And here we go...PART 1 - the Briggs and Williams homemade pressure washer outboard project!

And here we go...PART 1 - the Briggs and Williams homemade pressure washer outboard project!

   May 11, 2026       editor

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I've had a $25 pressure washer with a broken pump in the basement now for well over a year. I also have a midsection and leg off of a late 70's Ted Williams 7.5 hp outboard. I plan to marry the two together in a manner befitting a mad scientist and create another version of my first Briggs and Williams homemade outboard.

I haven't tested the TW yet. I will have to address any issues with it or replace it if it has serious problems. 

This is a Briggs 875 EXi series. It most likely is 10 years old. And, it most likely puts out about 6 horsepower. I can confirm this, as my other Briggs conversion also uses an 875 EXi and it pushed my 12 foot jon boat the exact same speed as the Johnson 6 I used to have. 

I got the Ted Williams (TW) on a trade for a trolling motor that came with a boat that I bought. It was a bit under-powered compared to modern trollers, so I traded it on Marketplace for the Ted Williams. I would estimate it's value at $50, so that's what we'll say the TW cost me. I tried a few times to see if it would run as-is, but gave up pretty quickly. I put the powerhead on Marketplace for free and it went to a guy who was restoring his own Ted Williams, so in the end, it helped someone. 

The first step, however, is to make sure that I have a running motor. The pressure washer was advertised as being dead, but the seller was careful to mention that it was only the pump that was not working and that the engine was functional. He demonstrated it running before I took it home...he started it, I paid him, and I left with it.

The carburetors on these things are set up to run at a certain speed, and that speed is NOT idle speed. Believe me, with the first one, I tried to make it work, only to find that I was wasting a lot of time. The contraptions on the top that adjust choke and throttle are a Rube Goldberg level of complexity and I'm still not sure how they work.

What IS all that junk?

Plus, the carb was in BAD shape. Both the bolt holes were broken off and not serviceable. Only one of the airbox screws was present. Even though it started and ran, it had a definite miss to it. 

First order of business was to replace the carb with one that had an idle screw so I could easily set the idle speed. Off to the 'Zon and in a few days, I had one of these in hand.

Unfortunately, that carb also has the fuel inlet on the wrong side. The inelegant solution is to route the fuel line around the bottom of the carb and up and around from behind. Not ideal, but this is the way I've had it on my other engine for a couple years now and it just works. 

Beyond that, I had to do some cleanup on the engine, make a gasket where the carb insulator butts up against the block, and make a working choke mechanism that I will be able to activate via a pushrod from the front. 

Since I did this, I was able to tweak so that the choke closes down tight and opens up all the way as it should.

As a result of all of this, the engine fires up and runs smoothly and idles down nicely. Next step is to actually get it off the pressure washer base and pump, which is going to be a challenge. The nuts are pretty well seized on the bolts that hold the engine down and they show no sign of moving. I used a concoction of ATF, kerosene, and acetone to hose them down and let it sit overnight. That's supposed to be a really effective homemade penetrating oil (actually, it's supposed to be made with diesel, but kerosene should be close enough). We'll see tomorrow if it's good to go. 

Investment so far: $50 TW mid/lower +$25 engine +$19 carburetor = $94. Not bad. Hoping to get in under $150, which is a steal for a 6hp outboard of any type. Then we'll see what I can get for it on a flip. 

As always, as an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All products that I have linked are products that I have purchased directly, or that I am familiar with through other means, unless noted otherwise. I will never suggest you purchase products of poor or unknown quality.

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Don't Have A Life? Enjoy Pain? You Too Can Build Your Own Outboard!

Don't Have A Life? Enjoy Pain? You Too Can Build Your Own Outboard!

   March 18, 2026       editor

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You can build your own outboard for less than $200, but should you? 

No. 

There. 

I just saved you countless hours of anger, frustration, and disappointment. 

But for those of us who won't listen to good advice or have any common sense,  assembling your own outboard motor using a 4-stroke engine (often sourced from a lawnmower, pressure washer, or small generator) is a popular DIY project among budget boaters, tinkerers, and self-loathing masochists everywhere.

I did this myself a few years ago, and I have to admit, it turned out better than I imagined it would. But what is the average person looking at if they want to do their own conversion, and what are the pros and cons?

 
The overall plan typically involves mounting a vertical shaft engine to a salvaged outboard lower unit (gearbox, propeller, and leg), possibly fabricating brackets, extending the driveshaft, and adding controls. My personal creation consists of a Briggs and Stratton pressure washer engine that I got from Marketplace for $25, married to the midsection and lower of an old Ted Williams 5.5 horsepower 2 stroke from the 1970s. It was cheap and a fun project that saved money, but it was far from plug-and-play.

