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Promote yourself. Promote yourself as a hobbyist who is not in this for the money. Have some hobby cards printed and be generous with them.
Advertise in printed media (for the old folks with zero computer skills) and on Craig’s list that you are a collector with cash and offer to pay twice the scrap value. Face to face, politely tell the prospective seller that you can not afford sentiment. Leave your card.
Go to the library and look in very old phone book yellow pages for where the outboard repair shops used to be. Chase down the address. Sometimes there will be nothing or you’ll find yourself running behind the scrapper who got it all for $.10 a pound. Sometimes there will be an old building full of stuff. Current property owners are a matter of public record through your local property appraiser’s office. It has worked for me more than once.
Hook up with a friendly scrap yard. Leave your hobby card (this is important) and ask that they call you if an old motor comes through. If they call, show up with $$ and a 6-pack. You can’t go wrong with Bud. You can always tell the folks that it isn’t quite what you’re looking for, but leave the Bud.
Certified JB weld