How to Make a Homemade Boat Motor for Under $90.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- In this episode, I put a push mower engine on a Evenrude kicker foot.
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If you would like to mail me a product to review, fan mail, gifts, etc. My address is Chud327, PO Box 687, Callahan, Florida, 32011.
I hope you like and thanks for watching.
Insane. Wish we were neighbors. I love learning and tinkering like this. Your 100% winning in life and doing it for cheap! Mad Props sir!
Love the comment and thanks for watching. We can be virtual neighbors through TH-cam…
Briggs yard motors are great! I've seen them on minibikes, gokarts and now an ingenious outboard! There's something special about folks who 'think outside the box'...
Thanks so much and thanks for watching.
I love watching stuff like this. I once watched my dad build a homemade air hockey table with a dryer motor and some pegboard.
That sounds very cool and thanks for watching!
I’ll be honest, I rarely sub to channels unless I’ve been watching them for a long time. Your picture of the sub in the background won me over instantly. 😂
I love hearing that and thanks for watching!!
I had this very same idea 20yrs ago as a broke college kid. I couldn’t get the crank shaft and didn’t get it all rigged up. Still have the Honda engine and evinrude lower unit in my parents garage. Maybe it’s time to resurrect the beast. Thanks for the inspiration.
@Tsunauticus III gas is better
Dont waste your time lol. Spend 800 bux and get a merc 9.9
go for ti good luck
mr machinist not new at that price...🤷♂️.
@@MatanuskaHIGH no, but certainly a really sweet used one for 800.
I tinker also so I get this build, but its really noisy and kinda inefficient.
You've transformed a landmower into a boat motor.... I'm speechless.... You're a genius!
@@DiabloOutdoors thanks and thanks for watching!!
an idiot is a genius to another idiot.
That is a prime example of what you can do with a little effort and some spare parts.👍👍
Love the comment and thanks for watching!
lack of dollars will foster new skills!
@@billslack1879 yes it will and thanks for watching!!
That is frigging awesome! I have all sorts of old lower units with either bad motors or water pumps. My mind is racing now!
I have two good running mowers and a broken trolling motor. Could make for a cheap "spare engine" for my boat for just in case I break down. Adding this to the list.
@@offhandacoustic I say go for it and thanks for watching!
Hope you will build something great and thanks for the watch!
In this throw-away society we live in......it's great to see something getting repurposed instead of being thrown away.....
I couldn't agree more and thanks for watching.
Thing is if someone wants to repurpose a thing they can unless it's something like a lawnmower than they just throw it away because they don't know the inner workings of a mower and wouldn't know how to repurpose a mower safely
@@narutohuntmendemon6354knoll
I am just learning this way of life and now most things seem so cheap. Having fun doesn't need to be so expensive guys :)
your Engineering Skills are really Excellent I’m most impressed that you do everything without a Lathe or any High Precission Machining it’s very Cool to watch you coming up with the Solutions you get and the results with just a Welder and a Grinder !
Thanks so much and thanks for the awesome comment!!
It's so fun operating a classic outboard! When I was a kid we had an old brass colored Neptune 2.5 horsepower motor on the back of our aluminum V Hull and it ran like a top-despite the insane vibration coming off the handle and through your body LOL. That lawnmower engine is probably only 4 HP but that's not the point-the point is he saved a lot of money while having fun. Well done!
Thanks so much and great points. thanks so much for watching.
I have worked as a mechanic for many years but you have figured something out I got to give you a thumbs up good job
Wow, thanks! Love that comment and thanks for watching.
I have built race cars I have built four wheelers I have built all kind of things but you have got one on me there I have wondered many of a Time how one could be changed over and I know there's people out there that's got bigger and better ideas but they don't sit down and do it yeah they talk a big game but coming down to the nuts and bolts they don't know anyting about it I've got to give you credit you sat down and did a good job on that
I have repurposed a lot of lawnmower engines too. You can adjust the governor on the lawn mower engine, it sounds like it's still running at lawnmower RPM, which is well below the engine rated 3600 RPM. A 21" lawnmower engine governor will be set to run at about 2800-3000 RPM max to keep the blade tip speed within safety limits. The engine is actually rated at 3600 RPM.
That is cool info and thanks so much for watching!!
I have a 4 stroke outboard. A very important thing to know is, you can not lay them on their side like a 2 stroke. The oil in the crankcase floods the carb and cylinder. You have to drain them if you have to transport them on their side. Great info video!
So true and thanks for watching!!
Love that you left the splash yourself part in. Great attitude! Subscribed!
That was a good way to cool off and thanks for watching.
This world needs more of "more time than money" situations like this.
