Engine position while docked

S

smittypaddler

New member
This link -

http://smittypaddler.com/fl08/photos/me ... G_0299.JPG

shows a picture of Na Waqa in a slip on the St Johns River. As you can see the motors don't come up high enough to completely clear the water. I'm wondering if I should be lowering them so the sacrificial zincs are in the water. It seems to me they're doing no good with the motors in this position. I have one of those zinc fish on a cable hung over the transom, and the cable is alligator-clipped to a bare metal part on the engine steering assembly, but I don't know whether that's good enough. Any suggestions?
 
I have Suzukis and you have Hondas, and I have a Tomcat- so I am showing my ignorance here...But I am curious. Why are the motors not coming out of the water?

The Suzukis have a limiting cam. If not set all the way up, the motors will not come completely out of the water. Are the Hondas different, or is it a situation common to all 22s?
 
Alok":qx2tjfpg said:
The Suzukis have a limiting cam. If not set all the way up, the motors will not come completely out of the water. Are the Hondas different, or is it a situation common to all 22s?
Click to expand...

My Yamaha defaults to completely out of the water.
 
From looking at the picture, it appears that the stern is pretty far down in the water. If the motors are at 'full up' moving weight forward could help.

Are there zincs on the bottom of the transom brackets? If so, those zincs are protecting the gearcases. If not, then lowering the motors until the gearcase zincs are in the water would help protect against salt water corrosion.
 
Most of the outboards do have zincs on the bottom of the outboard transom brackets. I have a 115 Yahama, which is not out of the water fully when the engine is left down on its "support tab". I have had it in the water for over 3 years (Mostly fresh, occasionally bracish) with no corrosion. Although there is a little growth on the "cone" of the outboard.

I prefer to leave the outboard on the support, and retract the support rams all of the way into the cylinders.
 
You may want to try a system I have used for years. I have a large zinc that is on a long steel cable. On the bitter end of the cable is a jumper cable type pincher clip. My batteries are in the rear lazarette so I ran a short cable from the negative battery post to the interior fastening studs for the bolt thru rear cleat. the cable is fastened to the dock permanently with enough slack to clip on to the cleat after docking. The clip works well because it harmlessly comes off if you forget to disconnect.
 
I have wondered which is better, up or down too. Our twin 40's do not clear the water when in the full up position either. So we have weighed the difference, leave 'em down and get growth and electrical corrosion, or raise almost out and get less growth and more corrosion because there are less Zincs in the water. Sorry, I still don't know which is better. I think it is obvious that it would be best to get them all the way up and out, but since that is not possible, we have generally left them down, and run for a short time at least every day to flush out any organism growth.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I like that suggestion of using bottom paint. I'm pretty sure I have a little left in a can at home. I've looked for zincs anywhere other than on the engine shafts above the propellers, and can't find any. Thanks
 
If the boat is in salt water, the engine needs to be up as far as possiable. If there is no bracket zinc, then tie one of the "fish" types to the bracket or engine block. There should be little if any electrolysis of the cone of the outboard lower unit.

Bottom paint: Do not use a metalic paint which may interact with aluminum. (do not use copper based bottom paints). There are some biocides which will prevent growth of marine organisms.
 
Thanks Bob, I have seen them but didn't know they were for that sort of application. Great idea, but I will have to check and find the location of the other zincs too.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I got my zinc fish-on-a-cable at a BoatUS (now West Marine) store somewhere in Florida, several years ago. What bothers me about the zinc fish is that it doesn't show much deterioration, when I had to repace my sacrificial anodes on the engine shaft after only a few months in Florida saltwater. The alligator clip seems to be copper-coated tin or some such, because I constantly have to sand the clip to get a good bare-metal surface. Also, the cable corroded through where it connects to the alligator clip, and I've had to re-attach it once so far. What I really should do is check it with a voltmeter, but I'm ashamed to say I've been too lazy to do that as yet.
 
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