running wot

Is it healthy to run your boat at WOT? Or better to find a "cruising speed"?

thanks

Do you drive your car with the pedal on the floor?

no but my car is not a two stroke thats setup with drag like a boat. Cars have momentum that aid them and not 2 stroke motors. So i dont know if its a fair comparison.

I have a 1982 Johnson 15 hp that has been run WOT most every trip for all the trip and somehow it has never failed. Now, my Yammy SHO gets run WOT for short periods every now and then. I usually run it about 4700 or so and cruise. I can't see much good running an engine at 100% all the time even though that little Johnson has lived thru it. You mentioned drag, and it made me thInk of my airplane which has drag all the time and I cruise with it at 65% unless I am in a hurry and then it's 75%. There are those that say 100% on an outboard is fine, but I personally don't see where that is benefifial. As long as the engine is running hard enough to keep the plugs clean, I think you should be fine, and your saving fuel as well.

I think you are spot on. Just didn't know theory on 2 cycle engines and running them open. I think of a weed eater and how hard we run those things.

2 stokes generally need to be run pretty hard to keep carbon blasted out. Prolonged lugging a 2 stroke is more harmful than good long WOT runs. I see no good reason to run a 2 stroke WOT 100% of the time but may be less harmful than operating a 4 stroke that way. 4 strokes are a different animal and running in the sweet spot which might be 60 to 80% of max rpm is fine as is extended low rpm operation. Too many moving mechanical parts in a 4 stroke and much higher compression to constantly run at WOT unless it's an all out built racing motor and there probably ain't no warranty on it anyway.

Yeah, I was thinking FAST cruise rpm would around 75-80% of wot.

I run WOT to get on plane and then back off to 5000RPM on my 250 SHO. When lake is smooth,I'll run WOT for 10 minutes or so.

Two stroke motors are built to run wfo. Motors that are run hard life longer than motors that were babied their whole life.
Taken in way too many trade ins and it was way more than just a trend.

Many a good 2 stroke motor has been ruined by improper propping. Prop your boat to run at WOT at the engines recommended RPM limit and you should have no trouble with a long life.

True dat! Over propped ain't good. Motors do better under a load but not overloaded which is what too much prop pitch does. Even slightly under propped is better than over propped.

Only reason not to run WOT is to save gas.

agree with pat and gamblinman.

worst thing you can do with a 2 stroke, is start it and hammer it.... LET IT WARM UP FIRST!!!!!

alum piston in a steel sleeve !!!! bring em up to 110 to 120 degrees, then rip it!!

It don't hurt to warm up that lower unit a little too before slammin it. I start my mota, idle in gear till motor gets warmed up then I dont worry too much about going WOT. Then I'll run WOT about 8-10 minutes. Thats 9-11 miles) then back off to between 60-80% . T-bend,Rayburn,Amistad,Texoma,Falcon (when its got water in it) in Texas I may have runs like that, but MOST other lakes I'll just find a shorter ramp run if available. Really in Texas theres not that many lakes you can run 70+ or above on before you run outta lake.