Craigslist Boat Motors For Sale (2024)

FAQs

Why is there a shortage of boat motors? ›

The pandemic, combined with the war in Ukraine, has interrupted shipping worldwide and created shortages in everything from the wiring looms that connect an outboard engine's electronics to the microchips that control them. Related content: All the 115hp outboard engines compared.

So for a 5-year old boat, anywhere between 375 to 750 engine hours would be considered reasonable. Boats that are 15-20 years old should be approached with a little more caution, even if their engine hours are within the reasonable range. Well-maintained engines have an average lifespan of about 1500-2000 hours.

One of the lightest outboards in its class, able to reduce vibration and provide more stable steering performance, while ensuring you burn fuel cleanly – not to mention its size, which makes it ideal for both smaller and larger applications if you double-up – the No 1 best-selling outboard of 2021 is the Suzuki DF100.

The average marine gasoline engine runs for 1,500 hours before needing a major overhaul. The average marine diesel engine will run for more than three times that long and log an average 5,000 hours under the same conditions.

In the current market, the boats priced below the rest of the pack are the boats attracting buyer activity. Overpricing is the most common reason a yacht doesn't sell.

If you can wait till the end of the boating season, you're very likely to get a good deal on boat motors.

The top boat brands listed above include those that are the most reliable and well made. As a result, some of the most reliable boat brands include Azimut Yachts, Boston Whaler, Ferretti, Princess, Sunseeker and Viking, among others.

As long as it's well maintained before going into storage, a boat can sit for a few months, a few years or even a few decades. Neglecting to prep it for storage, though, will necessitate massive repairs or even a total rebuild.

It's easy to get off track when you only pay attention to price versus focusing on the type of boat you'd like to buy. Your next step is to pay attention to the used boat's age and engine hours, we recommend looking for used boats that are under 10 years old with less than 500 hours logged.

Yamaha is renowned for its outboard motors' engineering excellence and reliability. Their outboards are known for being quiet, fuel-efficient, and environmentally friendly.

What is the easiest outboard motor to work on? ›

Two-Stroke Outboard Motors:

Since two-stroke engines do not include valves, their construction is simpler and many mechanics argue that they are easier to work on. Additionally, two-stroke engines offer double the power for their size due to the fact that there are twice as many strokes for each revolution.

The old 2 stroke outboards had an expected lifetime of 1500 hours, while the modern 4 strokes are expected to have 4000 hrs. An electric motor can last for tens of thousands of hours* (with battery replacement), with a notable increase over the 4,000 hour average of high-end petrol outboards.

Boat engine replacement can cost around $5,000 to $15,000 depending on the type of engine.

Rebuilding your current engine of the same size might cost about $2500 or so — or about a third of the cost of a new engine. Buying a rebuilt engine, backed by a reputable dealer of course, would split that difference, or about $3000 to $4000. That difference will buy a lot of gas, so consider carefully.

Mercury Marine Engines offer a wide selection of outboard motors that range from 2.5 to 600 hp. With the right amount of care and maintenance, you can expect a new Mercury outboard motor to last up to 3,000 hours.

Unlike the trolling motors that only go at slow trolling speeds, today's true electric outboard motors can provide much higher power. They are designed to be used as the primary power source. Mercury Marine will have electric outboards available by 2023. Mercury Marine will have electric outboards available by 2023.

As you may have already noticed, many manufacturers supply 9.9 HP boat motors instead of 10 HP. There are good reasons behind those 9.9 HP motors: Some inland bodies of water have motor restrictions “under 10HP” only. Some states will require boat registration on boats with larger than 10 HP outboard motors.

Major players in the outboard engines market are Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd., Brunswick Corporation, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co. Inc., Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., Tohatsu Corporation, Hidea Power Machinery Co.

That said, millennials face obstacles — cost, perception, and lack of mechanical know-how — and need the boating industry to nurture this fledgling fleet. (See "How To Help Get Young People Out On The Water" below for suggestions on what boaters and the industry can do.)