Pol, about those fumes:

Are we talking about exhaust smell being drawn back into the cockpit? If yes, I don’t know how to fix that. I have seen motor launches over here with the exhaust pipe extended to below the waterline, but maybe that is more about noise than about fumes.

If we are talking about ‘engine smell’ down below, I guess there are two sources for it:

• ·         A tiny exhaust leak. I bet you have ruled that out.
• ·         Diesel engines tend to sweat a bit oil. When the engine block is hot, this oil, even tiny amounts of it, will evaporate and smell. While the engine is running, it itself acts like a strong ventilator, sucking out any fumes in the engine room. After the hot engine has been stopped, there is no longer this evacuating effect. This could be a reason for fitting a 25W fan, which evacuates the engine compartment  (via a duct) for an hour or so, while the engine block is cooling down.

Just an armchair idea.

Arne

Graeme,

I think most of the outboards with recoil start also have the basic ‘British Seagull’ start mechanism underneath. The recoil mechanism can be removed quite easily with tools following the motor, revealing the basic version.

I find that different motors have different characters when it comes to starting. My present single-cylinder, 4-stroke Tohatsu 6 wants to be ‘primed’ when cold, even when I have thoroughly pumped the fuel, so that the bladder pump is hard. By pulling the motor slowly over 3-4 times first, I guess fuel will have reached the engine, and then it will start easily. From then on, all is well. This little priming ritual saves me energy and frustration.

Arne

Arne wrote:

Manual contra electric start.

My choice of picking the manual model start was mainly based on scepticism to being dependant of a good battery. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think the electric start version had recoil start as a backup.

Some do and some don't. I have both. The biggest difference I have noticed between pull and electric is that electric are expected to start with the throttle at idle, while the pull start (at least my old 2 strokes) expect the throttle to be at 1/2 to 2/3 throttle to start. I have found my 4 stroke does not ever need a choke as it has a pump for acceleration and so I can pump it a few times for similar effect. I guess newer ones have injection and don't need any help. I have decided I prefer separate throttle and shift lever over all in one single lever for remotes... something about cold motors at idle stopping when going into gear when still close to a dock.

Still I see the point in having electric start, electric tilt and remote control if the engine is to sit in an awkward position.

Even with a transom stern, I love remote everything, I don't happen to have remote tilt but the rest is easy enough for my wife to start "like a car". That alone made it worth while to buy the 4 stroke (used of course).

Frankly, these days I find it harder to cold-start my present 6hp Tohatsu. It takes a real 'lawn mover swing' to start it, but from then on it purrs along nicely.

After many years of pulling at fast and hard as I could on my lawn mower, I have found that pulling it over slower, close to idle speed works better. sort of a lazy pull, if you will. Getting the pull speed to match the throttle position seems to be key to pull starting. This year we are going inboard diesel, so a whole new learning thing with all that.

Here's something you wouldn't expect.

Whether this applies to all counter stern boats or not, I do not know.

I had a Yachting World Diamond once. (It was a cruising version, ie someone had added a cabin and a bit of accommodation). It had a fin keel and a separate rudder, no skeg. The rudder had a considerable balance and was set fairly well inboard from the transom. (I never liked the rudder much, but that's another story.)

On the end of the long counter, on the centre line and in the slipstream of the rudder, was mounted an outboard motor on the usual fixed bracket. About as simple an installation as you could imagine. If I recall correctly it was a 9hp Johnson, standard shaft. You had to crawl out onto the long narrow after deck and kneel, while leaning over the stern, to get the thing started. Pull start/skin knuckles arrangement.

Here's what happened. To my amazement, it steered by itself. I had visions of having to squat on the after deck trying to steer the wretched thing, with the boat tiller 2 metres away and out of reach. But it turned out that it was possible to sit in the comfort of the cockpit and just steer with the boat tiller in the ordinary way. By some fortunate ordination of Providence, the outboard motor simply followed the attitude of the rudder. If I pushed the helm over, the motor would turn in sympathy - and add positivity to the steering. Being mounted on the centre line, it was never bothered much by the boat rolling or heeling.  (Mind you, I never used it while sailing - and as for reverse, I don't remember now, but don't expect it was much good for that.)

The point is though, if you just want a simple stern mounted "kicker" I think you can put it anywhere you like on the transom (away from direct interference with the rudder) and if it can swing freely it may well just follow the slipstream and steer "with you" by itself, as mine did all those years ago. I'd put it directly behind the rudder, if that is possible.

I've had a lot of different outboards on a variety of boats over the years - with varying degrees of success and satisfaction/frustration, and I've seen more than a few busted pull-start mechanisms and oiled up spark plugs. My most recently purchased was a 9.9hp 4-stroke Yamaha Hi Thrust. I did a 5-day river trip with it. With electric start and electric tilt. What luxury!  It's worth it, if you must have an outboard. Arne is right about that. It has a feeble little charging plant, but enough to put back into the battery what you use when starting up. It's quiet and it's a gem. Its the quietest and smoothest machine I have ever owned (with the exception of my sewing machine). Its the first time in my life I've ever loved an outboard motor, and there's been plenty I have hated.

You see these Yamaha 4-strokes for sale from time to time second hand, usually with a history of being the back-up motor for some rich person's gin palace - sometimes with hardly any hours on the clock. Right now there's one on Trademe: long shaft, electric everything, Hi Thrust (that means bigger propeller and slower rotation - what you want for an auxiliary) - remote controls so you don't need to lean out over the back to fool around with the thing - with all those extras its starting price is NZ$1,990 and nobody has bid on it - it's come back on Trademe for the second time. It's actually 8hp - I've never seen one of them before but it looks just like a 9.9 and I doubt if there would be much difference.

You'll find it here. It might just be what someone's looking for.

The remote control and cable is probably worth $500 on its own, and if you've had one - its an order of magnitude better than facing backwards and needing to use two hands fooling around with tiller-mounted controls.

PS At one stage I had a 9.9 Yamaha Hi-thrust, and a 15hp 4-stroke Honda at the same time - also a nice motor with all the same bells and whistles. I was able to try them both out on the same boat. The Honda was marginally faster in a straight line but when the non-planing hull went into a turn, at full power the Honda propeller would ventilate and slip (what some people mistakenly call "cavitate"). Horse power is no use if you can't convert it efficiently into thrust.  The Yamaha was quieter and all-round performed better for this particular boat. I had the choice of which one to keep, and chose the Yamaha without hesitation.

Anonymous wrote:

Has any Badger been equipped with a stern-quarter mounted, long-shaft, retractable, outboard motor, that can be lowered into the water when needed. I have heard it works well on 30 ft boats. Not in all conditions of course but for coastal cruising? A friend of mine who used one for cruising for many years on his 30-footer said this setup has an undeserved bad name. Perhaps 34 ft is just too big.

Yes, we had one on Badger and used it for a few years from Falmouth to S America and the Falkland Is.  There we swopped a 15kg Bruce anchor for a diesel engine, which we fitted (shaft included) between tides in the winter.

The engine - a Seagull Kingfisher - had to be stowed below if we were going offshore - it would be inundated otherwise, so we couldn't use it when leaving harbour. It only worked in a flat calm.  Badgers are tender and in the slightest breeze, it would come out of the water if we were on the starboard tack.  I'd be a liar if I said it was a success.  I reckon a yuloh would probably have been as good and a lot cheaper.  We were essentially engineless for all that time.

Gary seemed pretty pleased with his arrangement on Asahi.