The 1989 25HP Mercury for my Lowe 1448T
My boat is rated for a maximum of 25HP, so of course that’s what I wanted to put on it since I’d like the option to just cruise around in it as well as go fishing. New 25HP 4-Strokes are so expensive, so I opted for a used 2-stroke. I found one on Craig’s List that seemed to match what I was looking for: 25HP, long shaft, with remote and electric start.
The motor wasn’t set up so I could test it, so I was going on the word of the seller that it ran fine last fall. The only problem he was aware of was with the starter, which he suspected would need to be replaced. I of course factored this into my offer, and ended up spending $625, which compared to others like it I had seen, seemed reasonable.
I removed the starter and the shaft in it was very loose, so it would appear the bearing were shot. Found a replacement on e-Bay ($79) and bolted it in, perfect fit. When I finally got a battery and was able to test it I became quite frustrated, it wasn’t starting properly. The starter would rotate, but wasn’t popping up. A buddy and I sat around with beers in hand trying to figure out what the problem was until divine inspiration hit me in the face, I didn’t hook up the battery backwards, did I? Yup, doh. After that the starter worked fine.
With the cover off on a stand
