I have an older outboard that appears to have some parts removed from it involving it's manual tilt/release abilities. I bought this boat from a fella that didn't know which end of a screwdriver to hold and I'm discovering little odds and ends that are throwing up some flags. It's my first boat, so I'm okay with dealing with much of these "situations".
It's a 1978 Johnson with manual tilt.
The locking bracket for pulling the boat around on the trailer (all the way up) works fine. No problem there.
However, when you lower the motor down, it has a locking *click* once it reaches the large pin at the bottom ... and it stays there. When the motor is in gear - forwards or reverse - it is still locked. Nothing changes. I can see where some parts used to be - and I can tell that not everything is there.
I have read that an outboard should NEVER be locked down when traveling forwards because of rocks/logs/etc. "When" I hit something, it could be catastrophic.
I have also read that it's helpful for the motor to be locked down when it's moving in reverse to prevent cavitation/popping up.
That being said, this motor is old. I'll be happy if I can get a couple seasons out of it. My local shops won't touch it because of it's age. I'd rather not dig through the parts diagrams and put it back together (I'm positive not all the parts are there).
So... I know it's not ideal... but am I doing anything horrific if I disable the downward "lock"? I think it may be WAY better than tearing the transom off the back of the boat and destroying the motor completely. Reverse would have to be slow and ultra aware, as well. I'm thinking it may be the lesser of two evils.
Looking for some rule of thumb wisdom/advise.
Thanks!!
It's a 1978 Johnson with manual tilt.
The locking bracket for pulling the boat around on the trailer (all the way up) works fine. No problem there.
However, when you lower the motor down, it has a locking *click* once it reaches the large pin at the bottom ... and it stays there. When the motor is in gear - forwards or reverse - it is still locked. Nothing changes. I can see where some parts used to be - and I can tell that not everything is there.
I have read that an outboard should NEVER be locked down when traveling forwards because of rocks/logs/etc. "When" I hit something, it could be catastrophic.
I have also read that it's helpful for the motor to be locked down when it's moving in reverse to prevent cavitation/popping up.
That being said, this motor is old. I'll be happy if I can get a couple seasons out of it. My local shops won't touch it because of it's age. I'd rather not dig through the parts diagrams and put it back together (I'm positive not all the parts are there).
So... I know it's not ideal... but am I doing anything horrific if I disable the downward "lock"? I think it may be WAY better than tearing the transom off the back of the boat and destroying the motor completely. Reverse would have to be slow and ultra aware, as well. I'm thinking it may be the lesser of two evils.
Looking for some rule of thumb wisdom/advise.
Thanks!!