Any fellow TinBoaters in AZ?

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azekologi

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Dec 1, 2009
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Location
The Barren Deserts of Arizona
I'm looking for some fellow TinBoaters in AZ to hang out with, fish with, and can possibly share their vast array of old school Johonny-rude motor knowledge.

I'm in the Metro Phoenix Area, Tempe specifically, and fish primarily for Trout in Northern AZ Mountain lakes. I'd like to enter into the unknown-to-me world of bass fishing and hit some local lakes, but my lack of a running gas motor has kept me off of the local, larger waters.

I've got a clean 1965 Evinrude 6HP that came with my boat, but my lack of knowledge of marine motor applications (and the darn summer heat) has kept me from applying my shade-tree automotive knowledge to freshening it up. Basically I'm a do-it-yourselfer looking for some guidance and some new fishin' buddies.

If you're looking for a partner in crime, please PM me or post here.

Thanks ya'll.

img_7841.jpg
 
Wish you were closer to WI, I could help you get that pretty white boat dirty with a few largies :lol:

BTW, those older motors are usually pretty straightforward to work on. What needs doing? Just an impeller? Carb? Not much esle to them.
 
Well, not sure on the motor, mostly because of lack of marine knowledge.

As the story goes, the brothers I bought the boat from restored it and the motor completely 10 years ago, just before their dad died. When the old man passed, the boys shoved it in the barn and it never saw the light of day, let alone the water. According to them, it's solid, just needs to be freshened up.

As this is my first tin, and sure as heck my first marine motor, even with the manuals (which I haven't had the time to sift through just yet...mostly because of the summer heat keeping me from tinkering in the garage...[strike]Hell[/strike], I mean, Arizona, remember?), I'm not sure where to begin.

I know my way around cars pretty well, and I'm an avid do-it-yourselfer (mostly because I'm cheap and don't want to pay people to do what I know I can probably do with a little more attention to detail), but the marine hurdle has been a little daunting...can't say why for sure...uncharted waters maybe?

I know it needs new fuel lines with one of those bulb primer things, and that I should probably get a new tank. Other than that, it's a big :?:. I figure the carb could use some gumout, maybe new plugs, but never having one of these things requires that I do A LOT of research to figure out where I'm at and where to begin.

My wife's old timer grandfather gives me tips now and then, but it's hard for the two of us to find the time and break it down. He's a wise ol' codger, but not the best teacher in the world, sort of the watch me do it, but don't touch it while I work on it kind of guy [-X. Don't mind the watching, but I want to get my hands dirty too - I learn better that way. Plus, he's slowed in his old age and watching his work on anything can be a painful process (ya sort of want to swipe the tools out of his hands and say, "hey!, let me do the hard labor old man, just point and tell me what to do!). He's just as surly as I am, just has 50 more years of practice at it. :mrgreen:

Anyway, here's the pics from when I bought it...it's been in my garage ever since:

img_0772.jpg


img_0773.jpg
 
azekologi said:
wasilvers,

Where you originally from in Texas...that's a big country. :mrgreen:

lol - yeah, it's pretty big. I spent years 0-17 around San Antonio, then we moved to the coastline between Houston and Corpus Christi. I woman drug me up to Wisconsin. :D

I think you and I'd get along. I do most things myself if I can. Mostly because I'm cheap, but also, I want to know how to fix it later if it breaks. There are no mechanics available in the middle of the lake.

That motor looks great! If it were me... and this is just one guys opinion...
The tank just needs to be checked out. If not gummed up, I'd use it. Get a fuel line kit from Walmart- saves a few bucks over Gander/Cabelas/Bass Pro. Make sure you install it with the fuel flow going the right way - that's embarrasing Doh! The fuel lines can be purchased at Ace Hardware for not too much cash. While there pickup some carb cleaner and clean out each carb and clean well. I usually pull any needles out and clean as well, but that's me.
You can find the defaults for most settings on iboats forums - so you can seat everything correctly. I wouldn't worry about a link-n-sync yet, just get it running.

Pull the plugs and put a a little oil in the cylinders - to lube them while working on it.. Then check for spark on each cylinder when you crank it. Then check the lower unit lube - just replace it, it's only 3-4 bucks for one tube. I also run a compression check, anything around 80psi and it will run, I've had them run at 60 psi before.

After it's all reassembled, I'd mix some fuel to 35:1 and crank it over. You have two risks left now, your fuel pump and your impeller pump. Your fuel pump looks pretty new, so I doubt it would be an issue, but it might. As to the impeller I just went thru an old eska that sat for 7 years, the impeller pumps fine. But I've also had them just crumble because they were so brittle. When running it check for leaking fuel and that it is spitting or peeing water - based on the design. My old one is a spitter - comes out about midway down the shaft.

Some basics for motors - NEVER run them out of water. Water must cover the inlets or it will burn your impeller up. It takes only 10-15 seconds to burn it to uselessness. You probably know this already, but I thought I'd repeat it.

That looks like a nice setup - the motor is very clean for it's age.
 
Texas is a great country! I have some friends in NW Texas (Midland/Odessa, and Lemesa areas) and have traveled throughout the state (San Antonio, Houston, Galveston, Dallas/Fort Worth, etc.) on several occasions. Never had the opportunity to live there, but it's high on my list if I even found work there. I often tell my wife, if I didn't end up with her, I'd marry a Texas woman; beautiful ladies and sweet as apple pie!

