4-stroke Eska?

I ran across an outboard on Craigs List that was a rebuilt old Eska leg and lower unit with a new 6.5 HP Tecumseh 4 stroke motor on top in place of the original 2 stroke. It was listed for somewhere around $600, but I just happen to have an old 7.5 HP Ted Williams (Eska) sitting around. Have any of you done this type of conversion? What is involved?

not shure how strong the old eska legs are, might better just fix up the one you have, parts are hard to find but they are out there.

https://www.discount-marine-parts.com/ob_eska.html

https://home.earthlink.net/~brixent/index.html

here are two places you can look besides e-bay. I sent you a private message !!

Very interesting. I've got an ole Eska sitting in our shop and it runs great. I cleaned the carb and changed out some corroded fuel lines. I'd hate to tear apart a perfectly good outboard...but to have a small 4 stroke sould be real sweet.

Can you post a link to what you saw?

It has been done by a number of people out there, here is one from back in the late 90s.:

https://www.duckboats.net/bourbon.htm

You need a plate that will bolt to the leg and then bolt the motor on top of that.1/4 inch aluminum plate should work fine.Then you need to couple the engine out put to the lower unit drive shaft.Use a push mower blade coupler and weld it to the LU drive shaft.The shaft may need to be cut down.You only need a slip fit between the engine shaft and the mower blade coupler.Just make sure the entire key is in the coupler when the engine is installed.Use plenty of antiseize on the shaft.

Here is the link to what I was looking at:
https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/boa/1358109412.html

It's even cheaper than I remembered - only $450. Mighty tempting, but a new 6HP Honda is only $200. Imagine how smooth my Eska would run with a Honda :wink:

with the war. he is offering you can't realy go wrong, and he would prob. give you a trade in discount for the old one so he could reuse the lower unit. FOOD FOR THOUGHT !!

dougdad said:

with the war. he is offering you can't realy go wrong, and he would prob. give you a trade in discount for the old one so he could reuse the lower unit. FOOD FOR THOUGHT !!

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I have been talking to some guys about this off and on for about 2 weeks, I talked to the guy who does this to, He says he will Ship the 4 hp to me in Northwest Ar. For about 50 dollars extra on UPS. Says he has shipped Dozens of them all over the country in 8 years, Never had one damaged, Really sounds good, !!

How do you think the 4 cycle air cooled would do in salt water. I am in Florida and fish the mangroves and flats. I am interested in the Eska conversion though. Did someone say there were other people doing the conversions?

hamar507 said:

How do you think the 4 cycle air cooled would do in salt water. I am in Florida and fish the mangroves and flats. I am interested in the Eska conversion though. Did someone say there were other people doing the conversions?

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I have no Idea, This is all new to me also, But I could not see why it wouldn't work fine, Just about anywhere, I really do like the Idea of this, I have talked to the Guy dioing it, off and on for 2-3 days, Why don't you E-Mail him, I have no Idea if there is someone Else, Would like to know that myself !! You do Know these Motors are Direct Drive, When the motor is running, The Prop. is turning don't you '??

The digger ones , 7.5 and up and from 76 on have at least for. and nut. I have a 1976B that has nutral and forward but no rev.

Mine is a 1975 7.5HP with fwd and neutral. The clutch assembly seems to work really well still after all these years. If I go ahead with the conversion I will try to keep the clutch for sure.

Mine is an 1980 5HP Ted Williams Gamefisher.It has no clutch,no forward,no reverse.It is a direct drive and spinning the motor 180 degrees gets it in reverse.Most of the forward/neutral motors spin 180* for reverse.