You need your outboard's serial number to order parts, book service or check a warranty. Here is where each maker puts the tag, how to read it, and how to find the year.
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The ID tag carries the model and serial number.
Outboard serial number location by maker
Maker
Where to look
Mercury, 8 hp and up
Starboard side, halfway down the transom assembly, just below the powerhead
Mercury, 6 hp and under
On top of the swivel bracket
Yamaha
A label on the port-side mounting bracket
Honda BF25D, BF30D
A plate on top of the swivel case; the engine serial is stamped on the cylinder block under the starter motor
Honda BF200D to BF250D
A plate on the left side of the stern bracket; the engine serial is stamped on the upper right side of the engine
Evinrude and Johnson
On the swivel bracket and on the powerhead
Check your maker's manual for the exact spot on your model.
Mercury outboard serial numbers
Mercury says the tag on engines of 8 hp and up is on the starboard side, halfway down the transom assembly, just below the powerhead; on engines of 6 hp and under it sits on top of the swivel bracket. Depending on the model, you may need to tilt the engine up or turn the wheel to the left to see it. A Mercury serial number is a number, a letter and six numbers, such as 0G112233.
Mercury suggests keeping a photo of the tag on your phone in case it gets damaged. Its manuals call the serial numbers its keys to the engineering details of your engine, and ask you to give the model and serial number whenever you contact Mercury about service. For the year, give the serial number to a Mercury dealer or Mercury's customer assistance.
Yamaha outboard serial numbers
Yamaha's serial number is the Primary Identification Number (PID), printed on a rectangular label on the port-side mounting bracket. The label has five fields: the top row is the model name, the three fields in the middle row together make up the PID (you need all three), and the last field is a code for the factory that built it. Yamaha says the PID gives the model type, drive shaft length and production number.
Yamaha has dropped model years. It says outboards don't change from one model year to the next and it now introduces products and upgrades throughout the year. For the age, check the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) that Yamaha supplies with every outboard: it carries a production month and year, such as 04/2007, instead of a model year. A Yamaha dealer can help if you don't have it.
Evinrude and Johnson model numbers
BRP's model number reference says the model and serial numbers are on the swivel bracket and on the powerhead. The model number spells out the motor: E for Evinrude or J for Johnson, the horsepower, letters for features, a shaft-length letter, and two letters for the model year.
Evinrude and Johnson model year letters
From BRP's model number reference. Read the two model-year letters as digits; for example, IN means 2012.
Letter
I
N
T
R
O
D
U
C
E
S
Digit
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
If the tag is missing or unreadable
Many outboards carry the number in a second place. Honda stamps an engine serial number on the engine itself, and BRP puts model and serial numbers on the powerhead as well as the swivel bracket. Record the numbers, and the purchase date, when you first get the motor; Honda says you'll need them to order parts and for technical or warranty questions.
Common questions
On engines of 8 hp and up, Mercury says it is on the starboard side, halfway down the transom assembly, just below the powerhead. On 6 hp and smaller engines, it is on top of the swivel bracket.
Give the serial number to a Mercury dealer or Mercury's customer assistance. Mercury's serial numbers follow a number, a letter and six numbers, such as 0G112233.
On a label on the port-side mounting bracket. Yamaha's Primary Identification Number is the three middle-row fields read together.
Yamaha has eliminated model year designations, so the label won't show one. The Manufacturer's Statement of Origin supplied with the outboard gives its production month and year; otherwise ask a Yamaha dealer, using the model name and the full PID.
Read the two model-year letters in the model number, using BRP's code I N T R O D U C E S for 1 to 9 and 0. IN, for example, means 2012.
Check for a second number on the engine. Honda stamps one on the engine itself, and BRP puts model and serial numbers on the powerhead.
Specifications come from manufacturers' published documents and can change. Check your engine or boat maker's current manual before you change a setting or fit a part.