Outboard Motor

Laing's Outboards Newsletter April 2003
Outboard Motor | Thursday, 04 December 2008

There has been much concern recently about how the current and upcoming anti-pollution regulations will affect the owners of outboard motors. Woven deep within the tangled legislation regarding marine emissions is some heartwarming news for the consumer:

It's not your problem.

If you own a boat and don't understand some or all of the regulations passed in recent years by the EPA or the California Air Resources Board (CARB), you are not alone. Boat owners across the nation are struggling to interpret and predict the impact of the emissions standards that affect the boating industry. But take heart. It's neither as bad nor confusing as it first appears. In a nutshell, here's the important news:

* You will not have to stop using your two stroke engine

due to engine emission regulations.

* The engine manufacturers- not the consumer- are

responsible for ensuring the engines you buy conform

to EPA and CARB regulations.

* If you currently own a boat engine, you will not be

penalized by existing legislation as tighter regulations

CARB rates all marine engines on a four star system. One star ranks an engine as "low emissions", two stars is "very low", three starts is "ultra low", and four stars is "super ultra low". No engines have been built yet that meet the four star requirements.

As of January 1, 2003 all outboard, inboard, and sterndrive engines that are sold in California must be CARB certified and must bear star-rating decals. Observers will note that not all the low emission engines are four stroke. The Mercury 75, 90, 115 and 135 OptiMax two stroke engines meet the CARB three star emissions level.

SERVICE DEPARTMENT

Now that spring is arriving, many boaters will soon be pulling their boat out of storage, and some will be asking themselves: Can I get another year out of my old battery, or must I break down and buy a new one? Below are seven myths about batteries that may help answer that question.

Myth #1: Storing a battery on a concrete floor will cause it to discharge. This may have been true years ago when battery cases were made out of a porous material, but not today.

Myth #2: A battery will not explode. A battery may explode through the ignition of hydrogen and oxygen gases produced when charging, or may explode internally, so always use caution when near the battery.

Myth # 3 A battery will not lose its charge sitting in storage.

Batteries have a natural discharge or internal electrochemical leakage rate of between 1% and 25% per month, hastened by high temperatures.

Myth #4 Maintenance-free batteries never require maintenance. All batteries require maintenance. Electrolyte can be lost due to high temperatures and excessive charging.

Myth #5 Pulse chargers or additives will revive sulfated batteries. There is no conclusive evidence that pulse chargers or additives will provide any benefit.

Myth #6 Lead acid batteries have a memory. However, continuous undercharging will lower battery capacity, while deep discharges can shorten battery life.

Myth #7 Cells in lead acid batteries will not reverse polarity.

Cell reversal typically occurs when a cell has completely discharged while current is still flowing through the battery.

The following is from an Evinrude dealer mailing from 1956. Author unknown.

ODE TO AN OUTBOARD PARTS CLERK

I work behind the counter

In an outboard parts store;

Sometimes I'm called a genius,

Sometimes I'm called more.

I claim I'm no technician,

Yet when a job goes sick,

Some guys mail and ask me

What makes the darn thing tick.

I'm supposed to know the numbers

Of bolts and nuts and screws,

For every single motor made

In the last forty years.

But life would be a pleasure

and I'd grin from ear to ear,

If customers would only tell me

The Model, Make and Year

We will continue listing model numbers for Elgin outboards. These Elgins were made by West Bend, as designated by the prefix 571.

Next month we will continue with Elgin

Source: Laing's Outboards

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