I believe last night was the coldest day of the year, but not with a shot of whiskey in me.  As parts are rolling in, I'm wondering how they actually work because they are instructionless, without papers, banned from any Country, except mine of course.  Well, the last time I took an IQ test it told me I should put things together without instructions.  Oddly, that doesn't sound very bright - maybe that's why I scored above average.  I must admit I only took the test 4 times, remembered all the answers and of course the allotted time had expired the first 3 times.  Anyway, since most things that I'm purchasing are recycled; what to do?  I am looking at these items as they are as objects to serve a purpose.  Knowing me - I might try it in reverse intentionally or sometimes by accident to see if I think it will improve the design or logic of it if that's logical at all.  One such item I'm reviewing is a hydrofoil.

Hydrofoils can help with planing, prop wash, steering, stern lift. Knowing hp will be a limiter - I considered my options to improve hypothetical planing issues.  Logic tells me not to drill holes in the anti-cavitation plate prior to a test run without it.  This isn't a speed boat, this isn't ski boat, this is just a boat.  It floats on most days and I'm trying to get it to run right - not on rocket fuel or hopes and dreams I did away with those long ago.  So, no instructions means to refer to the web for answers, clues, and insight.  Hell, the instructions may reside on the manufacturers website, but why take the fun out of it.  Well, one things for shore (i just had to on the spelling), when looking at jobs completed one must ask:  Does that make sense?  Judging from the above picture - no.  Why drag your nuts?  Boy... that didn't sound right.  Here's my solution, flip the nuts over and put the smooth side bolt heads on the bottom to reduce friction.  Maybe it suppose to be installed like that - but not accorded to the installer in the above picture.  Unless, he likes to put things on backwards, as well. You know - to see if it works better.    

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Honda 9.9 and 15 Outboard Remote Control Throttle Kit:

This would have been much easier with directions – really not sure why they were not included.  I only found 1 picture on the web – so all those out there looking to do the same here’s # 2.  I would keep it as a tiller handle setup - but that's not how my boat is setup.

I’m planning on wiring the kill/stop switch up to the remote control.  Logically, I’d rather have the switch with a lanyard forward in the event that I’m fishing alone, etc.   So far I like Honda’s thinking.  When it came to installing the kit things were pretty straight forward. Just make note that the shift leveler goes on the starboard side directly in-front of the charging cable outlet and the throttle attaches inside the carburetor's arm plate port side. Oh yeah, this a PULL version - not common knowledge.  I'm going to use a Morse MV-3 Control - I got a good deal on a used one recycled out of a ski boat.  I know this will accept 33c cables and are universal - push/pull customers choice. Also, it has a brake on it which makes going out on the boat a little safer.   

After some consideration - I think I'm going to rebuild the carburetors. It just makes more sense to do it now.  Hopefully, in another month or so I'll have things all pulled together. I'll have to wait for one warmer day with low wind to paint.  Kind of looking forward to finishing it.  I'll still need to get the lower unit, battery, wiring and parts installed.  And, if I have time I'd like to reconsider the bow of the boat by bringing the seat around to its sides more like a bow rider for storage, etc.  Also, I've got a new boat cover on the way from Wholesale Marine.  The tarp that's on there now is not road worthy, so I can do the 2 birds, 1 stone thing.      

  

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Welcome to the 9.9 hp lake modification.  Where all pre-'97 Honda 9.9 outboard owners go to modify their engine to 13.2 hp!

The snow has come back and I have started thinking about my little winter project again...

After muscling my Yamaha 40 hp parts motor off the portable stand and getting the lighter Honda 9.9 on it - from the looks of things the Honda it seems very easy to work on.  The Yamaha was super compact while this is pretty much all accessible.

One of the things that interest me about this year Honda was that it’s the same as the 15 hp unlike later years minus a change or 2.  Instead of re-jetting the carburetor, I can simply take off the limiter screw and gain a few more coy fish.  They are made in Japan like the Yamaha.  I like American made products – but I have not found a 4 stroke in this size made by an American Co. worth pursuing.

By removing the limiter screw - it allows the carburetor to fully open giving it a whopping 3.3 hp more.  Anymore hp and I’d be racing.  Actually, with a little more power I think it’ll be easier getting onto plane because I’m kinda of pushing it with the smaller outboard.  Some say never modified an outboard out of manufacturer spec – but who cares.  If it was that big of a deal they wouldn’t have the limiter screw to begin with – I hope.    

If you can locate the green dot - you've located where the screw use to be.  Um...yeah.... I still don't have a working lower unit, but I'm upping my hp 1st?  That's right and you can now do it too!       

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What's that? An old Honda 9.9 4 stroke running unlike the one I purchased yesterday in Louisville, KY.

