Hi All,
I've recently upgraded to a bigger outboard. I've gone from a 6hp to a 9.9hp (actually a detuned 15hp) 2 stroke. The previous motor was 21kg, the new one is 38kg. Now I'm considering upgrading my outboard bracket to cope with the extra weight.
I have one of these: www.roadtechmarine.com.au/outboard-motor-brackets-alloy-up-to-20hp-motor/p/MGM015 which claims to be able to handle motors up to 20hp, but other similarly constructed brackets from other suppliers are only rated to 10hp.
I am considering this: www.whitworths.com.au/o-b-bkt-ss-25hp-58kg
or this: allmar.com.au/panther-outboard-motor-bracket-4-stroke-with-16-vertical-travel/
What are other people using?
Don't believe the bracket in the RTM link will be suitable at all. The four aluminium flatbars connecting the angles behind the mounting plastic plate to the aluminium angles mounted to the transom are not spaced anywhere near widely enough and the whole frame will flog badly laterally and twist with 38kg on it. The link has no weight rating listed. Do other suppliers of this product note a weight limit rating? If it is the same product as here the weight rating is 35kg listed here - I would not trust that weight rating at all sorry to say.
www.whitworths.com.au/aluminium-adjustable-outboard-motor-bracket-max-15hp
The WW one looks good and is all 316 stainless, rated to 58kg so a decent margin on your 38kg. Photo in the advert is not ideal - see here for all details. It would be hoped that the mahogany hardwood is well varnished - ideally epoxy coated first then varnished. A lot better than marine ply.
www.tenob.co.nz/shop/Outboard+Motor+Mounting+Bracket/Auxiliary+Motor+Brackets/Adjustable+Motor+Brackets/25hp+Stainless+Steel+Transom+Fit+Rise++Fall+Bracket.html
The allmar Panther one looks good and is rated to 120kg so probably overkill for what you need. No price indicated.
We have a 15hp Merc 2 stroke (about 35-40kg 2004 model if I recall) in a cockpit well with a widely spaced 3mm ss arrangement as below - photos not flash sorry - it only rotates so doesn't have the 4 bar mechanism system which maintains the mounting plate angle. Installed 1985 when the boat was build in NZ. Ply mounting plate has been renewed, clamps replaced with suitable latch arrangements.
I've certainly observed the play you describe in my current bracket - even with the lighter outboard on it. Better engineering tolerances in construction and addition of some bushings may have firmed the whole thing up and stopped it slopping from side to side, but maybe it is like a willow in the wind and the play in the mechanism is intentional :-)
My boat also has an outboard well, but not as nicely set up as yours. Mine is located in front of the stern locker and any motor mounted in the well takes up the whole cockpit space where the skipper needs to put his feet. It is a hole just large enough for the lower unit to get through but doesn't allow for the motor to be tilted out of the water. On the plus side it is a great spot for a propeller to be located - under the boat, ahead of the skeg and the rudder, free of cavitation in a swell and provides excellent steerage. It could almost be a 'best of both worlds' situation where I could choose where to mount the motor (well or transom) depending on where and how I'm sailing (cruising vs racing, river vs ocean). However, the transom requires a long shaft, whereas the well needs a shorty. Oh well.
Thanks for the confirmation. Yes outboards down through cockpit wells can be a pain but for all the reasons you outline are a very good compromise. That weight of outboard on the transom would not do your fore and aft trim or pitching in a seaway any good, or your back raising and lowering it. With our longer cockpit (Ross930) the outboard doesn't get in the way of the skipper who has the cockpit aft of the traveller with full floor access. Mainsheet and jib crews in front of the traveller need to co-ordinate through tacks but this is easily done.
I had the Tenob bracket on my old Elliott 7.4. Pricy but a quality NZ built bracket that will outlast the boat. Held up well with an ultra long leg Sailpro 6hp.
I have the Whitworths one www.whitworths.com.au/o-b-bkt-ss-25hp-58kg on my TopHat, it carries an 8hp Tohatsu 4 stroke. You may need a rope attached to the ratchet bar to allow it to be pulled back, so you can lift/lower the motor. Hard to describe, but when you fit it you'll see what I mean. We bought the TopHat in 2009, the bracket was there then, and is still there, although recently the timber has started to deteriorate, so will need replacing. 14 years, is a good innings though. Don't forget to make sure you properly re-inforce the back of the surface you're mounting the bracket to. Ours is on the transom, with a full width board to spread the load of the four mounting bolts.
