So Thomas wants to pick up a river running jon boat rig, say a 1542 jon and 25 hp motor, and wants to try and do it as cheaply as possible, meaning auctions, marketplace, craigslist, etc., and is willing to piece one together. A 25 hp Yamaha showed up in Nashville Friday and caught my attention. IMHO these are the best 25 hp motor ever built, powerful, reliable and light. Seller wanted just south of a grand stating the motor needed a tune-up but compression was good. I told Thomas I'd make the four hour round trip if needed to get the motor and loan him the money until he gets his tax return (the life of a broke college student [smile]). He contacted the seller and made plans for me to pick the motor up last night. Before I left I grabbed a spark plug wrench and compression gauge. I rolled into Nashville about 7:00 and went to a church where the seller and motor awaited. The motor looked clean, especially for being 30 years old. The oil injection pump had been deleted and the electric start was gone, but she shifted smoothly and, like I said, was quite clean. I asked the owner about his compression test and he said he performed one but couldn't tell me the numbers. So before I would hand over my son's money I requested to run a compression check and the seller was fine with it. Top cylinder was 90 psi. Hmm, not good. Bottom cylinder was 60 psi. I told the seller I couldn't go through with the sale. He was nice about it and apologized and offered to pay my gas. He asked me what I thought the motor was worth as a parts motor and I told him $450. I soon headed home, empty-handed.
Thomas was a bit bummed it didn't work out but I was relieved I didn't bring home a motor that was going to take a lot of time and money to get going. I was thankful I thought to check before I made a decision with his money. Moral of the story, when buying outboard motors, especially older ones, run a compression check. No matter what the seller says you can't leave it to chance.
Eric
Thomas was a bit bummed it didn't work out but I was relieved I didn't bring home a motor that was going to take a lot of time and money to get going. I was thankful I thought to check before I made a decision with his money. Moral of the story, when buying outboard motors, especially older ones, run a compression check. No matter what the seller says you can't leave it to chance.
Eric
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