Logo
FULL SITE MENU

115hp for a 23' RIB

R

rixter66

Member
I am currently looking into building a RIB from a kit out of England. The hull will be made from marine plywood coated in fiberglass-epoxy resin. I was looking to put a 115hp Evinrude or Johnson on it, and was wondering about purchasing a used motor. The years I was looking at were from 1974-1984. I was most curious about the dependability of the years involved, and any input would be appreciated.
 
The 79 and up had a much bigger center main bearing. Same bearing as the V-6 had.----------Good solid motors with lots of new and used parts available.
 
Thanks for the input. I was looking at the VRO modles and have read about some problems the early models had. What should I look out for regarding the oil injection?
 
I am not a fan of oil injection.-------They are called " automatic " but they need maintenance. Lack of maintenance ( on VRO and others )has destroyed many a motor.----It is easier to add oil than to look after these systems.
 
Tahnk you very much for the information. I have run premix motors for years and for me it's no big deal to mix the gas and oil.
 
I wouldn't discount the 1985 or newer motors simply on the premise of VRO. You may find that most of the early motors have had the VRO upgraded to a newer model, converted to premix, or replaced with a fuel only pump. All of the cross charged V4's have the non VRO fuel pump boss on the engine block, so switching them is no big deal.

VRO is a proven system. It was standard equipment on OMC engines for 20 years. The vast majority of these engines are still running, and the VRO is still pumping away just like when the motor was new. If you search the archives, you'll be hard pressed to find someone who lost a powerhead to a failed VRO pump. You will however find instances of people that have blown stuff up by forgetting to pre-mix the fuel. It's your choice whether to trust it or not, but do some research instead of relying on the talk at the dock.
 
Back
Top