long trip with older motor

[bgarner]

hello folks, i just bought a 1993 bass boat with a 115 yamaha engine. i'd like to use this rig for to make some pretty long trips on the mississippi river to some pretty desolate fishing spots. my question is: with this motor being nearly 20 years old what kind of problems could i expect that might strand me somewhere and what could i do to prevent them. what spare parts could i carry to keep from being stranded. this rig has been taken pretty good care of but i have no idea of the amount of hours on this engine.

 

[arks]

Re: long trip with older motor

1993?
That's not old!
My Silverton has 1984 engines and we ran it up most of the east coast without a problem.

Seriously, if you don't have the knowledge yourself have it looked at by a professional before going on a trip. He should be able to help with a spare parrts list as well.
Good luck!

 

[bgarner]

Re: long trip with older motor

thanks arks, i belong to a fishing club that fishes the mississippi river and i know it would be a long tow for someone to have to drag a boat 10 to 20 miles on the river to get back to a ramp. i just thought someone might have some ideas of the kind of things that can happen to an older motor that a person could prepare for. i know that electronic parts can fail and when they do it's not like the old days when you could file the points or something of that nature and get you back to the ramp. i guess you're probably right though. just take it to a repair shop and check it out and hope for the best.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: long trip with older motor

two biggest failure reasons are lack of cooling system and fuel system preventative maint.
this includes making sure the ENTIRE cooling system is well maintained,means replace working parts BEFORE they become non working and CLEANING and REPLACING various fuel system components BEFORE they NEED it.
kinda like the question: How often does a good sailor need a haircut? not many can correctly answer that.
the third issue we typically find is clogged oil filter in the remote oil tank if its an oil injected model.
that motor in fresh water usually doesnt die it gets murdered.
the preventative maint isnt hard nor very expensive but you either do it or the corrective maint can get costly.

 

[bgarner]

Re: long trip with older motor

i didn't know about the oil filter in the tank---that's the kind of info i was looking for. thanks rodbolt. anyone have any other ideas. are there any easily replacable electronic parts that a person might carry just in case.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: long trip with older motor

Your motor isn't that old. Mine is 38 years old and I run it 30 miles into the bayou routinely. Last summer, I did a SAR for the USCG and ran a 110 mile round trip, looking for a boat after a Mayday call. Its all about the general condition of the motor and the maintenance that is done to keep it in good operating condition.

I also wouldn't worry about your buddies having to tow you. Even if their motors are new, you may be as likely to have to tow them. In fact, I have a friend with a Mercury Optimax that is still in warranty, who seems to have it in the shop more than out fishing. His last visit required a $7,000 powerhead replacement.

I think fishing with multiple boats is a good idea. I would just do that and watch out for each other. If possible, I would also launch downstream of the intended fishing location. Should towing be necessary, towing with the current will be a lot faster than towing against it. Doing this also makes getting back to the launch on a kicker motor a much more reasonable proposition.


???

 

[bgarner]

Re: long trip with older motor

thanks jay, breaking down on "home" waters doesn't bother me too much but the idea of driving 200 miles and then fishing in a remote spot on a big river is a little unsettling. i try to do most of my fishing upstream when i'm on a river but sometimes downstream is where you need to be. 30 years ago i wouldn't bat an eye going off on an "adventure" but in my senior years i'm a little more conscious of things that could go wrong. anyway, thanks guys for the input on my question. happy boating.

 

[JB]

Re: long trip with older motor

In addition to ensuring that risk of breakdown is minimum, bgarner, I suggest a kicker of about 9.9HP for emergency propulsion. It should have its own 6Gal tank.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: long trip with older motor

on modern outboards there is really not much you can repair on the water.
couple of metric wrenchs and a quarter drive metric sockets set to tighten a loose fastener maybe.
the ONLY tool I carry is my TOW BOAT US card and my cell and a VHF radio.
its rather rare for a modern well maintained outboard to break, DFI models excluded.

 

[4JawChuck]

Re: long trip with older motor

When I bought my boat it had a 1987 50HP Yamaha and I regularly took it 80 miles one way up the Winnipeg river alone at WOT, sounds to me like you need to gain some confidence in the reliability of your motor before you go on a trip.

Best way to get confidence is to ensure the motor is in good tune, new plugs, fresh gas and clean fuel tank, less than one year old water pump, clean oil in the lower end and a well tuned motor that starts reliably and boat wiring that ensures your not going to be stuck somewhere trying to fix a broken cable, add a battery that is properly charged and maintained and your there.

Make sure you have a spare prop and prop wrench, a good pull start cord, some spare plugs and wrench, leatherman tool and a flashlight, basic emergency box with flares and horn etc.

The distance your talking about travelling I don't even consider a "trip" since it is walkable if you were stranded, but a cellphone is a useful thing to bring along anyway.

Next thing you need to do is get some seat time close to the dock so you can drive for a whole day without worrying about it, once you gain familiarity with the boat confidence will come. To be honest having a locker full of electronic parts to carry around will likely guarentee those items won't fail and it will be something else that strands you...murphys law.

Give it a season, go out with your club and don't worry about being the guy who breaks down...the other guys won't mind towing you if the worse happens, just trim the motor up and hop into the other guys boat and go home...you don't have to ride in your boat if it dies! Besides there will be enough of the other guys around to lend a hand anyway if something goes wrong.

