Texas Fishing Forum

Hours on motor

Posted By: C_Fisher

Hours on motor - 11/06/15 06:05 PM

What do guys consider to be "a lot" of hours on a power head? Mercury pro xs and Yamaha Sho?
Posted By: David Welcher

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 06:21 PM

I would think 500 hours per year shows the motor is used a lot, as in guide service.
Posted By: timwins31

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 06:26 PM

Agreed. That's about 10 hrs a week. I'd say that's some pretty heavy usage.
Posted By: C_Fisher

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 06:29 PM

At what amount would you start worrying about motor power head issues?
Posted By: B-rader

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 06:31 PM

Not to be that guy but from 20 hours to 3000. They're just like cars , you get some good ones and some bad ones
Posted By: bogey♂

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 06:38 PM

My mechanic tells me that a motor that is not being used is a motor that will not last as long. He says that upkeep is very important, but run your motor.
Posted By: B.Hollingshead

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 06:46 PM

Originally Posted By: bogey
My mechanic tells me that a motor that is not being used is a motor that will not last as long. He says that upkeep is very important, but run your motor.
Yep Dads has around 800 and still going strong.
Posted By: C_Fisher

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 07:30 PM

I see some really nice used boats for sale, and it seems like if they have more than 250-300 hours, they have trouble selling them.
Posted By: ko bass attack 27

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 07:44 PM

Hours isn't as important as proper services performed on motor, I would rather buy a motor with 500hrs. On it that has been serviced at the proper intervals as opposed to one with 100hrs. that has been neglected.
Posted By: TexasTechliprip

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 07:59 PM

My first boat had 1200 hours on it when I sold it...never had a problem with it

My second had 125 when I bought it and was 9 years old....that engine blew after 65 hours

High hours without issues is a better sign to me then low hours and little use
Posted By: Polly Gosh Lizard

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 08:13 PM

My 2003 Evinrude Ficht just turned 600 hours. I've had very little trouble with it even though everyone said "don't buy a Ficht" ! I really bought it for the boat, a 19 foot ProGator but the motor just kept lasting and doing great. I change spark plugs once a year and decarb it along with changing the lower unit oil once a year. I did have to change the low pressure fuel pump but that is about it. I'll just keep using it till it quits.I fish at least 4 days a week maybe more sometimes.
Posted By: str1249

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 08:21 PM

That's because guys wanting a used boat are like guys who want to buy Harleys, 5 years old but no hours or miles, for $500.00.
Posted By: Tracker Tim

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 08:27 PM

Look at the throttle percentage before deciding. Lots of hours full throttle will tell you about the yahoo that is trying to sell it.
Posted By: Outdoordude

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 08:47 PM

Originally Posted By: TexasTechliprip
My first boat had 1200 hours on it when I sold it...never had a problem with it

My second had 125 when I bought it and was 9 years old....that engine blew after 65 hours

High hours without issues is a better sign to me then low hours and little use


Lots of truth in this comment ^^.

Engine hours are kinda like 40-yard times at the NFL combine; it's one of the quick and easy measurements you can point at, but it does not tell you the whole story of the engine/player.

Moderate to high-hour engines with good service schedules and steady-use have proven their dependability.

I have a 2003 Merc EFI with nearly 700 hours that still has 120 psi on all cylinders and impresses the mechanic every time he services it. That engine has been used steadily, but it also gets serviced once or twice a year since I got it.
Posted By: Douglas J

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 09:34 PM

It really depends on the type of hours. A boat with 600 hours and 30% or so over 3000 RPMs on it doesn't have a lot of hours on it. With today's electronics and styles of fishing, a lot of the time on the motor is used more for looking.

The other thing is if the motor had been maintained properly.

As stated prior, I wouldn't want a 10 year old boat with low hours and not ran hard a percentage of the time.
Posted By: 921 Phoenix

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 09:57 PM

offshore guys get 3000 to 4000 hours out of a motor. The mechanics I have talked to say if you run the motor every day and keep the motor up you can run a couple thousand hours easy. They say the hardest thing on any outboard is sitting still. The motor that has a 100 hours on it that is six years old is more likely to blow then a motor that has been run everyday with a 1000 hours on it. just my .02
Posted By: BigJake

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 10:30 PM

Buy a cheap bore light. Pull the plugs and look at the honing in each cylinder. Replace plugs and run compression test. This gives you a good idea of the core condition. The rest is just bolt on parts.
Posted By: Lake Fork Guide Marc Mitchell

Re: Hours on motor - 11/06/15 11:10 PM

IMO a consumer would not pay $18-$20 thousand for a engine that is suppose only last 500-1000 hrs. The math don't add up. Like many have said one that sits it the one to stay away from.

I have sold several of my boats with all over 500 hrs and they are are still running strong with no problems. In fact I know of one that has well over 2000 hrs and has only had reeds/water pump replaced.

If you do the math on number of hours at what RPM/Speed it comes out to a low mileage car. My Mercury Tech told me of a engine he seen with 2300 hrs and was about as strong as day it was new.

Good Gas/Oil go a long way to keeping it in great running condition as well as running it often and regular check ups.
Posted By: COWBOYSFAN008

Re: Hours on motor - 11/07/15 01:00 PM

Do you have to hook it up to the diagnostics computer for hours, or is there an actual hr. meter on it like a generator? I have a 2012 Mercury 250 Pro XS, and haven't seen any hours meter on it, or at least haven't noticed one. Thanks.
Posted By: SteezMacQueen

Re: Hours on motor - 11/07/15 01:22 PM

Nuts isn't it.

I figure my jeep has 65,000 miles on it at an average of 20 mph. So my jeep has 2000+ hours? Roughly. Maybe. Probably less since I usually drive faster vs slower. I don't know. I just stared my first cup of coffee. And my hillbilly math is probably off.

