If you can't start your boat engine with the same ease as you can your
car.... batteries are the least of your problems.
The engine should fire within 3 seconds with no hesitation anytime anywhere.
Cold or hot weather should not make a big difference.... neither should the
lack of regular use impede it's ability to fire up on command.

All my engines are serviced seasonally and they will start immediately. I
loaned a friend an 8 hp Merc I had stored in the boat shed for 3 years.....
it started on the first pull. The diesel auxiliary on my 30 ft sailboat
starts without hesitation at a push of the button. It's 10 years old and has
470 hours on it.

I learned many years ago the importance of dependability of engines on a
boat since often it is your only means of propulsion.... especially on a
powerboat.

Have a qualified mechanic look at it and get it operating properly.

CM


"Michael Knight" wrote in message
om...
| "dmp" wrote in message
t...
| Hi
| I'm a newbie to all this boating stuff and am having problems starting
my
| outboard.
| First off, its a 140 hp Evinrude, about a 1983. I start off by pumping
the
| fuel bulb til its is hard (a fellow collegue informed me of this) and
then
| lift the choke lever all the way up, push in the key and start turning
it
| over. It cranks for about 3 mins and then I stop to let the starter
cool(if
| it is hot?) Then I start again and finally it will start about another 3
min
| or so.
|
| I have a 1987 Evinrude 225HP. When I first got it, it used to take
| several minutes and several attempts to get it started. The more I
| used it, the better it got. But for sure let the starter cool down
| after a 3min crank attempt...that's a lot of cranking.
|
| Question is, should it take this long? I plan on changing the plugs this
| weekend. Is there something else I should do? If the battery is low,
will
| this not help the problem? I had to take it home tonight to give it a
charge
| as it stopped cranking the motor.
|
| If the battery is low, it definitely makes a difference. I've tried
| cranking on a low battery several times with no luck. Each time I've
| taken it back and left it on the trickle charger all night and tried
| again the next day, or even several days later. Wow! Usually with a
| fresh-off-the-charger battery, it cranks immediately.
|
| Like most cars, boats are the same way...the more often you run them,
| the easier they are to get going. I try to crank mine at least once
| every two weeks.
|
| Incidently, they are cold natured beasts. Trying to get it started
| when the weather has been in the 40's or 30's for a while is a trick.
| I've come close to draining the battery, ready to give up, and give
| it that last college try, and miraculously it suddenly decides to
| start. This after several minutes of trying.
|
| Bottom line, run it as often as you can, it will be easier to start.
|
| Good Luck,
|
| Michael