Strychn9ne
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2016
- Messages
- 34
Hey everyone, I just bought my first fiberglass boat the other day! She's a 1965 Starcraft Siren with a '65 Merc 35hp on her. I have not put her in yet, but did hear the engine run before I bought it. It's very seasoned looking with some dents, dings, and faded paint, but runs very well as well as going into gear perfectly. Compression is around 120 PSI on both cylinders (Was told the engine was around 140 PSI when it was new), and had the lower unit rebuilt and a used 3 blade prop installed before I bought it.
Anyways, I'm trying to gather some information on the engine before I take to the water. The previous owner told me he ran the boat on 91 octane (87 without ethanol is hard to find around here) at a 50:1 mix. I'm sure this has been covered many times, but I can't find any concrete answers on the correct mix ratio. To me 50:1 sounds pretty lean for an old engine like this. I also have a 1957 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5hp that was on my old flat bottom, and that runs 24:1. Though I'm not sure if the Merc uses bushings throughout like the Evinrude does. I have not mixed anything for the Merc yet, but I bought some Quicksilver Premium 2 cycle oil for it but then couldn't find the mix ratio info. Does anybody know for sure what ratio to run? Are there any PDF manuals out there for this engine I could download? Any info is greatly appreciated. Feel free to share any history and fun facts too!
Anyways, I'm trying to gather some information on the engine before I take to the water. The previous owner told me he ran the boat on 91 octane (87 without ethanol is hard to find around here) at a 50:1 mix. I'm sure this has been covered many times, but I can't find any concrete answers on the correct mix ratio. To me 50:1 sounds pretty lean for an old engine like this. I also have a 1957 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5hp that was on my old flat bottom, and that runs 24:1. Though I'm not sure if the Merc uses bushings throughout like the Evinrude does. I have not mixed anything for the Merc yet, but I bought some Quicksilver Premium 2 cycle oil for it but then couldn't find the mix ratio info. Does anybody know for sure what ratio to run? Are there any PDF manuals out there for this engine I could download? Any info is greatly appreciated. Feel free to share any history and fun facts too!