Outboard Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Repair

Rating:
Summary: Dust Collector
Review: Good intentions but no substance. If you own an outboard, you know that each size and brand are quite unique and generalizing the repairs of them is about as useful to an owner as a dry lake. This book is very small and it WILL collect dust or end up beneath a repair manual. Believe me.

Rating:
Summary: Great info for 99% of outboard owners
Review: I'm not quite sure what the reviewer from Raleigh, N.C. expected from this book. It is clearly not written with the intent of teaching you how to tear down and rebuild outboard motors. The editor's review above clearly says that. But If you are looking for a good common sense all-round outboard motor troubleshooting guide, then this book, combined with the specific shop manual for your motor, some moderately cheap test equipment (which you may have a lot of already) and anyone with a descent mechanical aptitude will probably be able to fix 90% of all the problems they will ever encounter with an outboard motor. The other 10% I personally will leave to the pros. It will also teach you how to avoid a lot of problems in the first place which is the biggest savings when your talking outboards. I am just a hobbyist, not a mechanic and this book has already helped me get two old motors back up and running and has been well worth its price to me. The book is well organized and is easy to understand. The author keeps things simple and down to earth and isn't trying to impress anyone with a bunch of techno-jargon. Sure the text could have been larger, maybe the pictures a little better, but hey what's perfect for everyone?

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview - but buy the service manual too
Review: This book provides a thorough explanation of the workings of 2-stroke & 4-stroke outboard engines, with conscientious troubleshooting guides & meticulous maintenance schedules. However, it works best as a companion to the service manual (not the general Owners Manual, but the Service Manual) for your specific model. Consider the number of outboard engine types and it's easy to see that diagrams and descriptions included are necessarily generic. If you're the kind of person who likes to know the theory behind the black box before fixing anything, order this & the manual. If you just want to learn how to clean your carburetor, call your manufacturer & get the manual.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview - but buy the service manual too
Review: This book provides a thorough explanation of the workings of 2-stroke & 4-stroke outboard engines, with conscientious troubleshooting guides & meticulous maintenance schedules. However, it works best as a companion to the service manual (not the general Owners Manual, but the Service Manual) for your specific model. Consider the number of outboard engine types and it's easy to see that diagrams and descriptions included are necessarily generic. If you're the kind of person who likes to know the theory behind the black box before fixing anything, order this & the manual. If you just want to learn how to clean your carburetor, call your manufacturer & get the manual.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview - but buy the service manual too
Review: This book provides a thorough explanation of the workings of 2-stroke & 4-stroke outboard engines, with conscientious troubleshooting guides & meticulous maintenance schedules. However, it works best as a companion to the service manual (not the general Owners Manual, but the Service Manual) for your specific model. Consider the number of outboard engine types and it's easy to see that diagrams and descriptions included are necessarily generic. If you're the kind of person who likes to know the theory behind the black box before fixing anything, order this & the manual. If you just want to learn how to clean your carburetor, call your manufacturer & get the manual.

Rating:
Summary: The bible of all outboard books!
Review: This book says it all in plain english, has probably already saved me $2,000!! Anyone can follow these simple steps and eleminate the 100 dollar an hour service guy!

Rating:
Summary: The author must the other reviewers
Review: This book tells you next to nothing about your engine. I could have opened the cover on my engine and dinked around and figure out almost all the information in the book in one hour. Minus a few broad and VERY general tips, this book will frustrate the buyer. You might as well search the web for the free web pages and get their rink dink advice; because that's all that is in this book.

Rating:
Summary: The author must the other reviewers
Review: This is an excellent source of information. If you are a "first-time boat buyer" and are meticulous about the "health" of your boat, search no more! This is THE guide to use. This book is so filled with useful information that I've summarized parts of the book to create a maintenance guide for my boat. If you're not the type that likes to get your hands dirty, at least this book will give you the information to have an "intelligent" conversation with your mechanic!

Rating:
Summary: Outboard Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair
Review: This is an excellent source of information. If you are a "first-time boat buyer" and are meticulous about the "health" of your boat, search no more! This is THE guide to use. This book is so filled with useful information that I've summarized parts of the book to create a maintenance guide for my boat. If you're not the type that likes to get your hands dirty, at least this book will give you the information to have an "intelligent" conversation with your mechanic!