Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 1: Getting Started in Boating
two-strokes. (Remember, though, that if you keep the motor a long time, you’ll spend lots
more for gas and oil with the carbureted motors.)
Carry-Out Outboards—Mini-Motors
The mini-outboards offer portable power in weights as light as 23 pounds. They’re easily
carried by kids (which I strongly recommend), and most have the same quality as the
larger motors except that they don’t offer oil injection, power tilt and trim, or electric
start. We’re talking motors from two to about eight
Boat Bytes
Many small motors have
the fuel tank built right into
the cowling. These little
tanks don’t hold a lot of
gasoline, but they’re adequate
for short trips and fishing
outings, and you don’t have to
tote a separate fuel tank.
Compact Motors
horses here, with the two-horsepower motors weighing
just over 20 pounds, and the eight-horsepower motors
weighing about 60 pounds in most makes. Prices range
from just under $1,000 to about $2,000.
My youngest son has had years of enjoyment on the
Little Manatee River with a 4-horse outboard, which
scoots his 100-pound aluminum jonboat along at about
20 mph, full speed with only him aboard. You can fish
two or three days on a three-gallon tank of fuel, another
big plus of the mini-motors.
Compact motors are like compact cars, big enough to get you from point A to point B,
but not big enough to provide much in the way of comfort or performance. A 100-pound
motor is more than most people want to carry down the dock, and this weight kicks in at
about 10 to 15 horsepower in most brands. Prices range from $2,200 for a 9.9 to about
$7,500 for a 50.
Look Out!
Portable outboards
come with portable gas tanks,
either three or six gallon. The
tanks have a hose that connects
to the engine. Most are clip-on,
and they only go on one way.
Try putting them on upside-down,
and fuel will come shooting out
the ball valve in the connector.
Anything over 15 horses is definitely not portable and
will require you to either have a motor cart, or to put
the boat on a trailer and leave the motor in place. (I
know, those big husky fishing guides sometimes manhandle
125-pound, 30-horse motors onto the back of
their big square-ender freighter canoes, but the rest of
us may find that a bit much.)
Some very inexpensive portables are air-cooled rather
than water-cooled. An air-cooled engine is cooled by air
passing over aluminum fins on the cylinders. A watercooled
engine is cooled by water passing through
molded water passages around the internal parts of the
powerhead. The powerhead on an air-cooled engine