Dinghy Outboard Questions (and Rant)

[Cheechako]

Yep, Had a 2hp Evinrude for years. No gearshift! just turn it sround...OK... that gets as little dicey around the dingy dock! One hand lift etc. Seems to me a 4hp with gearshift is a great way to go. On the other hand, my mid 90's (bought used) Yamaha 15 ran forever, finally wore out the main bearings (rattled in gear) and a gentleman helped me put them in in Trini. It kept going for another 3 years until I returned stateside. It was stored for 1.5 years with no care and still ran good when I sold it for the original price! Let's see... that motor cost me (calculator crunching in background)...oh yea....NOTHING!

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

....my mid 90's (bought used) Yamaha 15 ran forever, finally wore out the main bearings (rattled in gear) and a gentleman helped me put them in in Trini. It kept going for another 3 years until I returned stateside. It was stored for 1.5 years with no care and still ran good when I sold it for the original price! Let's see... that motor cost me (calculator crunching in background)...oh yea....NOTHING!

Good stuff

[beau]

i have a mercury 3.3 hp (made by Tohatsu) two stroke.
I find that with all small outboards, you have to get to know your motor. What settings are needed, choke, pull, no choke etc once you work out your motor i find it is all very easy.
Ethanol fuel is not recommended here in Australia for any outboards.

[goboatingnow]

I once had a 4 stroke Honda 4hp never again, impossible to start and this was from new. Switched to yamaha , never looked back. Won't buy anything else now.

Dave

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by downunder

Wonder how many have done that with their Seagulls.

Mine was buried at sea.

What, you dumped a priceless antique at sea

Mine:

[sailingaway221]

Cris, I had a lot of problems with my outboard too..... right up until I put a big ass fuel filter ( one of the big racor filters ( for a 15 yamaha ) ) and after putting it a year ago and so far not changing the filter it has provided me with failsafe continuous use of my outboard ...I never run it out of fuel....I find that the little fuel that sits there drys out fairly quickly... but on occasion I have left my outboard alone for weeks and just pumped the ball and it fired right up. Put the filter on it really will save you a lot of issues.

[off-the-grid]

Originally Posted by perchance

I see you are in Florida so I would think the temp. and humidity must do bad things to your fuel. In our cooler northern climate we don't seem to have fuel the problems many on these threads seem to have.

Funny you mention that. Tried various different choke and and throttle settings yesterday afternoon, and nothing. When I went home late last night, temperatures had dropped and it started after a few pulls.

Based on other responses, I'll stop running it out and stop using the treatment. If I still run into problems, then add a filter.

On the other hand, seems like I'm getting a little better at this rowing thing already. With no wind or current, I can move the boat just about as fast as that little 2HP. If I sold the motor I could get a kayak and row even faster.

Originally Posted by Cheechako

It was stored for 1.5 years with no care and still ran good when I sold it for the original price!

Funny how that always seems to be the case. A neighbor had an old outboard that ran flawlessly. It decided to stop working right after he finally did some maintenance.

[Philsboat]

When I was a kid and my outboard was out of gas,I would grab Dad's can of Coleman camp stove fuel(Naptha) and use that.Not sure what they are putting in Naptha now but I doubt there is methanol in it.It's more expensive than pump gas but might save some hassle with dirty carbs and hard starting.

Phil

[sailingaway221]

99/100 its the fuel or carb..... Get rid of the old fuel lines.. may have leaks... replace the connectors and start with fresh fuel... get the mix right and put in a filter between the tank and the motor....It WILL save you hours of frustration.

[sabray]

My favorite outboard story. As told before. Nissan 4 that did great until ethanol. It was having x bad season. My then 4 year old and I sail up the bay and stop in a harbor north o rock hall. Nissan starts just fine. Runs the ticket until were half way between the boat and the town dock. I'm yanking and priming and as nissan elbow is starting to set in I start rowing. I used some words I shouldn't have. As I row in brayden looks over and see's a dink with the same motor. In a pronounced and carrying voice he says "hey dad he has a damn nissan too" sorry to tell that again.

[Kettlewell]

Four-stroke outboards just about require you to have a good fuel filter between the tank and the engine. Some of the jets are so tiny that the teensiest piece of crud plugs them up, particularly the low-speed one. Because they use so little fuel at low speed the jet can be so tiny. Get a big fuel filter and it will help a lot. I mean one with a spin on canister like you'd use for an inboard engine. Mercury makes a decent one that takes a fairly easy to find canister filter. Attach it to the transom of your dink. Inline fuel filters are better than nothing, but not much. But you will still have to learn how to take apart the carb and clean those jets quickly. You can usually blast out the crub with an air can or even a can of WD40 with the skinny red nozzle on it. A little WD in your carb won't hurt anything. On my old 9.9 HP Yamaha I could take off the carb and clean it in about 10 minutes flat and be back running again--had to do it about every two weeks though, even with a big fuel filter. Keep the tools you need in a container right next to the outboard.

Two strokes are much less finicky on the quality of fuel, and will even eat through quite a bit of water if you can keep the thing running long enough. I prefer a two-stroke for the dink if you can still find one.

Use StaBil in every tank load of gas no matter what, and it helps to preserve the gas. Follow the directions on the bottle and don't overdose it. I put the StaBil in the gas can before I add gas to make sure it gets well mixed.

[Cheechako]

"hey dad he has a damn nissan too"

Now that's priceless!

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by grunzster

Funny you mention that. Tried various different choke and and throttle settings yesterday afternoon, and nothing. When I went home late last night, temperatures had dropped and it started after a few pulls.

Based on other responses, I'll stop running it out and stop using the treatment. If I still run into problems, then add a filter.

On the other hand, seems like I'm getting a little better at this rowing thing already. With no wind or current, I can move the boat just about as fast as that little 2HP. If I sold the motor I could get a kayak and row even faster.

Funny how that always seems to be the case. A neighbor had an old outboard that ran flawlessly. It decided to stop working right after he finally did some maintenance.

Chris,
I have had an outboard that, in the summer, needed no choke or if any, one pull with choke on then turn off and pull to start.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by sailingaway221

99/100 its the fuel or carb..... Get rid of the old fuel lines.. may have leaks... replace the connectors and start with fresh fuel... get the mix right and put in a filter between the tank and the motor....It WILL save you hours of frustration.

But no.1 would be to make sure the fuel tank vent (filler cap) was open and wasn't clogged up.........so I am told

[bill good]

Can of either kept in a plastic sealed bag for the bad days is handy. Just sprayed at the carb (not into it). My brand of choice is one actually branded "Start you Bastard". I think it just makes me feel good!! If you keep your fuel tank full you will have less water collecting in the fuel & less chance of blocked jets. If you use the motor on a regular basis then don't drain the bowl empty.

I would clean the carb bowl & jets just to make sure if the trouble continues.
Regards Bill