Forty Plus as emergency back up

[Mark]

My old Evinrude 6 (1981 vintage) on my 17ft Silhouette yacht is now becoming unreliable - probably fuel pump packing up. Being twin cylinder and obsolete, not an easy prospect to work on, altho' fine engine in its day (much quieter than a seagull!). So I have just been given for free an old 40plus direct gear - all working now - so simple to fix, and so good for all the neglect of the years, and pumping so much more water than a dribbly new small engine. So yet to try it on the boat - but will it push a 17ft yacht ok as a back up? I have a swinging bracket, so can lower it to a correct depth.

[charlesp]

I don't know the weight of your Silhouette; I regularly use a 40 Plus (1959 ) on my 19 foot R19, which weighs a bit under 700 Kilos.

It pushes her along just nicely, and is almost (but not quite) as apparently powerful as the M*****r 3.3 that is usually fitted.

Oddly enough I have just (this morning) been helping a local family clear out some of the 'clutter' of a recently departed grandad's sailing career - he was a member of the Silhouette owners' Association and a confirmed Seagull user.

[headcase]

A 40 plus pushes my Snapdragon24 along although not as convincingly as a Century.Don't think of giving up on the Evinrude just yet as they are cracking little engines and last a long time if cared for. If you need a fuel pump mail me as I have a drawer full of them!!

[Mark]

Many thanks for the two reassuring replies.

Yes, I agree with the comment about the Evinrude being a great engine. Whilst they were US designed and built they were robust, and very smooth - now the smaller Johnson/Evinrude appear to be just re-badged cheapo engines from the far east, not designed to last. I may well be in touch if it is the fuel pump.

Thanks again - sorry to talk about Evinrudes on a Seagull website!

[Hugo]

Mark, I have a Sparta fin keel yacht (Achilles 22). My outboard engine, a Johnson 5hp, is in the workshop at the moment and I decided to try my old Seagull 40 plus (standard shaft) last Sunday when conditions should have been undemanding. My mooring is in a dock separated from the open sea by a lock. Therefore, the water in the dock is dead flat. The outboard was mounted onto the hinged bracket and lowered so that in order to pull the start cord I had to lean over the stern. In this position it was very difficult to get sufficient power to fire the engine. I then raised the bracket and started the engine in this position lowering it into the water promptly and consequently setting the boat into immediate motion. Using a clutch-less engine in a tight marina berth isn’t fun.

In the dock the engine pushed the boat admirably but not having a kill button meant that I had to judge when to cut off the fuel in order to stop the engine just before entering the crowded lock. Naturally, I got it wrong and ended up drifting very slowly into the lock to my embarrassment and to the frustration of pedestrians waiting to cross the lock and other yachtsmen waiting to go out.

I managed to start the engine in order to exit the lock and everything was fine for the next few minutes. When we entered the harbour mouth I went forward to see to the headsail leaving my son on the helm. The shift of weight forward combined with the wash of passing craft was sufficient to raise the prop out of the water causing the engine to swing up, race and then stop - presumably from fuel starvation. At this point I decided to turn round and and tie up outside the lock to await its next opening. Again having to judge the stopping time was a nuisance. When the lock eventually opened, due again to the low position of the engine, I snagged the start cord on one of the notches on the flywheel promptly snapping it. I was towed into the lock and back to my mooring by another yachtsman.

I won’t be using the Seagull on anything other than a dinghy in the future.

[Alan G]

Just to follow up on points made by "headcase" The prop on a century is much better suited to pushing a heavy hull. Like him I have used a forty plus for a Snapdragon, but it is a struggle. Even my century struggles in windy conditions and could do with a bit more OOMPH at times. OK in flat conditions which is when it is most needed. If you do need to replace your engine best to trade up to a century plus with a clutch. You can use the throttle if set up properly to shut off the engine by lowering it (The engine revs up if you lift it as well)

regards Alan
ps for Headcase are you listed with the Snapdragon Association?

[Mark]

Tested the Forty Plus direct drive on Salcombe Estuary today - having to punch through waves and wind, and the little wonder coped just fine. So it is now on my boat as the official back up to the Evinrude. When you are going into the wind, you scarcely notice the 10:1 and noise!