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Just curious if anyone has any creative mods to make this more practical...... I've pull started my merc 50 a time or two while it's on the trailer and me standing back behind it on the ground but I've never been able to successfully pull start the engine out in a rolly ocean in the boat .....it seems the steering wheel is in the way to give a good long solid pull and I end up smashing the back of my arm or elbow on it or the angle is too high which pulls the rope off of the flywheel ..... I know ultimately the goal is to not have to and I have solar panels and a generator but I would like to have that option as a true viable option (just in case) .... I considered bolting up some kind of pulley at the proper angle height so the rope wouldn't slip off the top and running a longer rope so I can get away from the steering wheel...but thought I'd ask here first to see if anyone else had made some creative way to make Rogers idea actually work while out on the water

I wonder if a lithium powered drill would work to spin the flywheel. I feel like I've seen that before.

Can't just use a really long rope, and pull from forward of the helm? Angle should be much lower than close in, too.

Long rope and stand in cabin. Plenty of elbow room.

Nauti Nell wrote:Long rope and stand in cabin. Plenty of elbow room.

And the angle is just right. Brilliant!

I get behind the wheel (forward of it). Kudos to you for looking into this. Like MOB drill, the time to practice it is before you need it for real.

That's a good idea I will try that today to see if I can get it started cold from pull starting it...ty!!!

If a dead battery is your concern, just carry a booster pack with you ( the type people use to jump start their vehicles).

I have used this successfully in the past.

Just make sure you keep it charged.

Just make sure you keep it charged.

This really means throughout the year. Really, they will die if not charged at least once a month. I went through two that way, and they are not cheap.

The first one, I never read the owners manual, shame on me. The second one I did, and found that little tid bit of information tucked away in a paragraph on a page buried in some other information. I became dedicated to once a month giving it a charge, butI lost track of when I last charged the booster, and it was dead.

They are great to have, but they do have an Achilles heel.

Ray

For the cost of a booster (which also needs charged) I could get another group 29 batt .... plus now also have to store it.... rope start if I can get it to work by pull starting is just a rope and requires no charging and very minimal amount of storage

I'm taking boat out for first trip this spring next weekend ...i will try and extra long rope to the cabin and see if I can start it cold in the morning after not running it all night (that's most likely scenario I see when id have a dead battery and also the time it's the hardest to start) plus even if not the battery dead the starter could die so I'd like a back up plan for a dead starter also

rope start if I can get it to work by pull starting is just a rope and requires no charging and very minimal amount of storage

Don’t kid yourself. You will also need a strong back; yes, a strong back, and endurance. It may take a few tries.

If it doesn’t break your disposable income, go for the booster.

Ray

Well Nell you were absolutely right .... no drilling and putting pulleys attached to anywhere necessary .... I couldn't do it from the cabin but from halfway one foot on 2nd stair and one up in cockpit .... I used parachord that is thinner so I could get 3 full wraps on the flywheel and get a longer pull ..... started on a cold start when I ran the engine dry last time started(I run engine out of gas everytime I'm done running it) so it actually was at its hardest time to start and started on the 4th pull ..... best 4 dollars I ever spent and best yet never needs recharging and stores compact....ty!!!

Kudos to you - hopefully you will never need it, on the water with a storm coming in.

whgoffrn wrote:


Well Nell you were absolutely right .... no drilling and putting pulleys attached to anywhere necessary .... I couldn't do it from the cabin but from halfway one foot on 2nd stair and one up in cockpit .... I used parachord that is thinner so I could get 3 full wraps on the flywheel and get a longer pull ..... started on a cold start when I ran the engine dry last time started(I run engine out of gas everytime I'm done running it) so it actually was at its hardest time to start and started on the 4th pull ..... best 4 dollars I ever spent and best yet never needs recharging and stores compact....ty!!!

One last comment on this.

I have pull started my 50hp Mercury. Now "officially" a senior, I would rather not relive that experience.

My booster pack is a Stanley that I bought on sale for about $100 4-5 years ago.

I have used it to jump start 3 different vehicles and the boat once. Most recently my Chevy Silverado.

I charge it about 4 times a year. Plus recharging after a jump-start of course.

Will also use it occasionally on the boat to recharge a cell phone with the USB outlet.

It has paid for itself many times over.