rebuild VS repower

[keepitgreen05]

i have the stock motor for my v20 the 1987 johnson 140 vro i am in a toss up to buy a newer motor or have this one rebuilt. what is involved in a rebuild? i just want a reliable motor. last year i bought the boat and went out in the delaware river as a first run and she ran fine so the next day i put it in the bay and went about 3 miles and stoped for about a hour to fish and when i went to move she wouldnt stay running so i had that fixed 600.00 later and when i picked the boat up from the marina and got home realized the tilit was not working so i didnt have a chance to put it back in the water to see if it was actully fixed i have a 3 year old and dont want to be stuck out on the water again with her what should i do

[randlemanboater]

I was in the same boat, so to speak, a few years ago. I didn't want to be stranded by an old motor with my 3 kids who were 2, 6, and 7 at the time so I bought a new motor.

Remember, a rebuilt motor still has a lot of old parts on it that could fail.

Of course new motors fail too, and lots of old motors run flawlessly.

Its really up to you wallet.

[THEFERMANATOR]

What is wrong with your current outboard? What is it's "actual" condition? Buying a newer engine could just end up costing you more as partsfor newer engines tend to cost more. So unless your buying new, be prepared to whatever you have worked on at your expense. And newer engines don't always meen better. If your current engine just needs some basic work, then I would stick with it. Also make sure your having somebody work on it who knows what they are doing. There are ALOT of hacks out there charging a fortune to fix things that don't need to be done simply because they don't know what they're doing. As for what goes into a rebuild, it all boils down to what it needs. If the engine is in good shape, I wouldn't mess with it. Spending money on a good engine is about like burning $20's to light a cigarette. Be realistic as to the engines condition, and be ready to fix any engine if you buy a used one. And many times it is cheaper to spend some money on your current engine than to get that sweetheart of a deal used engine.

[Seacrets]

Guys, let's face it. With a 25 year old engine where is the reliability? Rebuilt or not, it's still 25 year old technology. Do I remove the oil pump and pre mix or not? If you troll alot, you'll get tired of fouled plugs. Most manufacturers don't support parts for 25 yr old motors. I personally run a 150 hp Yamaha four stroke on a boat that dresses out at over 4500 lbs. (w/o 5 fishermen onboard). I get 4 mpg with a top speed of 38 mph. It has just under 1000 hrs on it and it's had nothing but normal maintenance. In my business, if I don't go, I don't get paid. I'm on the water over 150 days a year. Loopers, carbs, premix etc. I like words like four stroke, fuel injection, smokeless, quiet, good fuel economy and current technology. It's personal preference and just my $.02. This post has nothing to do with two vs four stroke motors, but reliability. My vote would be for a newer engine, but not a new one unless you plan to keep the boat for several years.

[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by Seacrets

Guys, let's face it. With a 25 year old engine where is the reliability? Rebuilt or not, it's still 25 year old technology. Do I remove the oil pump and pre mix or not? If you troll alot, you'll get tired of fouled plugs. Most manufacturers don't support parts for 25 yr old motors. I personally run a 150 hp Yamaha four stroke on a boat that dresses out at over 4500 lbs. (w/o 5 fishermen onboard). I get 4 mpg with a top speed of 38 mph. It has just under 1000 hrs on it and it's had nothing but normal maintenance. In my business, if I don't go, I don't get paid. I'm on the water over 150 days a year. Loopers, carbs, premix etc. I like words like four stroke, fuel injection, smokeless, quiet, good fuel economy and current technology. It's personal preference and just my $.02. This post has nothing to do with two vs four stroke motors, but reliability. My vote would be for a newer engine, but not a new one unless you plan to keep the boat for several years.

I'm just about the exact opposite, but then again I wrench on my own engines and can't afford repairs on that "NEW TECHNOLOGY". I couldn't tell you how many of them fancy new engines I have towed in with my old style smoke belching loopers. And one of my best trolling engines I EVER had was my 150 MERC XRI. It was a fuel injected engine, but I ran it pre-mix to be safe. That thing would troll for HOURS on end, and all I would get when I gunned it was about a 2 second delay with a smoke cloud and off it went. I don't buy into the newer is always better, but like I said I wrench on my own which changes thing.

[Seacrets]

Remember, what I said, "Personal preference". You stick with your loopers and I'll keep what I got. I enjoy fishing and not fixing.

[smokeonthewater]

If your concern is safety then the simple answer is a good running engine of any age AND a kicker..... redundancy is your best friend

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by smokeonthewater

If your concern is safety then the simple answer is a good running engine of any age AND a kicker..... redundancy is your best friend

Smoke beat me to it, but that was going to be my answer also. I've seen new engines with holes in them, and I've seen old engines with holes in them. Even a brand new engine can be savaged by hitting an underwater object or a floating log. Point is, there will always be some kind of problem somewhere along the line, no matter what engine, year, make or model. Two is just simply safer than one. (And a kicker damn well beats using a paddle to get back to the dock)

[awthacker]

TowBoat US or SeaTow. Best investment you can make.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by awthacker

TowBoat US or SeaTow. Best investment you can make.

Very true, I totally agree, ... but there are lots of lakes and rivers that they simply do not cover. I still think that for overall safety, especially with small kids aboard, a kicker is the way to go.