Exhaust soot on transon

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Bernard Dry

Is there a way to eliminate the exhaust soot on the transom after use? My boat is powered by a Universal model 18. Soft Scrub cleans the soot well, but the water is a little chilly this time of year.
 
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Randy

Soot on transom

I also have a Universal M-18 in my 84, and I get some soot on the transom. One of the things I've found about the 27 is that the exhaust outlet is above the water when idling at a standstill, but the stern squats down when motoring at speed, especially with several people in the cockpit. This causes the exhaust to bubble up, depositing soot on your transom. Lessening the amount of soot can be done a couple ways, with varying levels of success. First, make sure your air and fuel filters are clean. This lets the engine operate at top efficiency, causing less soot (which is partially burned fuel) in the exhaust. Second, running at slightly lower speeds means less load on the engine, and slightly cleaner exhaust, at least in my case. When I motor at 5.25 or 5.5 knots, the transom stays much cleanier than when doing 6.0 or 6.25. You'll save some fuel, too! A more permanent solution may be raising the exhaust outlet higher, so that it's above the waterline even when motoring fast. If you elect to look into that, consult with experienced people on both the relocating of the outlet, as well as the exhaust system in general--you don't want cooling water backfilling your engine, for example. By the way, I scrub my transom after almost every use--I use a brush about 2.5 feet long (or simply use a deck brush), wet the transom, load the brush with soap, and scrub away. This way, it prevents buildup of sticky soot, and I never have to get wet. (Of course, I'm assuming that your level of soot is relatively minor, like mine, and that you're not overloading your engine with a prop that's too big, for example.) Good luck. Randy
 
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Larry W.

Sooty transom

Bernard; Clean your transom with a cleaner/wax like SeaPower then put an additional coat of wax once a season. It will greatly reduce the amount of soot that clings to the transom.
 
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