So why is it?

Jeff Reardon

Jeff Reardon

Well-known member
Supporter
That if you break a shear pin on the dinky outboard on your boat and have to row home, it is ALWAYS against both wind and tide?

My 10 minute ride home turned into 45 minutes of cardio when the little plastic prop hit some rice stalks. My route home was directly upstream against the falling tide and nose into a west wind blowing 15-20.

So, I've asked this before, but does anyone know where I can purchase a steel sheer pin? I'm told Tohatsu now ships the motor with a stainless sheer pin standard, but I can't find one to save my life. I have found two online sources that say they sell stainless ones, only to have brass pins arrive when I ordered.

 
I feel your pain Jeff, it's happened to me before also. One time in a canoe on the Wisconsin River after dark. I paddled as hard as I could and the trees along the shoreline barely moved - thought I'd never get back. If you really want a steel shear pin you might want to just cut a couple nails to the right length. Obviously brass is used as the weak link to protect more expensive components but if your ok with that then nails seem a good source. If you need SS you might be able to find a piece of SS wire (I've never seen SS nails). As I've posted before, I always carried a length of Brass welding rod and a pair of side cutters. After I started carrying that I almost never broke another pin. Karma I guess.
 
I had pliers and a spare pin, but when my motor breaks pins it almost always rounds off the ends and requires a hammer and punch to drive the pin out. Tough to do in the field . . . . .

I'm not terribly worried about doing damage with a stainless pin. I figure the crappy little plastic prop will break if the pin doesn't. Got a spare!

We did see a pile of birds, although we didn't get many to decoy. I did pick up a fat drake mallard that awaits plucking.
 
Jeff -

I think we have all been there at one time or another.
Do you have the part number for the Tohatsu pin? If so let me know and I'll speak to a friend that is a Tohatsu dealer and get some out to you.
 
Many moons ago...shear pin + tide + wind = overnighter on a island in the middle of the Umpqua River.-Seth Freeman

ps. My blind bag/boat bag is set up a little different now, even though I had a grand time.
 
I have bought SS rods from hobby stores (Michael's and Hobby Lobby), might work for you? I use them as arbors for some wooden clocks I have been making.
 
^2 What Todd said. I replaced my plastic prop and brass sheer pins after a first frustrating season popping shear pins constantly and doing it in the dark W/ the peaning effect really sucked!

UPGRADE! You'll be very glad you did.

Scott
 
I'm not terribly worried about doing damage with a stainless pin. I figure the crappy little plastic prop will break if the pin doesn't. Got a spare!
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That is exactly what happens Jeff... but it takes a rock or something far more solid than grass or reeds. I have found stainless welding rod in the right size works fine.
 
Thanks, Todd. Can you confirm those are indeed stainless pins? I've been burned twice, once by "Tulsa Engine Warehouse" and once by another supplier I can no longer remember. Price on these is a little higher, which is hopeful.

The steel pin is now standard for both resin and aluminum prop, so I'm not sure I want to spend $100 to upgrade. What are the advantages?

John, thanks for your offer, but I can only find a part number for the brass pin, which I believe was the only one offered when I bought my motor.
 
Thanks, Todd. Can you confirm those are indeed stainless pins? I've been burned twice, once by "Tulsa Engine Warehouse" and once by another supplier I can no longer remember. Price on these is a little higher, which is hopeful.

The steel pin is now standard for both resin and aluminum prop, so I'm not sure I want to spend $100 to upgrade. What are the advantages?

John, thanks for your offer, but I can only find a part number for the brass pin, which I believe was the only one offered when I bought my motor.
Click to expand...


"Stainless Steel Shear pins (5 pack) for Tohatsu and Nissan" is listed as the description of the item on the page I linked. Followed by: "For use with aluminum or resin propellers
2.5A, 3.5A, 3.5B" and "Brass shear pins no longer available for this model", which imples they are stainless and not brass.

If you would like any more evidence they are stainless before you shell out the 11.99, I could order them myself and send them to a metallurgical expert for confirmation.

As far as the aluminum prop don't worry about it - can see that you are super happy with what you have...

Want any more help? :).
 
Thanks, Todd. Can you confirm those are indeed stainless pins? I've been burned twice, once by "Tulsa Engine Warehouse" and once by another supplier I can no longer remember. Price on these is a little higher, which is hopeful.

The steel pin is now standard for both resin and aluminum prop, so I'm not sure I want to spend $100 to upgrade. What are the advantages?

John, thanks for your offer, but I can only find a part number for the brass pin, which I believe was the only one offered when I bought my motor.
Click to expand...


"Stainless Steel Shear pins (5 pack) for Tohatsu and Nissan" is listed as the description of the item on the page I linked. Followed by: "For use with aluminum or resin propellers
2.5A, 3.5A, 3.5B" and "Brass shear pins no longer available for this model", which imples they are stainless and not brass.

If you would like any more evidence they are stainless before you shell out the 11.99, I could order them myself and send them to a metallurgical expert for confirmation.

As far as the aluminum prop don't worry about it - can see that you are super happy with what you have...

Want any more help? :).


Sorry, Todd. My motto is "twice burned, finally shy."
Click to expand...
 
when I ran outboards on the St. Lawrence that had shear pins i always carried a claw hammer ,hacksaw and vise grips----if you sheared a pin all you had to do is get to the nearest dock, pull a nail, cut it to length and on you went---maybe you could buy a stainless steel nail the diameter you need and cut it to length---ive never tried stainless nails it but i have used steel nails and they work
colin
 
I enjoyed reading all the practical suggestions, but didn't see many answers to the why is it question. The answer to that from my experience is "just because" and sometimes it seems like I remember all those times more than the times things didn't go wrong. Learned a few things along the way.
1) never trust another man's outboard motor.
2) the brass screw eye securing a Herter's decoy head is not the same diameter as a Johnson shear pin.
3) Boat rental places cannot be trusted to tape extra shear pins inside the cowl.
4) Any equipment that you rely on hunting ducks tends to fail either (a) immediately or (b) just when you really really need it to work.
5) The handle of your camouflage-cutting machete will serve as a hammer in a pinch when you need to pound a replacement pin home.
 
I grew up commercial fishing Lake Ontario and surrounding bays and the one thing we always had was a couple pins taped to the handle,,that being said one day with my brother pulling net in the Lake we sheared a pin and had none with us,,,thats were building your own boats comes in handy,,,with a small shovel we used for sorting fish I dug in and popped out a nail and made a pin god enough to get us home,,,,,Chuck
 
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