My first Boat Engine (circa 1968)

rpengr · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 10:13 pm

This is the same as the first boat engine that I ever used and worked on:

These engines did not have neutral or reverse... the were always in forward. To backup, you spun the engine around 180 degrees.

At about 7 years old, I learned how to change propeller shear pins, make carburator adjustments, clean fuel filters, and develop a strong arm for pulling the starter cord.

Gas money was earned by finding soda bottles and returning them for 5c deposit. 7 bottles bought a gallon of gas, which could provide about 3-4 hours of cruising time in the jon boat.

TX H210SS · **Joined:** Thu May 27, 2010 9:10 am **Posts:** 1488

Awesome......I remember collecting wooden boxes full of refundable bottles. Most soda bottles were good for some coin, but no beer bottles. Littering started when bottles became worthless.

Paul I. · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:48 am

I am not telling what I remember!! I am too old as it is! Like getting those orange creates for our records/LPs.

I had a 5HP from Sears, I think it went back to the late 70s. I burned it out, the plate on it said to use 30w oil. So I did & a few years later it seized up. I should have used, 2 cycle oil!!

ric · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 7:25 am

That's still a great engine for small john boats!! Clean it up and you'll get 3-400 bucks for it easy

rpengr · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:48 am

ric wrote:

That's still a great engine for small john boats!! Clean it up and you'll get 3-400 bucks for it easy

I found that picture on E-Bay offering it for $225.00 Not bad since it was probably about that same price brand new, or maybe even under $200.

ric · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:52 am

rpengr wrote:

ric wrote:

That's still a great engine for small john boats!! Clean it up and you'll get 3-400 bucks for it easy

I found that picture on E-Bay offering it for $225.00 Not bad since it was probably about that same price brand new, or maybe even under $200.

I had a Nissan 3.5HP outboard from the 90's that was pretty much identical, paid $250 for it. Sold it for $300 a year later. Small outboards are cool, I've always wanted one on a bigger boat like my cuddy so you could just slow cruise down the river using virtually zero gas.

LouC · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:08 am

That's cool, this past Christmas I bought our son his first boat engine, a new Suzuki DF 2.5 four stroke, we use it on a 10' Walker Bay dinghy, it pushes the boat and the two of us along nicely and uses hardly any gas. I picked the Zuki because it was one of the lighter 2.5 hp OBs, (28 lbs) the Yamaha and Tohatsu/Merc were both close to 10 lbs more. The Honda is 2 lbs less but it is air cooled and has a centrifugal clutch instead of water cooled and dog clutch shifting used by all the others....

The 4 stroke is heavier than a 2 stroke would be but the lack of smoke and smell is very nice.

I still think a 2 stroke would make sense in this size, and if they can be sold for yard equipment engines why not outboards?

I have 3 late model Echo machines (weed wacker, blower and hedge trimmer). All are 50:1 2 strokes and believe it or not they really do not smoke at all, using the Echo semi syn 2 stroke oil.

I also have a 1998 Toro snowblower with a Suzuki 5hp 2 stroke, that thing smokes like a diesel truck when you start it and there is always some smoke while running. So for sure they have made strides in 2 stroke technology and I would like to see this in outboards where it makes so much sense......

ric · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:19 am

They have in outboards, look at the evinrudes. Lightest, fastest, and one of the most economical engines made. They also carry a warranty like no other. BUT all the little ones are 4 stroke.

LouC · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:44 pm

ric wrote:

They have in outboards, look at the evinrudes. Lightest, fastest, and one of the most economical engines made. They also carry a warranty like no other. BUT all the little ones are 4 stroke.

And they are Tohatsus just like the small Mercs....
If my Echo stuff meets EPA regs (they use some kind of catalytic muffler now) then why can't this be done for small outboards....

Something for has changed in small engine 2 stroke tech over the last 15 years because as I said, my new stuff does not smoke at all, except maybe a tiny bit in cold weather, while my 15 year old Zuki, burning the same 50:1 mix, kills mosquitoes after a cold start....

ric · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:05 pm

LouC wrote:

ric wrote:

They have in outboards, look at the evinrudes. Lightest, fastest, and one of the most economical engines made. They also carry a warranty like no other. BUT all the little ones are 4 stroke.

And they are Tohatsus just like the small Mercs....
If my Echo stuff meets EPA regs (they use some kind of catalytic muffler now) then why can't this be done for small outboards....

Something for has changed in small engine 2 stroke tech over the last 15 years because as I said, my new stuff does not smoke at all, except maybe a tiny bit in cold weather, while my 15 year old Zuki, burning the same 50:1 mix, kills mosquitoes after a cold start....

nikasil and direct fuel/oil injection

LouC · **Posted:** Fri Aug 31, 2012 2:52 pm

ric I am talking about simple cheap yard engines, the newer Echos with carbs do not smoke at all using the same oils and mixes as older engines and if we could have similar 2 stroke portable engines that would be great, we don't leave ours on the boat down at the beach because of course they would get stolen, so we carry it to the car each time we use it. Why I got the Zuki at 28 lbs instead of the Yam and Tohatsu/Merc at 37 lbs. But a 2 stroke would be even lighter.

rpengr · **Posted:** Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:32 am

I don't know what the 3hp Sears weighed, but I remember that as a kid I didn't have much trouble carrying it. I would guess it was around 15 lbs. You could carry it horizontally if the fuel tank was not too full. Just carry it with one hand by the "neck" (just under the powerhead).

I remember that the exhaust was a little pipe behind the prop, plus two little 1/4" diameter holes above the waterline. It did have a little blue smoke, but at 3 hp was not bothersome.

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My first Boat Engine (circa 1968)

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