Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an outboard motor in which combustion air received from a combustion air intake port is guided to an engine unit through a water separator.
Description of the Related Art
In a typical outboard motor, combustion air is guided to an engine unit through a water separator.
For example, Patent Document 1 discusses an outboard motor having a first water separator having an arc-shaped intake passage connected between a right intake port and a left intake port and a second water separator communicating with the first water separator through a communicating hole.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-118648
In the technique of Patent Document 1, the first or second water separator is incorporated into a part of the intake passage to provide an air-water separation capability based on gravity using a shape of the passage or a partition wall.
Here, for water separation of the outboard motor, a measure for water separation of rain or spray is prepared naturally. In addition, it is necessary to also consider water separation of a splash of water generated by dispersion of waves such as the heave or water separation for small-sized water drops such as mist. Unfortunately, the technique of Patent Document 1 fails to consider a measure for small-sized water drops such as a splash of water or mist.
In the technique of Patent Document 1, a water-repellent filter for separating water and air is also installed in the first, second, or third water separator. However, if the filter is employed, clogging is generated due to salts contained in seawater. Therefore, it is necessary to perform maintenance such as cleaning or replacement of the filter. This burdens a user with a work load or cost.