Outboard Discussions

[ebb]

mind if I ask you guys something?...
One time I was in the marine convenience stow, I bought for the new power plant: the 8/4 Yamaha hi-thrust electric this and that, I bought a boxed and blisterpacked convenience strap made for outboards to lift the bloody thing.

When I tried to get it on the motor I found that the wires wandering around the ob shaft and case wouldn't allow the sewn together web harness to be slipped on as intended.

Of course we lashed our own strap around it and managed to lift and lower the ob into the newly configured well that had to be made to fit the monster.

The fitting process has taken a while and the strap is permanently married to the unit.

Any suggestions? Can't leave the strap there. right? Gotta get the case off for service. Can't find convenient hook-on points on the ob casting to clip on a temporary type lifting harness. Want to lift the motor straight up and in total control when necessary. 110#!!! Have the feeling I'm really missing something. Could sew together my own custom dohickey later on. Just can't see wrastling with this thing on the water if it doesn't have a perfectly secure harness What to do????

[D. Fox]

Mike, who are you using to service your Nissan in the HR area. Just curious. Thanks,

Dan

[Scott Galloway]

Ebb,

I used a Garhauer lifting davit on my Honda 7.5 four-stroke motor with an alternator, but a pull start. I left a West Marine issue standard lifting harness in place. My harness is made of one-inch webbing and fits around and under the motor head, rather than clipping onto the motor in any way. The harness attaches only to itself. I slipped the harness around the motor and adjusted it securely with some effort. The harness made removing the motor cover a pain, and more so because I had to augment the harness with a couple of additional lines to make it more secure. These added lines would not have been necessary, if I had not needed to lay the motor down into a horizontal position in the lazarette locker. In moving the motor from a vertical to a horizontal position, there was initially some harness slippage, and that is why I added lines. My motor weighed 70 plus lbs.

I once had to remove the motor from the well to deal with a prop issue at sea. I used the Garhauer davit with a certain degree of risk. I was able to lift it under light wind conditions while my ninety-year-old helmsman steered a true and steady course so that the boom would stay on the lee (starboard) side of the boat while I worked with my trusty davit on the windward (port) side.

A photo of the davit and motor is attached. In the next post you will see the augmented harness on the stored motor.

[Scott Galloway]

Here is the stored Honda 7.5 hp four-stroke motor in the lazarette locker of my Ariel. Since I am now in the process of purchasing a replacement motor, and I will have to modify my harness to accommodate that motor, any comments or criticisms of my methodology will be appreciated.

[Mike Goodwin]

Dan,

I use Lacquer Specialties , John is great to deal with . He is located near Military Circle on Hargrove St.
Phone # 757-461-4568

[ebb]

hello Scott,
I remember mine is a Davis. I just looked it up in the WM catalog, where it is called a Motor Caddy. I remember I tried every which away to get it on. It was sewn where it had to slip under the motor by the clamp. It couldn't come apart to bypass the electric lift wires.

I will swear, therefor that the elaborate description in the catalog does not apply to the Yamaha hi-thrust 8/4.

There's another on the same page that looks just the same. Like you do, you have to leave them on if you unship the motor frequently. Obviously these harnesses should be designed to be put on the motor from the top.

Seems to me there should be a two part model made that has aa adjustable collar with D-rings on it that goes round the neck of the motor. It could be kept in the proper position with velcro dots And two, three or four adjustable straps with hooks on one end and loops on the other for the crane.

Why not invent something that people won't have to get p.o.'d at all the time!

Keep thinking I must have missed something

[Scott Galloway]

Ebb,

The harness on my Honda 7.5 is also a West Marine sold Davis Motor Caddy. You can see my supplemental (white) lines in the above photo of my motor. Also note the royal blue webbing strap on top of the motor, which I tied onto the Davis Motor Caddy's padded black lifting strap. The padded strap was too thick to permit attachment of the carabiner on the lifting davit. The carabiner on my lifting davit attaches to the royal blue strap.

