Advice

[karrier]

Good Morning
I am using my boat as a tender for a houseboat. It will be in the water for a week. Is there anything 1 should do to the motor (30hp 2 stroke Merc) before and after the trip. It has only done day trips before and I flush and clean the motor and boat the same day . Do we pamper our boats by doing this after each trip or is it ok for a motor to run in salt water for a while. I have had the motor serviced last week. Any advice would be really appreciated.
Regards,
Karrier

[wiz]

If you are going to use the motor every day then just give it a good flush at the end of your holiday.
Still continue to flush the motor after each use, if it will be sitting longer than a couple of days without use IMO

[Chimo]

Hi All

As a matter of interest would those who know think it better to tilt the motor up and out of the water between uses or leave the prop and impeller in the water?

Reason I ask is I wonder if its better to leave it in the water to reduce the drying out in the galleries esp if its a yamaha given the issues with salt etc build up in the smaller channels. This may also apply to others too. So what do we think?

Thanks

Cheers
Chimo

[patrol50]

mate i have had the ob on my trailersailer sitting there for a couple of weeks without flushing while on hols provided you use every day or 2nd day or thereabouts should not be a prob but up to you - howevr i always lift it up on tilt out of the water though just to minimise any chance of stray electrical currents and of helping electrolysis happen - but have no proff you need to do that though have a good break
rob

[oldboot]

I am no expert on the matter but two things occur to me.

Firtsly....the effects of salt water are considerably magnafied by allowing the item to dry out and the salt residue to then concentrate......It is my understanding the salt does more damage that salt water as such.

Secondly....one of the major accelerants to corrosion is access to air.

I can easily be argued that the major part of corosive damage is done while our boats are safe & sound on the trailer rather than in use in the water.

Personaly would only be tilting the motor up to protect it from mechanical damage or to stop it providing drag when being towed.

I recon the motor will enjoy the week on the water as much as you will. But you should problay give it a good spa treatment and facial when you get home;D

cheers

[tunaticer]

My old outboard mech (long since retired) showed me one day the effects of letting salt water dry in the leg and pump of an outboard that was less than a year old. The entire waterpump was a solid mass of salt because it always retains a little water each day to crystalise. This person had the motor on a tender and always lifted the leg clear of the water.

His belief was that if you use your outboard every day and do not drain the salt water from the galleries it will not build up crystals, but if you drained it out esp if the motor was at operating temperature when it was shut down and the leg lifted to drain out the crystals would begin to form straight away.

I have been on extended fishing trips of a month or so with daily use and no flushing and I am yet to find any salt deposit buildup in any water gallery. The outside of the motor does get buildup however and that will get disolved and washed away when i get back home.

All the larger boats that live all year long in the salt water do not usually have problems with salt buildup because thier galleries are never drained for crystalization to occur.

Jack.

[Chimo]

Thanks Guys,

You have sort of pretty well confirmed what I thought except for the electrolysis thing but I'm guessing the reason we have sacraficial anodes is to deal with just that situation ............. yes?

Cheers
Chimo

[oldboot]

In deed that is why you have sacrificial anodes.


cheers

[White Pointer]

G'day,

The week won't hurt but long term exposure like this knocks them around. My sister lives on Pittwater in Sydney and they use boats with outboards as daily commutes and as tenders for their business. The are never out of salt water and do heaps of hours with just routine servicing. Their motors (both Yamaha 4-strokes) are good for 5-years, but that's it.

I suggest that you take it back to the dealer and ask him to flush it with a soluble oil solution to coat all the galleries. The salt should get through in a week. Tilt the motor up when not in use to dry out and it should be OK.

White Pointer

[oldboot]

Um 5 years for a outboard motor in constant use sounds pretty good to me.

How many commercial mower guys do you recon get 2 years out of a mower.

there is a big difference between a motor in constant use in salt water and using one for a week.


I dont think soluable oil is a good idea.....this stuff does not get on with rubber parts.


When I was a young fella people used to run it in their radiators....it was great for rotting radiator hoses and other rubber parts.
It also was good for gumming up radiators.
I had a car that someone had run soluable oil in... what a mess.


would be a good way to void you waranty too.

if you get some sand or weed in the cooloing it is likley to stick to the oily surface & in the nooks and crannies.

Soluable oil is a cutting lubricant, it isn't a corrosion inhibiter or anything else.

cheers

[NormC]

The key here is the amount of time Karrier is talking about. A week. Not a year or 5 years.
While not an expert, we leave our boat in salt water quite a bit when traveling and camping. Similarly, we often go for longish periods taking the boat out of the water, but not flushing due to scarcity of fresh water.

Before starting this sort of travel and camping, I spoke to two outboard mechanics. Both said much the same thing. For a couple of months, no problem, don't worry about it as it will have no negative effect. If for longer, also generally no problem, but get is serviced or checked out when you get back just to be sure.. I didn't discuss the issue of leaving the leg in the water or raising it. I always raise it, and everyone else I see does the same thing (perhaps the blind leading the blind?).

Based on that, for a week - relax and enjoy the fishing.

[Haphazard1]

karrier,

One week in the water will do little to harm the outboard. As long as you flush it when you get home, preferrebly in a tub, it will be fine. I have had outboards for years in and out of salt and fresh water. The only thing you need to be mindful of is a yearly water pump impellor inspection / change depending on usage.

Just enjoy the break, we don't get enough breaks these days.