I have noticed that the shop where our chapter has a once a year meet
has updated its sign from we will not work on motors made before 1965 to a more recent year. The reality is this, if you are not willing and able to restore and/or repair an older outboard no one else will, The hourly shop rate for motors they will work on is near $100 per hour. I have also noticed the shop has motors for sale that owners would not pay for the repairs that were done. It is not unusual for members to sell motors they have restored for less than cost of materials and parts used to make outboard look and function like new.
Value of down on their luck old outboards is whatever a buyer and seller agree at a given time and place,
As an example, I once purchased a common Mercury Mark 7 with a
broken crankshaft, It took about a week of after supper work to tear
it apart, replace the crankshaft, cam and flywheel with good used parts
from parts motor. The same make and model generally sell for $75
to $100 at meets. $35 for parts and labor if I could find a buyer.
Old outboards are a not for profit hobby. A common outboard in poor
cosmetic condition usually has other problems from neglect and
hard use. I once was given a Mercury KF7 that had been left in a boat
house for decades after it developed problems too expensive to fix.
Getting it apart was a real job. A few parts were salvaged, not many,
Free is sometimes about what an old outboard is worth.
My wife has an even lower opinion of value or old outboards.
Louis
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