flush attachment for Tohatsu 6 hp

[suznhenz]

I just bought a 2013 Tohatsu 6 hp SailPro that is basically unused. What do others with this or similar motors do about flushing out salt water? It came with the flush-out attachment with a home-made hose attached, and even a shut-off valve, which could be closed to be able to leave it on while the motor is running, but it is sort of unwieldy. Star Marine in St. Petersburg carries a shorter attachment with an attached hose (and a cap), but say it should only be left on temporarily, and with the cap attached (obviously) if the motor is running. I can get a new bolt to replace the one that was in the motor originally, and remove it and attach the flushing attachment after we use the motor, but I can definitely see the bolt being dropped into the water, since my boat is going to be stored on a lift and hanging out over the stern and doing the change-out looks like a rather difficult matter (as opposed to doing it while the boat is on a trailer, where you can just walk behind it.) Does anyone have the flushing attachment with the hose attached installed permanently?

Thanks,

Sue

[suznhenz]

I talked to Star Marine, and they said that, as long as I remember to ALWAYS put the cap on, leaving the hose fitting on the flushing port isn't a problem. Basically, they had to say that on the website for liability purposes - they have had customers leave the cap off and burn out their water pump impeller. The cap is attached to the hose, so it shouldn't be too hard to remember, so I guess I'm ordering one.

Happy sailing all - I'm getting frustrated, because I still haven't got Purrfect in the water- have to get the power boat off the lift first, put the supports on the lift for the sailboat, then put the boat in the wter.

[Tom Ray]

I just use a bucket but that would not be so easy if your boat is on a lift.