Weed eater engine conversion

Tiller Handle and Throttle Control

Hi,

Getting pretty close to completion.

I still need to install the seals in the drive shaft, the upper locking collar, install the roll pin in the propeller and put some oil the the engine and she will be ready to start.

I finished up the tilt mechanism, tiller handle including the throttle cable and kill switch wiring.

John

 

John,

Congratulations on a job well done! Man! You make the rest of us look like slugs!

I've had a bit of a setback! My source for my Honda engine (Northern Tool), just went up over $40 on the price of the engine. That put the price at around $293... before taxes! I told them I could buy the whole trimmer unit for about sixty bucks more! So, now I'm back to seeking affordable sources for the Honda engine. I was hoping to be able to keep it to my budget of around $250, including the clutch and housing. I've searched Craigslist and some local online sites for a good used one... but so far no luck.

By the time you read this, you will probably already have had yours in the water. Hope all goes well there, and that it performs as well as you expect it to. A safe, and happy Memorial Day to you.

Chuck

 

Near Sea Trials

Hi Chuck,

I put the seals in today.

I also installed the 10W 30 oil in the crankcase and added some gas and presto the engine started on the first pull and purred like a kitten.

Still need to install the drive shaft locking collar and shear pin in prop.

I spent most of the day putting my trailer back together that I haul the boat with. Completely disassembled it sanded and primed and painted the frame. Installed new pressure treated flooring boards, winch and a spare tire carrier.

Too many projects. Glad some of them are coming to completion. Ha Ha

Maybe tomorrow I can wrap it up and go for a ride.

John

 

Progress Video

Hi,

I have attached a link to a video that shows my progress so far.

http://youtu.be/haw-QuCNty0

John

 

Nice vid!

 

Great Vid John! I'm waiting for the sequel, Mud Motor Mania Part 2! My guess is that you're probably on the water as I type this... having a ball. Congratulations.

Chuck

 

Video

Hi,

Thanks for the comments on the video. I promised Mark that I would take plenty of pictures and document my build. Wish I could take credit for the video. My friend Rich from Sector Orange Studios did it for me.

No boating today. Pretty good winds and RAIN. Guess we can't complain as rain has been scarce since the first of the year in Tampa Bay Area.

John

 

It has been a real frog-strangler here in Z-hills.

 

Hey John,

Did you get a chance to do the sea trials yet? I figured maybe yesterday or today, you'd be able to put it through the paces. My Honda GX-35 came in a few hours ago, and I went to Northern Tool and ordered the clutch housing assembly. Hopefully I can get a money order in the mail to Young's for the prop tomorrow.

You guys are probably busy editing and putting the Mud Motor Mania Part 2 together today. Can't wait to see how the build does. I believe if the clutch will hold on the boat, in the water, we've got a winner. Hopefully, we won't have to go to a gear reduction. Hope your results are better than expected.

Chuck

 

Water Test Honda GX35NTS3 Long Tail Mud Motor

Hi Chuck,

Here is a link to the Mud Motor Mania Part 2

http://youtu.be/BXBAbt3V8wA

Notes:

Well yesterday we did the water test on the Honda GX35NTS3 (4 Stroke) Long Tail Mud Motor. It was pretty windy with overcast skies. I used my 12 foot aluminum Jon Boat for a test bed for the water test. I have no idea what my boat and the associated equipment weighs but we had the following equipment on board. Mercury 4.0 HP Outboard, Minnkota trolling motor and associated mount, trolling motor battery, 15 lb. anchor and of course the Honda GX35NTS3 Long Tail Mud Motor.

The Honda Motor started easily and performed well during the test. The maximum speed achieved according to Rich's GPS was between 3.6 to 4.0 MPH running a Young's T-10 Prop. From what I can tell being a novice the motor seemed to perform better (i.e. more push) when the prop was completely submerged. It was hard to tell if the prop was turning at the correct RPM and if there was any clutch slippage. The clutch housing seemed a little warmer than what I thought it should be (i.e. warmer than the engine crankcase. I should have brought along my digital thermometer to check the temperatures. I didn't smell anything like burnt clutch lining material so it may be operating as it should. I intend to remove the clutch housing tomorrow and check the condition of the clutch linings and clutch bell.

The other thing was that it seemed to use a lot of gas. I only did a few short laps and it used about 1/2 a tank of gas.

Special thanks to Rich from Sector Orange Studios for producing the film. The weather looked pretty bad so we shot the video with my small camcorder instead of Rich's professional gear. Didn't want to get his professional gear wet and I surely don't blame him.

John

 

Man oh Man... John, now you've got me pumped! Congratulations on the build. I think you did a very professional job, as did your friend Rich on the video. I've got about a thousand and one questions, but not sure if I should ask them all here. Maybe just a few!

1. Were you having to "hold" constant pressure on the tiller handle to maintain the correct prop depth in the water?

2. Were you running the little Honda at full throttle, or did you play with various power settings.

3. Was the Honda exhaust noise acceptable at cruise speed, or did you have to wear ear plugs?

4. It didn't look like you were running the cavitation plate, were you... and if not, are you going to test it out to see if it'll help?

5. Was there much vibration felt when running at full throttle?


6. I noticed you had the "longtail" mounted off center to the boat, and in one shot it looked like it was pushing the boat at a little bit of a skew. Maybe this was in a turn, I couldn't tell. Think it'll do better mounted dead center to the boat?

7. Did the engine seem like it was in any bog or lugging, or was the changes in throttle pretty responsive?

8. Did the prop try to "spin out" when you tried it partially submerged? I know you mentioned it seemed to perform better when fully submerged.

9. Did you feel the bearing areas on the shaft to see if they were getting hot? No doubt the one in the water was staying cool.

10. Just curious, and knowing you're in the Tampa Bay area... was that brackish water or fresh water?

I'll stop here, as there may be others that want to ask some questions. Thanks.

Good job John! Can't wait to strap mine on my Otter Stealth 2000 duck boat!

Chuck

 

Fun video! You're very fortunate to have a friend to film you and who knows what they're doing!

I had the same experience with my motor. I lose a significant amount of thrust when my prop ventilates so I run it completely submerged. A plate on top may allow you to run shallower and still prevent ventilation of the prop.

Erich

 

Thrust

Hi Eric,

Thanks for the thrust information. I also enjoyed your videos and have subscribed to your channel.

John

 

Questions on water test

Man that is a bunch of questions and not sure I have the answers but I will try.

John

 

I had to mount a deflector to keep the exhaust off me. See page 42 this thread.
The bridge is at Fowler Avenue over the Hillsborough River.
There was no fee at that boat ramp at the time.