Make Your Outboard Last Forever

The September 2013 issue of Power & Motoryacht carried one of the most popular articles ever printed in this fine magazine. Written by Richard Thiel, “How to Make Your Boat’s Engine Last Forever” gave a number of tips to keep a gasoline or diesel inboard engine spinning happily for, well, maybe not forever—we’re talking about engines, not Stonehenge—but for as long as the boat lasts. That was Thiel’s definition of forever, and I think it’s a pretty good one.

Now I’ll try to match Thiel’s advice, but with outboards. Is that even possible? Can an outboard motor run for 1,000-plus hours, like a big, slow-turning diesel can? Most folks would say no, but take a walk along the docks of any marina catering to smaller boats, and you’ll see plenty of well-used Evinrudes, Johnsons, Mercurys, Yamahas and others—and by “well used” I mean built in the 1990s or even earlier, but still taking their owners on fishing and family trips without incident. Okay, maybe some of these outboards look a little rough, but don’t we all as we get more hours on the clock?

I made a