How to keep motor clean?

[ronkberg]

I have an outboard motor sitting in a well and have a wealth of growth and shelled creatures making their home on the motor. With my Typhoon, motor was raised when not in use but the Alberg 22 has the well which I like for clean lines but the creatures are impacting the motor function. Last week the motor started fine but only ran at idle when in gear and when I lifted the motor I had to clear shelled creatures from the exhaust port. I was surprised that when in neutral the motor rev'ed fine but in gear it choked off when rev'ed more than idle. Needed more revs to fight the current but instead had to unfurl the genoa to get power enough to reach a dock.

I had been told that multiple coatings of wax would mitigate the growth but it worked for July but as the water warmed, the growth started. I had planned to lift it early in August to add more wax but it was okay so I skipped the plan.

Almost time to haul out for the winter and looking to what others do to minimize the growth and creature attachments?

Thanks, Ron

[Markst95]

[Megunticook]

I have a Yamaha sitting in the motor well of my Ty Senior up in Camden. It's been in since mid-May. As you say, water is at its warmest now which makes things challenging.

In July I pulled it to flush it out good and had a good bit of grassy stuff growing on the lower unit (barnacles were only on the zinc anode, strangely enough). I primed the lower unit with Interlux's Interprotect 2000E and then put three coats of copper-free antifouling on it (can't use copper-based due to the aluminum). I used Interlux Pacifica Plus (ablative). Just pulled it this week after seeing more green grass growing on it. Still no barnacles except on the anode. The grass comes off with a scrub brush and hose stream. Seems to be a particular issue with Camden Harbor (Megunticook River dumps a good bit of fresh water in the harbor, and I swear the water temp. has to be 70+ degrees now).

If I were you I'd plan on putting some antifouling paint on it next year. And while it's a pain, I would pull it out and scrub it clean before growth starts affecting performance or causing an overheating issue. My experience this year tells me that every 3-4 weeks is probably sufficient.

Ideally, I'd like to rig up a system where I can flush it and store it out of the well when I return to the mooring. That would probably take care of the problem.

[drb9]

Here's what I posted last week in response to another thread.

I have a 26 on the Chesapeake (brackish water, with barnacles). I got tired of growth on the motor, clogging the intakes. I'm at a slip, so I came up with a nice solution.

I bought a waterproof duffle that opens at the top, fitted a hoola hoop around the top (wrapped the top of the duffle over the top of the hoop, which I had to cut down a little), and added a little weight at the bottom. I attached some 10' lenghts of waterski (floating) rope to each side. When I'm in the slip, I bring the bag up around the motor, pump the water out, and then fill it with fresh water from the dock water. When I want to sail, I drop the bag off the motor, and head out.

It's a little work, but I have a clean motor.

Oh, and I run the motor after filling the bag with fresh water, so I don't need to hook up the hose to the motor to flush out the bay water.)

Good luck.

Darin

[ronkberg]

Megunticook and Darin (aka drb9), thanks for the responses and your unique solutions.

I prefer the bag solution but I will have to read and think about it more to fully understand how to implement. Darin, do you have any photos to help my thought process?

I wonder if any bag could be used and then, maybe just pour in some bleach or other solution to discourage growth and barnacles? Could a heavy duty plastic waste bag work and add the solution to the ocean salt water within the bag? I use a mooring and do not want to sail to the dock to get fresh water each time I sail.

I may implement both solutions next year as I want to minimize the time and worry about the motor and thus enjoy more sailing time. I will haul the motor again this year to get it clean so I can feel confident to sail across Saco Bay and then motor up the Saco river for haul out. The season is closing down fast here in Maine for me as I am a fair weather sailor and dislike the colder weather sailing.

Markst95 has a different solution but it being hauled after each sail is a little too expensive........yuk, yuk, yuk!

[Northoceanbeach]

My last boat had a motor in a well just like yours. It's hard to keep growth off but I'm pretty good about keeping things really clean.

I advocate instead of time consuming and complicated systems to keep it clean, to instead just clean it when it gets dirty whether that's even weekly.

Do you have a dinghy? That is easiest, to raise the engine as high as possible and clean it while leaning over you dinghy. I do my boat's waterline at the same time, reaching down under as far as I can because that's where the majority of the growth is. Where the light hits.

The other option is to jump in the water and clean it as if you are swimming. If it's cold weae a wetsuit.

The trick is to not let it get that bad. If yours was bad enough to interfere with operation then that was months of growth. Get it when it first appears and you can just wipe it off.

Now that you have hard growth you need a pretty stiff putty knife or paint scraper. Take pliers and bend or "dog ear" the corners and scrape away all the hard.

Next, places sell three levels of abrasiveness of scouring pads. At west marine they are white red and brown. The latter the rougher. Decide which level up need and scrub away the rest of it.

You can do this in your wetsuit while bottom cleaning.

[ronkberg]

Thanks Northoceanbeach, I have been schooled and will try to get tough enough the work in the Maine waters. I did watch for growth during July but it came on fast in August and before I knew it, the boot stripe and motor were covered. I love sailing and dislike the maintenance during sailing season. I do most of my boat work in the spring before launch and will do my best to prevent the growth and deal with it sooner next year. My motor is easy to lift and clean but I still want a solution to minimize growth when reset inside the well. This has been a learning first season and I will have even more fun sailing next summer.

Regards, Ron

[Markst95]

Just cut the slot in the stern and be done with it... Tilt that motor right up out of the water. Think of the extra speed you'll get without all that drag!

[ronkberg]

Hmmmmm Markst95, that is an interesting solution but I will also need to cut open the well into the cockpit so the motor can rotate. Those are not major tasks and could be the best solution. What model is your boat? It does not look like an Alberg design but is very good looking!

Thanks, Ron

[Markst95]

not mine Ron, just an example of the stern slot.

[Northoceanbeach]

Oh I don't blame you. I often am sick of all the maintenance required for sailboat ownership because I too just want to get out and sail!

How about next haulout apply some anti fouling propeller paint to the propeller and lower outboard unit? Or whatever paint would prohibit growth best on the outboard.

I'm only guessing here,but based on how fast stuff grew on my yamaha power tilt, the bottom of which was permanently below the waterline, I'm guessing the manufacturers make the paint less harsh expecting the majority to be used in fresh water. So maybe for a sailboat a good anti fouling non ablative paint would work well, maybe even applied every spring it would keep you good through the whole season?