Fitting the new Honda Outboard

Hearing all the horror stories of engines we had always anticipated having a backup motor. We had talked about a medium sized outboard. We didn't expect the Ford diesel to fail, nor the electric drive to have problems... so our backup plan was advanced to get the outboard as a primary drive till we get the electric drive fixed. We chatted to Dave at mailspeedmarine.com and after discussion he recommended the Honda BF20. We've used mailspeedmarine.com before and always found that their worldwide shipping is both economic and efficient.

The Honda 20hp came in a package about 85 kg. Not light, but not impossible either.

We borrowed Ken's stair-walking trolley to bring it to King Malu. Ken joined us for the exercise.

We have high hopes that this time we will be successful with the motor.

The stair walking trolley proved invaluable as we had to take the motor up over a sea wall to get to our quay.

Lowering it down we attached a couple of ropes to stop runaway motor syndrome.

Then it was just a push around to King Malu.

'Oh my goodness...' we have to get it onto the deck and we are moored bow to. We cannot change around as we don't have a motor!

Both Tim and I had plans to do this. We both were keen not to damage the new motor or the treadmaster on the deck.

Suddenly someone suggests removing the safety lines from the starboard side to make it vastly less distance we have to lift and control the motor.

That proves to be a master stroke and makes it radically easier.

We use a halyard attached to the motor to take the weight and two people guiding to move it gently to the stern.  Another halyard off the mizzen mast to lower it on to the plate that we have fitted.

Sounds easy?

In some ways it was easy, but a lot of very tiring work.

We then had to wire and fix the motor. The extension was too short so I had to extend the extension. We meant 20 wire splices.

By the end of the day we fired up the motor and... it worked. That was so encouraging. Though we were exhausted, it was that kind of nice tiredness that you get from a job well done and successful.