Save a Scotsman's arteries! (Century question)

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Barnacle Bill
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:15 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Save a Scotsman's arteries! (Century question)

Post by Barnacle Bill »

Hi folks,

After some years of pootling around in a Mirror dinghy with an old 45 on the back we have upgraded into the millionaire club of yacht owning with the purchase of a Hunter 490 - a 1970s 16ft 3 berth trailer yacht. The 45 is a bit puny to push it so I sourced a Century from a lovely old chap in Stirling. His family bought it new in 1957 and it was used every summer at Bute until the mid 90s when it went into storage.
She runs reasonably well but like any Scotsman of this vintage, especially one from the West Coast, the arteries are a problem - all those years of Clyde salt water mean the cooling water flow could be a wee bit stonger. I'm not that worried about it given that the ambient temperatures are not tropical but it should really be addressed.
The last thing I want to do this side of the summer (she will be used in Argyll in late July and Early August) is to take the head off.
Is there anything I can do, beyond flushing out (gently - I remember the error of using a pressure hose on an old Morris Minor radiator) with fresh water to help in the short term?


Also - the motor has a suspiciously non-Seagull looking prop - it's a curvy 4 bladed thing that looks like it should belong on a more modern engine - unoriginal surely?

best
Rich
Journeyman
Posts: 137
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2018 6:26 pm
Location: Pembrokeshire

Re: Save a Scotsman's arteries! (Century question)

Post by Journeyman »

Hi Rich,
I’ve had good luck back flushing with a garden hose. If you take the nozzle from a calking gun and cut it so the diameter is a tight fit in the water outlet it’s easy to hold it in place.

Both my Centuries have five bladed Hydro Fans, the Century has a 9" diameter with a 3.5-1 ratio box, the Plus has a 11" Dia with a 4-1 ratio. It’s important to match the prop to the gearbox as they are different ratios.
That doesn’t mean the prop you have is wrong, try to find out what engine it came from, (probably one of the later engines) as long as the gearbox ratio was close to the Century you should be OK.

Later engines had 4 bladed weedless props.
As far as I know there where 3 different diameters and three different ratios 11" with 4-1, 10" with 3-1 and probably 9" with 2.5- 1
Dave.
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