My motor died :(

[Andrei123]

My gas outboard died a few weeks ago, it doesnt cool anymore. It will run shortly then overheat. I replaced the impeller and so on. Problem is different, more complex then i can fix.

I was wondering if a 30lb thrust electric motor would do ? I have a 16 foot dinghy. Cant imagine it weighs more then 1000lb loaded. I might be wrong.

Evans 16 by Whitby - ShortyPen Sailboat Guide

This says the boat is 500lb + load at max another 500lb.

All i really need is to get out of the docking area and maybe maneuver around when im anchored enjoying a swim. Then to get back to the dock. I thought about it and the dock is in a narrow canal and i cannot sail out of it ( lack of experience on my side).

The price for a 30lb thrust here goes for about 120$ + 100$ for a marine battery will run me approx 220$. If i up it to a 55lb thrust i am looking at double that for the motor alone.

Even thought about paddling out, just a bit taxing.

[atoll]

you might try a sculling oar off the transom,we move much bigger heavier wooden boats with this technique

[Andrei123]

wow
thats a crazy idea, crazy good

How well would that work in more ... difficult weather ?

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Andrei123

wow
thats a crazy idea, crazy good

How well would that work in more ... difficult weather ?

thats what the sails are for!

friends of mine move their 40 foot boat around like this,as the dont have an engine,they sail in lots of traditional boat feastivals in the uk and france,and have been as far as the carib and south africa engineless.

Guide Me, FH 233, Looe Lugger

[Andrei123]

Im thinking how difficult it might be to find such an oar around here.

And thats a 1 person oar ?? that is incredible
From the looks of those pictures, makes me think there are some chained up bony slaves under the deck there

[atoll]

an oar is fairly easy to make if you have access to a table saw,some clamps and a hand planer.
here is the best video i could find of the technique,but there are many on utube of

"single oar sculling"

Yuloh, Zhujiajiao, China - YouTube

[sww914]

My friend uses a Minn-Kota trolling motor to get his Columbia 21 back to the slip if the wind dies. It's a 1500lb boat. He gets about 3 good hours out of a regular group 24 or 27 car battery. You could probably manage with a small solar panel if it sits a lot more than it motors.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Andrei123

Im thinking how difficult it might be to find such an oar around here.

And thats a 1 person oar ?? that is incredible
From the looks of those pictures, makes me think there are some chained up bony slaves under the deck there

no slaves! the first time i met them was in cape town after they had sailed more or less direct from the uk with jono and judy and their 4 small kids as crew, no electric or engine!

[Andrei123]

As out there as i think this idea is. It makes a very valid and quite strong of a point. I mean people used paddles for thousands of years.
...
My message cut out

I was saying, i found this place that sells 84 inch wooden oars. I will give it a try this weekend with a single oar lock off the transom.

[CarinaPDX]

I'm still stuck back at the beginning: an overheating outboard that otherwise runs is not likely to be at end-of-life. So why not repair it? If it is too 'complex' for the OP then there are a lot of outboard mechanics in this world - even some that know what they are doing. I wouldn't be giving up without a big fight. If the impeller and seals are new, the pump lining is in good shape, and the channels in the lower unit and the tube going up are open, that would leave the power head. Has the thermostat been removed and tested? Is there mineral scaling in the head? Does water ever flow out of the power head ? (There is usually an indicator stream out the back when the thermostat opens.) I would pursue these ideas, unless of course this is just an excuse to play with some new technology...

Greg

[Andrei123]

That is a good point, my main fear is that i burned it when i ran the motor without cooling it. This is a 74 motor and it doesnt have a heat sensor it just shut down because i guess it was too hot.

End of life just means something of the lines that I am not sure if its worth fixing for the $ it might take. That and its hard to find a mechanic this time of the year to look at it in some decent period of time.

[foggysail]

I certainly would NOT dump that outboard!

I had/have a similar problem with an 8HP Yamaha. The tell tail stopped and I found that small stream is used for cooling not just an indicator of water flow. Anyway, I still have that outboard in my basement hoping that someday I will get to fix it. In the mean time, I have a newer 8HP Mercury also a 2 cycle.

I found the problem is caused by salt build up and yes, I have pulled the pump apart, change the impeller, removed the thermostat. I also found that vinegar works well if you can get enough through the cooling system to purge the salt.

The boat next to my slip had a similar problem with a Johnson. He removed the upper part of the outboard and found a lump of salt that plugged his cooling line. His engine now runs well. I intend to pull mine apart the same way he did his and purge the salt out of it.

[CarinaPDX]

It certainly sounds like you got your money's worth out of this engine.

I would try to start the engine now, cold, preferably with water. If it starts and runs for a few seconds (don't let it overheat) then consider it salvageable.

[Andrei123]

hahaha, unfortunately i havent owned it since 74

i bought it with the sailboat, put about 160$ of stuff in it at the begining of the season. Used it three times and thats it.

The motor will start on first pull, run nice for about a minute or so. It really gets hot really hot quick. I turn it off just so it doesnt get worse. There is no water coming out of the leg anywhere. I am assuming it would be the coming out of the exhaust ports, but i might be wrong.

[CarinaPDX]

Most of the cooling water (all that is not in the telltale stream after the thermostat opens) should exit through the lower unit with the exhaust, and so you won't see that in the water. You would notice it if you were running with a hose adapter out of the water. The fast heating might be a symptom of heavy mineral buildup - if the water galleries were clean and full of water I doubt the engine would overheat that fast, so I am more inclined to minerals than thermostat from what you have said. Still, check the thermostat.

As suggested earlier, try soaking the cooling system in vinegar - it will (slowly) dissolve the minerals. Don't let it sit for days: acid isn't particularly kind to aluminum either. And don't be tempted to use a stronger acid.

Good luck,

Greg