Clever idea how to flush a small outboard engine

[Woody Jones]

Outboard Engine Fender Trick | ⛵ Sailing Britaly ⛵ - YouTube

Woody

[ron ll]

Pretty clever.

[Hugh MacD]

I think I have a couple of old dead fenders...does that mean I gotta get an outboard?

[Yeadon]

I'd have been more impressed if at the end of the video he ditched the two stroke and apologized for the mess.

[Breakaway]

Or, just tie-up a bucket, which is probably aboard anyway, and get rid of the dead fender.

Kevin

[nedL]

We always flushed our outboards just once a year, when they went away for the winter. Never had a problem, and now 40+ years later I still have two of them.
When did this “flushing your outboard” every time it touches the water become such a big thing?

[Breakaway]

We always flushed our outboards just once a year, when they went away for the winter. Never had a problem, and now 40+ years later I still have two of them.
When did this “flushing your outboard” every time it touches the water become such a big thing?

I cant say specifically, Ned. But the metallurgy, or something related, changed sometime around the 1990s. Suddenly, outboards were corroding from the inside out.

As you say, older engines never corroded catastrophically and I too still own two.

Kevin

Edit: Now awaiting six posters that state their newish outboards haven't corroded despite not flushing.

[stromborg]

I do the annual flush routine on my 22 year old 6hp Tohatsu. Haven't noticed a lot of corrosion internally but it does tend to have a pretty good accumulation of salt crystals in the cooling tract. Once a chunk of what I assume was salt plugged up the "pee hole", a small diameter piece of wire cleared it enough to get home and I did a through flush there. So far it has been okay.

The service manual says flush every time it is in salt water but I don't see that happen in my marina very often.

[nedL]

I cant say specifically, Ned. But the metallurgy, or something related, changed sometime around the 1990s. Suddenly, outboards were corroding from the inside out.

As you say, older engines never corroded catastrophically and I too still own two.

Kevin

Edit: Now awaiting six posters that state their newish outboards haven't corroded despite not flushing.

Interesting on the thought of the alloys changing. That would certainly explain things.

[Garret]

Or, just tie-up a bucket, which is probably aboard anyway, and get rid of the dead fender.

Kevin

Ya could, but with an older 2 stroke it'll get some oil in it - which you don't want on the decks etc. Yes, you could wash it with soap, but this'd tuck in nicely next to the gas can & oil.

[Woxbox]

If the hose is handy, then one of these things is even easier to use.

[Gordon Bartlett]

Does the motor have to be running while the muffs are on or does the hose push the water through the whole system?

[Woxbox]

I always cranked up the motor. A little seems to run through under the water pressure, but nothing like when the motor starts. No need to put it in gear.