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.

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

On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 16:27:54 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:

ardier 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 boat and motor are both 1994 models.