I think we'd get along just fine too, we seem to be on the same page about doing stuff ourselves, and heck, we both enjoy fishin'! I totally agree about having the know-how do do stuff yourself, because when you need to fix something if a jiffy or on the cheap, it's better if you can do it. Also, I know that I might not have the best knowledge of how to fix something; but I do I know that nobody is going to the the quality of work that I preform on my own stuff and sure as heck not pay as much attention to detail as I do!

wasilvers said:
The tank just needs to be checked out. If not gummed up, I'd use it.

Generally speaking, it looks pretty good, but it's a little rusty inside. Any tips on cleaning it out? I've been looking at BPS and at my local shop, West Marine, for a small 3gal tank, but a new, plastic one is about $30-$35.

wasilvers said:
Get a fuel line kit from Walmart- saves a few bucks over Gander/Cabelas/Bass Pro. Make sure you install it with the fuel flow going the right way - that's embarrasing Doh! The fuel lines can be purchased at Ace Hardware for not too much cash. While there pickup some carb cleaner and clean out each carb and clean well. I usually pull any needles out and clean as well, but that's me.

Good tip on picking up a fuel line kit from WM. Next time I run up there I'll take a peek for one. I've seen them in the BPS and West Marine catalog, for about $25-$30. Ouch!

wasilvers said:
You can find the defaults for most settings on iboats forums - so you can seat everything correctly. I wouldn't worry about a link-n-sync yet, just get it running.

I've got my hands on as many manuals as I could download; got access to the dropbox ones from Jim, and another TBer posted about some small engine site (https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14047) that had a lot of marine stuff there too, snagged what I could.

Oh ya, sounding like an idiot :oops:, what's "link-n-sync"?

wasilvers said:
Pull the plugs and put a a little oil in the cylinders - to lube them while working on it.. Then check for spark on each cylinder when you crank it. Then check the lower unit lube - just replace it, it's only 3-4 bucks for one tube. I also run a compression check, anything around 80psi and it will run, I've had them run at 60 psi before.

Will do. I'll probably be tearing into it in the next month or so, once the AZ heat dies down to a tolerable level. Our boating/fishing season is kinda funny hear; the "official" season is about Mar/April through Sept/Oct. I usually limit my fishing to the summers; fishing on smaller mountain lakes (mostly elec-only, but there are some gas), but would like to be able to hit the local lakes around Phoenix (all big, and you really need gas to get around...I've tried elec, but there's just too much lake and end up burning the batteries to hell-and-gone).

As I mentioned above, I've been a one-species fisherman, trout, but want to enter into this world of bass that everybody is always talking about. :mrgreen:

wasilvers said:
Some basics for motors - NEVER run them out of water. Water must cover the inlets or it will burn your impeller up. It takes only 10-15 seconds to burn it to uselessness. You probably know this already, but I thought I'd repeat it.

So is the best way to "test" the motor in a bucket or trash can? My old codger grandfather-in-law suggested just mounting it on the boat (while on the trailer) and do the work there. That way I could drop it in a bucket/trash can and wouldn't have to mess with buying a stand ($80-$175) or building a stand or modified saw-horse setup ($20-$30).

wasilvers said:
That looks like a nice setup - the motor is very clean for it's age.

Thanks, I just hope it preforms as good as it looks. When I traded my quads for the boat I was looking more at the boat than at the motor as I've stuck to the elec-only scene. Truth be told, the boat was a little smaller than what I was looking for (12' vs. the ideal 14' or 16'), but it was extremely clean, had good seating (two benches + the bow seat), and very wide for its length (64" beam).

As I've done more research on motors in general, and this 'rude specifically, I'm happy to learn that it's a great motor that's very easy to work on and cheap to maintain. I just found out, after doing MORE serial # research, that it's a 6HP not a 5HP (swore one book I looked at said it was 5HP), so that made me a little happier (more power = better, faster, etc., right?). Our mountain lakes that do limit HP require 10HP or less, so I was eying some 9.9s, but at $2700 for a new Merc that ain't gonna happen any time soon. Even used, Craigslist and such, a 'newer' 9.9 still goes for $1K-$1.5K (still ain't gonna happen).

Basically, this is a rough list of my "to dos":

1a) Get the gas motor runnin'

1b) Wire up the nav lights (https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13952)

1c) New hubs/wheels/tires on the trailer (mine work, but they're the old 'split-rim style'...if I have a flat a) I don't have a spare, b) the design would require that I pull the bearings, races, etc. just to get a new wheel on there)

2a) Shade! (I want a Bimini top to get that AZ sun off my bald head!) :shock:

2b) Electrical panel

3) Better seats, fabricate a bow seat

4) Maybe install a hatch under the bow seat

5) Get promoted to Commodore by adding a second craft to my fleet :wink:
 
Azekolog – sorry about the delayed response, been planning camping and fishing…
Those Texas women are cute, but marry a teacher. Their retirement funds are really good compared to others I’ve done taxes for.
Not sure on cleaning up the tank, maybe try some coke in there to eat the rust? You mentioned prices of tanks and lines. Yep, boating is expensive! A $3 part will run you $25. It’s like we have sign ‘Please overcharge me’
On to your carb, I think a link-n-sync is only necessary if you have two carbs. Not sure if yours has two or one.
Working on the motor on the boat works. I use a big garbage can of water to test it it, either mount the motor to the boat or can
I’d like a 9.9. My 3.5 hp only moves me at 4 mph. Crazy slow!
 

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