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John Wheeler
Sydney, New South Wales
Boat Name: Serene 2
Model/Year: Boomaroo 22 (C22 Mk I) 1976
Hull No.
Hailing Port: Sydney |
 07/13/2007 6:49 AM Pacific Time
Can anyone give me any information on the importance of flushing an outboard motor with fresh water after it's been used in salt water?
I have a Mercury 8HP for my C22 and the dealer told me that I need to run it in fresh water after every use. This is somewhat impractical, as my boat is on a swinging mooring, and I keep the outboard in the boat. I could moor at at a jetty and flush the outboard in a large bucket of water, but this will be inconvenient, so I don't want to do it every time I sail, unless absolutely necessary.
How damaging is salt water to the motor and how often do people flush?
Thanks for your input!
John
Sydney, Australia |
Mitch Kronowit
Mission Viejo, CA
Boat Name: Paulina
Model/Year: 1984 Catalina 22
Hull No. #12276
Hailing Port: Dana Point, CA |
07/13/2007 10:50 PM Pacific Time
My Tohatsu manual advises to flush after each day of use. That's what I do, but I keep my boat in a slip and have access to fresh water. I simply connect the hose to the flushing port (with an adapter I fabricated) and let the water run while I fold the sails.
However, I'm not sure how long you can go without flushing. I don't think the previous owner ever flushed this motor in 2 years of ownership because he never mentioned it, nor did I see him do it after our test sail. He certainly never removed the flushing plug, but he could have occasionally flushed with the lower unit submerged in a bucket. Still, he never mentioned doing so.
In any case, I really need to replace the impeller if the cooling system was abused like this for 2 years. However, the motor still works like a champ.
I'm sure the more often you use the motor, the longer you can go between flushes since salt deposits probably won't build up as quickly. But occasional use will probably allow salt crystals to solidify and they won't be so easily dissolved during subsequent runnings. |
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