look after it and it should look after you, but the prob with 2nd hand you dont realy know the history , people will tell you what you want to hear, get it checked thoroughly

yeh thanks, i havnt looked at the boat yet but he said its got full service history. So then its probly worth getting a mechanic to have a look at it for me? 

I have a 50ELPTO on mine, same year, but it only had 70hrs on it when I got it. Now up to just 200 and all going fine.

You see people out on the waters with donks from the 70's so 01 and 400hrs is nothing, if it was well maintained.

has done just over 500 hrs and a mechanic has told him the big ends are on there way so proberly wont last much longer

i would say it depends on if the boat was under or over powered with the size of motor and how the rig was driven, 400 to 500 hours is the same as a car motor with 120 to 150 k  kms and how it was driven.  have it checked out and keep an eye on it,  my mate has 800 hrs on his 200 yamy no problems 

I worked for a Yamaha dealership in 1996/7 and at the time the information from Yamy Japan was that when they build new motors they bench test them to destruction,much the same way as the Roll Royce engines are tested for aircraft,747 and others,they set them up and use them in the manner they expect them to meet in the working world real time ,this meant that a 150hp 2st Yamy as tested at that time was could for 32,000 hrs of running in different conditions as long as the service standards were met,lets face it,how many trucks (road trains) with various diesel motors do half a million to a million klms as long as well serviced jersey

Mine's 1986 85hp and still running strong!

mines a 2006 yamaha 115 2 stroke and has over 320hrs on it, reckon it runs better than ever now, as long as regular servicing is maintained u should have now problems and i would expect years of service. with 400 hours that only equates to 50 hours per year, so at least the outboard has been used which is better than a 2001 with 100 hours on it. I would always recommend having the boat and motor checked over by a proffesional, small amount of dough for peace of mind.

thanks guys, sounds like it should still have a fair bit of life left in it then, ill definently get it checked out by a mechanic ( hull aswell) and just see what they have to say about it. hopefully its all good. cheers

i had a 70s blueband 150 on mine its still pumpin , maintainence is the trick but you do get lemons that just crap it

Paul, as far as the industry standards go this motor is on ruff par ie 60 hours per year!

I agree, get a qualified mechanical inspection and hull check....worth the money by far!

thanks again guys. So now the next question, does anybody know any mechanics or the like that do boat inspections? mobile mechanics if possible?

If you are North of the river give these people a call,they are also insurance assessors so if they give you a written report it will be honest and well done,I had a Blue band Merc,150hp 1977 could motor but merc changed the metal components in the head,to much or too little copper,or something,any ways they had a big corrosion problem,also when the VROs came out,the Merc ones were not that reliable,and dealers were disconnecting them and telling people to just add oil straight to fuel as we used to,I think that was the brown bands but not sure,People say that they (Merc) still have some electrical problems with the new motors,but this is only what I have been told,no personal experience,the thing with the VRO was it was new technological and thats why the Yamy excelled due to their motor cycle engines and Johnson the 2000 models have a problem with the oil fuel mix dia frames being to close that they rub and get a hole but I think they have sorted that one now also,basically ,stick to motors that have been around a long time,get any 2nd hand ones thoroughly checked out,and make sure you get it well serviced and freshwater washed after each use,correct oil ratio if mixing your self,and don't over work them or make them scream their box off,as I do not now of any mechanical items that like working at peak for excessive time with little or no servicing.Just my thoughts good luck in your purchase jersey 

5000 minimum for a 4 stroke.

thanks mate, if i can get 2000 hrs out of it then that should be fine for me as i only manage to clock up around 50hrs per year.

thanks jersey. yeh im NOR so ill look them up.

appreciate all ur help guys, great to get a few different opinions!!

 cheers

I have seen Yamaha outboards after 6500 hours and you can still see the original hone marks on the bores. So no problems really. Some brands are obviously better than others. The Yamaha's are designed to be pulled down and serviced ever 500 hours so for them high hours are no big issue.