Should you tilt your outboard motor out of water between uses?

[TheNomadicAspie]

Just bought my first boat, and was reading the dinghy manual. It says to turn the outboard motor up between uses and also to flush it with fresh water for minutes.

If I'm using the dinghy several times a day, do you still tilt it up, and do you still flush it with water? I imagine that would use just about all of the water in the tanks.

What do you guys do?

[Woodland Hills]

We always tilt it out of the water, no matter how short of a time between uses. I inspect the zincs at the beginning of every season, but they are still good. I do not freshwater flush since it gets used all year round. If I was to put it into storage for an off season I would freshwater flush.

[Flod]

I rinse with freshwater once or twice a season. Tilt up over night

[Simi 60]

4 years full time cruising
Have never tilted outboard overnight or flushed with fresh
But do lift dinghy at least once a week to prevent stuff from attaching.
Original Suzuki anode is still intact

i do have a large alloy trim plate attached and to that an additional decent sized rudder anode.
.

[Nicholson58]

We lift the dinghy on a bridle or the davits every night. This is for security and to prevent marine growth. Hauling at night also prevents the noises from the dinghy rubbing the hull. We tilt the motor when the dinghy is tied along side during the day. I rinse with fresh water at the season’s end. I have added an extra zinc to the aluminum whale tail To augment the teeny one that comes on the motor. It seems to work, no noticeable corrosion. Our aluminum prop lost its paint and eroded down to about 80% of its original size. Switched to Solas SS. This was a great improvement.

I also recommend adding a fuel filter. Way better than the tiny internal filter and it has a water separator.

Never tilt your motor at the dinghy dock. Tilting is very bad etiquette.

[DefinitelyMe]

We tilt it up overnight but it stays down most of the day and especially at a dinghy dock. The guy who lifts his engine up at a dinghy dock becomes unpopular fast, especially if they pop someone elses dinghy.

We never flush because the engine is run every day. I used to flush it before a long ocean passage (2 weeks+) but that got old.....

[Woodland Hills]

What if your tubes extend farther than the tilted motor? How can it touch another’s tender?

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

What if your tubes extend farther than the tilted motor? How can it touch another’s tender?

No. You have no control of the drift of a wad of dinghys. Leave it down or someone may put it down for you. The time it spends down while you take care NG on shore is insignificant.

[Woodland Hills]

It’s power tilt, I don’t leave the key in the ignition when I leave so it can’t be lowered by any random person.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

It’s power tilt, I don’t leave the key in the ignition when I leave so it can’t be lowered by any random person.

So....you’re that guy.

[Adelie]

I wouldn't tilt up at a dinghy dock. Bad etiquette. Long thread about this recently.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

It’s power tilt, I don’t leave the key in the ignition when I leave so it can’t be lowered by any random person.

Saw that happen once. The harbor master used a padlock and chain through a pad eye on the dinghy with a note to stop by his office. Not the only time he padlocked a dinghy.

Play stupid games win stupid prizes.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

What if your tubes extend farther than the tilted motor? How can it touch another’s tender?

Dinghies move around a lot at a loading dock. It's common for the bow of one to get between the tubes of another.

[sailjumanji]

We flush all of our motors - sailboat and dinghy - every time we get to a dock with fresh water supply. Here at home, we flush both of the 25 hp motors every time we get home. I do the same for the Yamaha 250 SHO on the fishing boat. If you have the water available, do it.

We have davits and haul the dinghy up out of the water at night. That way, it tends to stick around! (In addition to not having stuff grow on the hull, motor internals, etc.)

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

It’s power tilt, I don’t leave the key in the ignition when I leave so it can’t be lowered by any random person.

I suppose you also tie along side bow and stern, blocking as much dock as possible with short tight lines. We’ve all seen “that boat”.

I saw one in in Martinique that had repeated polite notes left by various other cruisers. By the end of the week it’s tubes seemed to go very soft.

I’ve also seen the skeg sawed off and I’ve seen buckets and other junk lashed on.

Refer to the photo above at the post by StuM. Even if your motor is substantially between the tubes some guy in a tight pack will be drawn in between the tubes.