I'm considering a boat with a 90hp Johnson outboard. How long has
this company been out of business? A lot of used boats seem to have
Johnson/Evinrude motors. Are parts readily available?

Charlie Brown wrote:
I'm considering a boat with a 90hp Johnson outboard.

Excellent choice!

How long has
this company been out of business?

70 years.

Johnson was no longer autonomous following its purchase by
OMC(Evinrude/Elto/Lockwood) in 1935.

A lot of used boats seem to have
Johnson/Evinrude motors.

A lot of new boats were sold with them. The V-4 85/90hp, after
1977/1978, was a de-tuned small bore version (92.6 CID)of the 115hp &
140hp. After about 1985/1986, the 99.6 CID 90 was roughly equivalent to
the earlier 115. (dates are approximate - from memory) The whole basic
design has roots back to the 1958 V-4 50hp.

The reason so many are still around is the ability to repair them with
mostly ordinary tools, the Mercs required a vast array of "special
tools" to perform otherwise ordinary service.

Are parts readily available?

Yes. OEM from the parent company, Bombardier Recreational Products,
(www.johnson.com) and good aftermarket sources.

Rob

"Charlie Brown" wrote in message
...
I'm considering a boat with a 90hp Johnson outboard. How long has
this company been out of business? A lot of used boats seem to have
Johnson/Evinrude motors. Are parts readily available?

Parts are more readily available for those motors than probably any other
motor.

*However*, many of the dealers got burned by OMC and quit stocking the
parts. They're around in bulk, but not as many dealers carry them as used
to.

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 02:26:47 GMT, Charlie Brown
wrote:

I'm considering a boat with a 90hp Johnson outboard. How long has
this company been out of business? A lot of used boats seem to have
Johnson/Evinrude motors. Are parts readily available?

I would avoid the Suzuki/OMCs 4 strokes like the plague. There were 3
new ones in my neighborhood 4 years ago and they are all dead now.
Salt water kills them.

Nonsense. I have a Suzuki 250 four-stroke with 275 hours on it, and my
brother has a Suzuki 140 four-stroke that is a little over 3 years old, and
neither has had a single problem, nor been to the shop a single time for a
non-maintenance repair.

Ask Gene about his Suzuki four-strokes...since he's owned his a little
longer than I. Unless your neighbors were failing to change their anodes as
required, there is no reason that those motors should have a problem.

BRP stands for Bombardier Recreational Products and it offers Evinrude
and Johnson outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, ATVs and
sport boats. It is NOT an affiliate of Learjet, that´s a different
Bombardier from which BRP was spun off (sold to a group of investors).

Parts are readily available for current generation Johnson outboards,
older engines can be a parts problem, especially clutch dogs and
gearsets. It depends on the age of the engine. Note Mercury Marine
markets some repair parts for older Evinrude and Johnson. So does
Sierra.

The currrent Johnson 90 is a conventional two-stroke with a carburetor.
It smokes. It´s noisy. Its fuel economy is not so great compared to
state of the art outboards.
http://www.johnson.com/docs/200002/0_US.htm

The Evinrude 90 ETEC is direct injected, requires no break-in, no
initial maintenance for its first 100 hours and it winterizes at the
touch of a button. It also gets about 30 percent better fuel economy.
Its warranty term runs one year longer.
http://www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Engine.../90.IN-LINE.3/

As for Suzuki four strokes, in my experience they survive as well as
any outboard in sal****er. the real question is whether you want a DI
or four-stroke.

editor
http://www.marineenginedigest.com

"ed" wrote in message
ps.com...
BRP stands for Bombardier Recreational Products and it offers Evinrude
and Johnson outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, ATVs and
sport boats. It is NOT an affiliate of Learjet, that´s a different
Bombardier from which BRP was spun off (sold to a group of investors).

Parts are readily available for current generation Johnson outboards,
older engines can be a parts problem, especially clutch dogs and
gearsets. It depends on the age of the engine. Note Mercury Marine
markets some repair parts for older Evinrude and Johnson. So does
Sierra.

