Outboard Motors for Sale

Outboard motor

What's a powerboater's best friend? The prop, of course! Perhaps the most groundbreaking invention in water sports is the outboard motor – or simply: the outboard. Here's our overview to help you see things clearly.

What is an outboard motor?

There is hardly any other form of propulsion in water sports that enjoys comparable popularity. The outboard motor (commonly: outboard, affectionately: eggbeater) pushes millions upon millions of small to medium-sized powerboats through the water all over the world. In series production, its power range goes from 1.5 up to several hundred horsepower.

Outboards are usually mounted individually on the boat's transom or in a special engine well. They can also be found in pairs, or as twin engines (mostly with counter-rotating propellers), primarily on sportier boat models.

Which boats is an outboard motor suitable for?

On smaller sailboats (dinghies and keelboats up to around 7.50 m in length), outboards are used to get through calms or as a parking aid in the harbor and when anchoring.

Outboards are attached to the stern or transom of a boat with a tilt bracket. On some sailboat types, an unsuitable stern (e.g. a double-ender or an overhanging transom) means the outboard motor is mounted on the side instead (side-mounted motor).

Flexible mounting

With smaller engine sizes, tilting the engine up and down is usually done manually; larger engines are raised and lowered with the help of an electric motor. Tilting the outboard motor is essential above all when landing, for example on beaches or slipways, as the propeller could otherwise be damaged. On sailboats, the outboard is tilted up immediately after use so the propeller doesn't create unnecessary drag.

How does an outboard motor work?

In an outboard motor, the engine, gearbox and propeller are combined into a single unit.
Outboard motors are started either with a pull-cord starter (smaller engine sizes) or with an electric starter.
On powerboats, steering is done via the outboard's tiller, which of course means the engine has to be mounted so that it can pivot left and right in its bracket around its vertical axis. On larger boat types, hydraulic systems or cable systems are used, which in turn are operated by a steering wheel fitted in the cockpit.
Sailors who use an outboard fix it in place, position it for minimal drag and steer with the boat's more effective rudder.

Electric alternative

The international market is still dominated by combustion outboard motors. But powerful, long-range electric motors are "on the rise" thanks to their good environmental credentials. On many European inland lakes, a ban on combustion engines now applies, which has further fueled the boom around electric outboards.

How long have outboards been around?

Outboard motors have been in use since the late 19th century. The first outboard was built in 1880 by the Frenchman Gustave Trouvé. The real breakthrough, however, came from American Ole Evinrude. From 1910 onwards – helped by clever marketing – he sold thousands of his now legendary engines (see also the profile "Love, Ice Cream and the Coffee Grinder").