MacGregorSailors.com

I found brand new 5HP, short shaft Briggs & Stratton motor for sale for $650. I was looking at different 5HP motors and new Mercury for example is twice as much. The other major brands are also considerably higher than $650. It weights 75 lb which is more than the other 5HP motors I looked at but it doesn’t matter to me. I need it as a kicker / trolling motor for my . But why does it have such low price? Is it a bad brand? Does anyone have any experience with Briggs & Stratton? Any advice will be appreciated!

These are essentially adapted lawn mower engines, to paraphrase threads of previous discussion.

In fresh water, these might be ok, but in salt the experience I recall was they self-destruct. I have a Lausan outboard made by Tecumseh and I wouldnt bother bringing it near salt water.

They are a lot noiser than a watercooled..and 75 lbs is quite a beast...

Fresh water only motor.

Bob

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I paid a lot less than the 1300 for my 4HP two years ago - when I went online though, I found the prices on outboards are through the roof.

Exchange rate, no doubt.

I purchased this motor to power my 19' Flying Scot It is a great running motor. I have to agree it is fresh water only. This motor is about 5 yrs old and still running on my buddies boat. The biggest drawback was the weight (50 lbs) and there was no lever to hold it out of the water. You need to put a block of wood under it. One nice feature is that it has a reverse gear. People may talk you out of it but to be honest it was the best $650 I ever spent.
Just remember it is really only a lawnmower motor ...but it starts every time and it is air cooled and from my experiences very reliable and parts are found anywhere.

As always thank you all for your responses! I am going to purchase this motor. I sail in Lake Erie and it is very unlikely that I will sail in salt water in the future. It sounds like it is a reliable motor and I need it mostly as a backup and for occasional trolling. None of the other comparable motors come even close to $650. It is brand new, comes with 2 year warranty, no sale tax (online out of state purchase), FREE shipping, 3 gallons gas tank with hose. I can live with it being a little louder and heavier. It looks like a good deal. Thanks!

They are quite explicit on the website that is a fresh water only engine, but that sounds fine for your use.

When I researched for my small kicker, I wanted one with the internal fuel tank as well as an external option, since the kids use it now.

The one part you arent going to be able to get in stock will be a spare prop and shear pin - I would order those as spares and have them in stock.

It would be cool to be able to get engine parts at Lowes without We$t Marine markup!!

Here is a 2.5hp outboard that weighs only 18 lbs and can be used in salt water. Cost $575.
Would be great for a Dink.
http://www.smalloutboardengines.com/25s ... board.html
Dave

dxg68 wrote:As always thank you all for your responses! I am going to purchase this motor. I sail in Lake Erie and it is very unlikely that I will sail in salt water in the future. It sounds like it is a reliable motor and I need it mostly as a backup and for occasional trolling. None of the other comparable motors come even close to $650. It is brand new, comes with 2 year warranty, no sale tax (online out of state purchase), FREE shipping, 3 gallons gas tank with hose. I can live with it being a little louder and heavier. It looks like a good deal. Thanks!

We recomend for every hour of none stop runnig, allow it to cool off for 3 minutes, this pracatice will insure a life time of enjoyment,with virtually very little maintance.

And be sure to empty the grass catcher after every use. Rob

dxg...i just looked on Craigslist in Ohio (i picked Cleveland) and found 3-4 hits for 5 HP used in this area at 400-500 USD....I think I would go for a 'real' used engine over this, even new.

Check this outboard out. This is water cooled 4 stroke. 29 lb. Real thing and price is good.

Sorry, forgot to add the link. http://www.newoutboards.com/Suzuki-2-5- ... -5SK9.html

Nice. And it has "Pointless Electronic Ignition".

Whenever any of my modern ignition systems fails I usually call them 'pointless' too.