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My First Launch - Things that went wrong

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knightwind
Navigator

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Canada
114 Posts

Response Posted - 05/04/2008 : 09:41:07

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave Bristle
 Fresh--he's on L. Erie, but who knows where the boat's been...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Its been in Michigan mostly but was in the Bahamas for ?

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
If the prop is 8" under, it's plenty deep. But I agree that your bracket should be on your list for replacement one of these days. Catalina changed from that little Fulton to a much beefier Garhauer stainless steel bracket after a few years. If you decide to spring for a wonderful 4-stroke, you'll definitely need to switch. Catalina Direct sells the Garhauer in various spring configurations for various engines. It can almost lift itself.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Does this mount look "1979" ?

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
In your third photo, I see a metal "tab" with a gray tip between the clamps. I'm thinking that moves side-to-side, and is your steering damper control. Give that a try--it doesn't have to be too tight to keep the engine from "wandering", and you should still be able to steer it without having to change the damper.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Nope. I hoped so too. It releases the motor tilt.
I talked to Merc and they said they thought there might be a small screw you can tighten. Ii looks and feels like there's a 1/4' bolt that comes up from the bracket and presses against the bottom of the motor housing. I can feel a ~1/2" bolt head underneath. Need a deep socket to try it...but...moving that motor comes in handy when docking...I figure I 'll rope it straight if cruising/motoring.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
One other thing... Do you see the metal tab on the left side (as you look at the engine) with a hole in it? That's for a safety cable or chain that should run through it and around... lets say the stanchion (vertical bar) of your stern rail--just in case the engine loosens on the bracket, or the bracket breaks, or (perhaps less likely in this case) somebody decides to walk off with the motor.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

What do you mean less likely! We think it's a very handsome motor with charm and character that and thief would love to steal...;o)
Roger on the safety cable...its on my list.

Thanks and Regards

Edited by - on

knightwind
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Canada
114 Posts

Response Posted - 05/04/2008 : 09:44:18

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OLarryR
 Don,

Peter, You mentioned about keeping the motor all the way down:
"I had to lower it all the way to get the top of the prop about 6-8" below the water line."

Something else to check on/observe: If you know about this, then nevermind - The outboard has the water intakes perhaps 4" above the prop. This may differ on some outboards, the water intakes may be higher or lower. There is usually a horizontal fin somewhere above those water intakes. I believe the owner's manual indicates that that the horizontal fin must be below the waterline to ensure the outboard continually intakes water for cooling. Many know if the outboard/prop/intake is low enough by the engine noise...if when going over wavelets or moderate waves, the engine noise increases significantly, then the water intake is probably momentarily coming out of the water. If this happens infrequently, then maybe okay but if it happens more frequently, then it may turn into a future or sooner project regarding the outboard lowering sufficiently into the water to ensure water cooling is satisfactory under all sea conditions.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The water intake is actually at the very bottom, beneath the prop.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/04/2008 : 11:13:52

For you guys that are looking for a way to control your outboard remotely, take a look at http://www.powertiller.net. I just ordered mine so I can't say how well it works yet, but it should be delivered later on this week. The guy who runs the site (Bill) is very pleasant to deal with, and make sure to ask for a discount based on this organization. He gave me 10% off.

And Peter, if you remove the trailing space in the last square brackets, your picture will probably work.

Edited by - delliottg on 05/04/2008 11:17:03

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 05/04/2008 : 11:22:03

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 And Peter, if you remove the trailing space in the last square brackets, your picture will probably work.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">...also the "end of line" (Enter) after the URL and before the /IMG tag.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/04/2008 : 11:39:25

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 For you guys that are looking for a way to control your outboard remotely, take a look at http://www.powertiller.net.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

If you own a Merc', you don't really need a remote.

Edited by - on

Sloop Smitten
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1181 Posts

Response Posted - 05/05/2008 : 09:22:16

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Does this mount look "1979" ?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Your mount is made by Fulton and was common on 70's vintage Catalina 25's. Fulton states they are for 2-cycle use only and it should be adequate for your needs if the bushings and springs are not shot. Some lateral movement is acceptable but if your engine is swaying from side to side it is probably near the end of its useful life. For comparison I had my 8HP 4-cycle Honda on one for 5 years before I upgraded to the Catalina Direct mount. Felt like I swapped a VW Bug for a Cadillac.

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