flushing bag report

[westward]

Greeetings to all. I had the opportunity to try out my flushing bag to flush the engines with the boat moored in its slip. It's not too tough to do and seemed to work pretty well. With the motors up, I slipped the flush bag (flex water hose pre-attached)around/under the lower unit, then dropped the motor until it pinned the bag in place against the saltwater below. Turned on the hose and allowed the bag to fill to above the Permatrim, which expanded the bag and allowed me to drop the motor further down. Holding the bag by a bungee cord hooked through the grommet, I started the motor with the hose running. Worked perfectly well until I put the motor in gear which tore up the bag (just kidding!!)and I flushed each motor for a couple of minutes. Shut off the motor and raised it up. The bag slipped off and spilled it's fresh water out just as the motor cleared the saltwater. The motors got an excellent flush; better than with muffs. I ordered the large size bag for large outboards/stern drives, and it's plenty big enough to fit around my Honda 40's with Permatrims. I will modify the bag by attaching 4 lengths of 1/4" line at the corners to tie it off while flushing as this will make the process easier. The current Honda 40/50 have a flush port attachment whose design makes it impractical if not impossible to flush while the boat is in the water. Moreover, these motors are susceptible to salt buildup in the thermostat which can cause it to stick open and mess up the motor. The biggest risks with this operation are: 1. slipping while stepping in the splash well or on the transom, and 2. looking like a dork while doing this operation in the marina. With the price of engines these days I think I'm thick-skinned enough to handle the lattter. Best, Mike.

[jstates]

Mike

Amy chance of a photo or web link to the flushing bag - search on WMarine did not bring up flushing bag - is there another name.

Would a large plastic garbage can work?

Thanks

Jim

[Captains Cat]

Jim, all you gotta do is look around the site. This is in the outboards forum. If you look at the posts there's a source for it too.




Charlie

[marvin4239]

Thats sure seems like a lot of trouble when you can tie into the water cooling system under the cowling and use a hose. Thats the way I did it with my 2006 Honda 50. I guess running the engine may give a better flush?

[westward]

Marvin: I seem to remember that you had a mechanic install your flushing system. Could I trouble you to describe this again? I would love to be able to flush via an inlet under the cowling if I could. It would be much easier. I almost opted for a single Honda 90 rather than the twins to get EFI and a flushing inlet, but I do not like having a kicker for my boating usage. BTW the flush bag vendor is Quality Marine Products LLC. Thanks, Mike.

[marvin4239]

Mike I wish I had taken a closer look as to how it was installed but I traded the boat on a 22 about 6 months after purchase. It had a hose that attached under the cowling to somewhere on the block and exited the cowling with a female hose end on the hose that you could screw a hose to for flushing. You didn't have to remove the cowling. It had a rubber screw in plug that went in the hose when you were finished flushing. Worked well and seem to flush the entire engine as water came out the pee hole and intake. I assumed it was a Honda add on but may have been something cobbled together by the dealer. It was done by Big Boys Play Toys Marine a C-Dory dealer in Palatka Florida. If you call them they will probably be able to tell you more or maybe even send you the kit. Their number is 386-328-4510. If they can't help you I bet Marc at Wefing can. I traded my boat at Wefing and I'm not sure if they still have the 16. I keep my boat in a lift so it was really handy. I flushed with the engine NOT running.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Here's a link to the thread that had the url for Quality Marine Products. The people who make the flush bags.