Leave outboard up or down in salt water?

[massnspace]

We sail on a small Hunter trailerable sailboat in Puget Sound, Washington.

We ypically take 2-5 day trips and just leave the motor down for the entirety of each trip. My reasoning is to just leave it there so the salt water cannot “dry out” in the lower end, thus accumulating salt residue. It is also a bit hard to lean over the back of the boat it raise the motor.

I flush the whole system out with fresh water at end of each trip.

Boat currently has a 9.8 Tohatsu that I am considering replacing with a new, fuel-injected 9.9. It would also be possible at that time to order one with hydraulic tilt. Hydraulic tilt would allow me to (easily) raise the motor each evening when we are at anchor. But. Is it better to do that, or just leave it down? Does it really matter?

Also, when trailering I am worried about the stresses on the hydraulic ram. Do such motors have a way to lock the piston up while trailering?

[Calif.Ted]

Do such motors have a way to lock the piston up while trailering?

They usually have a lever that you flip down when engine is fully raised then you lower engine onto it and it supports engine with no weight on the rams.
There are also after market products that will fit over ram push rods for support while trailering. Also a "transom saver" that goes from end of lower unit to the trailer so engine isn't a lever flexing transom, mostly for large engines.

[massnspace]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

They usually have a lever that you flip down when engine is fully raised then you lower engine onto it and it supports engine with no weight on the rams.

OK I think that is correct. I will be going to the dealer soon so I’ll ask….

What about at anchor? Up or down?

[Calif.Ted]

I think I'd leave it down, when we had raw water cooled engines the common thought was as you stated, both salt build up and corrosion were worse when allowed to dry out. More exposure to Oxygen in air then water perhaps?

[thomm225]

My outboard is up when sailing or at my marina. It's a Mercury 5 hp 4 stroke 25" shaft for my 6600 lb. Bristol 27.

At anchor, I leave it down even if I sail into the anchorage and off. I have the outboard down and usually idling in neutral just in case.

I might flush it with fresh water once a year.

I have used this method since 2011. I do start and run it once every 2 weeks or so all year though.

I'm not sure you would want the outboard down when doing 5-7 knots as it would probably be bouncing all over the place.

BTW the flip up lever mention above usually has several positions available for different tilt angles depending on what you want or need.

I rarely use mine though since it doesn't get my outboard high enough up when sailing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agtdrmAqojs

[thomm225]

Also, wouldn't want the outboard down on these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nXfjcCuiPk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3I2zc0_7wY

[thomm225]

On top of all the above, why would you want to drag an outboard shaft around as you sail?

Sailboats with inboard diesel or gas engines have no choice but to drag a prop around.

I think maybe making too big a deal out of a little salt water.

As long as you run the engine every couple weeks, you are fine with stabilizer for the fuel of course.

[Kettlewell]

I always raise the motor out of the water whenever possible on small sailboats that used outboard power and also on dinghies, and I have rarely had the means to flush them with freshwater. Have only once or twice had problems with plugged saltwater passages, and they were up around the head of the engine, not in the lower unit. My last retired 2-stroke outboard was a Johnson 8HP used heavily for live aboard cruising for about 15 years. No cooling problems, and not sure I ever flushed it. Not ideal, but seems to work. I like to raise my dinghy outboards completely out of the water every evening at least.

[ChrisJHC]

Maybe it’s an Australian thing, but I’ve never seen or heard of anyone leaving their outboard down in the water when either sailing or stopped.

[donradcliffe]

Hopefully Australians leave the motor down at the dinghy dock.

[catsketcher]

Pull it up!

The great thing about outboards is that you can raise them so your boat sails much better. The other great thing is that you can raise them when you sail so that the powerhead is further away from the water and doesn't get as wet. The other good thing is that they are cheap and don't need electrolysis protection or as expensive alloys because you pull them out of the water.

If it is not on, it's not down. I pull the outboards up after a few minutes after shutdown when anchored. This gives enough time to drain the galleries, but I also run them and pull them straight up if we are taking off and raising sail - motors on for main up and then as we start sailing - motors off and straight up. The boat sails better, sails faster, the motor gets out of the turbulence and under the cowling is nice and dry.

I have had outboards all my cruising life and never flush them, but I do run them for long periods every now and then - a mechanic told me that it helps to get them up to temp for long times and let the warm block allow the salt to dissolve away. I did block up an outboard when I used it only for a minute or two at a time. I have looked inside cruising outboards my mate pulls down and they are clean if well used (Yammie 9.9 four strokes).

Also, outboards are not necessarily designed to be left down - the alloys are probably not the same as saildrives and the paints certainly don't like constant salt water immersion. My outboards are on special mounts that lift them up when they tilt so that they are super nicely treated - no splashes for them except when needed. If you can't get your outboard down and on within seconds then change your setup, it will make it safer for when you think you don't need the outboard and then something happens. My 25hp fourstroke takes 3 seconds to drop and then switch on - you can make it work so there is no need to have them down, making steering worse, your boat slower and more liable to miss tacks and stall.

Oh and one final thing - the mate who pulls outboards apart had issues with his carbys on his ski boat. What he was doing was draining them (two stroke) after he pulled the boat out of the water as he flushed it. Then the empty carby wishbone would bend as the float would hang on it with no petrol in the carby and the motor go out of tune - so don't necessarily run the carby out of fuel for a tinny either - until you get home.

cheers

Phil (from Australia where our outboards are raised when not needed and where dinghy docks are rare beasts )

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I always raise the motor out of the water whenever possible on small sailboats that used outboard power and also on dinghies,..

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

Hopefully Australians leave the motor down at the dinghy dock.

Indeed.
Dinghy engine down, at communal docks.
Whatever you like, at your boat, or private dock.

[Benz]

My OB is only in the water when it's on. If I motor somewhere and anchor for lunch only to motor way, then sure I'll leave it in. Otherwise it comes out.

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by catsketcher

Snip…

Phil (from Australia where our outboards are raised when not needed and where dinghy docks are rare beasts )

Thanks, Phil, I was trying to think if I’d ever seen a dinghy dock in Aus - maybe up north?
Certainly not common down south.

[Kettlewell]

Dinghy engine down, at communal docks.
Whatever you like, at your boat, or private dock.

It depends on the dock. In our marina everyone kicks up at the dock unless they are coming and going quickly, and some dinghies stay there all summer. At busy dinghy docks with lots of activity it is best to leave the motor down, but there are many who kick up if they are staying for awhile. At some docks your motor will be in the mud at low tide if you don't kick up. Doesn't really bother me one way or the other, but I use a hard dink too.