What I'm getting at is I have an old boat (by boat standards). A 1998. The motor is original. With only the routine repairs made to it. Water pumps, starters, etc. I think, as often as I and the previous owner fished, this thing has to have at least 2000 hours. Haha
And when it's as slow as it is, it's likely that almost 80% would have to be on pad at 5000+rpm. Lol.

She's a great boat. I will probably cause every problem she has. Haha.
Posted By: JIM SR.

Re: Hours on motor - 11/07/15 02:17 PM

I had a meter put on my when I bought it,.,.very inexpensive little tool. Cabelas put mine on..
Posted By: epicoutdoors

Re: Hours on motor - 11/07/15 02:40 PM

Originally Posted By: COWBOYSFAN008
Do you have to hook it up to the diagnostics computer for hours, or is there an actual hr. meter on it like a generator? I have a 2012 Mercury 250 Pro XS, and haven't seen any hours meter on it, or at least haven't noticed one. Thanks.


Yes sir, Any Merc service dept should be able to check it and give you a read out on hours and RPM's. It will also tell you if the motor has previously overheated, which is important to know. It may be more likely to have a problem if it has had overheating issues. Merc offers a Smartcraft gauge that keeps track of the hours.
Posted By: COWBOYSFAN008

Re: Hours on motor - 11/08/15 07:30 AM

Originally Posted By: epicoutdoors
Originally Posted By: COWBOYSFAN008
Do you have to hook it up to the diagnostics computer for hours, or is there an actual hr. meter on it like a generator? I have a 2012 Mercury 250 Pro XS, and haven't seen any hours meter on it, or at least haven't noticed one. Thanks.


Yes sir, Any Merc service dept should be able to check it and give you a read out on hours and RPM's. It will also tell you if the motor has previously overheated, which is important to know. It may be more likely to have a problem if it has had overheating issues. Merc offers a Smartcraft gauge that keeps track of the hours.
Great! thank you.
Posted By: John175☮

Re: Hours on motor - 11/08/15 02:16 PM

Is there some type of sliding scale for how much a buyer wants off the price if it has high hours?

I'm just curios why so much weight is placed on hours and RPMs on an outboard. Outboards are meant to be run in their RPM range and apparently there are some who think wide open is a killer. IMO it is not as long as the RPMs are in the manufacturer RPM range. How is it hurting a motor to make a 30 minute run at top rpm versus a one hour run at half the RPMs? I double the run time at low RPMs (which is bad?) or half the runtime at higher RPMs (which is bad?). Geez tire kickers need to make up their mind because if someone tries that double sided argument with me if/when I sell my boat please do it over the phone so I can tell you I'm not interested in haggling with you. I myself could care less about hours or RPMs on a used motor as long as the RPMs are not above 6,500+ range for hours and hours. In that case I know someone disabled the rev limiter and ran it like they stole it as a performance motor but then again "that guy" would just swap computers with someone to show low hours and RPMs...


It's a used boat. If you buy a boat that has no issues that pattern should follow as long as you (the buyer) doesn't do something stoopid. Don't buy a boat without a test drive and if the engine does not perform well on the test drive don't buy the boat. Period. Walk away. If you want a low hour / low rpm boat good luck you will pay a premium above average. Buying one with high hours and RPMs is a sign it was well maintained and used...The broke boats I've known have low hours and RPMs you're looking for because they were a pain to run sat all the time while the owner rode in the backseat of my high hours, high RPM boat.

Posted By: Mark Perry

Re: Hours on motor - 11/08/15 02:20 PM

Originally Posted By: John175 ®
Is there some type of sliding scale for how much a buyer wants off the price if it has high hours?

I'm just curios why so much weight is placed on hours and RPMs on an outboard. Outboards are meant to be run in their RPM range and apparently there are some who think wide open is a killer. IMO it is not as long as the RPMs are in the manufacturer RPM range. How is it hurting a motor to make a 30 minute run at top rpm versus a one hour run at half the RPMs? I double the run time at low RPMs (which is bad?) or half the runtime at higher RPMs (which is bad?). Geez tire kickers need to make up their mind because if someone tries that double sided argument with me if/when I sell my boat please do it over the phone so I can tell you I'm not interested in haggling with you. I myself could care less about hours or RPMs on a used motor as long as the RPMs are not above 6,500+ range for hours and hours. In that case I know someone disabled the rev limiter and ran it like they stole it as a performance motor but then again "that guy" would just swap computers with someone to show low hours and RPMs...


It's a used boat. If you buy a boat that has no issues that pattern should follow as long as you (the buyer) doesn't do something stoopid. Don't buy a boat without a test drive and if the engine does not perform well on the test drive don't buy the boat. Period. Walk away. If you want a low hour / low rpm boat good luck you will pay a premium above average. Buying one with high hours and RPMs is a sign it was well maintained and used...The broke boats I've known have low hours and RPMs you're looking for because they were a pain to run sat all the time while the owner rode in the backseat of my high hours, high RPM boat.



Lots of wisdom and truth right there.
Posted By: Lake Fork Guide Marc Mitchell

Re: Hours on motor - 11/09/15 01:39 PM

Book price never list anything about hours so for me re-guard less of hours book is the price I go by when I sell. Not to mention I always have warranty left for the buyer. I may adjust my price a bit from the book but that is starting point with price most of the time. Either average or above average condition.
Posted By: skins84

Re: Hours on motor - 11/10/15 02:42 AM

I read somewhere that 50 hrs a year on a outboard is considered average and don't consider a outboard with 500+ hrs with good maintenance to be worn out. I know some of the older carbed motors most of us have run in the past (with no hr meter), had way over 500 hrs on them.
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