Stop worrying and you will have more fun, be prepared with the basics, keep her in good operating condition and enjoy.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: long trip with older motor

I agree with everyone else. There's no way to anticipate a breakdown no matter how new or old a motor is. Be sure that your motor is in good working condition, take it out a few times for confidence, and enjoy yourself. Definitely a kicker would be good to have. Along with your regular emergency equipment, have a vhf radio at hand. A map of the river (if available) and local marinas and their info would be good as well. I'm assuming you have a gps, but if you don't, get one in case you need to contact someone and give your location (a handheld would work just fine).

 

[bgarner]

Re: long trip with older motor

When I bought my boat it had a 1987 50HP Yamaha and I regularly took it 80 miles one way up the Winnipeg river alone at WOT, sounds to me like you need to gain some confidence in the reliability of your motor before you go on a trip.

Best way to get confidence is to ensure the motor is in good tune, new plugs, fresh gas and clean fuel tank, less than one year old water pump, clean oil in the lower end and a well tuned motor that starts reliably and boat wiring that ensures your not going to be stuck somewhere trying to fix a broken cable, add a battery that is properly charged and maintained and your there.

Make sure you have a spare prop and prop wrench, a good pull start cord, some spare plugs and wrench, leatherman tool and a flashlight, basic emergency box with flares and horn etc.

The distance your talking about travelling I don't even consider a "trip" since it is walkable if you were stranded, but a cellphone is a useful thing to bring along anyway.

Next thing you need to do is get some seat time close to the dock so you can drive for a whole day without worrying about it, once you gain familiarity with the boat confidence will come. To be honest having a locker full of electronic parts to carry around will likely guarentee those items won't fail and it will be something else that strands you...murphys law.

Give it a season, go out with your club and don't worry about being the guy who breaks down...the other guys won't mind towing you if the worse happens, just trim the motor up and hop into the other guys boat and go home...you don't have to ride in your boat if it dies! Besides there will be enough of the other guys around to lend a hand anyway if something goes wrong.

Stop worrying and you will have more fun, be prepared with the basics, keep her in good operating condition and enjoy.

thanks for the confidence boost 4jaw. you're probably right about murphy's law too.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: long trip with older motor

I'm with Chuck on this one. I'm also with JB on the kicker.
Good preventive maintenance, a kicker and a tow rope.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: long trip with older motor

You're smart to be aware of the possibility of equipment failure and the consequences. This is especially important in the winter. Too many casualties are the people who think boats are as reliable as cars. But really, you can't anticipate all of the 1,286 things that can go wrong and stop a boat. Even with spare plugs, fuses, electrical and fuel connectors, filters and jumpers, you can't cover it all. Nor is it practical to "always go fishing upwind and up current"!

The best thing is to carry a spare boat and motor. What? That's a buddy boat. But there is also a lot of pleasure in solo trips--I am about to head off for some desolate stretches duck hunting myself, and a plan on problems. I have survived, overcome or worked around many problems that get posted here as if they are the end of the world.

Be careful, be smart; pay attention and don't stretch your leash too far. I believe in watching the edges that can hurt you and giving them wide berth. For example, if it would be fatal not to be home by dark, don't start a one hour trip an hour before sunset. Don't go out in a T shirt when it will be 40 that night. I respect daylight, tides, temperature changes and weather fronts this way--don't cut it close if those things matter.

 

[bgarner]

Re: long trip with older motor

alot of good advice. thanks guys, we'll see how it turns out.

 

[jason32038]

Re: long trip with older motor

Well if you just bought it then I would take it in and get it checked out. Get the compression/fuel system and timing checked. Wouldnt be a bad idea to get the impeller and plugs changed.

 

[SeaNymph Man]

Re: long trip with older motor

Your motor isn't that old. Mine is 38 years old and I run it 30 miles into the bayou routinely. Last summer, I did a SAR for the USCG and ran a 110 mile round trip, looking for a boat after a Mayday call. Its all about the general condition of the motor and the maintenance that is done to keep it in good operating condition.

I also wouldn't worry about your buddies having to tow you. Even if their motors are new, you may be as likely to have to tow them. In fact, I have a friend with a Mercury Optimax that is still in warranty, who seems to have it in the shop more than out fishing. His last visit required a $7,000 powerhead replacement.

I think fishing with multiple boats is a good idea. I would just do that and watch out for each other. If possible, I would also launch downstream of the intended fishing location. Should towing be necessary, towing with the current will be a lot faster than towing against it. Doing this also makes getting back to the launch on a kicker motor a much more reasonable proposition.


???

I thought Mercury had those problems with the Optimax worked out. Apparently that is not the case with your buddy's motor. I am thinking of trading in my old Sea Nymph for for a new Lund with a Merc motor,but maybe
I should look at going with something else such as a good used Evinrude or Johnson 15 HP motor to put on that "hope to purchase" 2010 Lund A-14!
This guy should keep that Yamaha motor,...probably more reliable than what he thinks and maybe far less trouble,too. I had two Mercs in the past and they were not the most reliable motors,either,...and they were just little 15
HP jobs!

 

[bgarner]

Re: long trip with older motor

I thought Mercury had those problems with the Optimax worked out. Apparently that is not the case with your buddy's motor. I am thinking of trading in my old Sea Nymph for for a new Lund with a Merc motor,but maybe
I should look at going with something else such as a good used Evinrude or Johnson 15 HP motor to put on that "hope to purchase" 2010 Lund A-14!
This guy should keep that Yamaha motor,...probably more reliable than what he thinks and maybe far less trouble,too. I had two Mercs in the past and they were not the most reliable motors,either,...and they were just little 15
HP jobs!

i have a 2004 merc 25 that i've had since 2005 and never a minutes trouble. i've put some hard hours on it too.