In defense of Eska

[parshman]

I just had to comment on my little Eska 4.5 hp. What a joy it is to pull the cord on this dependable little motor and hear it fire up with that obnoxiously loud, lawn-mower like growl. There is something truly refreshing about a single cylinder, single plug, air-cooled engine. There are no secrets, no mystery. Fuel, air, spark. That's it. I have it on my 14' jon boat. I also have a 1955 Johnson 5.5 hp that I have rebuilt, and is now being looked at by a pro. (I could get it to run, but not stay running.) It is quiet, and has a simple, classic nostalgic look that I'm really fond of.
I got the Eska online. It arrived, I unpacked it, and smelled fuel. It had been shipped with some residual fuel in the tank! I tilted it up so some would run down the line, and she fired right up! A new spark plug boot, and a quick clean up of the carb bowl, and I am ready for river time!
I think any motor can be frustrating if it is broke down. What these Eskas lack in style, they make up for in simplicity. That motor doesn't have any feelings. If we treat it right and set up the conditions, it will run. I like mine. In fact, I am doggone proud of it. My first boat's name was "Good Nuff". This new Jon boat set-up is dubbed "Morn Nuff". Nuff said.

 

[SeaKaye12]

Re: In defense of Eska

You have a good attitude. Knowing the limitations of any machine and then being willing to operate it within those parameters goes a long way in getting satisfactory service out of it.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: In defense of Eska

My general dislike for things Eska stems from an experience in my teens when I was first messing around with wrenches on outboards. I had an Eska 7hp that I had gotten running, but it would, of its own accord, jump into neutral. There was plenty of "catch" on the detents and it felt like it should stay in gear when you shifted it. Completely random, no rhyme or reason, it would just jump back into neutral. Anyway, it did this once while I was buzzing around the bay and the doggone thing grenaded once it revved up with no load. It sent shrapnel out in all directions (was running with no cowling as I was still futzing around with it) and one piece of jagged aluminum caught me in the chest, just a chunk of it, sticking out of my skin with a trickle of blood tracing down from it. Still got the scar, too!! That was the last time I tried to resurrect an Eska...

 

[SeaKaye12]

Re: In defense of Eska

Great tale Chinewalker....

Reminds me of this other story from a guy who dislikes Evinrude Zephyrs....

http://www.oddjobmotors.com/ihatezephyrs.htm

All this makes running plain Jane OMC's sound kinda boring

 

[mrcrabs]

Re: In defense of Eska

you had me until I re read it

There was plenty of "catch" on the detents

there's no detent in the shift on a old 7hp clutch shift F-N Eska, its either in gear or out and if it were to be able to jump out it would actually jump in gear which could very well explode the clutch @ high RPM. This not the case with the lates 7.5 positive shift models...there not so positive and can jump out as well as the F-N-R models which all use a clutch dog, my guess is due to your youth you failed to add oil and thats pretty common among the youngsters, i have done it myself to my dads old 2cycle Lawnboy...

 

[parshman]

Re: In defense of Eska

Well, I've had my share of negative experiences, but they were squarely my fault. For example, when barrel testing my eska I heard a "Pop" and the motor jumped. I looked down and the sturdy plastic barrel had sprung a leak. The water was not churning normally, so I checked and found what had happened. I had inadvertently dropped a small screwdriver into the barrel, and the oil and residue kept me from seeing it. The prop hit it, promptly broke the sheer pin, and propelled the screwdriver so hard into the side of the barrel that it pierced the side. Oh! But there's more! When I replaced the sheer pin (and by the way, having that little storage spot is ingenius!) I mistook where it went, thinking that it should go through the split section of the prop shaft. So, I took a nice big flathead and pryed those part and (say it with me) one side snapped off of the prop shaft. I then discovered and punched out the remaining sheer pin and easily replaced it. I tried putting the prop retaining nut on and it stayed, so I removed it, put the broken piece back in and tightened it down. I was able to get the cotter pin back in and I think the nut has grabbed the thread further up the prop shaft. It tightened securely, so I don't think it is going anywhere. Sometimes I brag to my wife about the mechanical genius I exhibited, but last night, I just kept quiet.
:facepalm:

 

[parshman]

Re: In defense of Eska

You have a good attitude. Knowing the limitations of any machine and then being willing to operate it within those parameters goes a long way in getting satisfactory service out of it.

