-----Original Message-----
>In a message dated 11/28/99 4:46:36 AM Pacific Standard Time,
>WZeitler@compuserve.com writes:
>Unfortunately, this knowledge decreases my desire to buy one of these
engines
>by about 90%. I perceived one of the big advantages of the air cooled
engine
>as making it unecessary to run the engine in a big bucket of fresh water in
>order to rinse out the saltwater from the water pump, internal passages,
etc.
>after saltwater use. The Mercury 2.2 that I have now often spends more
time
>running in the bucket than it did pushing the boat!
>
>Maybe paddles aren't so bad after all.....
>
>Dave Kautz
>P-15 #1632 Tilly Lucy
>Palo Alto, CA
>
Dave
I don't know if I would be so quick to jump the Honda ship. This has peaked
my interest in the little Honda "egg beater" because I think that, as usual,
the Honda engineers have looked at, and solved a problem by doing things a
little bit different. A few years back I borrowed a Tonaka (I think that's
how it's spelled) 1.2 HP outboard to power my first Potter. After running
that little 'air cooled' monster for about 15 minutes, I couldn't even hear
myself think! I gave it back to it's owner and bought my first Johnson.
Soon after that I sailed with a friend who had a Honda. It was so quiet
that I assumed that it was water cooled, imagine my surprise at this latest
string.
Now the good(?) part. My question is, has Honda gotten rid of the noise at
the expense of higher maintenance? Or, have they equipped the motor with the
best of both worlds (quiet running and low maintenance)? The problems with
water cooling are:
1. Higher weight.
2. The cost of replacing the impeller (labor, not the part).
3. Required flushing after running in salt water.
I think we can throw out #1 as the lil H is about as light a "usable" engine
as can be found. #2. Does anyone have any information on this? The
impeller replacement on my Johnson required removing the lower unit and did
cost $150 to have a shop do the job. Has Honda built their little motor
with an easily replaceable impeller? #3. Does the Honda need to be
flushed,or is this the reason that Honda cooled only the exhaust?
I would be interest in hearing the answers to these questions.
Did you know that there is a unit of time that is named the Honda? It is
the amount of time between when an American car engineer says that something
can't be done, and a Honda engineer does it!
Larry