could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

[DaMoos]

My motor is a '77 evinrude 85.

How tough would it be to pull start this thing if I ever had to in an emergency?

At what hp does a motor have more compression than a guy in decent shape can pull against usefully?

 

[reelfishin]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

About 10 years ago, a buddy and I took a fishing vacation to the great lakes, I left my boat home since his uncle there had a boat we could use. It turned out to be a rather well used 19' trihull with a late 70's 175hp on it. After a day of fishing, and stopping off somewhere to eat, we figured we'd hit one more spot, before heading back for the day, it was out at that one more spot that the starter decided to give up. No amount of tapping or coaxing was getting even one more turn out of it. Luckily I found a small rope in the glove box with a handle on it, and gave it a pull, it fired right up. We used it like that for the rest of the weekend. It didn't pull hard at all, there's a lot of mechanical advantage when pulling on the flywheel rope pulley due to the large diameter. I was pretty amazed at how easy it pulled and how fast it started that way, it actually started better by rope than when the starter was working for some reason. A later and closer look at the boat, (he went up and got it a year later, and found that the wiring harness was rotted pretty bad, his uncle gave him the boat after it wouldn't shut off one day). He too had been running it without the starter working all that time as well. He was in his 70's then, pull starting a 175hp motor.

I think the larger motors are often easier to pull start then the smaller motors, I've got two 18hp motors here that take all I have to pull, yet my 40hp recoil start pulls easy. The smaller the flywheel the harder they seem to be to pull. If you notice the real small motors use a gear driven recoil bendix to turn the motor when you pull the rope, at least on most that I have, which again gives a huge mechanical advantage over the engine's compression stroke.

 

[F_R]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

My motor is a '77 evinrude 85.

How tough would it be to pull start this thing if I ever had to in an emergency?

At what hp does a motor have more compression than a guy in decent shape can pull against usefully?

I think the key word is decent shape. I'm in my 70's and in not-so-great shape, and I can start one. But my wife can't start my 7.5hp. More than arm strength, the secret is putting your upper body into it and following through.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

They can be a bear at times but it can be done. Make sure that if you ever need to do it that everyone but the person starting goes to the front of the boat. Not a pretty site when that rope flies free of the wheel and hits someone.

 

[ab1]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

What is the proper procedure for pull starting a larger engine. I have a 93 150 and would love to keep a rope in the boat for emergencies. What size rope and how do you attach it to the flywheel. I've been around boats all my life, mostly i/o's, and have never seen someone try to rope-start a larger engine.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

Look as your flywheel, there is a notch (or should be) cut into the top of the flywheel. Pick a rope size that allows you at least 2-3 wraps around the flywheel with a handle on one end, the knot in the other end catches in the flywheel notch. Notch the knot, wrap the rope clockwise and pull. Any motor is easier to start warm or hot than cold. As F_R said, use your upper body not just your arm...rotator cuff surgery sux...been there, done that, got the rehab equipment. So protect your arm/shoulder, etc. by using your upper body for power. Keep any others clear of the knot when the rope flies off...you'll figure this one out first crack out of the box.

 

[FBPirate95]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

I have a 1985 90hp and it pull starts nicely on the first pull. (I only know this because I had some ignition problems when I first got it.) The key is to definately have everyone in the bow, because there is no way you could do it with an easy pull. You need a good strong quick pull which will cause the end of the pull rope to fly back and put a hurtin' on someone if they are close.

 

[starcraftkid]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

Not only to you want every one out of the way on the boat, but also make sure the thing is in neutral!

I was out on a lake up in PA one day and watched a half dozen college kids at a drive up restaurant and bar trying to start a V6 Johnson outboard with a rope, they first tried a jump pack, and someone went and borrowed a battery but no go, then finally one guy shaved down a length of rope and went to pull start the thing. He was standing on the back seat or sun deck, the others were cowering in the boat to avoid the rope backlash, every one holding a beer I might add while he wrapped the rope and pulled, the motor started, IN GEAR, the boat lunged forward about 12', dumping him in the water as the boat surged right out from under him. How he missed falling on the now running motor's flywheel or hitting the prop I have no idea. He surfaced about 2 feet from the prop with everyone else in the boat clambering to try to shut it off as it pulled on the dock and ropes at about half throttle. A bystander finally ran over and used his foot to knock it back into neutral and finally climbed aboard to shut it off. He had made the mistake of just shoving the throttle ahead instead of pulling up on the fast idle lever to start it, chances are he had no idea what he was doing. All I heard was that it was someone's uncle's boat, they were all up there on vacation together I guess.
Luckily they were on the end slip, with no one docked ahead of them, and only reeds and grass to run into if it did get away.
I can't say I didn't see it coming when I saw the precarious position the guy pulling the rope was in, but I was more figuring he'd fall back and into the boat when the rope pulled free. I didn't figure anyone was dumb enough to do that with the controls at half throttle and in gear.

It did seem to start pretty easy though.

 

[Solittle]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

There are posts here somewhere where a guy will give a quick turn of the flywheel with his bare hands on a well tuned V-4 - - and it will start.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

There are posts here somewhere where a guy will give a quick turn of the flywheel with his bare hands on a well tuned V-4 - - and it will start.

Now that's a man !!!

 

[reelfishin]

Re: could a guy pull start a 85 hp e'rude?

Now that's a man !!!

Yeah, He's easy to spot, he's the one missing a few finger tips.
I can just picture getting a finger tip between the flywheel and starter drive. I'm not sure what would be worse, if the motor started and pulled the finger through, or if it just stuck there caught up in the works. Gear on gear like that makes it sort of a meat grinder doesn't it? I'll stick to using the key or if needed, a rope.


Most outboards if primed well by pumping the fuel bulb and knowing the starting sequence will start pretty easily. An outboard is a far better engineered motor in most cases than the average weed eater or $60 chainsaw.

I've started up old JD tractors by spinning the flywheel but they were made to do that.
Think about how few rotations crank starting an old car actually produces before the engine fires. Usually a full pull of the crank only rotates the crankshaft half a turn before it starts and disengages. So pulling an outboard over several revolutions with a rope, which has a pretty substantial mechanical advantage isn't all that hard to do.