We are too much of a throwaway society.
I built one and it worked great. Only thing I forgot to do was take governor off engine. 10 hp Briggs and Stratton pushed my little boat 12 mph. Not bad for a afternoon project
I was very impressed with the oppy that I used after this one, it pushed my jon boat 15... thanks for watching.
Your sense of humor is like no other.
I realize this video is a year old now, but wanted to say that pushmower engines depend on the blade acting as a flywheel, so it would run a lot better & smoother if you welded a steel disc to the self-propelled pulley & slid it back on as a flywheel.
Alternatively, you can replace the aluminum flywheel on top (where the pull rope is) with a cast iron one if you can find one that fits, like maybe a similar-sized horizontal engine or older small riding mower engine (like the tiny rear-engine homeowner riders).
Awesome build!!! 😁👍
Awesome comment and I actually replaced the mower flywheel with a pressure washer flywheel. Thanks for watching!
Love the ingenuity. Now we need a diy mud motor/long tail setup on a budget 😂
That would be sweet! thanks for watching.
You did a dam good job getting that adapter cut ground and welded that straight with the tools you used! Bravo my friend!
Thanks so much and thanks for watching!
Thank God for grinders looks like you put half a spool on that thing. But, my hats off to you sir. Ingenuity at it's finest!!
I couldn't survive in the garage with out a grinder. Thanks for watching.
Three times you stood with that rotating blade pointed directly at your who-ha. I winced and crossed my legs each time.
ur the first person i had heard say that u like working on 4 strokes better than 2 strokes
the opposite of me
I typically like what I am better with and thanks for watching!
@@chud327 thats fine
@@cookingchickenugget6924 thanks
My favorite kind of Chud 327 project! You are a very resourceful guy.
Thanks so much and I have a couple more to build when I get some free time .. thanks for watching!!
Amazing build. Fun and interesting to watch. I has a 72 evinrude 4hp. Very reliable. Make sure you get extra shear pins when you take it out on the water. Thats why the prop is in such good shape.
Great tip and thanks for watching.
You're my kind of guy. I like the innovation, thanks for the great walk through. It looks like I'm going to end up doing the same thing.
Sweet, good luck and thanks for watching.
I did the same thing in high school in 1976 with a 2 stroke lawn mower engine!!
Love it, I am getting ready to do another, this will be my 5th one.thanks for watching.
*channels like these is why he gets a like before I even watch the video* thanks for the great content man
I love hearing that and thanks so much for watching.
I am HOOKED!
This WOULD HAVE been a 3-day vid of mouth-breather babbling and brain-drain as every step was explained in great detail & filmed in slo-mo.
My VERY FIRST SUB!!
D Alan Cheek - This guy makes some quality content
When apocalypse is here, world needs you !! Great work
I love that and thanks for watching.
I did this with a "4 HP" champion blue ribbon when it locked up. I put a lawn boy 2 cycle 6.5 hp engine on it. Worked great.
very cool and thanks for watching.
Nice job there. pretty slick way to adapt the outboard lower end to the mower engine, I never would have thought about cutting the end off the crank like that. Learned something new
Thanks so much and thanks for watching!
Dude, this is a great build, and let me just say that you're also a great narrator. Your voice and speaking manner are very natural on camera.
Love hearing that and love your comment!! Thanks for watching!!
Awesome quick build and explination.....i like how you kept it simple and explained everything.i made mine a lil more complicated,but i made use of the outboard control box.
thanks so much and thanks for watching.
I'm glad I clicked on this! You're "C.H.U.D. 327" 🤣🤣🤣CHUD!!!! Who remembers that movie!!??
I remember, but I never saw it. My friend used to call me CHUD in high school. Thanks for watching!
I repowered an outboard years ago I routed the exhaust down the original exhaust to make it quieter and to meet spark arrester requirements here. I replaced the impeller and routed that down the exhaust too just to cool gases to avoid damaging the aluminum. Thing about repowering an old 15ish hp Johnson with a 17hp ic Briggs I got on a lawn tractor with a bad transaxle. I’ll have electric start with a small charge circuit
I lived and worked in guantanamo Cuba on the navy base. All our pontoon boats were made with old fuel drums. These was pre plastic drums. 2 sheets of plywood. When it rusted or rotted just build another one. Some were pretty fancy.
Terrific! my kinda guy, recombinant technologist and low precision high tech.
Thanks so much and thanks for watching.
Cool. I done did this some years ago, but I mounted a pully on the lawnmower engine shaft, and one about half the size on the lower unit, with a short drive belt. Briggs and Strap-on 4 stroke turns about half as fast as a 2 stroke, so the pully ratio increases your prop RPM to where it should be. Worked great , but I never trusted to take her any farther out than I wanted to row back from.
