We have an old 3 cylinder Yamaha two-stroke on the 15' Boston Whaler and the normally reliable beast recently stranded us for the very first time before magically fixing itself. It has been running perfectly ever since. I think it has an intermittent … [Read more...]
A Little Morning Project Spirals Out of Control
A "little morning project" to replace a bracket for the outboard steering arm ended up involving complete disassembly and revarnishing of the mahogany console on my Boston Whaler. We had some problems with the 70 hp Mercury that came with our old … [Read more...]
Tilt and Trim Fun With My Boston Whaler
My old fifteen-foot Boston Whaler was a teenager's dream boat — but it didn't have hydraulic tilt and trim.When I was a teenager, we had a 15' Boston Whaler aptly named the Flying Shingle. The engine was a 70 hp Johnson, and the boat was fantastic. … [Read more...]
Soft Inflatable Dinghies
Soft inflatable dinghies have impressive stability and carrying capacity for their size, but tying them to barnacle-encrusted pilings is bad news. A recent overnight trip on a new Catalina 309 reminded me of all the compromises involved in … [Read more...]
Hydraulic Outboard Engine Jack Plates
Flats boats benefit from the use of jack plates to allow them to move the engine vertically upwards to get into shallow water. In addition to the power tilt and trim system that swings the engine around a pivot point on the mounting bracket, … [Read more...]
Power Tilt and Trim for Large Outboard and Sterndrive Boats
Trim tabs help control the attitude of the boat: Deflect the trim tabs down to push the stern of the boat up and the bow down. Many boats are equipped with hydraulic trim tabs, as pictured above. On the smaller boats, the power tilt and trim or … [Read more...]
Outboard Engine Tilt and Trim for Medium Size Outboards
Power Tilt and Trim for Outboard Engines Above 30hp A passenger leaping up and down in the bow can affect the boat's trim and performance. Outboard engines above about 30 hp are generally equipped with power tilt and trim. There are usually two … [Read more...]
Docking Outboard-Powered Small Sailboats
An outboard engine may look a little funny hanging off the back of a sailboat, but it can offer extra maneuverability that is impossible with inboard engines. Inboard engines are prone to "prop walk" at slow speeds, because the shaft is usually … [Read more...]
Outboard vs Diesel for Horizon Cats
While many people prefer the inboard diesel engine for the Com-Pac Horizon Cat, I prefer the outboard. Nine out of ten Com-Pac Horizon Cats sold are the inboard diesel Horizon Cat version, and one out of ten is a Horizon Cat with an outboard … [Read more...]
Choking the New Engine During Break-In — Or, How To Solve Problems By Reading the Owner’s Manual
My friend Kley had a 21 Hydra Sports back in the late 70s, and it had a 175 hp Mariner outboard on it. Though the Hydra Sports hull was made with Kevlar, it was still a fairly heavy boat for its size, and it had a very deep deadrise angle that … [Read more...]
