Harry is convinced that electric motorization is ideal for a tender. As a proof, he sells through his company Tec Nautic complete solutions, engine plus battery, less expensive than a thermal. In addition to the cleanliness and silence, what Harry emphasizes is the reliability of these engines. He has just had the opportunity to demonstrate this by restarting an engine that fell and remained in the water for 6 months!
When a friend of Harry's tells him that he has recovered a Minn Kota 40 lb that has just been in the water for 6 months at the bottom of a harbor in Toulon, he offers to try to get it running again. The engine was lost by a boater who let it escape overboard. It remained at a depth of 4 m for half a year. Diver, Harry's friend just took it out of the water and didn't even think of rinsing it with fresh water.
Shells and mud
The speedboat is not a pretty sight. It is covered with shells and the propeller seems to be blocked. Harry starts by scraping it and unblocks the propeller stuck by the concretions. The 6 months in salt water have invaded the mud motor. The variator, the throttle, is also blocked by the silt, but it will be enough of a blow of water to unblock it.
A plug for the connection and off you go!
Armed with fresh water, WD40 and a little grease, Harry cleans what he can. He changes the connector to connect the battery, because this one disappears in the rust. Finally, without cleaning it thoroughly, he plugs it back on a battery and... the engine works perfectly.
A waterproof solution
No doubt that the shallow depth, only 4 m, helped to keep the engine block watertight. Indeed, on this type of motor, the motorization part is in the base, thus totally waterproof, because it is always immersed in water. The "motor head" has nothing, because these small and not very powerful models have no electronics. This probably helped the restart.
Rust on the accessories
Only the press screws, obviously not made of stainless steel, as it is a motor initially designed for fresh water, were all seized. For the rest, the composite shaft and the waterproof motor are not a problem.
The reliability of electric
This surprising restart shows the advantage of the electric motor over the internal combustion engine. No doubt that the restart of a thermal outboard after 6 months in the water would have posed some additional difficulties!
