repower

[aya16]

Beene we have the no feed back rack steering in our boat's so My motor isnt exactly pulling the steering over, more like hard to steer to the left compared to the right. Like I said I havent messed with the little rudder behind the prop yet, Also why I was thinking of a 4 blade prop, get more bite at trimmed up angle. The torque from the motor will try and force all outboards to the right (except counter rotating engines),
But If its something I feel I cant live with, doesnt seem that way to me now, Ill install the hydraulic steering, Ill still be able to disconnect the motor when sailing but it will tame the steering under power greatly.

If your interested the uflex system is what Im looking at, http://uflexusa.ultraflexgroup.com/arti ... 22&art=455, I have had hydraulic steering on another boat and its fantastic.

By using this steering system we can mount the cylinder inside the boat just like we have now at the cable connect. In fact I almost convinced myself, just from writing this to go ahead and do it any way. Having the hydraulic steering on another boat for 20 some years has spoiled me. The question will be in my mind can the mac steering rods take all this new stuff with out getting all twisted up? Weakest link type thing.

The prop, yeah the boat completely loaded and with ballast, the 13 isnt the right prop, but I sure liked the get up and go it has. Ill probably keep it as a spare. Ill try 15 probably settle for a 14 stainless in the end. I keep going it wont be a mac any more it will be a mic-mac...

Mike

[Kelly Hanson East]

My Merc (50HP) has an adjustable skeg on it to allow for countering trim issues - can you use this to resolve some of the torque steer issues Mike?

At first guess, I would say it is too small but maybe its worth a shot? IIRC, you loosen a bolt on top to adjust the skeg

[aya16]

Yeah Kelly, Ill be playing with that some too, I havent done any tweaking at all, I got the boat back Saturday afternoon, the wind was blowing very strong at the time and I put my mast back up, didnt go out and test the boat till Sunday afternoon. The boat wasnt all that together even by then, I had wires sticking out of the new console still, I hadnt put the cushions back in the bed yet. I just launched and took it for a spin.

The steering isnt that bad, the swells were pretty bad, and the water going in and out of the marina are nasty some times, I just had to fight the wheel as the boat got pushed around pretty good and thought the steering could be a lot better at the time.

The mac isnt a performance boat by any means and it will never get tossed around in tight turns or quick course changes, like say a ski boat. So the steering is very acceptable for what we do. Ill play with the torque sheg, trim it correctly and it should be fine. But Remembering how great that hydraulic steering was on my other boat, would be nice on the mac too.

Two years of mods and installing many electrical components in the old console, Im now back to square one, the new console is bare, I have to put switches, lights, a few more gauges, redo the auto pilot, things like that again. I also want to redo the wires from the engine from the transom, back into the boat, the installer left to much out by the engine. Not a big deal, but a bunch of little stuff like that needs to be done. I think the installer did a great job, but almost everything he did was uncharted waters, and had to be redesigned. Thats why I dont recommend this engine as a replacement for the 50 I took off. There are other engines in this class that are physically smaller from other manufacturers. I like this engine, but theres lots of work arounds to get it to work right.

Even the console, (new type) had to be retrofitted and routered out on the bottom to fit over the old flange from the old console. ( I didnt want to take the old console completely out so made that extra work for the installer) I just had him cut the stainless console pipe off about 4 inches above the deck. He did a great, clean job of it, but hardly anything was just bolt it on and go. If the engine was just a 1/4 inch wider, it would have hit the ladder when turned all the way, and the ladder would have had to be moved over. This engine is big, I mean way bigger than I thought it would be, It makes Bills 90 tohatsu look like a
50 hp. Dont know why merc made it so big, the cowling has tons of room inside around the engine, maybe to breath better, I dont know. As well as merc uses the same air pump and alternator as the 250 hp merc

Mike

[aya16]

A couple more things going on too, some how my cabin door got misplaced by me, so I had to cut a piece of 1/4 plywood and make one real quick to close the boat up. Yesterday I found a great deal on a sheet of black lexan, so Ill be replacing the door today.

I also broke the spreader taking the mast down and had to redo that. So many little things popped up that dont have anything to do with the engine. I also have a 3 1/4 inch round hole in the bulk head outside where my tack used to be, no big deal as I bought Ruthie's big bulkhead compass to put in there, (4/14 inch hole now) but when I took the tack out I cut the wires to it to keep the color code right for when I install it in the whaler (done already). But I must have cut a main wire to all the other stuff I had there. I had two 12 volt sockets, my radio, a battery gauge, and switch to the lights in that area. So now I have to rewire it all.