That is very cool. I want to try some gears or pulleys to get my prop to turn faster. That will be the goal on the next build. Thanks for watching!!
@@chud327 Yep. Gears would be nice, if'n you had a way to keep them lubed up. Pullys works good, but you have to set your mounting bracket up so you can slide the engine back and forth to keep proper tension on the belt. It does increase your speed quite good, and 4 strokes got more low RPM power than 2 strokes, so you have good power from idle on up to redline. If'n I member correctly, I took the governor off mine and wound up blowing the motor up, I think the crankshaft broke. Best to keep it under 3800 Revs. You might be able to keep it direct drive and put a larger prop on it to increase your speed, also. It's loads of fun to play around with, anyways. Keep up the good work, boat motors are grossly over priced, in my opinion, there ain't really that much to them.
Chud my man you're at 99.8k! Congratulations I have been in the process of buying a landscape company i use to work for. I hope to start a mower build soon
Thanks, did you start that build yet? thanks for watching.
As soon as you said contest for that piston rod I hit the subscribe button. Not because I want the piston, just because I like the way you think. lol.
Thanks so much and I love hearing that! Thanks for watching.
So I planned to make one but like everything someone else has already done it! Great video and makes my job a lot easier. I had no plan to hijack an existing seized outboard, planning to make my own... great idea! much easier.
Good luck and thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video! Gonna mount a 20 hp Briggs and Stratton V Tek onto a long leg for my 27 ft sailboat. Cheap on gas and parts everywhere.
I have done 4 now and some are the bigger hp mower engines. Cheap and abundant!! Thanks for watching!!
Time to go out and mow the lake>
I can't wait and thanks so much for watching.
Pretty cool demonstration I never seen this before wow
I got me a small 3 setter boat & I got the engine for free from a friend of mine but he told me that the engine runs with oil gas mix together I do not know too much about but I will Google to do it right, but you give me such a good ideas just in case if I ran into any problems I think I will do what you just show us.
Since I am the CEO of Handyman company we will try to do this at the shop...
Thank you for your video we love it a lot.
Sweet, I hope it works out for you, I can't wait to do it again... thanks for watching.
Interesting, You’ll see some other kinds of bills down in the islands and parts of South America and internal Africa. Really enjoy your channel
I did nearly the same thing about 10 years ago. But I put a chain coupler between the motor and leg. I've used it extensively without any issues. The only thing I would do differently would be to put a CVT or centrifugal clutch between them. I'm working on that project currently. Problem is the engine at idle speed is difficult to control when loading my 14 ft aluminum boat onto the trailer. Thanks for the video.
Subaru used viscous clutches in their AWD system. Might be a good option for a slip clutch
Homemade boat = Fun
Homemade outboard = Fun x 2
Not paying the Man $20,000 for the same product = PRIDE + (Fun x3) =
OUTSTANDING
Not the same product and 800 bux would fix you up with a proper merc 9.9
I'm so hooked ,,,a lawn mower who knew,,,, GREAT JOB ,,,,,easy to work on too ,,, and what a great price 🙂🙂🙂 I'm learning a lot from your videos THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU ,,to show us the neat tricks when some of us are not lucky to have money on a high price boat engines some of them engines I might as will buy a car
Super comment and thanks for watching!!
The original outboard's driveshaft was a slip fit. allows expansion as the driveshaft heated up from exhaust gasses going down to the prop without damaging the engine or lower unit as well as blind fastening.
What is the split fit problem to this conversion?
I done this with a 25 Johnson and an 18 hp Intek briggs. I took a little longer to build mine, mainly because I was wanting it to be easy on the eyes. Painted all the red plastic and the outboard black. Wired it with electric start. Added a fuel pump so I could use a marine gas tank. Done some tweaking on the briggs for better throttle response. About to put it on a 10ft aluminum v and take it to the lake
Sounds very nice and thanks for watching.
Most people are asked what they can do. You should only be asked what you can’t do👍🏼
Dude!! You could be the first TH-camr with a two stroke water cooled motorized table saw!
With those unique combinations, I could be the first to do many things. Thanks for watching.
@@chud327 anyone can buy a tool and use it, but the man who creates a tool is less than 1% of the population. I'm proud of your work. You're an assett to us and keep making cool stuff for us to learn by out here in The Planet of the Apes!
@@jukeboxhero1649 That is so true and thanks so much for the funny reply
Me, my brother and dad did this in 1975...my brother and I mostly watched lol.
