Our 8-year-old is very enthusiastic and I want her to get used to the idea of messing around in boats. However it's not always windy enough to get upwind against the current, and sod's law says it's always light when she decides she wants to go sailing, so I reckon we need an outboard motor. Having never owned an outboard before; can anyone suggest what size I should go for?
It'd be nice to be able to potter around with all four of us in the boat, but no need to be able to get the boat planing. Anything to look for when buying used? I should think that anything in the 1. If the price for a 2 to 3 hp is the same as for a lesser engine and not significantly heavier, then I'd err toward the stronger engine for insurance.
You're going to want as little weight as you can get away with, one would think. And if you're looking at two-cycle or 2-stroke then you may be considering the previously-owned engine market. Sure, there are injected 2-cycle engines but I don't know if they're available in the 2hp range. Note that many outboards come in a "standard" length and in a "long shaft" variety. The long-shaft is marketed toward blow boats such as ours, where the transom mount is typically higher than that of a common row boat or dinghy.
In some cases, the long shaft version of the same engine is geared down a little for better torque and is fitted with a lower-pitch prop for pushing what is, at kicker speed, a Mirror Dinghy Outboard Motor Size Site displacement load. I prefer a 3-bladed prop over a two for this type use and the long shaft engines that are geared for sail kickers should come that way.
My 4hp Evinrude is a short-shaft but does have a 3-blade prop, and does well on a swing type engine mount on which I can make up for the required depth off the transom.
Depending upon your situation, you might want to consider a kicker that's being sold second-hand. Not knowing what's on the market in the UK, I might start by recommending one of these - a 2hp Evinrude. My 4hp model uses a two cylinder model of this head that, for all practical purposes, has about the same body shaft and lower end.
Being water-cooled, this should run as quietly as its big brother does for me. If you don't mind the noise, there are some very light-weight air-cooled units out there such as the Cruise 'N Carry though you have to figure in the availability of or lack of I keep one of these in my cuddy as a backup when going off into the coastal waters. Then there are all sorts of Mercury Mariners and such, just watch the weight figure.
One thing you might consider on the nostalgic side of the equasion is a British Seagull, Featherweight model. You could use a Fourty Plus but the Featherweight would be fine for under 12'.
Talk about one reliable little engine; do some research on that make of engine if not already familar with it. What to look for, when considering a previously-owned outboard or kicker? You really ought to see and hear it run in person if at all possible. If not, then you'll want to at least do these things:. Pull out the spark plug probably just one cylinder, in the size you're looking for.
See if it's all rusty. It should look dry with a very slight yellow-gray deposit on the tip bits. If the start cord's been pulled recently you may note some light moisture from fuel. Find the oil fill plug on the lower end, and remove it while it's in a position in which oil won't drain out by accident. Look at the oil - if it's mostly honey-like in color and there's plenty of it in there, not leaking past the prop shaft seal, then that area's probably fine.
If you see metal bits, that's a sign of wear that you need to be oncerned about. If the color of the stuff you see in there is more like coffee with cream - light brownish to dark yellow that is - then water's gotten in there somehow. Except for pre's Seagulls, that's a very bad thing. In the case of the latter, it's normal and I won't go into why, at this time.
Now if there's water getting in, it may just need new seals on the prop shaft and on the input shaft ends. You'd have to decide if that's a gamble you're willing to work with and which depends largely upon who's going to do the service work to fix it.
Some shops won't work on older engines and learning how to do some work on your own is a good thing. Attach the high-tension lead to the plug and find a way to keep the plug base against the engine, against bare metal that is. Pull the cord normally, and look for any kind of blue-ish spark. It shouldn't require a harsh, tendon-ripping pull just to get a good spark. Even a light pull should show something. If you can actually see inside with a flashlight [torch? Put the plug back in and leave the high-tension lead off for now.
Pull the cord a few times and make sure you feel compression. You should not hear any unnatural grinding or metal clanking inside the head or the lower end part with the prop attached. If you have a compression gauge, I'm guessing that you should get lbs compresson Mirror Dinghy Outboard Motor Size Windows for a typical small outboard.
It's impossible for me to say just what compresson any particular small engine is supposed to have, but if the conditions warrant and if you have a chance to look up the specs first, that should help. If the engine spins readily, has compression and has a worthwhile ignition spark then chances are that it'll run, even if it needs carb work prior to sailing with it.
If you can't find a big enough can such as a Outboard Motor Dinghy Storage Online trash can to run this in, you can at least remove the prop and stick the business end into a 5 gallon pail for these purposes. Make sure you've got the right oil-mix of fuel handy, and go ahead and put some into the tank.
Follow the instructions typically found on the engine cowl and start the engine. If it doesn't react favorably after 3 or 4 pulls, then something needs maintenance. If you're this far, then you've already made sure there's igniton. If not starting, determine if there's a fuel smell that indicates it's flooded out or remove the plug, dry it if wet.
If it is flooded, take off the choke and pull until the thing puffs here and there, indicating that it's going to start eventually. A few more pulls ought to start it up. If not, check the plug again and dry, etc etc. If it's not flooding, put a teaspoon of fuel into the carb opening and see it that lights things up on a pull or two.
If the engine runs at this point for a few seconds only, the carb is clogged and you should be OK if the engine's one for which parts are available most Merc's, Evinrudes, etc and you should start working on a lower price than was asked for. That is, it's probably worth owning if all that's needed is a carb rebuild If the engine will start up, it should be run at slow to medium speed and allowed to warm up for one minute or so.
Once warmed up, see how it operates at the slowest possible idle. It should run smoothly, or be responsive to trimming the low-speed mix so as to become smooth at very low speed. One thing to look for is a condition where at lower or medium speed the engine starts to cough out the carb and die, rather than keep running below a certain RPM. This is repairable if parts are available and if you're doing the work. If not yourself, you need to know someone who'll give a very good price to do it for you for it to be worth buying a used engine known to require servicing.
Assuming the engine's running by now and if a water-cooled engine, check to see if water's spitting out the tiny holes on the back of the "leg" of the engine - or from wherever a telltale on that engine happens to be. It should be luke-warm and be apparent even at low idle exc. Brittish Seagull but they can take the heat for periods of time. If there's no flow at low speed or idle, then figure in the price of a water impeller or a pump rebuild kit for the engine, and for labor if someone else is going to do the work.
Poor water flow could be due to repeated failure to flush the engine or other reasons, and is something to be considered. You should, even after a few minutes' running time, be able to take a little amount of water and sprinkle a bit onto the cylinder head [but not on the spark plug] - it should just sit there and disappear as it evaporates or steams off.
This trace of water should NOT be so hot that it dances up and boils. If it does, then the block's not getting near adequate cooling. These points are highly simplified and, as always on the used market, buyer beware.
If you can afford a new unit the by all means get the best one you can reasonably afford. As I understood it, if the boat was made to original designers specs, it would take up to a 4hp 2stroke I would imagine. Outboard motor for Mirror dinghy. Start new topic.
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Posted September 2, LostDaggerboard 32 Posted September 3, Posted September 3, Posted September 4, I rasn an old Johnson 2hp on mine and it pushed me and the kids around fine. Archived This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. Go to topic listing. Sign In Sign Up.
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