Free Yacht Chapter 4: Outboard Motor Mutilates Foot

Step 6 Prop Test

This model has a clutch so the prop wasn't spinning yet. I engaged it and water got blasted around in the barrel. The barrel was on a wheeled dolly. Due to physics it jerked forward until the front of the motor hit it and stopped it. Fortunately the prop didn't bite a hole in it. Then the cooling water stopped squirting out of the engine. I shut it off. What went wrong? The water in the barrel was dirty and there was all sorts of crap floating on it. Note: use a clean barrel for this sort of thing or the prop blast will shake debris loose from it which will then plug the engine's cooling channels. Oof!. I picked some wood chips out of the engine's water outlet , dumped and reffilled the barrel and it was fine.