small outboards for freezing cold weather

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ErnieLearns

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Are there or were there any small outboards designed for use in near freezing conditions? I plan on storing it in a shed at the cottage and just putting it on a 14 foot boat to go perch fishing or trolling for browns. I know mud motors are air cooled and may have less problems then traditional outboards. I also recall Briggs and Stratton had some 5 hp power motors that were air cooled a decade ago. I would also imagine that mud motors and the Briggs and Stratton outboards had lower unit lube that could get water in it if the seals went bad.
 
Pretty much all outboards from the Vintage era through current time have been designed to be used in a freezing environment. I know Johnson and Evinrude outboards were. There is a video of them encrusted in ice after sitting, then starting up and running. This was done during the engineering and testing phase prior to bringing the engine online for production.
Today's marine specific gear lubes sold through the OEM are normally capable of ingesting, mixing, and running with no loss of protection with up to 25% water.
There are drain holes in almost every casting from the tip of the skeg to the top of the powerheads that will drain water and protect the outboard's castings from freeze damage.
 
Some motor manufacturers offer a higher temp thermostat that is suggested for frequent cold water usage. Especially 4 stroke's.
 
More important than the outboard - be sure to protect yourself when boating in freezing weather. You won't last more than a couple minutes if you end up in the water. 2 guys drowned just last month on the Mississippi.

Probably best to wear a dry suit while you are out there.
 
turbotodd said:
Some motor manufacturers offer a higher temp thermostat that is suggested for frequent cold water usage. Especially 4 stroke's.

lol...Uh huh! That is because they were having one Hell of a warranty problem with powerhead failures. Bad thing about the higher temp thermo was that it only left a narrow band of temp between the thermo and an overheat temp alarm. Will leave this one alone now lol.
 

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