Can anyone give me a rough age on this motor?

[Steuben Jerry]

Picked this boat up in a private sale yesterday. The seller thought it was a mid-2000's outboard, but he wasn't the original buyer and really didn't know the year for sure. The boat and trailer are 2005 and 2006, so I figure he was just guessing. No serial number tag where it's supposed to be. Need to take care of a couple of minor issues, and without the serial number, I'm at a temporary loss for ordering parts. I've never owned a Honda O/B so it's not a strong suit for me. My limited research makes me think it's around a '98. If I can pin down the year, I may be able to narrow down the serial number range a bit. It's a 15 hp 4 stroke long shaft, manual start, manual trim, with a 6 amp alternator connection.

Did we have a boating sub-forum at one time and I can't find it, or did I lose another one of my marbles?

[Robhuntandfish]

dunno what year it is but i do knw its a nice looking fishing machine!  Early retirement gift!   

[Steuben Jerry]

8 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

dunno what year it is but i do knw its a nice looking fishing machine!  Early retirement gift!   

Yeah, shouldn't have done that, lol. I really need to stop looking at Craigslist!

I have another small boat (but too small for me). Going to swap trailers and sell the smaller rig. Hopefully will be very little out of pocket after that's done. I keep the small boat for HP/boat length restriction lakes like Canadice and Hemlock. Plus I just like a small no-frills boat. So I'll probably sell the OB at some point and look for a nice 9.9. At the moment I have 3 boats. And zero time to use any of them. At the moment.

Edited July 28, 2021 by Steuben Jerry

[Robhuntandfish]

1 minute ago, Steuben Jerry said:

Yeah, shouldn't have done that, lol. I really need to stop looking at Craigslist!

I have another small boat (but too small for me). Going to swap trailers and sell the smaller rig. Hopefully will be very little out of pocket after that's done. I keep the small boat for HP/boat length restriction lakes like Canadice and Hemlock. So I'll probably sell the OB at some point and look for a nice 9.9. At the moment I have 3 boats. And zero time to use any of them. At the moment.

lol.  I cant believe you just said that.  I have a buddy that is retired and he also has three boats and never finds time to use them.  I tell him he has his own Navy.  But he says the exact same thing! 

I got rid of my small rowboat with a 4hp and kinda wish i kept it for those same reasons. 

[Steuben Jerry]

These are the two I'll be keeping. Got kind of a big brother, little brother thing going on. But different mothers.

They're older, but much more affordable that way!

Edited July 28, 2021 by Steuben Jerry

[avg. joe]

The honda marine website used to have a page that you could put the s/n in it gave the year. 

[Lawdwaz]

1 hour ago, Steuben Jerry said:

Yeah, shouldn't have done that, lol. I really need to stop looking at Craigslist!

I have another small boat (but too small for me). Going to swap trailers and sell the smaller rig. Hopefully will be very little out of pocket after that's done. I keep the small boat for HP/boat length restriction lakes like Canadice and Hemlock. Plus I just like a small no-frills boat. So I'll probably sell the OB at some point and look for a nice 9.9. At the moment I have 3 boats. And zero time to use any of them. At the moment.

Just get new stickers for the 15hp……..

 

Oh wait, did I say that out loud??

[BizCT]

A Honda Marine dealer should be able to tell you.

[Steuben Jerry]

42 minutes ago, avg. joe said:

The honda marine website used to have a page that you could put the s/n in it gave the year. 

That's my problem. Serial number plate is gone. 

[Steuben Jerry]

35 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

A Honda Marine dealer should be able to tell you.

None nearby.

[Steuben Jerry]

41 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

Just get new stickers for the 15hp……..

 

Oh wait, did I say that out loud??

Yup, hehe. Already saw the decal kit on ebay.

There's a 15 hp merc O/B on Craigslist right now with a 9.9 cowl. I'd bet that boat has seen some Hemlock fishing time.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

7 minutes ago, Steuben Jerry said:

Yup, hehe. Already saw the decal kit on ebay.

There's a 15 hp merc O/B on Craigslist right now with a 9.9 cowl. I'd bet that boat has seen some Hemlock fishing time.

I think it was the Johnson 9.9's that were actually the 15 Hp motor with a restrictor plate in it.  15 hp was more expensive too...lol

 

[wolc123]

7 hours ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

I think it was the Johnson 9.9's that were actually the 15 Hp motor with a restrictor plate in it.  15 hp was more expensive too...lol

 

I sold my Johnson 15 last year.  It had real low hours and I gave the guy a good deal on it.  It hadn't been starting real good the last year or so, and probably needed a good carburetor cleaning. 

I thought about the cowl/sticker swap a time or two with that one.  The Adirondack lake, where my in-laws live, also has a 10 hp max limit.  We get by now with my father in law's new 10 hp Honda, and 1965 Johnson 5.5, and my 1956 Evinrude 5.5 and and 1950ish Mercury 5. 

If I can find the time to get my new rowboat registered I may give Hemlock lake a try.  If I do I will most likely run the 5.5 Evinrude.  I haven't run it yet this year but it will be on kicker duty over the next week up on the St Lawrence.  I hope to fire it up a time or two, if I can find some walleyes on a deeper drift. 

Unlike bass, they are dumb enough to hit a jig right under the prop of a gas outboard.  Sometimes, it almost seems like that below water exhaust noise attracts them to the bait.

  The last time I used my 15 Johnson was after I caught a walleye up there at about a 40 ft depth on a drift.  I fired up the 15 (with some difficulty) and used it in reverse to hold that depth.  I soon got another walleye, on bottom, directly below the spinning prop.

Reeling in those big "water filled pillow cases" ain't all that fun so I shut it off and went back to drifting shallower for "spooky" bass.  My wife was happy with the walleyes because she likes eating them better than bass (I dont).

Edited July 29, 2021 by wolc123