In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Boat motor

Discussion in 'The Game Room' started by Greenstick, Oct 19, 2020.

  1. Greenstick

    Greenstick

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    I've never been a seafarer and need a few tips. I picked up a puddle jumper cheap for maybe hitting some smaller lakes, a 12 footer. The guy threw in a 3 hp Johnson that he said wouldn't run 20 years ago so it sat. I know any recreational motor work is big coin to get worked on. Is it worth it to get it running or what is your experience with the around $400 outboard that can be bought on amazevil? How big a motor could I go. What do you look for if buying a used outboard? Kinda thinking 5 hp?
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2020
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  2. chris

    chris

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    Should be a plate on transom stating max hp size. Might as well go new on a small motor - it will be 4 stroke- some lakes and puddles now have restrictions concerning 2 strokes. Just try not to run any ethanol laced fuel in them- old or new.
     
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  3. Greenstick

    Greenstick

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    Looked on the motor and it is a Johnson jw23m. For the 5 minutes I looked, according to web opinions this seems to be a good motor. Really need some tips to see if I should gamble and try to revive it.
     
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  4. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    Is this similar to your motor brenndatomu ?
     
  5. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    I don't have a boat...only ever messed with outboards a couple times...no knowledge of that one, sorry.
     
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  6. chris

    chris

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    1968 motor, not running 20 years ago, so in theory no ethanol related damage. Coil, carb, or mechanical ? at the very least carb rebuild and new fuel lines, impeller for water cooling of cylinder if it is not an air cooled unit. One other issue was the needle jets woud wear or the orings would go bad in the carbs. used to repair outboards in the 70/80s ( side line) back then is was mostly 50's and earlier units I would see. Like Scott, Atwater Kent, Johnsons, Mercury, and others. It was kinda of funny to my wife as we would come home from our jobs and there would be a couple or more outboards stacked on the front porch.
     
  7. Dumf

    Dumf Banned

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    Our +/- 20 Y.O. Yamaha short shaft 4 HP 2 stroke for the dinghy is bomb proof. But only with a carb rebuild, impeller, and E-FREE gas.
    If you don't want to fuss with the tiny carb, this is a good time to get a bargain on a used older 2 stroke outboard. Remember, 4 strokes are much heavier than 2 strokes, and more $$$.
    The 2 strokes are being phased out; too bad.
     
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  8. Greenstick

    Greenstick

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    Was talking with a guy and I'm not sure if I am becoming the hoarder you can dump stuff off on or what. He just gave me a Featherweight 5 outboard that he said that ran when put away 20+ years ago. Looked and found a tag saying it is a Clinton motor. Ok boat guys, which motor do I pursue first? Any tips on the featherweight? 20201220_171310.jpg
     
  9. Greenstick

    Greenstick

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    The paint is gone on the housing on mine but I stole a interweb picture of what mine should look like. Screenshot_20201221-105150_DuckDuckGo.jpg
     
  10. Horkn

    Horkn

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    You had me until the ethanol part. You won't be able to avoid ethanol. Newer engines ( 20 yrs old and up even) are designed to be able to deal with e10.
     
  11. Horkn

    Horkn

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    So you're admitting that you have an old small Johnson that doesn't work?

    :rofl: :lol::rofl: :lol::rofl: :lol::rofl: :lol:

    I'm so sorry, I couldn't resist.

    We'll help you out though. Even if it's old, you will probably be able to get it running, as long as major parts are there and not ruined and NLA or a pita to get.

    If you want to spend 400, I guarantee that you could find at least a nice used small engine. There's even those Briggs and Stratton 4 stroke ones that are 5 hp or so.

    Find the transom plate to see what max power is due the boat. At 12 ft, I think a 5 hp may be max.

    If your boat could take more power, I've got a couple Mercury's laying around. 65 hp would be fun to watch on that's 12 footer. :whistle:
     
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  12. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    [​IMG] :rofl: :lol:
     
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  13. Horkn

    Horkn

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    And you said you didn't have a boat:whistle:


    Posting your 2020 July 4th "we're out of beer and the marina is only open for 5 more minutes to get the last chance at holiday beer" video :rofl: :lol::rofl: :lol::rofl: :lol:

    If you had a boat, this would be it. Twin 300 hp big Johnson v8 2 stroke outboards on the family boatster. :thumbs:
    miniature-outboard-engine-johnson-gt300-v8_1_c277e98bd7360eae87e3948718545744.jpg
     
