Outboard Motor

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The boat has a Yamaha 8 hp. outboard motor, which moves it along quite well. A boat of this size (22 feet) only needs about 4 hp to attain hull speed (about 6 mph). So, rarely do I use much more than 1/2 throttle.

Initially, I stowed the outboard in the port cockpit locker when the boat was moored (theft prevention measure), but handling the motor at the beginning and end of each sail proved to be a time consuming pain in the neck. Now I just secure the motor to the outboard bracket with a cable and lock. So far, so good.

Outboard motors are great when they are working properly and a nightmare when they are not. There have been a couple of problems along the way, which I managed to fix.

Engine would not start (during its third season): This turned out to be a fuel problem, as the carburator had become gummed-up from older fuel. I disassebled the carburator and cleaned it with starting fluid (a great solvent). This past season, I put a little bit of carburator cleaner in the gasoline to avoid future problems.
The engined crapped out while underway: This was due to overheating caused by a clog in the water cooling system. Minerals/salt had built up internally and was clogging the exit port, preventing the water flow through the engine. Using a piece of thin stainless steel wire, I managed to clear the obstruction.

Refurbishing: The engine is about 13 years old, and has been used in salt water its entire life. I noticed that the motor mount had siezed up quite a bit due to salt penetration in the bushings, and corrosion was working its way under the paint job. I disassembled the motor mount/yoke assembly down to its individual parts (quite a project) and sand blasted them to remove the salt and corrosion. I re-painted the parts and re-assembled the motor. I applied marine grease to all the bushings and pivot points. Now everything is like new.


Complete Motor	Main Motor Assembly	Steering Yoke Assembly	Steering Yoke Parts & Propeller Red Arrows show areas of salt penetration

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