Friggin' Barnacles !

[sandy daugherty]

IF you can get the top cover off, you will see threaded holes in the flywheel. They are metric, probably eights or nines. Find the right size bolts to fit those holes and you have the means to lift the engine straight up out of the well and off the boat, hanging from the boom. You can brush on some Mary Kate On Off Gel which will disolve the calcium the Barnacle shells are made of. Two coats and a brisk scrub with a stiff nylon brush will do the job. Refresh the made-for-aluminum bottom paint you put on, and flush the engine with vinegar while running in a barrel.
You never had barnacles growing inside the engine; your mechanic was probably refering to shell crumbs and maybe some stuff sucked up while running in shallow water, like that time you ran aground, hmmmm?

[FrankZ]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

I wouldn't try sticking a wire up the intake while the engine is running: Any debris you dislodge will move further up into the system, and possibly impact the impeller.

I meant the discharge (the pee hole). Sometimes a little bit of debris can fool one into thinking no water is running.

[SVMorningStar]

Our Pearson Ariel 26 had its outboard mounted in a lazarette. With the old Johnson 9 that we had in it, you could just about bust a gust trying to pull that thing out of the water. It was a beast! In order to save himself some serious chiropractic time as he got older, my dad clamped a wire loop (the same diameter as the stay itself) over the lazarette on the backstay and bolted a lifting harness of sorts made out of chain to the head of the engine itself (the frame, not the cover). He then bought a rope boom vang that he used as block and tackle, attached one end to the loop and the other to the harness and used it to lift the engine out of the water. Using this arrangement, you could pull it vertically straight out of the well. He would then slide a mounting bracket made out of a 2x4 under the engine and hook it over the rails of the stern pulpit. He could then lower it down to that and clamp it on. Saved many an ache and pain. Maybe something like this might be useful for you. Thought I'd throw it out there.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by sandy daugherty

You never had barnacles growing inside the engine; your mechanic was probably refering to shell crumbs and maybe some stuff sucked up while running in shallow water, like that time you ran aground, hmmmm?

If you say so. Maybe I misunderstood.

I'm guilty of a lot of things, but I haven't run aground yet. From what I hear, that just means I'm not much of a sailor.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by sandy daugherty

IF you can get the top cover off, you will see threaded holes in the flywheel. They are metric, probably eights or nines. Find the right size bolts to fit those holes and you have the means to lift the engine straight up out of the well and off the boat, hanging from the boom. You can brush on some Mary Kate On Off Gel which will disolve the calcium the Barnacle shells are made of. Two coats and a brisk scrub with a stiff nylon brush will do the job. Refresh the made-for-aluminum bottom paint you put on, and flush the engine with vinegar while running in a barrel.

If I understand you correctly, I would leave the body, prop, etc. of the motor in place and just lift the engine straight up and out. Now that sounds like it would work. The difficulty is in maneuvering the motor so that the propeller and the structure above it can make it out. Your suggestion avoids all of those troubles.

Thanks to all these suggestions, I'll try to go to the boat early next week and see if I can make something work (or at least get some photos of the motor and well).

Thanks to all who replied. I'll let you know what I find.