How do you break in an outboard on a sailboat?

Jul 29, 2016
16
mac 26/19 wolftever
How do you break in an outboard on a Mac26s if you do not want to go beyond hull speed given that they want me to run wide open for hours and hours (all day)?
 
Jul 29, 2016
16
mac 26/19 wolftever
Who are "they"?
All,
Honda 9.9HP Long Shaft
My question is not about the detail of the break-in but the issues I might find with the prop just spinning at wide open or the 4 blade prop taking me beyond hull speed.

Because of circumstance I’m having to buy the engine at the end of the season and may have to wait till spring before going back out. I'm also like to know if I can do some of the break-in at home over time in a trashcan.

Thanks,
Ed
 
Jul 29, 2016
16
mac 26/19 wolftever
All,
Honda 9.9HP Long Shaft
My question is not about the detail of the break-in but the issues I might find with the prop just spinning at wide open or the 4 blade prop taking me beyond hull speed.

Because of circumstance I’m having to buy the engine at the end of the season and may have to wait till spring before going back out. I also like to know if I can do some of the break-in at home over time in a trashcan.

Thanks,
Ed
 

Joe

.
Jun 1, 2004
8,010
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
All,
Honda 9.9HP Long Shaft
My question is not about the detail of the break-in but the issues I might find with the prop just spinning at wide open or the 4 blade prop taking me beyond hull speed.

Because of circumstance I’m having to buy the engine at the end of the season and may have to wait till spring before going back out. I'm also like to know if I can do some of the break-in at home over time in a trashcan.

Thanks,
Ed
Trashcan, at home. You'll have to remove the prop. Keep an eye on water temp in trashcan. That's how I broke mine in.
 
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Jul 7, 2004
8,405
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
All,
Honda 9.9HP Long Shaft
My question is not about the detail of the break-in but the issues I might find with the prop just spinning at wide open or the 4 blade prop taking me beyond hull speed.

Because of circumstance I’m having to buy the engine at the end of the season and may have to wait till spring before going back out. I'm also like to know if I can do some of the break-in at home over time in a trashcan.

Thanks,
Ed
You are not going to plane a 26S.
The trashcan idea is a good one. Just be sure everything is secure.
 
Jul 29, 2016
16
mac 26/19 wolftever
Trashcan, at home. You'll have to remove the prop. Keep an eye on water temp in trashcan. That's how I broke mine in.
Good info. Before I got the sailboat running wide open was the norm but know I expect that to be a rare thing. Maybe it’s ok since cars never run wide open unless you’re in Germany.
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
How do you break in an outboard on a Mac26s if you do not want to go beyond hull speed given that they want me to run wide open for hours and hours (all day)?
I don’t think Honda or any other manufacturer would suggest you “break in” your new motor by running it WOT for hours and hours. The relevant page of the Honda 9.9 manual below
AB26CCAF-2DEE-462D-B54E-538993F01C49.jpeg


When it comes to exceeding hull speed I again doubt that the 9.9 motor has the ability to do that.
 
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May 25, 2012
4,338
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
you have misunderstood the brake-in. re read page 32 of owners manual.
running that engine WOT for hours and hours is NOT what the manual says to do.

page 32, breaking-in is a slow gentle 10 hours.

no tub. no wide open for long periods of time.

:cool:
 
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Jul 29, 2016
16
mac 26/19 wolftever
you have misunderstood the brake-in. re read page 32 of owners manual.
running that engine WOT for hours and hours is NOT what the manual says to do.

page 32, breaking-in is a slow gentle 10 hours.

no tub. no wide open for long periods of time.

:cool:
I’m learning, but I must say that I wish we sailors would learn to speak English; say, “left, right, front, back” (not that hard). A toilet is not a HEAD and never will be.
 
May 25, 2012
4,338
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
if you want to run your car WOT then just head out for Dakar. plenty of WOT along the way.
here in the states, we can go WOT in cars, all we want. the trick is to not get caught. :yikes:
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,405
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
I’m learning, but I must say that I wish we sailors would learn to speak English; say, “left, right, front, back” (not that hard). A toilet is not a HEAD and never will be.
There are reasons on a boat to use port, starboard, aft, forward etc. instead of “left, right, front, back”. You'll discover this. Also "head" comes from naval history and tradition. Sailing is that much more fun if you immerse yourself in the culture. I was first exposed to it in the Marines as we deployed with the Navy
 
Last edited:
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Jul 29, 2016
16
mac 26/19 wolftever
OH, are you a sailor?
My Mac sits in my yard under my bedroom window. Not sure that I could sleep anymore without a sailboat nearby. WOT is a common term in the non-sailing world. But I think that we (the royal we) missed the question in spite of my focused language. Are sailboat outboards ever really broken in? Any tips and tricks…
 
Jul 29, 2016
16
mac 26/19 wolftever
There are reasons on a boat to use port, starboard, aft, forward etc. instead of “left, right, front, back”. You'll discover this. Also "head" comes from naval history and tradition. Sailing is that much more fun if you immerse yourself in the culture. I was first exposed to it in the Marines as we deployed with the Navy
I was an army brat and spent my first 18 years in Germany. The speed lobby in Germany is much like the gun lobby in the US crazy but can be fun. Today’s young people in Germany have GPS to track their 100 to 200 speed runs on the public highways which is like the quarter-mile but more accessible. Dad was also into the culture so we always lived off base.
 
Aug 10, 2020
511
Catalina C25 3559 Rocky Mount
as a boat mechanic, I would run it under load. nothing like to be free rev'd, that's hard on things. Run in low rpm under load, let it cool, repeat. then run it like you would on your boat. Vary rpm, vary load...

That being said, 97% of customers never open a manual, or remove the cowl. Brand new boat wide open out of the no wake. I am yet to see a Honda fail from it.

I would hate to guess how many times I've explained proper break in then watched the customer take out their new boat and run it wot all the way home.

Honda builds a hell of good product, even when mistreated.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,405
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
I was an army brat and spent my first 18 years in Germany. The speed lobby in Germany is much like the gun lobby in the US crazy but can be fun. Today’s young people in Germany have GPS to track their 100 to 200 speed runs on the public highways which is like the quarter-mile but more accessible. Dad was also into the culture so we always lived off base.
I had a very similar life. Dad was Army. I was born in Heidelberg. Have been back but my aunt's Opel wouldn't do those speeds!