I have a 5hp tohatsu that stays on board.
The bloke I bought the boat off never flushed the engine.
Does anyone have a way of fresh water flushing their outboard on their boat?
I was thinking of taking out a garden pressure sprayer with fresh water and and connecting the hose, without the spray nossle, to the flushing plug and pumping hard.

Jode5 said..
Slip a tall bucket under it and fill with fresh water then run the motor. I also add a bit of "Salt X" to the water.

How do I do that on a 26ft boat on a swing mooring?

Put the bucket on the cockpit floor and stand the motor in it.
Another option is to make a hose to connect to the flush port on the outboard and a funnel on the other end and pour water into the funnel we use to do it this way on an adams 8

twodogs1969 said..
Put the bucket on the cockpit floor and stand the motor in it.
Another option is to make a hose to connect to the flush port on the outboard and a funnel on the other end and pour water into the funnel we use to do it this way on an adams 8

Funnell sounds good.

Most outboards on moored yachts do not get regularly flushed, and last OK. The main thing is to use them regularly. Also drain all the water out of the passages by standing it upright for a while.
Flush with fresh water when you take it off the boat to service.

tomooh said..
i have a 20 l container which i fitted a hose tap to, connect hose to tap and then to outboard flush muffs, 20 l will flush 2 motors quite well with gravity feed, used to siphon from the container but the tap is much easier. If getting a bucket of fresh water to your boat is too hard for you you should give up and buy a caravan.

Muffs won't work on my motor.
So its either run the engine in a bucket, not an option unless i take the prop off and use a tall skinny bucket. if i use a bucket that fits the prop in i need to use 60L water. I can DL 180kg, but taking out 60L water every time will be a pain in the preverbial. Or i can back flush it throigh the flush plug using 10+ litres. better option.

I have a 12 litre plastic jerry can with a garden tap on it.

I hang the Jerry can off my boom which gives me a reasonable water head.

I then connect my hose to the outboard flush port and the garden tap.

I send 2-3 litres of water through my engine after each use. It works well and is very easy.

I also very rarely flush mine as well, I will sometimes use a 20litre bucket . It's only a 3.3 mercury , I went to get it serviced as it cops a hard life and the mechanic said don't bother just change the plug and with the money you save from regular servicing just buy a new one when it finally stops. It's on my tender so if it stops I can row.

I just went to the local dealer to buy the flush plug adapter, and he told me the engines have an anti corrosion paint in the cooling areas. Makes me feel better about not flushing too regularly.

I've had an 8hp Tohatsu 4 stroke on a transom bracket since I bought my boat in 2009. The previous owner had bought it a few years prior, so I'm not sure how old it is. It's had two services in that time and they're the only two times it's been flushed. On the mooring, the bracket allows the motor to be stored vertically, so the water all drains. They also have an anode in the leg that helps with corrosion. The last time I pulled the water pump and it looked brand new. It was still replaced, but didn't look necessary.