Reply To: 50HP Merc 1975?

[Barry Blesi]

Trifling point: according to the decals, it’s a ’74.
First off, do the necessary: clean the carb, check the wiring, new set of plugs (or at least take a look at them, the surface gap’s last forever, but still…), new fuel pump diaphragm. Then clean the poor thing up, maybe do some touch-up, and make it look like it was loved.
The biggest issue for you that I see is the pull starter and choke knob. Is it a long shaft, with manual start only? That could be the biggest obstacle to a sale.
I’m wondering, because my dad and I looked at getting this same model of engine for a two-seater little hot-rod Checkmate I had, back in ’74. The difference is, the one we would have gotten would have been a short shaft. Being a manual and a short, either of those things meant “special order”, and we ended up not doing it. Not many people want to pull a manual 50 horse, although that model might have a compression relief. But if it were a short, it could be used on a hydro or a restoration. But a long shaft is less likely to find a “niche” buyer. 🙁
But that said, that 4-cyl is an awesome engine. There’s a reason why they used that same block configuration for about 30 years straight. It was bulletproof and ran like a beast.
You will probably get $400-700, depending on if it’s been salted, where you are, time of year (NOW is a good time), etc etc etc.