INSTANT VERDICT, SUBJECT TO CHANGE: Significant cost savings — You can often build one for under $100–$300 using scavenged parts (e.g., a free/cheap used lawnmower engine + a junked outboard lower unit), compared to hundreds or thousands for even a small commercial outboard. The Sears/Ted Williams/Eska parts are a dime a dozen, due to the fact that these motors have a solid state ignition in them that inevitably fails, leaving them pretty much useless without a lot of time, effort and money to convert them to CDI aftermarket ignition systems. So, people sell them all the time in non-running condition. The good part is, everything from the powerhead down is tough as nails and will hold up well to just about any motor that will fit on top of them. I've gotten them for as little as $75, and the gearboxes/lower units work flawlessly.






THE GOOD: Style points for being able to say you made your own outboard. Knowing it thoroughly inside and out and being able to fix any potential issues. Cheap.


THE BAD: Well, if you hate repairing machines, you probably won't like building one from secondhand parts. And the crowd who will be impressed with your accomplishment will likely be very small and certainly not female.


THE VERDICT: I'm a glutton for punishment, so I'm doing it a second time!





Here are the main pros and cons I've found based on what I did.

Pros

Ease of repairs and finding parts...or replacing altogether — 4-stroke engines are more familiar to many...and parts are easy to find. For example, I got a carburetor with an idle screw from Amazon for my Briggs and Stratton 190cc vertical shaft engine. That made it idle much smoother than the one that came with the engine, which was unreliable and hard to keep running. Plus, any lawn mower repair shop can work on my outboard, and if I decide it's not worth fixing, I get another motor off of Facebook and swap it out. Easy.

Reliability and longevity potential — With proper setup, 4-strokes are easier to start in many cases, and they tend to run a long time with minimal care. You do have the added variable of the quality of conversion, but mine has functioned reliably for a few years now with minimal fuss.

Customization and satisfaction — Full control over the build lets you tailor power...you can build something smaller for lightweight boats, or a heavier setup to fight current and winds. Plus, many DIYers enjoy the engineering challenge and learning experience.

Eco-friendlier option — Lower emissions make it more suitable for restricted waters compared to old 2-stroke setups. You'll miss the 2 stroke rainbows, trust me.

You don't have to worry about what happens to it — Since you literally made it from junk, you can run it into the ground and smash it to bits. It's practically disposable!

In other words, if all you're wanting to do is move a boat around, AND you're not concerned with speed, AND you're willing to trade cost for time and effort, AND you have tools and raw materials lying around, AND you really don't have a social life, then this is the project for you!

As awesome as all of that sounds, it's not all sunshine and rainbows.

Cons

 
Complexity and fabrication required — Aligning the engine to the lower unit, building sturdy mounts, and creating throttle/steering controls takes the patience of mechanical skill, tools, and trial-and-error. If you don't have the patience for "fail, fix, and fail again," then this is not for you, Captain Anger.

Performance limitations — Mine lacks reverse gear, doesn't turn a very high RPM, and can get hot if I push it too hard (you can tell by the smell, lol). Two stroke boat engines, often water cooled, can run at extreme speeds...my Johnson 9.9 has run at a confirmed 6800 RPM. But, the Briggs and Stratton would be lucky to top out at 4000, and then it would probably be running dangerously fast, risking the valves meeting the pistons for the first time.

Safety and durability risks — Improper alignment can cause vibrations and binding, which can lead to stress on components. If you're new to this stuff, the reliability of your finished product can be hit-or-miss compared to factory outboards, depending on the quality of the conversion. Personally, I've had very few failures with my conversion, which I attribute more to luck than anything else.

Time and frustration — Expect multiple iterations, troubleshooting (e.g., aligning and re-aligning, mounts, setting up remote throttle and choke controls, etc), and potential breakdowns on the water. Mine was not a quick weekend project. However, this is the age of YouTube, so there are countless videos out there documenting the conversions from which you can glean ideas and understand how to solve common problems.

Legal and practical issues — May not meet boating regulations in some areas (noise, emissions, certification), harder to insure, and resale value is not going to be ideal. Surprisingly, however, I jokingly offered to sell one and the person I offered it to jumped at the $300 price I set. That was well above what I had in it. But, truth be told, if you're dealing with broken motors in the first place, then resale value probably isn't your primary concern.

Even though they can be made for cheap, don't plan to do this with the idea of making money...yes, you can make one for little or nothing, but at the end of the day, its a cheap motor with lots of limitations, and potential buyers have no indication of what they are actually getting. Price accordingly.




For most people seeking out-of-the-box dependability and hassle-free performance—especially in demanding conditions—a used or new factory outboard is probably a smarter choice. Mine, however, has been remarkably trouble free and I still use it regularly. I enjoyed the project so much that I plan to build another one in the near future.

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All products that I have linked are products that I have purchased directly, or that I am familiar with through other means. I will never link to products of poor or unknown quality.

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