[bigshrimpin]

Laurence - That 1998 evinrude Ficht is a real gamble. There is a reason he only has 12 hours on that engine. The OMC ficht engines during that period are known to blow powerheads with less than 50 hours. Dealers couln't give these engines away. The ficht engines are the reason that OMC went under.

If you really like the boat . . . . then buy the boat and value the motor at $500.

If you do get it . . . . There are many updates to these engines like the pinned heads, water cooled computers, injectors. The computers log Error codes, Hours, RPM ranges, etc. Have a dealer check it out and give you a print out of the report. Also call evinrude customer service with the serial number . . . they'll tell you what updates have been done . . . if any. Read up on iboats about the 1998 and 1999 150/175 Ficht engines.
The most important piece of advice . . . have the owner take you for a ride in the boat. Make sure he drives at 2000 to 3500 rpm. Also DFItechnologies.com has lots of good information.

I own a 1998 evinrude ficht with 185 hours. It runs like crap in certain RPM ranges and it's very finickey. Carbon build up is a serious problem . . . . You have to decarb these engines every 100hours, run carbx, use special oil, and you have to index the plugs (takes 12 plugs (@ $8 ea) to find 6 good ones).