Repower or rebuild outboards?

[RussH]

Looking for opinions so I can make an educated decision. I have twin 1990 Evinrude 225HP outboards w/ 850 hours. From a previous post many seemed to think my engines were on their last leg so I've looking for a good pair of used outboards but they are very hard to find in the Great Lake area where I live.

Considering a good pair of used outboards will likely cost at least $12K-$15K plus another $3K-$5K for guages, controls, oil tanks, props & labor to mount them I'm looking at around $18K - $20K for replacement.

Doing a rebuild on both engines I'm probably looking at $4K - $6K complete (is this about right?). If fuel cost wouldn't be so high, I think rebuilding would be the better option. The problem is my older outboards are very thirsty so I'm now thinking a pair of Mercury Opti's or 4 stroke outboards would cost me more money up front but save me money in the long run.

Buying used outboards I run the risk of getting a couple of clunkers that could cost me lots of money in repairs. Buying new is out of the question, just way to much money to spend on an 18 year old boat. How many hours can I expect to get if I have my outboards rebuilt?

Rebuild or replace, that is the question.

Russ

[v70cat]

Russ I don't know the age of your boat but generally repowering cost do not result in a big increase in resale value.

You might be better off getting a newer boat with newer 4 cycle engines.
Since the market is weak the cost of the used boat and engines might be less than the cost of repowering.

[jenkinsph]

Jim Herbert has a good article in Continuouswave where he has changed from a 1990 Evinrude to a new
Etec 250 HO without swapping out all the controls. He also has a comparison of fuel numbers that may
interest you look on his main page.


Steve

Russ,
I recently went through these hoops. After much research I decided to buy a new Yammy 4 stroke single 350/V8 during the month of March. Yammy has a 6 year bumper to bumper warranty package only during the month of March. I got $2500 for a solid running pair of '89 200HP Yammys on trade. My dealer gave one hell of a package deal in this soft market: Motor/2 square command center gauges/prop/electronic binnacle shifter (no more cables!)rigged/wired and out the door for approx $22k plus tax and a one time charge of oversized battery cables from motor to new HD batteries to crank the beast.
It's the best purchase decision I've made. I upgraded my electronics to state of the art and plan on re-wiring the entire rig. You can't buy a new rig like this for under $150k. The fuel savings is amazing with this beast. Go 4 stroke. Why spend $20 or more a gallon for 2 stroke oil? Hope this helps with your decision making.

[RussH]

Steve- I read the entire article from Continuouswave, very interesting reading. A 53% increase in fuel economy...that is HUGE. And that doesn't count the cost of 2 stroke oil at $30+ a gallon.

The boat and engines are all original, 1990 Scarab Sport & 1990 Evinrude outboards. I had a transom rebuild in 2005 that cost me $6K so I know the boat is solid as a rock. I may be able to get a great deal on another boat with newer outboards but I'll be at a disadvantage when trying to sell my boat.

Russ

Conkyjoe- I hadn't considered going from twins to a single. I would have to get a new engine bracket and I really like the handling of twins so going from twins to a single isn't really a preferred option.

[BiloxiGuy]

Russ,

Just lately I have tossed around the idea of selling my 250XS's just to generate some cash for the divorce and in turn keep my hull...These are 2004 motors with brand new powerheads as of this month with factory warranties. The motors would be in your price range. Let me know if you're interested.