[Tom_Nelson]

Having searched through the previous threads concerning outboards, it seems that there are some with a long shaft and some using the standard more common length shaft. I'd like to know how many of us use a longshaft outboard and how many use a short shaft. Were any modifications to the transom required for the short shaft. My Ariel came with a long shaft British Seagull. It seems to sit too deep and I get an abundance of exhaust in through the OB well. Opinions please.

[Bill]

The exhaust in the ob well is going to be a problem no matter what length shaft

The long shaft engine has the advantage of putting the prop lower into the water thus reducing the possibility of cavitation (prop spinning out of the water in a rolling sea). The short shaft engine is easier to manage getting into and out of the well.

[Theis]

I put in a Yamaha 8 long shaft. However, I put in a new motor mounting board that raises the motor about an inch or two above the edge of the motor well. As I recall the original motor mount is flush with the well. That being the case, I have a long shaft raised about two inches.

It seems to work fine without cavitation.

[Tom_Nelson]

Bill , Theis

Thanks .

I started with this question because I have been using a British Seagull with a long shaft, but have a 15 hp and a 9.9 hp outboards that I'm interested in using.

The outboard well on Thistle Dew has been modified at some point and I am wondering where the top of the transom was originally, and if cavitation is a problem or just an inconvenience with the short shafts.

Does any one know the average distance from the top of the transon to the water?

Tom

[Bill]

Are you looking for the distance from the deck at the backstay chainplate? A couple of thoughts: The distance will vary depending on the displacement of the individual boat (tools, beer, BBQ's, ets), and how it's lying on its lines (bow or stern heavy). Over the long weekend, I'll try to drop a line and then measure it. In the distant past, the racing fleet floated a straight edge under the bow and stern and dropped a plumb line to measure the distance. We were trying to determine displacement without actually weighing the boats. Maybe I can find those data . . .

[Theis]

Regarding cavitation, I think it is more than just an annoyance - more likely dangerous. Cavitation generally occurs when you are in significant seas and trying to get somewhere (to beat a storm, darkness, driving through seas, whatever). When it cavitates, you lose power - and under those circumstances, that is when you most need the power.

I also can't believe it is good for the motor to rev up and suddenly have a load put on it, again and again.

On the other hand, if you mostly do fair weather sailing, cavitation may just be an annoyance that occurs when you hit a motorboat wake.

You mentioned the distance from the top of the transom. Did you mean the distance from the top of the motor well mounting board to the water? I'll try to measure that for you this weekend.

[Brendan Watson]

I have used a short(15") shaft, 4hp., in flat water, that pushed my Commander just fine.
I have also been caught in a tide rip where standing waves had
me at a near stand still wth the boat hobby horsing and about two
feet of green water coming over the deck, I fired up my 15hp, long shaft,gained weigh,
and was able to bear off to get out of tha hole. I never cavitated the prop
once. Its safe to say that you will never cavitate with a long shaft (20"), never.
I bet my 4hp. would have burned up and possibly not gotten me through the rip
Tacking as I would have had to do would have lenthened the time I was taking solid water over the bow,
and as I had only the main up with little way would have been dicey at best. Go with a long-shaft if you anticipate
rough water.
Cheers, B.
Commander#215

[Bill]

Here are the results of our scientific investigation into the question of the distance from the top of the transom to the water. Using the University of Chicago School of Economics protocol (first assume a line . . .) the following results were obatined:

29-1/2 inches with me holding the line while sitting on the lazarette hatch.

31-1/2 inches without me on the hatch Took a couple of tries to get the lead line to just touch the water.

For purposes of comparison, we also checked the distance from the top of the ob motor well at the forward bulkhead (where you mount the engine):

14-1/2 inches with me there holding the line.

15-1/2 inches without me on the boat.

Protocol includes about 3 gal in the gas tank in the lazarett, ob on the main cabin sole, boom off the boat no water in the water tank, but anchor rhode and chain in the anchor locker.

Anyone get significantly different measurements?