Inflatable boat owners, what sort of oars attach here?

[rcx132]

A friend of mine sold me his old 3.4m inflatable boat with 20hp two stroke Yamaha motor. Took it out on the Thames yesterday with the kids and had the best fun I've had in a very long time.

Speed control is a bit awkward. It can bumble along at idle, but give it any gas and the wake just gets big. Give it a bit more gas and it quickly starts to plane,the wake goes down in size, but now the speed is too high.

Anyway I need to sort a few bits, the oars are missing and I can't find what sort of paddles attach to these sorts of joints (photo attached)? What should I be Googling to find the right oars?

The coolant outlet is also a bit piddly compared to other boats I see, though the water coming out still feels cool. And it can be difficult to start. So I'll have to take a look at the engine before I take it out again.

The other annoyance is the permits. To get from the Thames to my brothers near Guildford means crossing waterways of three different organisations, so three licenses I just got the Environment Agency license for now.

 

[cheb]

Something like this: https://boatshop.lt/en/oars-accessories/643-foldable-oars-for-inflatable.html

I know the bit that sticks up as a thole pin.. The carbs probably need draining and cleaning, you might as well do the whole fuel system from tank to carbs while you're there. If it's had salt water use then it'll really need it. The outlet daimeter of the coolant telltale is likely smaller than the hose that feeds it and they clog. Taking the hose off and judicious use of compressed air should solve it.

 

[selectedgrub]

Oar lock patch.

 

[Dee J]

Special oars have holes in them to fit over the pins. https://www.piratescave.co.uk/seago-eco-dinghy-oars-with-hole-pair.html

 

[Cobbler]

Your reference to the coolant outlet, if that is a jet from the top powerhead or motor, this is just a telltale to show the pump is working. The coolant water comes out with the exhaust at the bottom of the leg .

 

[voipio]

If the outboard hasn't had a decent service in a while, it's worth replacing the water pump impeller. The rubber parts perish over time, the impeller blades come off, engine overheats and, apart from getting stuck up a creek without a paddle, there's a whole load of expense coming your way.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Can't a hole be drilled in any type of oar ?

 

[Dee J]

Can't a hole be drilled in any type of oar ?

Well yes. Of course. Might still end up too thick for the length of the pin, or too weakened so it snaps in use.

 

[rcx132]

Do get the oars - before you get an engine failure. Safety first. Was everyone kitted out with PPE?

Yup, PPE, insurance, permit, had a lesson in using the boat from the friend who sold me it. He did test the engine though it's now clear it'll need some attention. He did give me the oars, but looks like UV age got to them and one broke. The boat's OK, the ply is only starting to show some issues in places, not a single patch on the hypalon. I've still got a lot to sort out, I used my flat bed trailer and was planning on avoiding owning two trailers, but the flatbed is not great for launching the thing so that needs rethinking. It also looks like I can't leave it on the trailer after use as the ply floor panels won't dry out, so depending on how much I use it may be worth upgrading to a full RIB.

 

[Bobupndown]

Inflatable boat owners, or owners of inflatable boats?

 

[Barking Mat]

Inflatable oars ?

 

[rcx132]

If the outboard hasn't had a decent service in a while, it's worth replacing the water pump impeller. The rubber parts perish over time, the impeller blades come off, engine overheats and, apart from getting stuck up a creek without a paddle, there's a whole load of expense coming your way.

I spent a bit of time on the engine last night. The carb is immaculate, never seen one so clean inside. I can see the reed valves via the carb port, they look clean. My friend says he owned the engine 9 years and didn't do any work outside of plug changes and impeller change 8 years ago.

Do you think it's worth replacing the impeller?

I changed the fuel, he was running it on 50:1 mix instead of 100:1 and the fuel was six months old. I put the carb into the ultrasonic cleaner to be sure, in case there was dirt I couldn't see. Changed the plugs, and now it starts fine. I'll warm it up tonight and set the idle mix screw.

What else is worth doing? Changing the gear oil seems easy enough.

 

[Cobbler]

When I had a Yamaha outboard, the oil ratio was 100:1, but the dealer recommended we ran it at 50:1. In his opinion 100:1 was a bit weak, as he built Mercury racing engines I respected his opinion.

 

[Misterg]

he was running it on 50:1 mix instead of 100:1

Our little Mercury used to say 100:1 on the sticky labels on it, but if you looked in the manual, there was a little asterisk next to this information, and in little letters at the bottom of the page it said something like "50:1 recommended for commercial use". I'd stick to 50:1, personally.

I would say it was worth contemplating changing the impeller, as they get old, even if not used. However: figure out which screws / bolts you would need to undo to be able to change it and gauge your chances of getting them undone - if corrosion has set in, it could turn into an epic. If you're only on inland water, the consequences of engine failure usually inconvenience, rather than life threatening (just make sure you're got your oars with you!)

 

[Cobbler]

One more thing, grease every bolt & spline on reassembly, it may be you that has to strip it next time. Stainless bolts corrode in the aluminium & seize solid

 

[Tinbasherdan]

If you’re not going to run it hard, don’t go too oily or you’ll be getting shares in a plug manufacturer. 2 dingers don’t really like chugging

 

[addjunkie]

If you’re not going to run it hard, don’t go too oily or you’ll be getting shares in a plug manufacturer. 2 dingers don’t really like chugging

Run it like you stole it, thats what two strokes are for, I too would go 50:1. And change the impellor. But as said above, it could grow arms and legs….when running, if water stops coming out stop the engine. Back when I were younger and dafter, we used to pipe the water outlet out the top of the engine, so the observer could see it. They seize quite quickly with out water!

 

[lotus_esprit_s1]

When I had a Yamaha outboard, the oil ratio was 100:1, but the dealer recommended we ran it at 50:1. In his opinion 100:1 was a bit weak, as he built Mercury racing engines I respected his opinion.

All Yamaha’s are 100:1 with the exception of the 75-90hp which were 50:1.
Yamaha designed them to run at 100:1 for a reason, smoother idle and less fouling of plugs. They knew what they were doing.

I worked at a Yamaha outboard dealership for 17 years. We used to have a saying that Yamaha’s were built in Japan by one of the leading engine manufacturers in the world, Mercury‘s were built in the USA by the leading bowling equipment manufacturer in the world (Brunswick corp). Although admittedly Mercury built good race engines.

 

[Cobbler]

I worked at a Yamaha outboard dealership for 17 years. We used to have a saying that Yamaha’s were built in Japan by one of the leading engine manufacturers in the world, Mercury‘s were built in the USA by the leading bowling equipment manufacturer in the world (Brunswick corp). Although admittedly Mercury built good race engines.

I haven’t done anything with boats for many years, about 30 at a guess, I had 2 Merc’s & both let me down on several occasions & worked on a couple of others, which were also troublesome. I had a Yamaha & looked after the diving club one, neither one ever let us down. Last thing you want is divers in the water & a dead engine!

 

[northwest]

I used to have a fifty horse Evinrude on something about 4mtrs. You had to coax it onto the plane and be careful the back end didn't catch up with the front end, old motor was 20hp Yamaha but the Evinrude had electric start! my claim to fame with this boat was that I would moor it off the Trump Princess when it lived next to South Street seaport on the East river.