a little harder than a car.

 Iv done 1400 in 3 years on a 250 yamy 4st an it's never missed a beat! I know abb divers and other pro's that get 4500-5000 on motors before turning them over! Get sum one good to service it every 100hrs an you can't go wrong

I've got the same hours on the same motor as Reece - service them every 100 and you shouldn't have a drama.

 suzi 300 1900hours and still runs like a dream

 Many thanks for the replies fellas, I thought you should get a couple thousand hours of them with regular servicing and what not.

So if the service history looks pretty sound and the people selling look like the take care of the rest of their property it should do many more years pretty happily. Can't wait to get myself a little boat, not much experience with them but I figure the inlets around Denmark and Walpole should be a good training ground.

Cheers.

Being 2002 520hrs It hasn't been used much. Make sure you take it for a good test run. The carbys gum up on them if not looked after properly. Its not a big problem costs a couple of hundred bucks for a strip and clean. They also have a problem with the enrichening solenoid if not used much. I think being 2002 it should have one not a choke. The motor should fast idle when first started then slowly drop after a few minutes. This costs a few hundred to replace also. Try and give it a good run over the whole rev range on flat water will show up carby problems. Should also have a separate water separator fuel filter fitted. Ive got a 60hp efi yami at the moment 2100hrs still look like new and runs like a dream.

All good info and yep 500hrs is not that much if looked after.

With carbys gumming up if it's just your fuel float getting stuck and your half handy rather than fully strip them it may pay to take air intake off, unscrew float chamber drain and drain fuel holding a rag under drain, then spray some foaming carby cleaner into the drain plug, wait five min and then squeeze bulb a few times and flush foam out of chamber, do this twice then put drain plug back and refit air intake.  Run some carby/injector cleaner (not too heavy a mix) in the next tank to clean needles but use the lot and then refuel with clean/straight fuel for the flush (or at least top up to dilute it).  - cost about $20 and saved me from having to strip the carby's for around 4 years on my previous motor until I traded it in

PS never run ethanol blend fuel (ie. E10) in an outboard.

Cheers

 Seen e10 starting to rear its head at a few independent servos , not only bad for outboards bum can really do damage to cars not intended to run on it , as the ethanol is a solvent eats gaskets fuel lines etc , some real horror stories from over east as it was introduced .

 G'day all, I was planning on taking a mate who has a lot more to do with boats than I do out with us to have a look. So if they look they are worth buying we will take for a quick test drive, and see how they travel.

I will stay clear of the e10 fuel! I am yet to use biodiesel in my Dmax. Heard some not so good stories about that stuff too.

Thanks for the info and tips.

Cheers.

 Wouldn't touch E10 with a 10 foot pole. So many different fuel places these days and I've got no idea where the fuel comes from. My ute can easily run on 91 but with the fuel prices as they are, I'm finding 95 Pulp well under $1.50 now, so I use that. Engine runs so much more cleaner. Looking forward to that new instrument that was on TV this week that measures a vehicles exhaust gases as you drive past. That looked an interesting concept.