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  14. Husky Man

    Husky Man

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    My Dad retired a bit early, and fiddled with boats, buying fixin em up and selling them, we had a Boathouse on the Columbia River, and I had plenty of “Hold my Beer, and Watch This” kind of moments in my late teens and early twenties. Dad had a little Stevens 10’ 3 point mini hydroplane, that for awhile was pushed by a 3 cylinder 35HP Merc, but it got Really Interesting when that got traded for a 2 cylinder 50HP Johnson :eek:, another screamer was a 15.5’ Glastron Trihull that he put a 175HP V-6 Evinrude on, the boat was only rated for a 75HP IIRC, but hey, who’s worried about an extra 100HP???:jaw::bug:

    I wish that I had known that the “Little Green Demon” was for sale, when Dad sold the mini hydro, but that wasn’t an accident, one of my Sister’s Dumbass Boyfriends who never should have been at the throttle of that Adrenaline Rush, took it out and flipped it, unfortunately he wasn’t hurt ( Missed Opportunities :(), but Dad got Spooked and got rid of it, it’s a Shame, I would have Loved to have kept her and her Big Sister together

    C2ACDBCF-4153-4CF1-A12C-57F531F7B464.jpeg

    This is the Big Sister, “Plum Crazy”, she is a 68 Steven’s 17’ SK Class racing hull, with recreational seating, and optimized for Water Skiing, she is powered by a Corvette spec’d 327, spinning a 3 bladed prop, through a V-Drive.

    Two weeks before my 3rd Birthday, we drove down to Gardena, CA, from Portland, OR and picked her up at the Factory, my Mom was the original owner, until June of this year

    For Father’s Day, my Mom gave me about the BEST Father’s Day Gift that I could have asked for. I had no idea what was coming, when Mom walked up an handed me a plain white envelope, I opened it, and was SPEECHLESS, it contained the title for Plum Crazy and her trailer, with a letter Gifting her to me, the ol girl has been pampered, and still turns heads and gets a lot of questions at the ramp and beach.

    That picture was taken, back in August, in her old stompin grounds on the Columbia River, Sadly, Dad had sold the boathouse many years ago, and it has since been destroyed by a Fire:(, but that is the Marina in the background, where our house was moored, it would have been 4th house from the shore on the front walk. My parents bought the float and shell when I was 6 months old, and did all the interior, electrical and plumbing themselves, it was a Magical place to grow up, I wouldn’t trade my childhood, for those of today’s kids on a bet, it couldn’t get much better than the childhood that I had


    Doug. :cheers:
     
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  15. Husky Man

    Husky Man

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    Just found a Black and white ad for the 10’ Mini-Hydroplane

    upload_2020-12-23_20-11-43.jpeg

    It was a bit more Spartan than it’s Big Sister, but it could ride two in tandem. The one Dad had for awhile was Green with the large metal flake finish, Fun times when I was young



    Doug :cheers:
     
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  16. Horkn

    Horkn

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    How is that to ski behind? I've got a 351w powered 78 Ski Nautique. Similar idea, but the Nautique isn't built for speed, but rather handling and towing skiers.
     
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  17. Husky Man

    Husky Man

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    It is Awesome to ski behind, very flat wake, plane out very quickly and pull 4-6 skiers without trouble, if you’re so inclined, these Were THE Ski Boats before the Nautiques and Mastercrafts came out

    Most riding in Plum Crazy will guess that she is much faster than she really is. Like your Nautique, she is optimized for Skiing, not outright Speed.

    A Full On Race Boat would have a Pilot’s seat and maybe a Copilot/weekend buddy seat, not the 3+3 seating we have, the engine would be much further forward to plane out as Quickly as possible, and would be spinning a smaller, higher pitched 2 bladed prop, our larger 3 bladed prop sacrifices speed, for “Bite” to pull skiers from a deep water start, and pop them out, without drowning them in the process. We have a turnbuckle adjusted cavitation plate, the roundy, roundy racers used a an adjustable cav plate that used a bell crank arrangement, as I recall most dragboats used a turnbuckle arrangement too

    Our Top Speed is about 50MPH, but get that 327 Roaring and the V-Drive Whining, and most not familiar with boats will Swear you’re doing 75-80

    53F7753B-9F7B-4AF5-B81F-BD91FFDEDCC7.jpeg

    This is my Stepdaughter’s potential Future Father in Law getting some wheel time, the Smile says it all


    Doug :cheers:
     
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  18. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Very cool! That's all that my Nautique stress about too, probably really only about 47 mph. When mine was the original 250 hp, but with an acme cnc 3 blade, my Nautique pulled 8 guys up on 2 skis each, from deep water even. I was one of those 8 guys, the biggest at 230 lbs or so at the time. This was on the Mississippi River in Wisconsin.

    My two older brothers lived in Portland at one time, and I almost moved out there too. One of my brothers friends had a floating house on the Willamette River basically just out of downtown. He had a moomba tantrum ski boat on his deck, which was his dock since it was a floating house. I went wakeboarding with him a couple times on the Willamette. That's as close to skiing on the Columbia River as I'll probably get.;). :handshake:
     
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