SALTWATER CORROSION - HELP!

[Corsair II]

When I first purchased my 1993 Mac26S last fall, the motor (looks to be original; 1993 Yamaha 9.9) was somewhat finicky about starting and so I had the carb. rebuilt and the motor winterized. After I picked it up, I was told my the mechanic that the gear case was really corroded and needed to be replaced. The cost on the (lower) gear case would be @$500 for the part. It's been on backorder for weeks with no part in sight. I've been told that due to the economic meltdown over the past 2 years that the entire boating industry has been cut back 60% - parts, service and sales. So my question is - what do you recommend about the motor, as I can't get a new part (backordered), I doubt that I will be able to find a used part (haven't looked yet, however), and I'm not thrilled about buying a new motor if I don't have to do so. Can the existing / corroded gear case be repaired? Is it possible to grind it down as you would surface rust on a car, fill it with fiberglass, prime and paint it? Or does it need to be replaced? Sorry that I have no pics as the boat is currently in the shop on a separate issue.

[Catigale]

Corsair - a new 9.8 HP is about 2000 USD - putting 500 USD into a 18 year old motor?? Doesnt make sense to me...

[Corsair II]

Catigale » Wed May 12, 2010 5:43 pm

Corsair - a new 9.8 HP is about 2000 USD - putting 500 USD into a 18 year old motor?? Doesnt make sense to me...

Thanks. Plus, the $500 was only for the part and they wanted another $400 in labor. What model / brand would you recommend?

[markh1f]

http://www.onlineoutboards.com/Tohatsu- ... oards.html

Has the best price that I have found.

Mark

[Catigale]

Tohatsu or mercury. Make sure a dealer and service center is nearby

[Highlander]

Check out I-boats they new eng's last yr's mods on sale all the time plus good used motors as well
http://www.boatmotors.com/rebuilt_outbo ... entory_9.9

J

[Corsair II]

What is the largest hp anyone would want to put on a 26S? Usage wise, the boat will primarily be sailed on inland lakes but in 3+ years, I would hope to be able to sail it on Lake Mich. and off the Gulf Coast (Panama City area).

[Scott]

Corrosion prevention

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100513/sc_nm/us_butts

On a serious note, a small 2 stroke motor is the easiet thing to rebuild on the planet. A boat motor is slightly more complex than a garden variety weed eater. A small 9 pony can be completely gone through re- ringed, honed and reassembled in about an hour.

Pleanty of good books in your local library system on the subject. Couple that with a manufacturers manual and you can do it for the over the counter cost of parts.

As well, it is my firm belief that there is no motor that is too far gone to bring back, some just require more effort and parts. If it aint clunking or spittin' out metal shavings, it wont be too bad.

As for your gear case, if you dis assemble it and the bearing/ bushing races/seats are not eaten away then a good fabricator sould be able to replace the corroded metal with new metal. Go to a metal work shop and show them. Mig or tig and a grinder can work wonders.

P.S. Its cast, cast parts require a special touch and preheating to do right. If thety dont have experience woth cast parts, keep looking.

[waternwaves]

i agree mostly with scott on this.......

corrosion pitting I have dealt with JB weld in most locations

Seriously epoxies today are incredible, tough, corrosion resistant, paintable, machinable.....

On my powerboats I have had repaired skegs which (I was told at the time was an aluminum reweld, which 14+ years later has finally broken off again on the original line........and I found out the entire repaired skeg piece was epoxy.......

thats on a 4500 lb boat that goes 45 mph..........some serious stress on that skeg over the years.

I have used the tig,mig,chemig(epoxy) repairs to many aluminium cased outboards. with mostly good success. I will say on tohatsu uppers reweld/epoxy is almost an art tho.........those are really really thin sections of aluminim and I have been less than totally successful on the cylinder heads and cases. I have been very successful on lower units tho.

The old evinrude, johnson, merc outboards have plenty of metal on them to reweld or epoxy to. Refilling, epoxy curing/sanding the outside case of a corroded aluminum lower units generally takes less time that to chem stri, preheat weld and post heat, and machine the case.

[Corsair II]

Report this postReply with quoteRe: SALTWATER CORROSION - HELP!
by waternwaves » Thu May 13, 2010 1:36 pm

i agree mostly with scott on this.......

corrosion pitting I have dealt with JB weld in most locations

Seriously epoxies today are incredible, tough, corrosion resistant, paintable, machinable.....

On my powerboats I have had repaired skegs which (I was told at the time was an aluminum reweld, which 14+ years later has finally broken off again on the original line........and I found out the entire repaired skeg piece was epoxy.......

thats on a 4500 lb boat that goes 45 mph..........some serious stress on that skeg over the years.

I have used the tig,mig,chemig(epoxy) repairs to many aluminium cased outboards. with mostly good success. I will say on tohatsu uppers reweld/epoxy is almost an art tho.........those are really really thing sections of aluminim and I have been less than totally successful on the cylinder heads and cases. I have been very successful on lower units tho.

The old evinrude, johnson, merc outboards have plenty of metal on them to reweld or epoxy to. Refilling, epoxy curing/sanding the outside case of a corroded aluminum lower units generally takes less time that to chem stri, preheat weld and post heat, and machine the case.

Thanks so much. This is what I have been looking for, as I'm not excited about spending $500 on a part if it can be repaired for $50! And while I'm not unwilling to eventually replace the motor with something like a Tohatsu 9.9, I would like to repair what I've got and if it works, resell it and replace it with a new one later, especially since I'm still in the process of paying for a fiberglass repair on the hull.

[Catigale]

Corsair - okay, Ive gotta bite - how do you get saltwater corrosion in Indiana???


Answer - OBX, answered in another thread...

[waternwaves]

one note of warning tho.......

I did run into a johnson lower unit on a 6 that had so much magnesium in the base metal aluminum that I was pretty much unsuccessful welding it. (the magnesium caught fire) Those should be epoxied only.

[Corsair II]

waternwaves » Fri May 14, 2010 1:50 pm

one note of warning tho.......

I did run into a johnson lower unit on a 6 that had so much magnesium in the base metal aluminum that I was pretty much unsuccessful welding it. (the magnesium caught fire) Those should be epoxied only.

Will do.