I like what you are doing, especially if you want to run in weeds and mud, no impeller no problem.
Thanks, I just love building stuff for cheap. I got a couple more I want to build soon. thanks for watching.
I have no idea how this got into my feed but dude we are neighbors. KBNSB
Where are you from and what is KBNSB? Thanks so much for watching.
Your thinking outside the box on this build
Not many people could come to the conclusion that a four stroke engine was simpler than a two stroke -- genius
Came here to comment the same thing but you beat me to it. It all seemed like way more of a frig than just getting the outboard going...
If the mower makes greater or equal power with lower RPM than the 2 stroke, then you should use a larger prop to maximize performance
Yeah I was wondering about that myself. He could find the power curve for that motor and try to size a prop to would match it at wide open throttle. I went from 3blade to 4blade prop and had to get a prop with the right size and pitch.
Or do a 3to1 pulley.
This dude smart asf. Amazing content!
I think you probably need to align the 2 shafts better, like in a lathe before you weld them together, or use some type of rag joint coupling, but it's a great idea, boat motors are way over priced for some reason 👍👍
You got the over price part so right and thanks for watching!
Ha ha, I threw out a 8hp Chrysler back in 82, saw it 6 months later on a boat, B&S motor as you've done, guy even used soft copper to make it water cooled using the leg pump, thought Damn!!!! Found a 4 Merc couple years ago, did the same but without cooling, perfect for ducking punt in foul , muddy water, Perfect!!
very cool and yes they are very useful. I hope to get mine back on the water later this week. thanks for watching.
I built something like this, took it to the lake and fired up and everyone is looking at me like"who's mowing the boat ramp"
The submarine joke got me to sub. Js. 🤣
Funny! Thanks so much, thanks for subbing, and thanks for watching.
Pretty Genius. Now you need to invent a muffler so its quieter. Love the idea of air cooled etc.
pipe the exhaust into the water?
It will always be louder: no water jacket and can't close the cover b/c air-cooled. That's why it's no use muffling a lawnmower much, they're just plain noisy engines.
Perfectly balanced! Yeah why not! Love the diy attitude...keep it up!
Perfect enough and thanks so much for watching!!
Nice backyard engineering right there boys
I did something similar a few years back but I did it with an old conveyor belt motor and a 175 Yamaha. What I ended up with was a torque monster of an electric motor that lasted 30 minutes on 2 car batteries until it burned up, but it was glorious !
Sounds sick, sorry it burned up and thanks for watching.
How did you measure that the adapter you welded on was exactly in the center position to make sure it was in balance?
I bought a Eska 7 horsepower air cooled outboard back in 1970. Had a 12 feet long jonboat, so it fit really good. Only thing I wished it had was an auxiliary tank. It was a great motor and setup. They added the aux tank about a year later. The tank on the engine was pretty good. I only paid $129.00 plus tax for the motor. Great little 4 cycle motor.
Sounds cool, you don't find them for that price anymore. Thanks for watching
Undo the governor on that lawnmower motor !
Well done! Great to see that boat motor getting reused!
Agreed 109% and thanks for watching!!
13:27 Damn, son! It works! That's legit!
Always Awsome to used what you can find and make something that can be used and not just thrown away.Wish some younger people would try doing something to a broken down anything and give it a new life and purpose.Its a win win.
You are so right, we live in a disposable culture... Thanks so much for watching!
This has me thinking now...
You could definitely do this with the harbor freight 701cc vertical shaft V-twin lol
I almost went a purchase me a new predator engine the other day, but it would have the wrong size shaft.... I could adapt it, but don't know if I want to. Thanks for watching.
love it !!! I'm of the same mindset repurpose reuse. People throw away things with the least issue and replace. Look at a scrappers truck in big cities going by loads of repairable items.scrapping for pennies on the dollar. I am going to make a UTV from two mountain bikes welded parallel frame/seat side shaft motor Cost $300.00 not $15,000.oo Love your insight.
Very true and good luck on you build, I want to see it when you are done. Thanks for watching!!
That’s pretty cool, man. I’ve always wanted to try this just for the hell of it and you’ve done it! Reminds me of another interesting project I saw. This guy took like 6 push mowers and hooked them up to a bar in a staggered formation and pulled them behind his four wheeler. Gave him like a 100” cut for his big ass pasture! Why not? Great idea. Probably only cost him like $500 at the most!!!
Thanks! That mower idea has ran through my head before. Thanks for watching!
Just perfect had the idea about the mower motor and google it sure enough you've got this right here
I have owned 5 and built 4, it is the way to go when you want a cheap boat motor. thanks for watching.
