Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Trouble with the Floating Hole

A couple of years ago, some of you guys heartily encouraged me to acquire a boat that I�d found in a backyard with a $500 ForSale sign. It is a 16 foot Evinrude SeaRay tri-hull with a 1973 85 HP Evinrude engine on the back. So far, I have not regretted that advice. Thanks. For details and pictures see:

Pics of Das Boot before it became The Floating Hole

Maiden Voyage of the Floating Hole


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One of the problems I�ve always had with The Floating Hole is underperformance. It just hasn�t been all that zippy. Top speed with just me in it has been about 15 MPH. With KYHillChick, Angus, and Mooseboy onboard the top speed is more like 9 MPH. It�s okay for dragging a kid on a float, but it is far from being a good family ski boat like its original design.

On Saturday, I took it out for the first time this season. I�d changed the sparkplugs before going out, because the existing ones were rather cruddy. For the first half-hour of operation the top speed on Floating Hole was a peppy 30 MPH fully loaded. After a while, I started getting fluctuations in RPM and a gradual degradation, and pretty soon Floating Hole was back to its sluggish self. The most I could get out the Hole was 15 MPH. The plugs are gunked up with a black tarry residue.

1) What can be causing it?
2) How do I fix it?
3) Is this due to using the wrong mix of oil? I�m currently using 40:1.

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The other problem I have is steering. It seems like every time I take the Hole out for a spin, the steering goes bad on me and I have a birds-nest of cable under the dash that takes 15-30 minutes to unravel. Back by the motor, the cable is losing its plastic sheath and the sheath is balling up and causing trouble with the pulleys. This weekend was no exception.

1) Should I restring the existing cables?
2) Is this special cable? If so, where should I go to buy new?
3) Is there a better alternative that can be adapted to the existing motor?

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BTW: Here are shots of our latest expedition. We started off at the Wilder, KY boat ramp on the Licking River and rode up to downtown Cincinnati, and then upriver to Coney Island before turning around:

Our Latest Voyage <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I'm not saying you won't get some good answers here but a few years ago I had motor troubles and found this site.....

http://forums.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi

It was/is a wealth of information. Looks like you need to register now...I didn't even have to post, I found my problem just by reading the other posts. Good luck to ya !

Well my first thought is gunky fuel. I'm sure you have run through a full tank or so but have you swapped out any fuel filters? Other things might be a bad coil = weak spark and fouling. If they are just plain oily maybe a simple carb adjustment.

Just some thoughts. My outboards and I have always gotten along pretty well. Upon purchase I sit them down and explain that they are nothing but a transport device and if they fail I will not hestitate to send them to a watery grave. That, and periodic maintance, has kept us in good stead. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

No clue about the steering other than ripping it out and starting over.

Allen

Could it be too much oil in the gasoline mix? Or a plugged air filter? I think I'd try stainless steel cables without the plastic coating. Just a thought. kwg

Since, by your own admission, the boat is a 'floating hole', just bite the bullet, and take it to someone that knows what they are doing, and say: "I have a checkbook, fix the boat"
or do what I did with mine, and sell it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Shaman,Make sure you have fresh gas and I mean FRESH.There are products on the market such as STABIL that profess to help keep gas for extended periods but all they do in fact is keep the gas from becoming varnish.

The gas nowadays just does not deliver power after extended periods ofstorage even as short as a few months.

Examples:

My John Deere B tractor had absolutely no power after winter storage so I did a major tune up and ZIP no differance.Changed the gas and it ran like a top.

My 28 foot SEA RAY with a 454 had zero power after winter storage.Boat would not come up on plane.The marina owner advised me to fill up my tank to the top to avoid condensation in the tank.So I wound up with 90 gallons of stale gas.The following year I put the boat away with the tank EMPTY and filled it in the spring with fresh gas.Ran like a top.

My neighbor's weed wacker.After to listening to the poor guy start it about fifty times.No exageration.I struck up a conversation with him and was told that he had treated his gas.I suggested that he try FRESH gas and he was a happy camper for the rest of the week end.