I've hit the local Lakes like Caesars Creek, East Fork, and Brookville; I've had fun on those unlimited hp waters. All very nice and well maintained.  But, I think my little boat would be better served as a 9.9 fishing boat.  When selecting a different outboard - I looked at all brands out there and this one seemed to be a good choice and within reach - pun intended.  The Honda 9.9 4 stroke only weighs 96 lbs, getting about 30lbs off the stern compared to the 40 hp. Additionally, the major benefits of 4 stroke technology which are low emissions and quiet. The low emissions are seen with oil being reused over and over unlike the 2 stroke burning off oil that's entering the firing chamber causing exhaust smoke. It also uses less fuel, 4 strokes compared to 2 stokes per firing. It's also what I refer to as a recycled item ready to run on its next cycle that is once I get it running. She's a green beauty but looking more like a lemon at the outset. Hopefully, I can find a good lower unit gearcase and a drive shaft before spring hits. Might not be a bad idea to go ahead and tune it up prior to first fire.

I was also missing a propeller. That might help to have one of those, so I got a cupped 4 blade 9 1/2 8P which I'm betting dollar to donuts is the best all around preforming propeller.

For my application - here are the variables I considered: weight, hull type, stroke, purpose and hp measured at the prop. With the boat being Super lightweight do to the thin fiberglass and primarily having an outer fiberglass hull - I knew I needed a lightweight outboard.  One factor most boaters do not have to deal with is the bottom blueprint, too. The Waterwonderland has a lifted keel design that flattens out 3 ft from the transom like an opened ended hook.  The reasoning behind this is to get the boat on plane, quickly. This eliminates the stern from holding up the bow from coming down onto plane. The issue with this is ventilation. The prop can no longer bite the water, this was often found when turning and riding over small waves. After trying several outboard heights leading to a transom revision, it now runs efficiently with a smaller diameter, higher pitch, cupped, stainless steel 4 blade prop. And, of course the rule of thumb is to read your rpms at WOT(wide open throttle) when factoring in your prop diameter and pitch.  I'll do exactly the same once I get the 9.9 on the back of her. 

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It's over 50 degrees in Cincinnati, Ohio at the end of December; I'm wondering if the weather gets much warmer if I'm permitted to dump my fishing boat in a nearby pond.  I'm not even sure if local lakes, rivers are open for the season.

Flashback:
A little over a year ago, I had purchased a shot 1955 Waterwonderland tri-hull fiberglass boat from an older gentlemen in Wisconsin.  The wife was out of town and I asked man's best friend (my dog) to go along with me to recover this beauty.

One thing I learned along the way that my dog was just as thrilled as I was to get on the open road for a nice road trip. With the windows down and our shirts off we shared 30k sunflower seeds.  By the time we arrived it only took about 3 hours to locate the man selling the boat.  I had knocked, called, emailed, and even written him a letter.  Finally, he stumbled out with a bad limp.  Turns out that he had broken his back falling off a stage several times.  I didn't bother asking for details as I was kind of in a rush to hook it up and head the hell out.  Wisconsin is a beautiful state - but quite the trip back to Cincy.  I didn't feel like breaking my back that night either.  After 2 hours of getting the trailer lights working - the dog and I started back.  Drove straight back with only 1 mishap - the console was dismantling down the highway.  So, I ended up kicking the console off the boat and throwing it in the back of the truck like some angry drunken sailor.

We made it back and the next 9 months it was a part-time job, a few hours here and there to get the boat sea worthy again.  Here's the work accomplished:

• Removed rotten wood, so the transom came out.  An old transom is good for one thing: mulch. And, since I had the shovel out I went ahead and spread some on my hemlock.  It actually grew a lot that year.  I guess it liked the ole' fiberglass, resin, and wood.    
• An angle grinder is a fiberglassers best friend.  I ended up cutting out the seats, transom inner skin, floor, topside to accommodate a full length transom.  I think full length transoms are better because you put water further away from getting into the hull, period.  Whether that be weight moving around in the boat, getting on plane, drifting out into the nothingness (a favorite place I wish I could visit more often).  Also, I opened up any holes in the boat.  There were 3 tears in the bottom of the boat from trailer rash.  
• When the rollers breakdown - so does your boat when it pounds on the trailer as it's bumping down the road.  Those were replaced as well as the trailer wheels and tires.
• New console and bench were built from cedar.  I like cedar it has wonderful outdoor properties.
• Installed hardware like cleats, swivel seats, grab rails, rack steering, outboard, bimini top, and probably a lot of things that I'm forgetting to mention.
• Went through a handful of props to find out if a Stainless Steel 4 blade was giving me better stern lift without sacrificing top end which it did.  

I must admit the first few runs with the boat were interesting.  The o/b was not running properly and the boat was taking on water.  I love to swim so no fear there.  I was more worried that the boat would sink and I have to call someone to pull my boat out from the bottom of the lake.  Something that would end up on the evening news - "Man says he was rebuilding a $109.00 boat and sank it.  Guess somethings aren't meant to be."

I finally got it running right and ventured to take friends and family on the boat for fishing, etc.  It only took 10 times of rebuilding leaky carbs to fix the o/b and 2 more near sinking experiences to unravel the mysterious leaks.  

Now that it's running great - I guess I'll finish it.  Still needs a floor and I'd like to clean up the bottom side with a slippery paint.  I think there is a lot of drag going on with blemishes and with using a traditional bottom side marine grade paint.  I would venture to say that I could make the boat glide 10% more efficiently by addressing the bottom.        

       

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