Welcome to the January 2004 issue of Outboard News, an electronic newsletter for the outboard enthusiast.
INDUSTRY NEWS The new Evinrude E-Tec engines continue to attract attention at winter boat shows. It appears these engines will set the standard for outboard motor design for years to come. E-Tecs are designed to start with the first revolution of the crankshaft, and during design work, they were judged to be too quiet, and had to be reworked to give them a distinct sound. While some may be inclined to describe E-Tec as simply the latest generation of Evinrude's Ficht technology, the fact is, the Ficht and E-Tec systems use completely different approaches to the same challenge. The only common denominator is that both use electromotive force to introduce fuel to the combustion chamber. When energized, an electromagnet in the Ficht injector hammers a steel core against the fuel, driving it through the injector nozzle. The basic operation is similar to how your truck's starter solenoid works. By comparison, an E-Tec injector functions much like a speaker voice coil operating in a permanent magnetic field. Strong magnets surround the coil and, when the coil is energized, sufficient force is developed to push fuel through the nozzle. Evinrude says that E-Tec develops higher injection pressures than Ficht (650 vs. 500), and that the E-Tec coil can move faster than the Ficht solenoid, resulting in better fuel atomization and more precise fuel control. And because polarity can be reversed-thus pulling the coil back- the injector can operate at 9000 to 10,000 rpm and still deliver plenty of fuel. This bodes well for the system's application in high horsepower, high output engines. SERVICE DEPARTMENT Modern outboard motors, both 2 cycle and 4 cycle, are vastly superior to their predecessors from back in the 1960's in terms of pollution, fuel economy, noise and overall sophistication. Back in the 60's, large outboards consumed an enormous amount of fuel, mainly due to the fact that all the unburned gas that condensed in the crankcase was dumped overboard, instead of being recycled. In the old days, your boating activities were often determined by how much gas you could carry aboard. Apparently, some ingenious person decided to do something about it. I will quote from a letter sent to the president of the Goggi Corporation in praise of their remarkable new invention. "In the Philadelphia Sunday Bulletin dated July 2, 1967, I read an article in the Better Boating section on your device that drains unburned fuel and recycles same, The Goggi Kleen-Zaust. After preliminary arrangements, it was determined to have the Goggi Kleen-Zaust installed on my outboard. Before the Goggi Kleen-Zaust was installed, we took a 15 minute run south on the lake with a full tank of gas at cruising speed. We then reversed direction and made a 15 minute run north on the lake. For this 30 minute run, which was timed to the second, we used exactly 2.9 gallons of gas. After installation of the Goggi Kleen-Zaust we made the identical run under identical conditions and used exactly 1.4 gallons of gas. This produced a fuel savings of better than 50%. In addition to this savings in gas, the smoke in the air as well as the oil slick in the water was eliminated. I have nothing but praise for the Goggi Kleen-Zaust and it is certainly a must for all owners of outboard motors, both from the standpoint of tremendous fuel savings, and the total elimination of all air and water pollution." What was this device called the Goggi Kleen-Zaust? I have never seen one or heard of it before. You would think a revolutionary invention such as this would have been very successful. If anyone has any information on it, I would be interested in seeing it. HISTORICAL Here are a couple of trivia items for fans of the old Scott-McCulloch outboards. First, did Scott ever make and sell a 50 HP outboard? I have heard of one, and seen references to it, but I have never seen one, nor seen a mention of it in any official Scott publication. Did it exist? I became even more curious after finding a hand-written note from the factory to selected dealers. The note instructed dealers to immediately destroy all literature that mentioned a 50 HP motor. It had no explanation. Later, I found a service bulletin that solved the mystery. At the 1963 Chicago Marine Trade Show, Scott announced they would market the 45 HP motor as a 50 HP, since the engineering department had obtained considerably better than 50 HP in dynamometer testing. Due to objections from dealers, and the fact that numerous lakes had restrictions on motors 50 HP and larger, Scott decided to continue rating the motor at 45 HP for 1964, and instructed dealers to destroy all mention of a 50 HP. Second, has anyone ever heard of the McCulloch R-120? It was a revolutionary experimental outboard designed by McCulloch's Advanced Development Division. It had many features that were to become standard equipment on outboards 40 years later. This proves there is no such thing as a new idea. I will quote from the McCulloch literature: "With 125 HP, the R-120 is more compact than today's outboards of half the power. A 4-cylinder, radial 2-stroke engine, it weighs only 260 lbs., hardly more than 2 lbs. per HP. It is 18" wide, 26" long and 52" high. The R-120 incorporates turbo- supercharger plus re-entry turbine. At top speed, gets an estimated 17 free HP from supercharger-driven air impinging on blades of crankshaft-mounted re-entry turbine. Has direct cylinder fuel injection to eliminate carburetors. Has forced-feed lubrication to eliminate need for mixing gas and oil. Fuel injection delivers greater economy than is available in most 4-stoke inboards. It has power steering, variable pitch propeller, power tilt and trim. Only the lower unit turns for steering." Keep in mind this was 1961. Next month we will cover Scott-made Hiawatha. |
Laing's Outboards Newsletter December 2003 
