Outboard installation

[Hirilondë]

Lots of places I could have put this thread, but since I had to be a bit innovative, I put it here.

After 2 seasons of using a 20+ year old 8 horse 2-stroke I broke down and bought a brand new outboard. I chose a 9.9 HP Honda 4-stroke with electric start and 12 amp alternator.

Even though I knew it would fit in my lazarette/outboard well (I measured), it wouldn't fit through the hatch to get there. So it made this into a project. After considering several options, including enlarging the opening and making a new hatch, I decided to do some surgery and make the removed piece of boat into a quickly and mechanically replace part. This would mean I had a huge access, I didn't have to build up a new boss around the enlarged opening and make a new hatch.

The following 2 pictures show the opening with the piece cut out, and with it secured back in place mechanically.





Next I purchased the shift/throttle controls from Edson the match my pedestal. Installing the cables was tedious, but well worth the effort.





I figured there was no reason to expose the ignition to the elements, so I mounted it from the bottom of the deck in the lazarette, easily accessible from the helm seat.





One of the problems with an outboard well is water coming in and sloshing about the lazarette when approaching hull speed. To cut down on this I built an insert the goes around the outboard shaft and fills in most of the rest of the opening in the hull. I still need to tweek this, but it helps a lot already.





One of the problems with buying the remote controls version, vs the tiller one is that the steering pivot has no friction adjustment. They figure you will be using a steering system as well. Well, my steering is my rudder, I want my engine to stay facing forward. So I took the steering bar included, attached it to a turnbuckle and fastened it off on the bulkhead in the lazarette. This way I could adjust the position then just leave it locked there.



It isn't an inboard, but it works like one. And if it needs any major work, I can just bring it into the shop and work on it standing up. As most of you know, working on anything boat related while standing up is a rare treat!

[Rachel]

Nice job, Dave! I have a definite affection for outboard motors, and your installation looks really tidy and interesting. Could you tell more about how the cutout at the front of the well is mechanically fastened in place?

I like the carving on the door in front of the motorwell.

Oh, and the "streamlining" cover around the motor leg.

Thanks for the photo-essay.

Rachel

[Ceasar Choppy]

Well done!

Just be glad you have the outboard version for the pedestal cable runs. If you thought running the cable up the pedestal was hard with those two 33C cables, try a Morse 64C cable for the A-4 (or in my case, a Perkins 4108)!

[Hirilondë]

Thanks to both.

Rachel,

The following picture is the piece that was cut out:



First I sealed off the core on both ends of the removed piece and the exposed ends left on the aft deck turn to the cockpit and painted them. Then I made a teak trim piece that would be the means for fastening. I pre-varnished it the screwed and bedded it to the removed piece. This whole thing then fastens to the boat with 1/4" machine screws with wing nuts on the back at each end. The following 2 photos show the whole thing together and a detail of the fastener at one end:





The carving is 4 Tengwar runes. They were used by the Elves of Middle Earth as a phonetic means of writing out their language called "Quenya". These 4 runes represent the 4 syllables of the word "Hi-ri-lo-nde.

Ceasar,

The fun part was connecting the sheathing clamp inside the pedestal 5 inches bellow the wheel axel. Running them wasn't so bad.

[CharlieJ]

Now you need to figure some antifouling on the lower unit. We bought some special spray anti fouling for lower units from Pettit and it sucks. I had grass growing on the lower unit within two weeks.

I don't know what to use but you need something and regular antifouling can react (copper/aluminum) and eat up the lower unit.

[Rachel]

Thanks for the extra detail, Dave.

Seeing what shows up in the photos, I bet your boat has all kinds of neat little details (that we haven't seen yet).

Rachel

[Hirilondë]

Anti-fouling will surely be an issue Charlie. I followed the instructions for Interlux Trilux spray for outboards and out drives. This included priming with Primocon. Interlux has a procedure for new units, which I followed. It has been just over a month and I need to clean the slime already. It appears that a regular cleaning will be this year's routine.

[CharlieJ]

Yep- it is for us, and in our marina we don't have a huge barnacle problem since the city storm drains exit there. We get regular ( ??? IF and when it rains) influxes of fresh water, which stops the barnacle growth. But the slime and weed doesn't seem to slow at all. So I scrub the lower unit regularly.


Laura found a heavy rubberized bag on the internet, designed for use in flushing outboards on stands- supposed to fill it with fresh water and run the engine. We're looking at it to haul up around the lower unit, flush the engine, then pump it dry.

We're due for a haulout within the next few weeks, and after that maybe we'll order one and try it out. I'll let you know what happens.

[Zach]

Beautiful work!

The anti-fouling pondering reminded me of what Ebb did over on the Pearson Ariel/Commander boards. Cut a slot through the transom so that the outboard would clear the water when at rest/under sail.

http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/ ... tcount=198
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/ ... tcount=226
No idea how it does sailing wise.

[Hirilondë]

Zach,

Yeah, from a maintenance perspective being able to tilt up would help significantly. It would improve sailing a little as well. I have just too much vanity to do that to my transom.

Charlie,

Sounds like a good way to create a test tank for cheap and easy. I wonder if anything could, or should be added to the water to deal with possible growth in the lower unit? If so that bag could work well. The mechanics here use what looks like a set of ear muffs attached to a hose. It is placed over the intake ports in the lower unit and used to flush out cooling systems at decommission, or test run during repairs with the engine still on the boat on the trailer.

[Ceasar Choppy]

The fun part was connecting the sheathing clamp inside the pedestal 5 inches bellow the wheel axel. Running them wasn't so bad.

Oh yes.. I remember that part quite well. I used a really long pair of needle nose and a really long screwdriver. I also had to drill the hole myself (the later pedestals are pre-drilled) and so I got to see just how thin the wall of the pedestal really is!

[CharlieJ]

Zach- I showed that to Laura- she IMMEDIATELY stated LOUDLY- "There ain't no way we're chopping up Tehani's transom for a damned MOTOR"

Hirilonde-

The idea was to put a small bilge pump in the bottom , flush the engine with fresh water, then pump the bag dry- water pressure would hold it around the lower unit, and any growth would happen on the outside of the bag.

As it is, our Yamaha has a flushing setup built into the engine- a hose that comes up by the power head, outside the cowl. You just attach a hose to it and it back flushes the entire system, including back through the impeller. You do it on our engine with the engine off.

We're going to look into it again when we do our haulout - when we EVER get time to schedule that.

[Zach]

Yeah... Ebb has some interesting form follows function modifications. But the practical aspects and implementation are always top notch. (Grin)