I will ask this little motor to putt me around the river at slow speeds. In all honesty, if and when I get my 1955 johnson 5.5 hp back from the mechanic, I will put it on the jon and sell the Eska along with the old v-bottom aluminum 12 footer. I think that the 5.5 hp is simply a more appropriate and useful hp for the 14 foot jon, and by golly, I love that little motor. From what I've read, it is more reliable, quieter, and durable than the Eska. But I still love the simplicity, affordability, and how darn unrefined the Eskas are. It almost makes me laugh to run it...I'll still get to the fishing hole...might take me a while, but I'll get there.
Thanks for your comment.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: In defense of Eska

you had me until I re read it there's no detent in the shift on a old 7hp clutch shift F-N Eska, its either in gear or out and if it were to be able to jump out it would actually jump in gear which could very well explode the clutch @ high RPM. This not the case with the lates 7.5 positive shift models...there not so positive and can jump out as well as the F-N-R models which all use a clutch dog, my guess is due to your youth you failed to add oil and thats pretty common among the youngsters, i have done it myself to my dads old 2cycle Lawnboy...

It was a F-N model - no R. Could have been a the driveshaft rusting out of the crankshaft. Could have been worn gears. I can't even recall now if the handle itself actually moved - it was 25 - 30 years ago. I do remember checking the shear pin and found it intact. That was the extent of my troubleshooting back then. I just made the assumption it had to do with the clutch, as it was a mystery to me how it worked. I do remember vividly the sound of the revving motor and then the sound of the silence after it popped, followed by the realization that something had hit me. I also remember the motor spinning over for what seemed like several seconds after it had gone silent, with the flywheel's rotational force carrying it through a few more revs until it ran out of momentum.

And I know I had oil mixed with the gas - that was the ONLY gas we had in the boathouse. My Dad had the fat oil mix mantra drummed into me from the time I could pull a starter cord... ;-)

 

[mrcrabs]

Re: In defense of Eska

worse i had was when i got up thee creek and the gas tank screw's vibrated out and i couldn't crank it...i rowed the damn thing three miles

 

[SeaKaye12]

Re: In defense of Eska

An Eska vibrating?

Come to think of it....mount one of those things on an aluminum boat and it's apt to vibrate your fillings out

 

[mrcrabs]

Re: In defense of Eska

the 7.5 deluxe model is a peach, it has rubber motor mounts....but it's not the power house the lawn mower on stick model is, to much drag from the big gear box. Now If you really want to see something vibrate the Tanaka TOB 300 will clime off the boat @ WOT, the one I have has the transom clamps drilled for screw's to hold it on the transom

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: In defense of Eska

Hey parshman, I too am a proud owner of three of those CD-12's. Too fun to collect them.

I have fixed and sold several of those Eskas myself and yes, they are a bit noisy and rough running. What else can you expect from an air cooled single cylinder outboard? They are easy to work on though and deliver good horsepower for their weight. If you need to pack a motor for any distance, I would probably use an Eska and just take an extra 2 gallons of gas. LOL

 

[papaj1]

Re: In defense of Eska

Have an old Eska trolling motor Model 1891A Serial 070219 Any idea how I can determine it's yeare of manufacture?

 

[papaj1]

Re: In defense of Eska

Have an old Eska trolling motor Model 1891A Serial 070219 Any idea how I can determine it's year of manufacture?

 

[parshman]

Re: In defense of Eska

Have an old Eska trolling motor Model 1891A Serial 070219 Any idea how I can determine it's yeare of manufacture?

I suggest starting out with http://www.discount-marine-parts.com/ob_eska.html. I went ahead and checked but your number was not on their list in any of the years. I also searched Google, but no dice.

 

[Tommy Two Stroke]

Re: In defense of Eska

I will ask this little motor to putt me around the river at slow speeds. In all honesty, if and when I get my 1955 johnson 5.5 hp back from the mechanic, I will put it on the jon and sell the Eska along with the old v-bottom aluminum 12 footer. I think that the 5.5 hp is simply a more appropriate and useful hp for the 14 foot jon, and by golly, I love that little motor. From what I've read, it is more reliable, quieter, and durable than the Eska. But I still love the simplicity, affordability, and how darn unrefined the Eskas are. It almost makes me laugh to run it...I'll still get to the fishing hole...might take me a while, but I'll get there.
Thanks for your comment.

I just have to chime in here and say that in my experience, Eskas are every bit as reliable and durable as OMC engines. The big advantage of the single cylinder Eskas is fuel economy, and I suspect this is due to less internal friction when compared to a similarly sized twin cylinder OMC engine....on average, an Eska gets better gas mileage than a comparably sized OMC. Tecumseh has made durable engines for years, up until a few years before their demise in 2008, and the typical Tecumseh durability was present in Eskas as well.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: In defense of Eska

I had an ol' 7.5 Eska that I puttered around with, ran well, but certainly no powerhouse. When I picked a new jon boat, I loaded the 7.5HP Eska and a 5HP Force (AKA Sears Gamefishers) on board to see how they performed against each other. I was a bit surprised that they performed exactly the same. Where was the extra 2.5 HP of the Eska????

I sold the Eska after that. No more numb hand from running that old Eksa 5 miles up river...