How many hours are considered "alot" with an outboard motor?

[creekchub]

Is a 04' Mercury 225 Optimax with 365 hours -considered middle of the road with regards to hours? Or still fairly low?

[bassnpro1]

Fairly low

[shortstick]

I would say the average would be around 40-50 hrs a year for someone that doesn't tournament fish.
04 with 365 is 26 hrs/year.

[GMT]

Agree that is very low for that year motor.

[Tim W]

Iv got a 13 with 689 hours. I think hours are just a number if you maintain your motor like you should. If you are a do it your selfer then it doesn't cost that much money to maintain an outboard.

I do most everything Maintenance wise myself minus water impeller changes.

[sirmo]

just sold a 2012 ProXS with 800 hours. Original everything, never had a problem. Compression still normal/consistent.

Maintenance and a little luck an take these motors a long way.

[wentbroketryingtogopro]

Fairly low hours.See if you can get a printout on this engine(history report from the time this engine was new until now)If I remember correctly the opti's were one of those engines you either loved it or hated it.Post this on the mercury engine forum and you will gets tons of info about the optimax engines.thanks and good luck

[kercha83]

my 04 Mercury EFI has 155 hours and I thought that was average, guess I was wrong.

[JR19]

Fairly low hours for an 04 motor. If maintained correctly it can easily go well beyond 1000 hours...if it's been rode hard and put up wet with poor maintenance it might not make it to 366. A print out of the engine profile from the computer would be very helpful and if possible the previous owner has maintenance records. Also knowing what type oil it has seen for the first 365 would be nice to know. I have seen motors with 100 hours that I would not want because the owner ran whatever oil he could find and cared less about the type fuel he ran or if the plugs and lower unit were ever maintained. I have seen boats with several hundred hours that I would have no issue buying because the owner was very meticulous on how the boat was maintained.

[JR19]

my 04 Mercury EFI has 155 hours and I thought that was average, guess I was wrong.

The average will vary because people who live in the south have more opportunity to put hours on due to climate. My 1999 motor had north of 900 hours on it when I re-powered in 2014. That figures out to around 60 hours per year. In 2017 when I had the 3 year check up on my new motor it had 147 hours so that figures to be about 50 hours per year. I live in KY but I could see myself doing 75 hours per year if I lived in TX or FL. If I lived (and I never will because I hate brutal winters) in MN or WI I could see myself only putting 30-40 hours per year on a motor. I believe hours is relevant to where you live and obviously how much you fish.

[Fish Boy]

After reading through this post it made me check my hours and since the ice left in April I've put on 56 hours on my Opti. By the looks of it I can easily rack up 400 hours plus a year and this is my first year with a hour meter on a engine.

[JR19]

After reading through this post it made me check my hours and since the ice left in April I've put on 56 hours on my Opti. By the looks of it I can easily rack up 400 hours plus a year and this is my first year with a hour meter on a engine.

That is an impressive amount of hours for someone who has lakes frozen several months out of the year. I know a guide in KY that stays booked pretty regular and he does around 500 hours a year but he also trolls for stripers. To do 400 hours per year bass fishing you would have to be on the water a lot.

[aarchdale]

my 2008 has just over 1000 hours now, had a couple minor problems but nothing to big

[Z9mccoy]

2014 Mercury with 310 hrs.

[21xTriton05]

Just serviced a 14 200 pro with 1700

[bqtoot]

After reading through this post it made me check my hours and since the ice left in April I've put on 56 hours on my Opti. By the looks of it I can easily rack up 400 hours plus a year and this is my first year with a hour meter on a engine.

I want your job! You seem to be cursed with too much time off to go fishing!

[billnorman1]

There's a pair of Suzuki 4 stroke 200's for sale locally with 3000 hours on them. Apparently someone thinks there's a little more life left in them.

[BigMouth]

I have 1,135+ hrs on a 2007 250 ProXS.

[Idaho Sandman]

Iv got a 13 with 689 hours. I think hours are just a number if you maintain your motor like you should. If you are a do it your selfer then it doesn't cost that much money to maintain an outboard.

I do most everything Maintenance wise myself minus water impeller changes.

You don’t do one of the easiest things?

[Tim W]

Nope. I dont mess with the lower unit myself other then oil