Re: Sail Outboard Motor advice or reviews.
I bought a Sail 40hp here in New Zealand, where there were also no dealers other than the importer. The motor was to replace a 30hp Yamaha which had corroded its internal anode right through the block.
The Sail is of course bigger than the Yamaha, heavier, too. It was the only model then available, a two-stroke manual start and tilt with no provision for remotes of any kind, and it was less than half the price of anything else available, which you have to keep in mind. It came with a spare head-gasket, which makes me wonder if it too has a sacrificial anode in the block. It had a prop suitable for my aluminium fishing boat, tank and fuel pipe, and a very rudimentary owners manual, which told me the mixture but not much more.
It is a professional-type job to set it up for remote operation, make no mistake about that. The tilt is noticably heavy to use, to the point that you think it is locked down the first time that you try it! It starts readily, but the pull is heavier than many women could cope with. The only problems have been in the fuel system, with the primer-bulb splitting, (the second one has hardened to uselessness) and the in-tank pick-up pipe developing an air leak which made the motor suck the pipe dry when idling. No problem to fix, but I had a hairy time with an onshore wind and shallow water.
Generally the motor seems well-made, but some of the details are poor, the decals deteriorating rapidly, and that fuel system needs to be sorted long before you put to sea. It doesn't like ear-muff flushing, little water seems to get to the head. If you are the sort of person who understands what I've posted, averagely strong, you could be happy with the motor. I am. But I wish I'd waited until remote controls and steer, and electric start were available. They would have been worth the expense to save the trouble.
) in the U.S. No EPA stickers!!!!!
