Fresh Water Flush

[WhiteRice]

Well, I was excited to get my boat a new home at a slip at a beach house with a lift this weekend! So excited that I actually didn't think through how I will flush my motor (salt water only) while in said slip. I normally use a flush barrel since I usually have to have water above my cavitation plate to get a good flow when I was flushing it at my garage.

Anyone else run into something like this and figured out a way to "float" a flush barrel or something? Getting this boat to a ramp and back every time won't really be an option since the closest ramp to the house is a marina with a $10 fee per launch. First world problems, right...? LoL

 

[oldboat1]

Well, "muffs" are actually flushers. If you have access to a hose, you should be able to flush it. (Run it at idle, and monitor temps.)

 

[boobie]

Agree......

 

[Scott Danforth]

Get muffs....flush motor

 

[boobie]

Edit.....

 

[dingbat]

......

 

[WhiteRice]

Thanks for the replies. I’ve tried two different style muffs and neither of them will stay secured around my lower unit well enough to get enough pressure to the water pump to get a stream. I’ve had to submerge the lower unit up to the cavitation plate to get a flow.

 

[oldboat1]

Well, still getting fresh water up to the head, I'm sure. (Spray off the exterior as well, incl. the bracket and tilt mechanism.) Hey -- Have fun with it!

 

[WhiteRice]

It get a bath each time it comes back in.

I may get some hell for this question but just want to double check. Can the muffs provide enough pressure on their own to get water up to the head and produce a stream? I have had the boat a year now and have not replaced the impeller yet so I don't know if a worn impeller can prohibit a good flow from hose pressure. When the boat is running, I have a solid stream from idle to WOT but I know that it will probably need to be replaced this summer

 

[Sea Rider]

Sorry, missed the point. Are you trying to flush with fresh water that OB with muffs while lower leg is submerged on salt water ? Is there a dedicated flushing port outside lower cowl or on power head ? If so, trim lower leg out of water and flush OB that way.

If with no dedicated flushing ports, could trim lower leg out of water, install a large plastic bag, barrel, lower leg to vertical position, fill it with water, start OB and flush it at idle. Refill with fresh water if needed. Dispose properly bag, barrel contents and don't polute water...

BTW, which HP, brand model OB are we talking about ?

Happy Boating

 

[WhiteRice]

Sea Rider. This is a 96 Evinrude 25hp 3cyl. No dedicated flushing port. The boat is out of the water in a hoist cradle. I thought through something similar to what you mentioned when I saw a neighbor working on his OB with a kiddie pool floating under it to catch any screws, tools, fluids, etc. that may get away from him as he worked. This OB has a 20" shaft and the lower unit is about 20" wide from back of the prop to the front of the lower unit. Cavitation plate is about 12" from the bottom of the skeg.

 

[Sea Rider]

Is it possible to post a picture of the OB sitting on hoist cradle to have a look ? You can modify ear muffs to leak min water through ear sides and avoid muffs from losing top water pressure and even popping out from lower leg water intakes.

Happy Boating

 

[dingbat]

A freshwater flush will rinse away silt and sand but you really need to use salt-away or similar product if you actually want to remove salt build-up from inside the motor.

Just about everyone that keeps their boat on a lift flushes with SA maybe to 2-3 times a year. Just hose down the exterior of boat and motor at the end of the day and go have a cold one.

 

[WhiteRice]

Sea Rider: I took a pic last weekend so I will see about posting it up. It's a shot from the front of the boat so not sure if that will help.


dingbat: I'm with you on that thought process and I have used Salt-Away twice in the last year. I have just always heard to flush your OB with fresh water everytime you run it in salt. It is a '96 so I'm not sure if flushing it every time is overkill or worth it. I know it won't hurt anything TO do it everytime but if a smaller OB can go a year with 3 or so flushes of SA then I'm all for it.