Suz 9.9 / 15(?) 2t (lack of delorian & imminent holiday...)

9D280 · 29 September 2023, 01:06

Evening all

It's been a while... Life has been a tad manic lately - so much so the Rib now has an absolutely flat battery (0V on the meter!) & a rock solid stering cable...

Hence this post.

So, we're off way up north on holiday next week, and my "backup boat" ,an Avon 3m Sportsboat, is currently powered by an eclectic choice of a 2hp 1972 Johnson or the long shaft 8Hp Aux off the rib...

Anyone who knows the Sportsboat will know it's designed for a short shaft, so the Long shaft off the rib gets a tad entertaining on cornering! Normally I would do a ton of research to answer my Q below, but right now I'd need a Delorian to pull this off in time to be certain enough to be able to buy & go collect the engine before we go...

I've spotted an old 9.9 Suzi on Gumtree (blue leg / White cowl with red writing & the HP in a red "triangle" with leading orange stripe at the back of the cowl kind of old....).

Long preamble to a short Q- This would be about a 2Hp but massive stability improvemrnt on my current "aux turned main engine", and I know the newer (like early 90s Newer) 9.9s could be re-carbed etc. to become a 15, which would be much preferable to power the Sportsboat ....

Eventually, I ask the question!

Does anyone know if these old "blue leg" Suzis were the same as the 1990s suzis? (i.e If I buy this is a 5.1 Hp upgrade to make it a 15 remotely feasible?

...And Hi to anyone who wondered where I dissappeared to!

Fenlander · 29 September 2023, 01:19

This is really reaching back into old days stuff. I've had this era of Suzuki in 3.5 and 8hp models... but that was 15yrs ago and they were old then. I reckon this motor will be around 1980... perhaps older? Back then I think the sizes were a 9.9 and 16hp, not a 15. At some point there was a 14 too. I'm pretty sure the 16 was a larger capacity to the 9.9 with a different powerhead.

You could look through the parts listings on a site like this one and compare 9.9 to 16 to check differences...

https://www.crowleymarine.com/suzuki...ue#engine_info

paintman · 29 September 2023, 10:45

Wouldn't a new battery & new steering cable be best choice?

Tayna are very good for batteries & their delivery is very fast. Under 24hrs on the occasions I've used them.

And a near(ish) chandlery for the cable?

beamishken · 29 September 2023, 10:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by paintman

Wouldn't a new battery & new steering cable be best choice?

Tayna are very good for batteries & their delivery is very fast. Under 24hrs on the occasions I've used them.

And a near(ish) chandlery for the cable?

This would be my thoughts too a battery is available from any motor factors & a cable not that difficult to source, probably overnight if you cant find one local or even en route

9D280 · 29 September 2023, 11:30

I maybe didn't make it clear that upgrading the 9.9 isn't planned for pre holiday...

The theory was a "hang & play" short shaft engine for the holiday trip, then upgrade it to something more useful at leisure.

I also didn't mention (i now realise my "dying tubes on the RIB" post is likely more than a year or two old!) but I have a now massive leak in the front tube section which has been getting progressively worse over the years - repeated attemts to seal it are now becoming almost pointless (Hypalon is now delaminating, so any applied patch just comes back off with some of the tube still attached... I'm to the point the front looks a bit like a patchwork quilt & I can see the reinforcing weave shining through in places....

Bottom line is It probably needs a re-tube, hence getting the SIB engine upgraded in the interm...

We're off to the western Isles - Although the rib would have been fab, I don't fancy a possible catastrophic tube failure in the eastern stretches of the North Atlantic, and there are plenty of sheltered sea lochs near the rental cottage where we can use the SIB. Exact choice of which of the sea lochs will depend on the prevailing wind & what I have on the transom!

(I have a longshaft Johnson 20 in the garage alongside a pile of bits off a short shaft siezed powerhead scrapper... but thats another project that definitely won't be finished by next Friday!

....)

Battery / steering I'll worry about when the rib tubes hold air more reliably!

I guess these are the hazards of a "classic" rib!

9D280 · 29 September 2023, 11:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by paintman

You could look through the parts listings on a site like this one and compare 9.9 to 16 to check differences...

https://www.crowleymarine.com/suzuki...ue#engine_info

See above post!

Cheers for that link tho'
I think the one on Gumtree might be a 70s machine - the pullstart comes out through the bottom trayl! (it is thru' prop exhaust tho') Unfortunately regardless which subassembly I click on in the "DT16 1978" page, all I get is a breakdown of the Carb! More research required, but as I need to get back to work...

Based on the time available, I might just choose my cruising grounds carefully & run with the longshaft 8 because if I can't get the engine tomorrow I won't have time for a drive across central scotland to pick it up next week.

It was a shot in the dark that someone might say "yeah, I did that upgrade already", but as I have a working 20 to shorten, I might as well carry on with that project rather than add to the pile of winter entertainment!

A.MAC · 01 October 2023, 09:43

FYI, gives you an idea what is involved (newer engine)

https://www.nauticstore24.com/suzuki...0-hp-23500.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk1MWBBfgp0

A.MAC · 01 October 2023, 11:16

Found this also, defo looks like the best option on the market

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vJQMOwmALI

9D280 · 03 October 2023, 22:46

A.MAc,
thanks, but time has now run out to even get a chance to pick the thing up.

Back to Plan A - over the winter Take my longshaft Johnson 20, and replace the long shaft leg with the short, turning it into an actual "Johnsorude" as the leg will change colour halfway down!

...and before anyone asks, both gearboxes are fine, and if anyone has ever tried re- sealing the split geacase on those '60s Johsorudes, you'll understand why it will be easier to swap the entire gearbox than swap the driveshafts!

As for next week, my trusty 8Hp Rib Aux will have to do...

Thanks all for your help, but I am thinking I might now need to start a Delorian thread in the "Other stuff" section!

Cheers!