This couldn’t happen with a petrol outboard

[sailingmartin]

I’ve had a Torqeedo electric outboard for more than 10 years - firstly the 1003 and now the updated 1103. I suppose you could call me a relatively early adopter. Experience with the 1003 was mixed with a lot of frustrating error messages, but eventually I got the handle of it. The 1103 is a big improvement. However, here is the tale. I was in the Culatra anchorage near Olhao in Portugal yesterday. The wind was a lot stronger than forecast and I left the outboard on the dinghy. On waking up next morning, no outboard. Obviously the very lively chop had bounced it off the transom and it had sunk to the depths (well 4m down). The great thing about this anchorage is that there are always lots of boats and I managed to find a great Brazilian young man called Mateus on a Moody 40 who was willing to put on his wet suit and flippers and dive down to see if we could locate it (no oxygen, relying on lungs alone). I had an track on the anchor alarm, so we knew roughly where to look. After 10 dives, unbelievably he found it and lifted it to the surface. He brought it back to the boat, I fitted it to the dinghy and hey presto, it worked immediately! Many lessons: 1. If it is a windy night, take the outboard off the dinghy or make sure it is tied on securely. 2. Sailors are lovely folk and are so willing to help each other. 3. Electric outboards don’t mind a bit of a swim. 4. Not sure this could be done with a petrol outboard which is a) heavier so hard to lift off the bottom and b) petrol and water don’t mix well and it would have required quite a bit of engine oil changing etc to get things working again. A heartwarming story and good news for my insurance company!

 

[Bouba]

Thee advantage of a petrol outboard is that the oil slick pinpoints it’s location ?

 

[lustyd]

Let's see how the forum turns this happy tale sour ? I mean, maybe the extra weight of the petrol engine would have kept it from bouncing off? And the time spent fixing it would have been a joyous, character building experience that sailing is empty without?

Really good to hear these things are that resilient!

 

[TernVI]

Somebody tried to steal my mate's Yamaha from his tender, we found it the next morning hanging from the security cable, 6ft under water.
Plug out, turn it over a few times, drain the carb, bit of WD40, had it running in about 10 minutes.

 

[sailingmartin]

The only other time I have a wet engine was when our Suzuki 2.5 outboard went in the water fighting the surf in Barbuda as the dinghy overturned. Luckily we had a crew member on board who stripped it down, flushed it out of seawater and sand, and assembled it back together, all within 20 minutes. However, he was a former motorcycle mechanic and I’m not sure I could have done it in 20 hours, let alone 20 minutes. As a non-engineering type, I think I’ll keep the Torqeedo for the now as the easier option should it happen again - three times unlucky....

 

[Mark-1]

Let's see how the forum turns this happy tale sour ? I mean, maybe the extra weight of the petrol engine would have kept it from bouncing off? And the time spent fixing it would have been a joyous, character building experience that sailing is empty without?

Really good to hear these things are that resilient!

Personally, I reckon surviving submersion is just one more advantage to add to the long list of excellent advantages of Electric OBs. (Sadly totally negated by range in my case.)

However I don't think submersion in salt water would always be fatal for a 2T outboard. A good swill out with fresh water throught the spark plug with the inlet 'open' ought to wash the salt out of the crank then run it to evaporate the water, perhaps with a very strong mix at first.

Ditto 4T engines, just need a oil change or three to get the salt out of the sump.

Perhaps if they went in running they might break something serious when the cylinder filled with water but I'm not convinced that's typical or if they tend to stop before the piston fluid locks.

As for fresh water I see no reason why it would do any harm at all if you dried it out promptly. The first 30 minutes as it drys out in use is no different to running the engine on a humid day.

Someone with some real knowledge will be along shortly to tell me why I'm wrong!

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Glad it all ended happily for you.

I find that there are still lots to learn about outboard engines.

A good tip is haul your dinghy and outboard up when using drying mud marinas . It's a weird feeling shoving a freshwater hosepipe down the plughole of a Honda 2hp that has been trapped underneath a pontoon. It's still going though.