In the mean time I havent had the whaler out yet to test the prop I bought for it. I was going to bring it to the mac today and take it out but I have so many other little things I want to get done I wont have time to run the whaler.

4 blade prop for the new merc, maybe, but all the experience I have had with 4 blade props were not the best, I used one for awhile on the cutty cabin boat I had before, the boat lost some top end, But the boat felt like it was on rails in the water, It stuck to the water like glue. But I blew the hub out completely in that prop, just spun it right off, tilted the engine and all I had was a prop with no blades. So any experience others have had I would like to know.

I like the idea of the hydraulic steering, any one do it yet? Its not like power steering, its more like steady pressure on the wheel, nice and smooth, like driving a car without power steering with the tires over inflated, just nice and smooth.

Mike

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

This engine is big, I mean way bigger than I thought it would be, It makes Bills 90 tohatsu look like a
50 hp. Dont know why merc made it so big, the cowling has tons of room inside around the engine, maybe to breath better, I dont know.
Mike

the narrow/small powerhead,
that's one of the nice features of the tohatsu 90, especially on the X where there's enough room at the transom to easily walk around.
remembering, however, that the tohatsu 90 is "old" technology now. that is...
- it's 2-star rated (vs all new outboards in the last two years are 3 star)
- they use the same lower unit as older tohatsu 2-strokes. so, although reliable, the "clutchdog" can be noisy at trolling speeds. an issue that the tohatsu techs admit to
- they've been using the same technology on this motor since introduction in '03

Bob T.
"DāBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI (14" x 11 pitch)
Dinghy Motor: '06 2.5-Suzuki

[Terry]

A couple more things going on too, some how my cabin door got misplaced by me, so I had to cut a piece of 1/4 plywood and make one real quick to close the boat up. Yesterday I found a great deal on a sheet of black lexan, so Ill be replacing the door today. Mike

If the door is only misplaced, go find it! Forget the black lexan unless you only plan to use it occasionally. My '03 came with a smoked lexan door and it did not take long for the sun to heat and warp it, then for me to try and force it in place and split it. I got the new white fiberglass one and like it better, it floats. The lexan lets people see inside at night when you have the interior lights on. I have a clear lexan door for day use and would like to get another smoked one for occasional use too but the solid white fiberglass one affords the most privacy.

I use a 4 blade prop and quite like it, yes I lose top end but gain at mid range where I use it more, also gives me better control at docking speeds.

[waternwaves]

got the new white fiberglass one and like it better, it floats

Keep the cracks repaired and it floats better.....

Especially when it accidentally (read forcefully) is on the 4 ft wet part of the beach.

[Divecoz]

I use a 4 blade prop and quite like it, yes I lose top end but gain at mid range where I use it more, also gives me better control at docking speeds.

Who makes your 4 blade Prop and what size and pitch is it?

[aya16]

Misplaced was a nice way to say it sort of walked off, either some one decided to keep it safe for me, or its gone for good. I thought I lost it off the boat, but I remember I placed it next to the boat when I worked on the spreaders. I got a good deal on the lexan, a whole sheet of 3/8" black, you cant see through it, for 50 bucks. I cut the new door out already. My hope is the lexan wont scratch as bad as the Plexiglas.
I like the look of the lexan hope it doesnt warp like yours did.

The mac factory isnt too far from me, Ill probably give them a call and see what the door goes for, plus I need those spreader plugs, I had to drill out my old ones when I changed to stainless spreaders. Mine still work but I want to get new ones.

What 4 blade do you use?

I checked the trim skeg and it was set straight ahead so Ill adjust it over to the right and get a better feel at the helm.

Mike

[aya16]

Just to have one, Im picking up a new mac hatch today from mac. 75 bucks and at least I have the og. I still like the lexan hatch I made and will use that most of the time.
Get a chance to see the mac factory, In my mind Im hearing the music from the cartoons I watched as a kid, when they showed a factory producing, you know the dut, dut, dha, da, dut, dut dut dahda,da,dtta,dut,dah. Ant one who grew up with that, will relate.
Mike

[aya16]

ok only the one test ride and reported on that already, but some new things came to light, the dealer found my hatch!!!!! Now I have three, one I made, one I bought from mac, and now my old one.

Im going to be testing the engine some more this weekend, plan a nice trip to Malibu or something, I still want to sail some of the day though. So Ill report the extended motor trip Monday.
Still thinking hydraulic steering but if the adjustment on the trim tab (fin) on the motor takes care of most of the torque, Ill back off on the hydraulic steering.

