Ferm, that loks allmost identicle to an answer I gave on the same subject on another forum. Somehow, people get the idea patched, or repaired is the same as rebuilt. When I first started working on outboards, I had been working on I/O and automotive engines for years, I was astonished that people would rebuild an outboad boring only one hole, I would have never tried on an automotive engine(allthough there are some that will). there are very few people that actually rebuild an outboard the way its supposed to be done, as you pointed out. Done correctly, a true rebuilt(remanufactured) outboard power head should last as long, if not longer than it originally did, given the rest of the engine is up to par. Most people just don't want to spend the money it takes to do it right