the corrosion issue on the Yamaha's were related to 2000-2003 200/225 four strokes(I've seen several). The 250 of the same years used a different style exhaust housing and didn't have the issues that people talk about. I haven't heard anyone run into a later model(post 2003) with the corrosion issues. Besides the mentioned issues, most of what I see is corrosion on the trim components. Most Yamaha's use the Showa trim system, its the same that Bombardier, Honda, and Suzuki use so its not brand specific. As with any engine, taking care of your anodes is a maintenance item that doesn't need to be neglected. From what I see around here, the Yamaha's seem to hold up to corrosion better than any of the other manufactures. Mercury used to be the best but somewhere along the lines they changed their aluminum(probably coincides with the closing of the Stillwater plant) and its not as good as it once was. Back in the day, Johnson/Evinrude had a soft aluminum, it didn't corrode that bad, but it wouldn't hold threads well. OMC changed their aluminum for the worse some where in the late 90's. I can't comment on the newer E-Tecs as there are so few of them around here it would be hard to come up with an opinion on corrosion on them. The ones I notice in the stacks don't seem to be used much. Suzuki's are known for their corrosion issues and the failure of warranty to cover anything about it. Our area is listed as a "hot" area and Suzuki will not honor corrosion related issues on boats around here(explains why there are no more new Suzukis sold by local dealers). Honda has the worst aluminum of them all. i caution my customer who own if I have to take anything apart, I'm not responsible if it falls apart in my hands.
As far as that boat you are interested in, I'd have the engine checked over by a Yamaha shop. that's a real good engine and probably my first choice in an engine in that horse power range. I sold a new 250 just before Christmas for $14750(real good price), that should give you an idea of what the engine on that boat is worth(I'm guessing $9500-$11000). The only thing about that Robalo is what Ferm said, its only as good as the last redo and the person doing the work. Have the hull checked out real good. I've seen plenty of nice older boats with major structural issues that some one was trying to hide to get it sold. Good luck finding your boat
Bradford made a good point about the height of the bottom paint. there's a local guy trying to sell his 2002 Yamaha four stroke because it was too heavy for his Sea Craft. One of my customers went to look at it and it had low compression on the bottom cylinder, probably from the exhaust issue
|