Robin
Well-known member
When I bought our previous outboard, a Mariner 2hp used on our tender I fully intended treating it royally and giving it regular services each winter. However this New Year resolution went out with the bath water after I paid for the first service and realised that 3 services would have bought a new engine, so DIY I thought. Well I didn't DIY or have it serviced and it went on and on and on, never failing to start when required, though I did have to clean the main jet twice in 10 years. OK the last 4 years of it's life it didn't get used much as we were then in a marina berth and didn't have the tender ride out to the mooring. When it eventually packed up (well started to stop for no apparent reason) it was 10 years old and we were on holiday, no time to waste waiting for repair (I couldn't find anything wrong), so we traded it in for a New Honda 2hp 4 stroke whilst in France they gave us about £100, not far off what we paid originally!
Now with our shiny new Honda once again I thought 'I will look after his one properly'. Well we only use an outboard for long tender trips on our main cruise, otherwise we are in a marina berth or use the oars alone so it just sits there most of the time up on the pushpit. We HAD to have the 1st service regardless, since we needed some factory recall bits fitted under warranty and they insisted, it cost about £85! The following year I left it untouched, no problems, then again the next year, remember we probably only used it a total of 2hrs per year. Then on last year's cruise as always it started 1st time having been sitting on the pushpit for 11 months, but this time it was not feeling well when asked to go at more than half throttle. Ah a blocked main jet I thought, well this requires the carb to be removed for access which in turn requires a fair amount of dismantling of other bits (I rang Honda to ask), so we went back to <half throttle and/or oar power. Yesterday I got the engine back from a full service, another £87 and apparently the problem was stale petrol only.
Finally for the question! At £87 for a service and a new engine costing £360 +/-, just 4 services will buy a new engine, 3 perhaps if the original is traded in for say £100 (?). So what do folks reckon, give the o/b red carpet services or leave it alone & trade it every 3 years for a new one?
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Now with our shiny new Honda once again I thought 'I will look after his one properly'. Well we only use an outboard for long tender trips on our main cruise, otherwise we are in a marina berth or use the oars alone so it just sits there most of the time up on the pushpit. We HAD to have the 1st service regardless, since we needed some factory recall bits fitted under warranty and they insisted, it cost about £85! The following year I left it untouched, no problems, then again the next year, remember we probably only used it a total of 2hrs per year. Then on last year's cruise as always it started 1st time having been sitting on the pushpit for 11 months, but this time it was not feeling well when asked to go at more than half throttle. Ah a blocked main jet I thought, well this requires the carb to be removed for access which in turn requires a fair amount of dismantling of other bits (I rang Honda to ask), so we went back to <half throttle and/or oar power. Yesterday I got the engine back from a full service, another £87 and apparently the problem was stale petrol only.
Finally for the question! At £87 for a service and a new engine costing £360 +/-, just 4 services will buy a new engine, 3 perhaps if the original is traded in for say £100 (?). So what do folks reckon, give the o/b red carpet services or leave it alone & trade it every 3 years for a new one?
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