The currrent Johnson 90 is a conventional two-stroke with a carburetor.
It smokes. It´s noisy. Its fuel economy is not so great compared to
state of the art outboards.
http://www.johnson.com/docs/200002/0_US.htm

The Evinrude 90 ETEC is direct injected, requires no break-in, no
initial maintenance for its first 100 hours and it winterizes at the
touch of a button. It also gets about 30 percent better fuel economy.
Its warranty term runs one year longer.
http://www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Engine.../90.IN-LINE.3/

When it's time to repower my 17' Whaler, I'll be looking at the E-tecs to
replace the current Johnson 90hp. It's just that those Johnson 90's are so
damn reliable...and when and if they break, they're easy and cheap to fix.



As for Suzuki four strokes, in my experience they survive as well as
any outboard in sal****er. the real question is whether you want a DI
or four-stroke.

editor
http://www.marineenginedigest.com

"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 13:48:06 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:


"Charlie Brown" wrote in message
. ..
I'm considering a boat with a 90hp Johnson outboard. How long has
this company been out of business? A lot of used boats seem to have
Johnson/Evinrude motors. Are parts readily available?

Parts are more readily available for those motors than probably any other
motor.

*However*, many of the dealers got burned by OMC and quit stocking the
parts. They're around in bulk, but not as many dealers carry them as used
to.

That was then, this is now.

E-TEC is the wave of the future.

Yup. But a variation on the E-tec: Evinrude Vindicator.

http://www.motorboating.com/motorboa...100359,00.html

Scroll down to "Outboards of the Future"

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 13:51:22 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:


wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 02:26:47 GMT, Charlie Brown
wrote:

I'm considering a boat with a 90hp Johnson outboard. How long has
this company been out of business? A lot of used boats seem to have
Johnson/Evinrude motors. Are parts readily available?

I would avoid the Suzuki/OMCs 4 strokes like the plague. There were 3
new ones in my neighborhood 4 years ago and they are all dead now.
Salt water kills them.

Nonsense. I have a Suzuki 250 four-stroke with 275 hours on it, and my
brother has a Suzuki 140 four-stroke that is a little over 3 years old,
and
neither has had a single problem, nor been to the shop a single time for a
non-maintenance repair.

Ask Gene about his Suzuki four-strokes...since he's owned his a little
longer than I. Unless your neighbors were failing to change their anodes
as
required, there is no reason that those motors should have a problem.



Maybe the bigger ones are better but these 40 and 70 hps all succumed
to corrosion. One had a water jacket to cylinder failure, one had an
oil pan fail and the other can't keep hot water sensors. The block
finally rotted oput so bad they wouldn't stay in.
These were stored out of the water and got flushed. (although the
Estero River only runs about 1-4 PPT salt most of the year)
The anodes were OK. If you know "Chappy" at Bonita Boat Center ask him
about Griffin or Hampton's motors.

Chappy is at Marina Mike's now. He helped me when I stripped the threads
while changing the lower gear oil the day before I was supposed to leave for
the Keys.



I am not sure who maintained at the
other guy's motor.
Three for three convinced me. Dan Griffin is somewhere around #150 in
the bankruptsy filing since he had a commitment for a total engine
replacenent when OMC went belly up. He expects that if he keeps his
case active Bombardier may send him $50 or something.
At the same time my Mercs were doing fine and I don't do **** to them
(~300 hours a year)

Did Suzuki make the 40 to 70 hp four-strokes for Johnson? What year were
those motors?

"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 13:48:06 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:


"Charlie Brown" wrote in message
. ..
I'm considering a boat with a 90hp Johnson outboard. How long has
this company been out of business? A lot of used boats seem to have
Johnson/Evinrude motors. Are parts readily available?

Parts are more readily available for those motors than probably any other
motor.

*However*, many of the dealers got burned by OMC and quit stocking the
parts. They're around in bulk, but not as many dealers carry them as used
to.

That was then, this is now.

E-TEC is the wave of the future.

He is considering a boat with a 90 Johnson. Probably costs less than a new
E-tec.

E-TEC is the wave of the future.

maybe. maybe not.
about 70 percent of the outboards sold are four strokes.
about 30 percent are two strokes, including di motors.
Each has its advantages. each its deficits.
time will tell.

editor
http://www.marineenginedigest.com