Salvage Options: Old 2-Stroke Swivel Bracket Parts

[thinkxingu]

I know M&M is closed, and I tried Dave's (who mentioned Owen Marine in Manchester), but are there any other local places I can call? I need either parts or a whole swivel bracket for L'il Buddy's 1970's 7.5 Mercury. I believe it's #10 in the image attached, but I'd like to be able to see a functional one to know, hence the local request.

Also, does anyone have a complete one of these that I could see how it functions?

Fixing that will give him the ability to pull the motor up himself—right now, I have to reach under and flip the hook by hand while holding up the motor.

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[FlyingScot]

Hunting down a 50 year old replacement part for your son from a car would be pretty good of you. But from a 7.5 outboard?

Best. Dad. Ever!

[Barney Bear]

Check with Fay's Boat Yard in Gilford. They may be able to help. 293-8000. 🐻

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

Hunting down a 50 year old replacement part for your son from a car would be pretty good of you. But from a 7.5 outboard?

Best. Dad. Ever!

Though I'd like to take the full dad credit, my motivation is also personal—I like my things to be "right," so if I can make it so for cheap money, I'll do so.

Not only will it fulfill my ethos, but I'm hoping to pass both the boat and motor off to someone else deserving whenever L'il Buddy moves up—he's already started odd jobs to save up for his first Whaler.

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[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by Barney Bear

Check with Fay's Boat Yard in Gilford. They may be able to help. 293-8000.

No luck with Fay's, nor with, whom they suggested, Irwin's.

Next?!

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[fatlazyless]

Have you searched for it at www.ebay.com

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Have you searched for it at www.ebay.com

I have looked, yes, but I was hoping to see a functional one to see how it worked. That may not be possible, of course, but ever the optimist...

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[ApS]

It would cost you nothing to place a "WTB" ('Wanted To Buy") ad on Craigslist.com

Buy an entire non-working 7.5 Mercury outboard for spare parts--and get lots of 'em.

Offer what you'd pay just for the propeller--which is something that is destined to find a rock! You'll get the part you originally wanted as a bonus.

Example ad:

WTB: 1975 Mercury 7.5 outboard not-working for a project.
Offering $50.

(Replies can be texts or emails).

[Kamper]

Google the part number. You will also get other products with the same number but you might get lucky.

[thinkxingu]

Ok, so some nice person messaged me and said I could meet them at their island property and look at their motor to see what's up. This is good, because I discovered that the part I thought was broken was not broken.

What IS broken is the rod that connects to the gear shifter that pulls the reverse lock down (unlocks) when put in forward and locks when in neutral or reverse. Because this is broken, the user needs to reach under and manually unlock the motor to pull it up and/or lock it, so it doesn't pull up when in reverse.

So, there are two options: 1. Continue on the path to fixing it completely or 2. Tie a string to make it work. In #2, it would be a piece of twine to allow L'il Buddy to pull the hook up/down to lock/unlock the motor.

Thoughts?

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[upthesaukee]

Fix it right, it's your kid's boat.

Dave

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

Fix it right, it's your kid's boat.

Dave

Certainly my inclination, but it appears to do so requires a fair amount of disassembling the motor, and without a manual or maybe even access to some parts, it may be risky. I have a small history of making things worse by trying to fix them!

On another note, it appears that the lock is released when in forward as a "safety" mechanism to allow the motor to bump up if hitting a log or something and that it's only job is to keep the motor from riding up in reverse.

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[ApS]

I googled the part number (what I could make out on a smartphone) and description.

61067, rod, mercury outboard

Do any of the parts shown look like what you saw?

Alternatively, as the mechanism also is present on other small outboards, maybe a coat hanger will work.

[JEEPONLY]

1. In your post #10 you mention "locks when in neutral or reverse"-

2. In your post #12 you say " that the lock is released when in forward"-for the right reasons!

3. And, further, that "it's only job is to keep the motor from riding up in reverse."

I have an older outboard with an isolated lever that requires , from within the boat, to lean over the transom-hold the lever, and tilt the engine to lock in place. I only use it for two reasons: when coasting (no power) in to shallow water/beaching the boat- the lever locks the engine in the up position so it stays out of the sand, and also use it (the lock) when it's on the trailer.

If yours is set up differently (connected to the gear shifter?), then my example doesn't mean anything to you. All I know is- in forward, yeah, I want the engine to "kick up" if it hits anything/in neutral/reverse, why lock it down?

Good luck!

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by JEEPONLY

1. In your post #10 you mention "locks when in neutral or reverse"-

2. In your post #12 you say " that the lock is released when in forward"-for the right reasons!

3. And, further, that "it's only job is to keep the motor from riding up in reverse."

I have an older outboard with an isolated lever that requires , from within the boat, to lean over the transom-hold the lever, and tilt the engine to lock in place. I only use it for two reasons: when coasting (no power) in to shallow water/beaching the boat- the lever locks the engine in the up position so it stays out of the sand, and also use it (the lock) when it's on the trailer.

If yours is set up differently (connected to the gear shifter?), then my example doesn't mean anything to you. All I know is- in forward, yeah, I want the engine to "kick up" if it hits anything/in neutral/reverse, why lock it down?

Good luck!

So the reverse lock is controlled by the gear shifter. When the motor is put in forward, the "claw" opens and the motor can be pulled up. When it is in neutral or reverse, the claw rotates and locks the engine from kicking up.

There are four options (each listed with considerations):
1. Attempt to repair it to factory—obviously the best overall solution, but I can't find a manual to see what I'd need to do to fix it, nor am I confident in what parts I would need.
2. Throw a string on there so L'il Buddy can activate the claw manually from inside the boat. Would solve the problem, but be rednecky (and maybe tricky to get right).
3. Teach him how to get under there to lock it himself. I don't love this at all as he could pinch his fingers or slip and get caught by the prop.
4. Do nothing, and just make sure not to reverse too hard or be prepared in case. This is actually the most common solution I've found (from the few hits I've received).

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[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by ApS

I googled the part number (what I could make out on a smartphone) and description.

Do any of the parts shown look like what you saw?

Alternatively, as the mechanism also is present on other small outboards, maybe a coat hanger will work.

I think if I knew what the connections looked like and where they went, I could make something work. But without a manual/idea of how the system works, I don't really know where to go next.

The person whom I met yesterday said he tried finding a manual a few years back and came up empty.

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[acg123]

I would go with option 4. I find that having the outboard lock in the down position to go in reverse is not necessary. If you are using that much throttle to go in reverse on a small boat, you risk swamping with water coming over the transom.

[Kamper]

I had it broken on my boat. Having the prop jump out of the water when I wanted a little more reverse speed, was annoying. There was also less directional control.

This problem should be fixed if possible.