My Harley after winter storage: nope I'm not goin' there too many Harley jokes <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> But I do use FRESH gas.


About your steering.Do you have springs and turnbuckles at both ends of your steering cable to maintain tension and avoid the dreaded birdsnest. BTDT

Maybe try going to a synthetic oil, and mix it 100:1
That is what Amzoil is mixed at .

Normal petroleum mix for the Eveninrudes is 50"1 I believe.
It sounds like you may have a slight ring problem, which will entail doing the top end.

Cat

The 100 inch V-4 is a good engine , the 1973 ignition sucks but if in good working order it is usable. Second and probably the source of some of your problems is your fuel mix, Are you using OMC approved oil? not that stuff in the yellow bottle from some state on the east coast you know Pensoil two stroke stuff. Try a 50:1 mix of OMC or Mercury TCW3 grade outboard motor oil. this stuff is specially made for water cooled twostrokes. Also get your hands on a can of OMC engine tuner and follow directions this stuff is a miracal in a can for older outboards. Fresh gas, fresh oil, fresh plugs and a cleaned motor and that ole tub should get close to 30 mph but never much more. Oh and did you take the boat off of the trailor after you launched it? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Bullwnkl.

This sounds a little like a problem I had with an older motor. It would run like a top, but I had to start it when it was completely lowered and it always ran better whern I ran all the gas out of teh motor. Ended up having to clean teh carbs every year to keep it running best.

I may also try to drain the entire gas tank or, make it a bigger whole by putting a new one in

Make sure you are propped correctly. If you're overpropped, the motor will lug at low RPM's & foul plugs. Bad news on a 2 stroke. They can (& will) also throw rods if labored at full throttle at at too low RPM.

badger

Ah!

You have given me several ideas which are all starting to gel into a plan.

1) I used Stabil and used stabilized gas first. Ooops. Never again.
2) I used 40:1. I'll refrain from that henceforth.
3) Better oil is in order.

I'll try all that and see what happens, and keep working y'all's suggestions until I get a fix.

Thanks for the help.



Steering: Is there anything out there better than the cable/pulley system I currently have that would work without costing more than the boat?

Good suggestions above. Only one I can add to it on the fouling of plugs is to get a higher heat range spark plug (careful here or you'll burn it up). Two strokes need RPMs to stay healthy-No lugging...

Shaman,

I couple tips that are always near the top of my list:

Make sure the fuel cap is venting properly. Old gaskets can swell or gunk can build up and prevent air from entering the tank. As fuel is drawn the tank will come under vacuum and mess up fuel delivery. The engine will run okay until the tank vacuum starts to overcome the fuel pump - kinda the symptom you described. You can test the theory by cracking open the cap when the engine starts to flag.

There's a gas additive called "Sea Foam" specifically for de-sludge two-cycle engines - the stuff is like magic. The engine will run smokey as the sludge is burned, so you might want to pick your spot when you use it. Sometimes there's a pretty fair cloud. If it's an engine that doesn't see a lot of use, I might mix just a gallon of fuel so I'm not burning Sea Foam all summer.

[quote]Ah!

You have given me several ideas which are all starting to gel into a plan.

1) I used Stabil and used stabilized gas first. Ooops. Never again.
2) I used 40:1. I'll refrain from that henceforth.
3) Better oil is in order.

I'll try all that and see what happens, and keep working y'all's suggestions until I get a fix.

Thanks for the help.



Steering: Is there anything out there better than the cable/pulley system I currently have that would work without costing more than the boat? [/quot
You could upgrade to a single shaft steering system (which is actually a cable) , but I'm not sure how much it would cost.
Mine was about $200 I think.
Cat

Ya might start lurking around the boat junk yards,e bay and whenever ya see an old tub in someones yard .Try to find an old hydraulic single cylinder push/pull set up.You will need the entire assembly from the helm to the motor.

The two best days in a boaters life are the day it comes home and the day it leaves.

