I'm looking at buying a used boat. My budget is 10,000 or les. I want something from the mid to late nineties or early 2000's. What motors are best for that time period? Something reliable and easy to work on and find parts for. Any recommendations?

Had a 2002 Yamaha V-Max 225 EFI, put 1800 hrs on it. It still had the original powerhead and lower unit on it when I traded it February 2016. It was on a 2000 Champion 203.

Yamaha or Mercury is an easy answer. Just be sure and check compression on the motor at minimum

The best motors are the ones with a complete set of maintenance records, preferably a one owner who cared more about his boat than almost anything..

I highly recommend that you have a good mechanic check out the motor. I agree the Yamaha/Mercury opinion but would also mention that every manufacturer has some issues from time to time ('02 Optimax came out with blue injectors which if the original owner complained about got changed under warrantee to the black injectors. Will cost about $2400 now to get them changed out. Don't ask me how I know.) Hours on an engine are probably more important than the age IMHO. Be prepared to spend some time looking and I hope you find a good boat!

I have a 95 Astro (Gary Klein design)for sale. See Boat 4 sale section. The Mercury or Yamaha engines were all good then. I would avoid Evinrude's from the late 90's until Bombardier bought them. Too many power head issues. As mentioned above-Take it to a mechanic. If not possible then(1) Check the compression on all cylinders (should not read less than 110 psi- 115 to 120 is factory spec). While the spark plug is out use a Maglite and look into the cylinder. Any red color indicates rust and means the cylinder walls maybe be pitted. (2) Pull the bottom drain plug on the lower unit. If the oil is very black or white this indicates there maybe bearing or seal problems. Also spin the prop by hand and feel for roughness. While spinning the prop watch to see if it turns a true circle or does it wobble (bent shaft). Finally before buying take for test run on the lake.

Go into it with the expectation that you will do a complete maintenance update on the motor including sending off the injectors to be cleaned and calibrated if fuel injected. Very few boats will have a maintenance log, so what you are doing is insurance as much as you can against a failure. I keep a spreadsheet that has everything I have done since I got my boat, so I know exactly when what was done on the boat.

If you are doing the work, budget around $1K to $800 to cover parts and sending the injectors off. You might come in less depending on how things go.

I have one of these for sale right now, so I would say I'm biased, but I truly mean this- look at the 2003-2005 range Mercury xr6's. They are carbureted so they like the gas, but they are regarded as one of the most reliable engines on the market. Plus, they made so many of them, so you can find parts anywhere. A lot of older hulls got repowered with these. I have a 1987 Ranger 393v with an '04 on it and have had literally zero problems with owning it for almost 2.5 years. Feel free to PM me as well if you would like to hear more about the boat. It is cleannnn for it's age. New carpet, minn kota fortrex, etc.

Four stroke, no worries. Easy to maintain, cheap on gas, super quiet.

You guys are funny, his budget is around $10k. There will be no motors newer than 1998 or 4 strokes that will fall into that price range, unless he buys a basstracker.


I think the only motors that really had issues back then were the Ficht evinrudes.

completly disagree with you on that for that price range you can buy a nice late 90s early 2000s 18ft class boat. I sold my 02 tzx190 last year for 9k and it was a great boat. If your not dead set on a 20ft plus boat you can find a nice one in that price range.

True story. I'd rather have a 18 foot with a 4 stroke than a 20 footer with a 2 stroke.

Get min 18ft, and min 150 hp. Small or under powered boats suck. My rule of thumb- no new paint, always crawl under and check hull. If the owner didn't take care of it(hull) , they prob didn't take care of the rest either. As stated, run compression check, and check lower oil. If tires are badly worn, owner is prob a tight wad and puts maintenance last instead of priority. Be patient, this is the right time of year to get a deal. Good luck.

Just thinking out loud here but if an older boat like you describe is still running then I would say chances are it has a reliable engine no matter the brand.

Mercury XR6