Help on Mercury 115 outboard

[Goundworks3]

1st off let me tell you I am new here & the boating world, left an intro on the other area.

Anyway my question is:

I have a 115 Mercury outboard, went out today (1st time ever with this boat), & for the most part pretty good for a 1st time out, but I cannot get over 15mph, the previous owner said it would top out @ around 35mph, in his defense this has been in storage in a barn for the last 12-18mos, so I expect stuff like the water exhaust was plugged originally with mud dobbers and stuff.

A couple questions for the pro's are:

1) When I try to get over 15mph the engine revs, but the boat does not go faster, I have to bring the throttle down, any ideas why?

2) I DO have water exhausting out from the 2-rectangular holes as they should, (after cleaning them out), but the little round nipple on the side is NOT it should right? every video on youtube shows water coming from here.

thanks in advance for any help,
Rich

 

[76canaventure]

Re: Help on Mercury 115 outboard

Hi Rich,

With your revving issue, you may have a spun prop. (Kind of the same as a slipping clutch.) Make a mark that lines up on both the inner hub and the outer hub. Go for a spin, check the marks again, if they're not lined up anymore you know you need to go shopping.

As for the telltale, it's fairly common for them to get plugged up, you can clean it out fairly easily using wheedwhacker string or the like. (If your cleaning mud out of the bypass, your motor could use a good flushing!)

It sounds like this motor has been layed up for awhile, you might want to read this article here: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086, and follow the steps.

Best Regards

 

[Goundworks3]

Re: Help on Mercury 115 outboard

Thanks for the response, & help, I will definately try ALL of the above info.

I've been trying to read on here, & other places to learn as much as possible to answer most of my questions myself.

I just read a post soewhere on here about the tilt & the water leaving the prop area if set inproperly, that story rang a bell & seemed verbatum what my issue was. Then I add the fact that on my little 16ft. boat there was a total of about 425 #'s of body weight on the bow front seat, sooo gets me thinking maybe NOT a total engine issue, but a rookie mistake not taking that into account, maybe just maybe the tilt was just all wrong for the occupant seating arrangement.

Does that sound like a posibility?

Again though I will check out everything you mentioned, & just me & the wife will go out and try it again.

thanks for your response,
Rich

 

[Goundworks3]

Re: Help on Mercury 115 outboard

Oh man,

The above mentioned article is PERFECT for a newbe like me, Thanks ALOT,

Rich

 

[Goundworks3]

Re: Help on Mercury 115 outboard

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to pass on something for everyone to check, I marked my prop, (also got the telltale cleaned out & opened, it wasn't spraying), the prop spun was mentioned here & by a local marine mechanic here in town, he helped me on where to mark it, (plug here for him being an honest & just plain out nice guy too), upon looking at the current set-up he saw where the previous owner had installed the speedometer line & plastic mount, (on the bottom starboard side of the stern), & said "you outta try lifting that plastic mount up, it is probably causing some small air bubbles & cutting the path for the prop to be interrupted", so I did & as simple as it seems, full on WOT! Needless to say I will be relocating that speedometer mount, because with it just up & out of the way I have NO speedometer, but I was at the VERY least doing twice as much as before, & as I stated, the throttle was all the way forward, which it never did before w/o revving up like it was in neutral.

Today was the VERY best day I've EVER had on the water, (including when we have went on other peoples boats & I didn't have to worry about anything), everything went great, lovin' it all, oh & the best part was we only spent about 4-minutes launching, & about 4-minutes recovering, (& we recovered in a bad rain storm!) NOT bad for our 2nd time in the water with our little 16-footer!