 

[rotrax]

IMHO, the lesson to be learned here is to ensure the Outboard - of any type - is fully tightened to the transom, the Outboard is secured with a tether/lanyard and a security device.

Saves all the diving....................................

 

[LadyInBed]

I hope it is still working ok in a few weeks time.

 

[Travelling Westerly]

I hope it is still working ok in a few weeks time.

Similar (not 4m through) tale of submersion on my Epropulsion. That was 6 months ago and still going strong.

As others are pointing out petrol outboards can be immediately washed out, oil changes etc but the point with the Eprop and Torqeedo is there is no requirement to do any of that immediate work. Imagine being at anchor far away from a shop selling fresh oil for a 4 stroke (assuming you don't have spare gear on board). What would you do then?

 

[Caraway]

IMHO, the lesson to be learned here is to ensure the Outboard - of any type - is fully tightened to the transom, the Outboard is secured with a tether/lanyard and a security device.

Saves all the diving....................................

Yes. I have always had outboard powered yachts and whether or not I ship the motor, I have always had a lanyard and a chain and padlock. Peace of mind.

 

[kof]

Great story and good to know it worked. If it was mine I'd take it apart, wipe it clean of any salt especially on the connectors to stop any corrosion.

Nice one!

 

[TernVI]

Personally, I would not be 100% confident of any electrical or electronic module that's been immersed, particularly at depth, that goes for the iginition module of a petrol outboard and the controls of an electric outboard. It only takes the tiniest amount of salt water to get past the sealing.
Designing electronics to reliably survive immersion is a nightmare.

I understand that some Seagull or Anzani outobards have been easily made to work after a decade or so underwater? Lots of oil and few aluminium components perhaps?

 

[oldharry]

Good to know the OP's engine was retrieved and OK. However as above a petrol engine CAN survive it. I had a 4hp Johnson bounced off the dinghy in a blow near HW. Went back at LW and was able to retrieve it. Fortunately I had a plenty of WD40 on board so I soaked everything in it, filled up the crankcase, left it all for 20 minutes to soak, then drained off. I didnt even have to change the fuel, as I had left the breather and stopcock shut. 28 pulls later it kicked in to life and ran perfectly. In fact it both started and ran better afterwards! I reckon the carb had been slightly off tune before as it was a third pull starter, whereas afterwards it was first pull every time! It was still running perfectly when it was stolen 5 years later.

With the Torqueedo I would again have swamped everything with WD, its brilliant at removing water and moisture.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Meh. Regular immersion - and ideally use as an emergency anchor - is part of the servicing schedule for a Seagull.

 

[lustyd]

Yes I've often heard they're more useful as anchors than outboards

 

[capnsensible]

Meh. Regular immersion - and ideally use as an emergency anchor - is part of the servicing schedule for a Seagull.

Is the long shaft or the short shaft type better for this?

 

[Daydream believer]

Yes I've often heard they're more useful as anchors than outboards

If this is turning into another anchor thread, I would top your Seagull with my Stuart Turner P4MC. Add a bit of chain & some east coast mud & you are going nowhere.-- Come to that you wouldnot be going anywhere if you had the b..dy thing INSIDE your boat either.

 

[Moodysailor]

I'm a time-served mechanical engineer, so you would think that my preference would be on the side of the IC engine but it's not.

It makes me die a little inside each time I hear a story about a small engine (generator, O/B, pressure washer, etc) that has taken a swim and has been 'good as new after a few oil changes'. Just because something can survive doesn't make it designed for it.

The reason a lot of these small engines survive and go on to have long lives is that they are ridiculously simple, with whopping tolerances and quite under-stressed.

We have a Yamaha 6hp 4-stroke, and I fasten that to the transom of our dinghy with a very short line. I don't want it going into the drink at all, for me prevention is better than the cure. But, as soon as budget allows we will be getting an electric O/B - they just seem to be better designed for the job (immersion and others). I get the range and performance thing, but we will keep the Yam as well. Just personal preference, your mileage may vary

 

[TernVI]

.....Just because something can survive doesn't make it designed for it.
....

Equally true of immersing a torqeedo beyond its IP67 1m for 30 minutes.