Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

[BoatCollector]

Hi, I was lucky enough to find an old (1969) Evinrude fisherman 6hp outboard in a neighbor's garage - replaced points and plugs and started right up, runs fairly good too. These were fantastic motors (had a couple before over the years). One question - the boat I want to use it on is a rather heavy 15' f/g hull shaped like a carolina skiff/whaler hull. Naturally it won't push the hull very fast - but is there anything I can do to slightly improve the performance/power on the old 6hp? For one, I always noticed they came with that odd looking little 2-blade tiny propeller - is there another prop that might be better for this little engine? Any other mechanical suggestions to increase power output would be appreciated too. Thanks.

 

[Daviet]

Re: Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

I am not sure but I don't think they offered much for props. You might check with local dealer for options. You might also want to replace the water pump if it has not been done in a wile.

 

[F_R]

Re: Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

Hi, I was lucky enough to find an old (1969) Evinrude fisherman 6hp outboard in a neighbor's garage - replaced points and plugs and started right up, runs fairly good too. These were fantastic motors (had a couple before over the years). One question - the boat I want to use it on is a rather heavy 15' f/g hull shaped like a carolina skiff/whaler hull. Naturally it won't push the hull very fast - but is there anything I can do to slightly improve the performance/power on the old 6hp? For one, I always noticed they came with that odd looking little 2-blade tiny propeller - is there another prop that might be better for this little engine? Any other mechanical suggestions to increase power output would be appreciated too. Thanks.

Nah, you won't get enough more power to even notice. It is already getting 6hp out of what started out as a 5 1/2. If you need more power, get a bigger motor.

 

[crxess]

Re: Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

First read the secret file at the top of this forum and decarb the motor. This may bring back some of the original pep.

Second, search like crazy and you might fine the 8.25 x 5 (3) blade prop. This will get the RPM's up and effective increase speed.

You are still only looking at 8-10 mph tops.

Been there, this summer, switched to a 9.5 and only increased to 12 mph.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

I agree with F R - you need a bigger motor, not a magic solution.

Your engine was rated at the powerhead, not the prop. You are probably getting no more than about 5hp at the prop. There are very few props offered for this motor at the moment, and you shouldn't go to another prop unless it is one of less pitch than what you have.

I had a 15 foot fiberglass tri-hull with a 1969 Johnson 6hp on it. My situation was somewhat like yours, except in my case, the motor was given to me because the owner didn't want it. I then bought the boat as a favor to a friend. With one engine, it went about 5 mph. I like to tinker with odd setups, so I went on a hunt for another 6hp motor. I found one, rebuilt a few things and put it on the boat. I then set up a dual steering and dual control system. The arrangement worked fine, but the boat only went about 8 mph with both motors wide open. This speed was not sufficient to plane the boat.

One thing that I will say - you can run those little motors to death and they just keep going. As long as you don't overheat them, they'll run "forever." I used to run mine at WOT essentially all of the time. I also used to do that as much as 10 hours a day, several times a week. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many hours I put on my motors, but it would be in the thousands of hours, for sure.

The minimum hp that I would put on that boat is about 20 hp, rated at the prop. A 30hp motor would probably pust it at about 18 - 20 mph.


???

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

A 6 hhp for a 15 foot fiberglass? No wonder you don't get any speed out of it. A bout like this would be rated for a 25hp or bigger. If you just want to putt around the lake at a trolling speed, the 6 would be fine. This 6 would be great on a 12' aluminum StarCraft

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

I agree with the above. Thats gonna be hard on that little motor. Great as a kicker for trolling. But trying to push a 15' fiberglass at WOT is gonna really tax it and probably wont let it operate at the optimum RPM.

 

[Rick.]

Re: Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

Two words. Ni tro. LOL. Just enjoy your motor for what it is. A work horse of an engine that will give you lots of trolling pleasure. Rick.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Suggestions to pep up power on old 6hp Evinrude fisherman

Probably the best thing you could do is name her. Something like Ethel. Won't make it any faster but you'll feel better about going slow.