What 4-stroke to stay away from? 50-60hp and used

Hello all, I am looking at picking up a used 4-stroke. I am not very knowledgeable on these, I have only ever owned 2-strokes. What should I look for minus the obvious scratches/prop/skag damage? Thanks!

In that size range I dont think you could go wrong with any of them.

I love scratches. Brings the big bucks down and easy to fix

You really can’t go wrong these days. They all make a pretty good engine. I have a 4 yr old Yamaha 60 and it’s been flawless.

The outboard itself isn’t where I’d focus my attention. As mentioned above today’s smaller and mid-sized 4 stroke outboards are phenomenal when taken care of. I’d spend more time figuring out why it’s being sold, what it was used on before, and focus on other tools/toys/the property of the seller to see how they take care of stuff in general.

buckybadger wrote:

The outboard itself isn’t where I’d focus my attention. As mentioned above today’s smaller and mid-sized 4 stroke outboards are phenomenal when taken care of. I’d spend more time figuring out why it’s being sold, what it was used on before, and focus on other tools/toys/the property of the seller to see how they take care of stuff in general.

What if I have a mix of beautiful toys and pieces of crap laying around. Because that’s pretty much my situation. I have a few nice bikes I could call beauty queens, and some old hoop d wheelie rippers.
I’d be more focused on a maintenence history

I’ve had several 50 hp four strokes. I’ve had Mercury, Honda, and Yamaha. All have been fine, but I will say Yamaha has been the best for me. Make sure you check the hours on the engine. A dealer told me that once you get to 7000 hours you’ll start to have major issues. I personally sell mine when I’m near 3500 hours. It’s still a decent motor for someone else to own.

Heat discoloration on the power head is an obvious no go. Dirty oil is a bad sign. But easily swept under the rug with an oil change. Some newer models a tech can tell you exact hour on the unit. Think OMC and Merc quality has varied over the years. Merc now has some shared technology with Yamaha, and seems to be good now. I’ve never heard anyone that like their Yamaha. I have a 115 and a 9.9 love them both. That said Honda makes a heck of a motor, just check dealer/service in your area, it can be spotty. Suzuki is taking over the south. Especially in salt water with a 6 year warranty.

Thanks for the replies!

How much for the Hoop D?

bigcrappie wrote:

How much for the Hoop D?

For you, really expensive. Just kidding. I’ll trade for a replacement rod.