The big test was the whaler, took it to lake Mojave in arizona last week, wow, that suz 50 really is a nice engine for that boat. The power trim alone makes the whaler so much better. Top speed in the high 30's
But what a big change in the sound, and the exhaust. This was a good fit. Although the whaler being 1987 was never intended for a 4 stroke, the suz is a light 4 stroke and the boat handles well with it, as long as the weight in the boat is pretty even. But when two dogs want to sit next to me, and all the weight is on the right side, the boat gets a little squarely at speed.

and sip gas!!!!!! wow, used 9 gallons for two days running, and it was all day stuff. Its about 12 miles to lake Mojave from willow beach where I launched and I did that trip easy 5 times. Let alone the running around I did on the lake. 106 degrees at the lake and no shade to speak of, how do you guys that live there deal with the summer on mead and Mojave? The wind blowing through the canyon river run, felt like a convection oven!!!

Ordered Bimini for the whaler as soon as I got back.

Mike

[revosurf]

Could you trim up the Mercury OP 115 completely above the water w/ or w/o water ballast?

Any photo to share?

[aya16]

rev, just barely, full ballast and the motor will trim up all the way out of the water (prop out) for sailing. But it does hit the top of the seat in a place I cant cut if Im not careful.
Its simple enough to get it trimmed to store by opening the seat tilt and then close the seat. I havent had much time on the engine yet, let alone sailed with it. Im so bizzy getting ready for a trip for a couple weeks. (not on the mac) but plan on doing an every weekend thing with the mac when I get back.

I havent had the mac and new engine performing without ballast yet, but the engine should be a little higher out of the water in that case, but in the no ballast thing The motor would probably be trimmed and down in the water all the time for that. I cant think of anytime I would tilt the motor out of the water without ballast, even moored I have the ballast full and engine down.

I love to sail my mac, most every outing I make with the mac is to get her out of the harbor, kill the engine and sail all day. I even sail all the way back in to the ramp almost when we are done. The nice thing about the suz engine was it could be forgotten when sailing, it was like it wasnt even there. I hope that big black hunk of merc on the back now disappears too at those times.
Mike

[SkiDeep2001]

I still wish the merc came in white...

Here ya go Aya...

I have one of these sitting in the barn. So old it's called a Kiekhaufer(before Mercury name) inline vertical 6 cylinder with 3 carbs and a magneto. You either started in Forward or Reverse, there was no Neutral. Tricky at times, hard to keep those carbs adjusted, but man, did it scream on a 16' Glaspar Avalon,which is in the pasture with a late 70's Merc 65 on it now. Did I mention I'm a packrat

[aya16]

Ski
Those were some interesting motor's, and times, They were equipped with two starter motors, one to start the engine clockwise, and the other to start the engine counter clockwise, and that was your reverse.
Not to long after that merc was out, johnson came out with an electric shift and throttle model, That actually had solenoid's to shift the motor, I had a couple of those in the 80's someone gave me. They were already about 30 years old and still worked great. In fact the first engine my Boston whaler sported brand new was one of those old 35hp Johnson motors.

Over the years (many) the two stroke outboard motor improved very little, They went to cdi ignition to eliminate the points, (what a pain that was, leave the key on by accident and you fried your points )and added a gear box in the prop housing, better oils were available for two strokes, and tighter tolerances in the machining. (back in the old days you just mixed some 30 weight motor oil in your gas) So the ratio of mix went from 24 to one to 32 to one (talk about smoke) to 50 to one, to todays up to a hundred to one in the oil injected models, and even less oil with the new high pressure fuel injected 2 strokes.

Common problems with the 2 stroke back then, were fouled plugs, and burnt, out of adjustment points. Every one that owned those engines back then could pop the flywheel off and change points in a matter of minutes, their tool boxes were filled with spark plugs and old rusty tools, because almost everyone carried the tool box on the boat. Even the biggest engine sported a pull starter as a back up to the electric starter.

Maybe thats why when I see a question about changing something as minor as a water pump on our new engines, I sort of feel like people should get to know their engines better, like the old timers who could throw a rod through the engine block on a camping trip, have the rod replaced and fiberglass the block hole and be on the lake the next day, and that motor, season after season ran fine. Actually as a kid saw just that happen. Back then guys that bought boats knew how to fix anything. They were very self sufficient, I really admired them as a kid. They were a scary independent bunch, but took a kid under their wing once they warmed up to you. They usually wore their work uniform shirts at the lake, unbuttoned of course, some cut off Levi or work pants for shorts, a captains hat, and were gruff as he$$. They teach you to ski, as a kid, and you dont dare fall "you better get up in 3 tries or else". Never knew what the or else was, as I was to scared to fall the third time. And in my case "only sissy's learn on two ski's, you learn on one".
Pack rat, we just dont want to let go our memories, and the junk is all part of them...
Mike