Outboard Braket Mount

[John in CC]

Here is my close to finished bracket and diagram John Harris sent me.

The diagram really made mounting the outboard bracket easy. The bolt holes fell perfectly in "easy to wrench" places with room for fender washers. It was really nice to draw this up for me. Since I did not have the motor in the shop yet it would be nearly impossible to figure out the location. Having John already figuring out its location made me feel like I was peaking on someone else's paper. Good thing John is a great student.

I figured sharing on this forum for future reference might save John some time in answering emails and help a future builder.

Thanks again John.

-John

[slick95]

John,
Thanks for posting this and thanks to John H. for the drawing.

Question, does this mount and its location allow for a normal short shaft outboard? And if so will the prop and lower skeg clear the water when tilted?

Hoping the answer is yes to both.

Thanks,
Jeff

[John in CC]

It works for the Honda 2.0 which is a short shaft. I think Honda must have discontinued the 2.0 so I got the 2.3 on the way. The dimensions I believe are the same. As far as other brands and models I don't know.

I should have included a link to how to build the bracket:

http://www.clcboats.com/various/20090824.html

[kevinbright]

A little bit off topic, but has anyone tried some sort of linkage between the rudder and the outboard, so you can steer the outboard with the tiller? Like this:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/general-d ... post606388

Kevin

[John in CC]

I just received my Honda 2.3. This motor will NOT work with the motor bracket in the blog. The head on the 2.3 is larger than the 2.0 and there is not enough clearance to lift the motor. I am in the process of building spacers for more bracket length. I already know 1" is not enough. I'll post the correct amount that is needed as soon as I figure it out.

[slick95]

Thanks for the update John...

[John in CC]

Another update: I raised the bracket 1 3/4" and I now have enough clearance for the head of the motor to not hit the transom skirt. I just hope the propeller is deep enough in the water. If not I'll gain some weight and sit farther aft.

[craig]

I've read on other posts in this forum that you want the motor to be fairly deep in the water so that if a wave lifts the transom, the propeller won't come out of the water. I can't find my measurements right now, but when I mounded mine the first time, the bracket was certainly lower than in the diagram that John provided here. The motor was so low that when accelerated at 4.5 knots the water would ride all the way up the shaft, and reach the bottom of the motor bracket (it didn't help that the stern squats at speed). When not moving, the motor bracket was high-and-dry. I next moved the bracket up 2 inches or so to approximately the position recommended below. That fixed the problem of being too low in the water, but the motor still couldn't flip up out of the water. (I have a Suzuki 2.5HP, and if you compare the Suzuki vs. Honda 2.3HP, the Suzuki is larger). I'm resigned now to never be able to fully tilt it up and believe I will need to cut a half-circle hole in the transom skirt to accommodate the motor. Currently, I have a wooden block that I use to prop the motor 1/2 way in the "up" position. That way only the tips of the propeller trail in the water.

Either way, my motor is now mounted high enough that when I go forward, the stern will lift enough to cause cavitation. I hope that isn't an issue for you, John, with your mount being even higher than what I am using and was diagrammed.

[DanaDCole]

I purchased an adjustable mount from West Marine:

This mount has several adjustment points, from out of the water to fairly deep in the water with a short-shaft outboard. I only use it around docks and such, but so far it has worked very well.

[mark48]

Hi Dana,

Would you please post some measurements referring to where your bracket is mounted on your PS transom and what you're using for an outboard (or refer us to a prior post if that information resides elsewhere)?

Thanks,
Mark