Pulling over next to that sub got you many subs. Been watching a while. Subbed when I saw the sub.
You've done an outstanding job on making that pontoon .
Thanks so much and thanks for watching. We have sure enjoyed it!
I tell you what buddy you sure know what the hell you are doing LOL I wish you lived next-door to me. LOL. Great videos
love see more things as time gos on best of luck to u
That is fantastic. Now I have to try it out. Your the man!
This is my 4th one, planning at least 2 more soon. thanks for watching.
Throw a 22mm mikuni on the motor with a true throttle setup she will actually get your places
Well done friend! Way to go!!
Thanks so much, hope to build #3 soon and thanks for watching!!
Good job Chud!
If the lower unit bolts aren't frozen, you could remove the water pump impeller and get a little more power.😁
It will destroy it self after 1min. No point its not robbing any power
@@noway57 why? Could you explain?
Ideally I would remove the impeller since I would be worried the impeller might have melted a bit when he ran it out of water. I wouldn’t want the impeller to melt and cause problems.
Nice work! Good thing you had your camera in the waterproof case when you did the trash can test too. LOL
That is very true and thanks for watching.
Thanks for the video...going to make this one right now!!
Get a flywheel from a power washer or tiller that use that Honda engine to get a smother running engine ,they are heavier. push mowers uses the blade to give the mass to the light flywheel that is on push mowers. Good Job on the build .
Such a good idea and thanks for watching.
This is just like Red Green's handyman corner lol.
The women may not find you handsome but they should at least find you handy.
Hey I am a old red nack !!. If you put the crankshaft in your drill press it will wobble to the havy side you can take a file and take it down so it will balance !!. Works on pool sticks arrows
Your voice is satisfying to listen to lol
That is so nice to hear and thanks so much for watching.
Hey you are one hell of a mechanic.
Wow never heard of this being done.
Cool gadget I say. Very clever
Thanks, this is my fouthand I have 2-3 more planned... thanks for watching
Lol...you won't be going anywhere fast, but I like the ingenuity!
I don't think speed is his main goal :-)
sweet! new episode of the red green show!
Thanks for watching.
When you welded the two pieces together, how did you line them up centrally, or was it a she'll do close enough by eye sort of thing
I used the close enough eye thing. thanks for watching.
I'm late to the party but I did get here....lmao, I'm looking into various ways to build a houseboat & as I LQQK at all the ideas of
common folks I knew the motor was a major problem. I have to know if I'll design for an outboard or an inboard. This is such
a big decision & I'm tempted to throw a 4/6 cylinder car motor in but that changes all the rules for a smaller houseboat. I'm
only researching the possibilities right now but I appreciate what you've done here. Thanks chud327, subb'd now
You are welcome and good luck on you boat. I assume you have join my “homemade barrel boat” group on Facebook. Thanks for watching!!
WoW, thanks for posting so soon.... if I get on facebook I'll surely come visit you ! Might need to do it although I don't
like the platform. Yes, I saw you used the blue 55 gal barrels. I'll be doing my thing for a large inland lake. I'm not too
sure what geo-location you're in but Lake Texoma is where I'd use mine. I'm in the very beginning stages of research
& since the engine will be the biggest expense & my design will be done around the type of drive-train I choose, your
link fell into my feed. I don't believe in Co-INKY-Dinks(coincidences) so I'm here now. Gonna binge on your videos to
get a feel & I'll probably ask dumb questions but it's how I learn. Hope to chat again soon, thanks again for posting
so fast. peace & Gb
@@diggy-d8w I try to reply to all comments, just my way of saying thanks. Fast so that I can keep up and get bored sitting her at work. I have 2 builds, second build was better. Hope to start build #3 real soon. I have about 20 episodes, feel free to comment and question all you like, the more the better. Hope to see what you build!!
I appreciate all of that. At my age I've found the best way to learn is to get smarter people around you & that everyone
has something to share.... lol, good/bad things but I like leaning & motors are the expensive part of boating. I'm sure
you've seen today's boats w/ 3-6 outboards(400's - 600cc's)? I price checked one of the 400R Mercury motors and
they were $$77,000 a piece, the boat had 5 of them hanging off the transom so when I see you defy everything...
I digg it ! Again, I thank you for the time & you;ll hear from me. peace
Cool project! Thanks for sharing!
I "subbed" just for the dad joke. Hilarious
@@jonnygranville281 thanks so much and more to come!!!
All it needs now is some type of good muffler. That's pretty damn awesome tho. Brilliant idea
Yes. Preferably a nice LOW IMPEDANCE type.
I really do not know WHY the manufactures do not do this??? Great Job.
So true and thanks for watching!!