Boat Engine Control

I just got a 1983 Starcraft Islander and when I start the engine, I have
no control over the engine idle speed while the boat is in nutral. There
is a place on the bottom or the engine control handle where it appears
that there used to be a button that one could hold in. This is a good
sized hole about 1 inch x 1/2 inch. Is this hole the key to my problem
and if it is, are parts available?

Hi John,

The Islander is a nice rig. You're gonna have some fun with it.
O.K. John, to raise your idle speed without engaging your outdrive, pull the throttle handle away from the control box, towards you. You will notice that now you can raise the idle enough to keep a cold motor running.
Because you asked this question, I'm pretty sure you're new to this type of boat. The reason I'm mentioning this is because there are some BIG safety differences between outboards and other drives (like your new inboard/outboard (I/O)). The most obvious difference is the engine is housed INSIDE the hull. ALWAYS use the blower system to remove fuel fumes from the hold BEFORE you crank that motor (lest you blow yourself up like in a James Bond movie). NEVER let some fool tell you that you can put an automotive alternator or starter on your marine engine. Many marine parts are SPARK PROOF to keep you ALIVE !!! Never be tempted to substitute. It could very well kill you and everyone else on board !!! Have Fun!!

2009-08-04 11:05:30 by John H

A quick guide from Kevin at Gulfstreamshop.com on how to order the correct length of boat engine control cable.

My dad has an old 1960's Grumman aluminum boat. 16 foot. It would still shine up pretty good with a buffing wheel. But would it be worth putting a new engine on it? Or just get a used one?
Also, it was rated for 25 hp. Could I safely put a 30 - 40 hp motor on it? It has a steering wheel and lever engine control. The hull is pretty heavy duty, thick aluminum, transom is solid.

If you plan on keeping the boat forever then you could buy a new engine, but like the other guy said maybe try to find a late model 2 stroke. The reason being is they are lighter and produce more power than a 4 stroke. Also, I would not put a larger engine on the boat. Prior to about 1990-1991 they rated the hp at the flywheel not at the prop like today. So a newer 25hp would be like a 30hp back then. Hope that helps.

2007-07-31 21:02:12 by freedom_vs_slavery

?Powered by High Speed Twin RS-390SSH racing motors type?High performance offshore racing boat
?Dimension: Approx. 32"(L) x 9.3"(W) x 6.5"(H) ?Suitable for younger children of age 14 & up.***Colors & Frequencies May Vary***
?Operation distance ~ 300ft?Speed: 20-25 mph?Transmitter (8 AA Batteries not included)

about how fast does a 26.995 MHz radio contolled toy boat go?.....for a toy boat is it an ok speed?

the MHZ is the the band frequency of the remote control, you actually will look at the battery amd motor size... Like 7.2v batter which is 7 C size rechargeable batteries in a pack. If it's an out of the box ready to go model it will not be very fast, less then 15 or 20 mph

2008-09-26 20:09:23 by Esther V

Price: $149.95 $42.78

Full Function Radio Controlled (Control forward , left and right turn, stop)
Powered by Twin Type 390 motors
Professional Hi-Capacity rechargeable battery and quickly battery charger

Im asking this again to see if anyone else has any ideas

I have a 50 hp Artic Spirit engine on my Boat
The engine has dual carbs

We started it up and it starts to rev by itself even with the throttle back down to idle

The throttle on the carbs are also back to idle but the engine revs up

Why can I not control the idle
Do I have a bad pump or maybe a bad diaphram in one of the carbs?
The boat is a 50hp Artic Spirit engine with dual carbs
As soon as the engine is started the engine starts to rev in 3 stages
1200
than jumps to 2500
than full even with the carb butterflies closed..??

a vacuum leak is a possibility. either in a carb or crankcase. does it rev under load or only in neutral? is only in neutral that the leak is more likely. you may also have a linkage issue where one carb is not closing all the way. a cracked diaphragm might cause this too

2006-06-11 17:29:33 by Vulcan 1

how high of torque servo do i need to buy to be able to pull the throttle cord? (in kg/cm please?)

Get a spring balance and measure it. (In 'real' science and engineering that's also known as 'empiricism' ☺)

Doug

2009-06-04 21:13:55 by Austin