17th – 24th Jan: Outboard Tests/Service
Vibra-stop Pads
It’s time to take the outboard in for servicing but before lifting it off I wanted to check the noise levels using an “app” on the iPad. Before it is remounted I’m going to fit some Vibrastop anti-vibration pads which I’ve bought from the New Zealand supplier. I let the outboard warm up for about 10 minutes before running the tests. I used 3 throttle settings as described below and took measurements in Neutral, Forward, and Reverse gears. The outboard would not run in forward gear in the lowest setting. I’m hoping not to have to repeat the tests without Vibra-Stop when I get the outboard back, however it occurs to me that it will probably be running differently after servicing. We shall see if I have enough enthusiasm!
Over 23rd to 24th January I took Dai in for servicing at the Rib Shop, asked them to improve the slow running characteristics.
| Setting 1 | Setting 2 | Setting 3 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
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| Between “Start” and “restart” | at “restart” | Beyond restart | ||||||
| N | F | R | N | F | R | N | F | R |
| 77 | – | 75 | 90 | 81 | 79 | 95 | 90 | 88 |
The values in the Table show the readings in dB. They represent the average of a few readings with the throttle moved each time. In fact the values were remarkably consistent to within 1dB. The motor was noisiest in neutral because it was revving higher with no resistance against the propeller.