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[Driller]

An outboard motor run in the fraser.  Will their lifespan be shorter due to being run in silty water?  ie  the impeller, plus the water ways being worn due to abrasive silt running through?
I am thinking of trading my '07   15 HP 4- stroke which is in fantastic shape.  4 years old, and not a scratch on it.  May trade for a '05  25HP 2-stroke primarely run in the fraser (guy said maybe 15 tanks of fuel through it). I need the extra power, but just worried about a motor with this much river use. 

Any comments greatly appreciated.

[alwaysfishn]

I'm sure the Fraser will wear some plastic parts like the impeller a little quicker, however that is a relatively inexpensive fix. My concern would be more as to how many times the motor has hit bottom. While it may look like a small ding, it could have bent the shaft causing bearings to wear prematurely.

15 tanks doesn't seem like a lot. Just check for damage on the leg and have a cylinder compression test done.

[armytruck]

I would put a new impeller in it just for sanity reasons   . I have a 30 Yamaha I've had for 10 years , it's a 2000 motor and have not changed the impeller yet . The majority of the use has been in the Fraser with a rinse every time . Knock on wood .I've read some forums around the web and get all sorts of ifs and whens . I don't think they cost that much ,50 bucks maybe?

[bbronswyk2000]

Just flush it after every use with water from your house. Just need a pair of muffs, and a hose.

[troutbreath]

I would keep the 4 stroke. I have done damage to some of my motors bottom end grinding through the channels. Hard to the bottom in the Fraser at times. Going faster and hitting the bottom is more likely with a bigger motor. Plus you would always be mixing gas and oil on the 2 stroke.

[ShaunO]

Whichever motor you chose to run you should get a river skeg guard.  Here is a product called the River Runner, but there are similar products available locally.

http://www.propsavers.com/River Runner.html

Oh, and some two strokes are oil injected and simply require filling up the reservoir from time to time.

[lovetofish]

Whichever motor you chose to run you should get a river skeg guard.  Here is a product called the River Runner, but there are similar products available locally.

http://www.propsavers.com/River Runner.html

Oh, and some two strokes are oil injected and simply require filling up the reservoir from time to time.

I would completely disagree with the idea of putting a skeg guard on your motor. It may save you a prop, which is a replaceable part but it will likely result in a broken off skeg, which is not so easily repaired. Drilling four holes in your skeg, weakens it and if you happen to swing sideways and catch the side off the guard on the rvier bed, your skeg will snap at the level of the holes. A welded on portion to repair the skeg is not likely to be as strong as the original .  Get a depth sounder instead.
Just my .02$

[alwaysfishn]

I would completely disagree with the idea of putting a skeg guard on your motor. It may save you a prop, which is a replaceable part but it will likely result in a broken off skeg, which is not so easily repaired. Drilling four holes in your skeg, weakens it and if you happen to swing sideways and catch the side off the guard on the rvier bed, your skeg will snap at the level of the holes. A welded on portion to repair the skeg is not likely to be as strong as the original .  Get a depth sounder instead.
Just my .02$

The problem with the depth sounder is that it is mounted on the back of your boat beside the motor. By the time you see on your depth sounder that the water is too shallow......   your motor has connected with bottom.

Don't worry about weakening your skeg. The holes are small. I used the mac prop saver for years and hit bottom multiple times with no problem.  Most people hit bottom with their motors when they've slowed down as they come in close to shore.

[lovetofish]

The problem with the depth sounder is that it is mounted on the back of your boat beside the motor. By the time you see on your depth sounder that the water is too shallow......   your motor has connected with bottom.

Don't worry about weakening your skeg. The holes are small. I used the mac prop saver for years and hit bottom multiple times with no problem.  Most people hit bottom with their motors when they've slowed down as they come in close to shore.

I beg to differ about weakening the skeg. If your boat swings sideways while beaching and the river runner hits on the side, your skeg is toast.  After losing two river runners and skegs I switched to a depth sounder and a tilt and trim .  Up and down running is no problem but launching and beaching is where the current can push you sideways and cause problems.

[Driller]

Thanks for the advice people.  I did the swap, and now own the 25 HP 2 stroke.  It came with a skeg protecter on it, and I am happy with the design of it.  The engine didn't seem to spit out water when the motor was first fired up, but after about 45 seconds, water started to dribble out.  Then about 30 seconds later it was a solid stream, then it went back to about a half flow stream.  It did this a few times.  The water was never scolding hot, but it was very warm.  It seems like either the thermostat is opening and closing, causing a strong, then a weaker stream of water.  It is way easier to change the impeller now, and know that it has been done. 
cheers.

[Butch1949]

Thx Driller for your post, I found this all very interesting, I have a 2003 Yamaha with oil reservoir and I know the oil in the 3 years I have owned and used this motor has only burned minimal amounts that I've had to top up, the motor gleams, it is so immaculate but last year and this year that I've had the motor in use I have experienced engine shut off in very low revs, what this motor likes is being opened up and put to task, I like you have let the engine initially warm up and a steady show of water flow, but when put into forward, is will hesitate, run a bit rough and frequently shut off, If I set the choke out a bit I can generally get a nice troll that lasts for a long period and sometimes not.  It will always restart with the choke out full and the throttle wide open in neutral but as soon as I close the throttle and move to forward it hesitates, wants to and does shut down having me repeat the process , has anyone any answers, I changed the spark plugs, they're new and the fuel filter looks very clean......what does the impeller do?

[alwaysfishn]

Sounds like the carburetor may need servicing.  The impeller pumps water to cool the cylinders.

[troutbreath]

usually the carb has to ports for fuel one for low speed one for high. the stalling usually happens on the smaller low port/injector. you may get away with trying carb cleaner in it. check your motor out out on the manual or parts list to get an idea how it's set up. try looking up on the internet with your motor type and problem.

[fish fishburn]

If you are not using it lots your gas may be going bad on you.  Are you using Stabil in your gas?  I would also get a can of Seafoam and give it about half a can in a 5 gallon gas can.  This will clean up your carb if it has varnish from old gas sitting in the carb.  It also acts as a stabilizer for your fuel while it sits.  The newer fuels with Ethenol are not good for outboards or the fuel lines. It actually rots the fuel lines and the small particles from the lines plug filters and mess everything up.  I reccomend just using high test gas, its 10 cents a litre more but there is no ethenol in it.  Seafoam is available at any Napa or Crappy tire. Just make sure you buy the fuel additive type.

[scuntor]

Try the carb cleaner as long as it's a 4 stroke (sounds like it). Sea Foam works great to de-carbon but might not clean out the carb. Usually even disassembly and soak can't get it out and you have to use air to blow out the passages. Best bet is to take the carb off and rebuild it. It's actually very easy if you take your time and follow instructions.