You have successfuly completed the first day.

You may not want a hydraulic steering for your boat, they are very expensive, I think 284 has in mind the single cable that is made in two versions, rack and pinion or rotary, both work well and if you shop neither is terribly expensive. I would buy "TeleFlex" if I could not find used. The cables are replacable, Try E-Bay but don't pay a lot. Check out US Marine on line. some motors of your vintage did not have steering tubes but I believe yours does. You will need a Drag link and a connector to the motor as well. find a Outboard recycler for lots of good parts cheap. I have a couple of adjustable Morse drag links and will give you one if you need it. Just send me a PM, no guarentee of fit but I believe it came from a Evenrude 75 V-4.

Bullwnkl.

Sounds like a problem beyond gas and oil mix. Sounds like youre hitting on one cylincer or something.

My 45 HP motor would get me about 30 MPH.

Time to bite the checkbook and take it to a boatfixer.

First off on the Black Gunk it sounds like its old gas and it could be varnishing up the Carb.

Now as to the steering problem seeing as how cables are going bad I would scrap the Cable System and install a push pull type steering system which is nothing more than a single shielded cable which runs from the steering station to the motor it is a far better and neater system as it gets rid of all that cable and pulley system running down both sides of the the boat.

Changed over to this system on a couple of differient boats over the years and feel it's a far better more positive solution to your steering problems.

I would like to thank all those who contributed to this thread.


It occurred to me as we were out on the river this weekend that the 'Campfire constitutes the role of a combination of big brother and crazy uncle in my life. For an only-child-of-an-only-child grown to manhood those are tremendously important functions. Older brothers have done it a few years ago, and can tell you what it was like. Crazy uncles are the ones to whom you confess the things you could not tell your father. My life has been blessed through the years with a variety of folks who have jumped in to fill these crucial roles. Most are dead now. Thanks for picking up the slack.


With that aside, here is a progress report on the Floating Hole:

First, KYHillChick got the lettering on the boat. It now really is "The Floating Hole."





Second, I researched the problem on www.iboats.com. Their FAQ page was down, but I was able to deduce that I needed to decarb. Based on their suggestions, I found www.seafoamsales.com and read up on the their suggested products, SeaFoam and SeaFoam Deep Creep. The former is a decarbing multi-purpose gas treatment. The latter is a mult-purpose spray.

Saturday morning I poured 2 ounces of Sea Foam in a fresh gallon of gas and sprayed about a 3-second burst of Deep Creep into the intake and then started up the engine on rabbit ears(muffs). Vast volumes of smoke eminated from the exhaust for the next fifteen minutes, as I ran it on a high idle. At the end of the period, the exhaust turned clear. I put the rest of the Sea Foam into a full tank of gas and off we went to the river. I also switched to 80:1 on the mix. I was glad this part of it completed successfully without a neighbor looking out and calling the fire department. Zowie! What a cloud!

The difference was tremendous. We put in on the Licking RIver, about 5 miles up from the confluence with the Ohio. Our goal was to go up river towards Falmouth, KY, but the recent rains had brought down a lot of debris, and we decided to turn around and go back. On the way back downstream, I was able to get a sustained reading of 29MPH off the GPS with the boat fully loaded. That is twice the previous top speed with all of us in the boat, and a good 5MPH faster than what I was able to do with the boat empty and my short best friend driving.

We went down to Cincinnati, and then went up the Ohio as far as Coney Island. We stopped at the Screaming Red Head for dinner. They've got a great Saturday Night Prime Rib special if you're interested. We then travelled back down river as far as the Mill Creek before heading in. When it was over, we had consumed about 12% less gas on a run lasting about an hour longer. I had held a half-tank of Sea Foam-treated gas for the last part of the trip, so it would be running through the engine when I pulled it out for the night.

Thanks again for the help. You guys are great for those times then the rattle and headdress fail to produce results.

That's great Shaman!
Did you get a morse style single cable system yet?
Cat