Auxiliary bracket or cut the transom?

[Gerry]

After some recent engine issues, I'm keen to have a system for using my old 6hp 2 stroke Mercury as an aux engine. (It's quite heavy (32kg) because it's the same block as the 8hp (and I think the 9.8) and I plan to upgrade it to 8hp at some stage)

My Osprey has a lip at the top of the transom, curved outwards, about 5cm length. It also has some extra fittings on the transom (crane lift points), so space is tight.

I think I can fit on a chunky aux bracket like this:

Force 4 Outboard Motor Bracket - Only £99.95 - Force 4 Chandlery

However, I wonder whether it might be just easier to cut a chunk out of the transom lip to fit it directly onto the transom? If it could be done neatly, I think it would look ok.

Any thought/advice?

Gerry

P.S. Those scratches/marks on the inside of the transom are where I managed to jam the auxiliary on when I was in urgent need!

[Silverfox]

I cut the transom, but in doing so lost the towing eye on my Vipermax.

Works well though.

I wish I'd kept the holes so that the eye can be removed and added at will.

[9D280]

I don't have the lip but had the same issue with the towing eye - I modified the clamp on my aux to fit round the eye (means I can't tow anything when the aux is working, but I douby that will ever be a problem!) by cutting out the cross piece & replacing it with a couple of lengths of M8 stainless studding & a few large washers & nylocks. Granted my Aux is a 1972 Johnson & I bitchered a scrap clamp so the original has been preserved should I ever find someone mad enough to want to buy it.....


I have a friend who has to dissassemble & reassemble his 6Hp aux clamp to put the bottom part (that joins the P & S parts together at the bottom) through the eye - he looks on it as an extra security measure for an eminently portable outboard.

In summary - the tow eye is a solveable problem!

[willk]

Originally Posted by 9D280

I bitchered a scrap

A new word - excellent! This is what happens when one's nasty G-F finally flips. I guess she would stand trial for Bitchery?

I suppose if you were Irish, you'd get an O'Bitchery in the papers...

[Festinghouse]

i made a new towing eye out of some thick stainless plate which i then bolted through along with the aux bracket.

[donegaldan]

Something like this lads ?
All you need is a steady hand, small angle grinder
and an audience of friends to standby and ask... do you really want to do this..

[9D280]

Originally Posted by willk

A new word - excellent! This is what happens when one's nasty G-F finally flips. I guess she would stand trial for Bitchery?

I suppose if you were Irish, you'd get an O'Bitchery in the papers...

Hmmm She did moan a bit about how long I spent in the garage modifying it .....

U think U should sie the estate of whoever unvented QUERTY for pitting U & I alongsude each other? What do yoi reckon? Take them for the cost of a nuce black Redbay wuth a coiple of Sizus on the back?


(I have a bilgey feeling coming on here...... If you do, plese amend the spelling in the originating post..... )

[9D280]

Originally Posted by donegaldan

Something like this lads ?
All you need is a steady hand, small angle grinder
and an audience of friends to standby and ask... do you really want to do this..

Angle grinder? and you never went near the clamp or the U- bolt!

[The Gurnard]

Originally Posted by Gerry

I think I can fit on a chunky aux bracket like this:

Force 4 Outboard Motor Bracket - Only £99.95 - Force 4 Chandlery

However, I wonder whether it might be just easier to cut a chunk out of the transom lip to fit it directly onto the transom? If it could be done neatly, I think it would look ok.

Any thought/advice?

!

Perhaps it was just me..but I couldn't get on with those Outboard Motor Brackets at all. I put one on a small transom and had no luck with it.

When the bracket was in the up position..as shown in your link.. the Aux was far to high..even though the bracket was positioned near the bottom of the transom

Or if it was in the down position as shown in my photo below..the Aux was far to low..even though I made a new mounting plate for the bracket to hold the Aux higher.

IMO..it worked great on the yacht as I think thats what they are designed for? Yachts generally have hight transoms so the bracket is ideal for lowering the engine into position.

Save your 100 squid and cut your transom lip or make a better suited bracket

[miccheck1516]

couldn't you fashion a piece of wood that sits underneath the transom lip and fills the gap allowing you to clamp securely?

[donegaldan]

Ahh lads... bite the bullet and get the angle grinder and flow coat out :-)
You know you don't want to be running with an AUX hanging of the back on a rickedy bracket like that.

You want it good and strong onto the back of the boat, no ifs buts or ands
Or maybe I just want to know there are people as mad as me out there
But I'd cut it again in a heart beat, by far the safest and strongest, and least hassle option.

[Gerry]

Originally Posted by miccheck1516

couldn't you fashion a piece of wood that sits underneath the transom lip and fills the gap allowing you to clamp securely?

Yes - thought of that. Problem is, with the lip, it makes it too wide for the aux to clamp over. Mind you, you made me think, so I've just been out to the garage to check the aux. The max opening on the screws is just over 6cm, so with the 5cm lip plus the width of the transom, it's too big for the engine bracket.

Donegaldan - brilliant! That's exactly what I'm thinking of. My aux is long shaft, so it should be ok. I assume you have enough space left for the main engine to turn full lock? That looks a really neat job - all done with an angle grinder? Was that with a plasma cutting blade or something? I see plenty of potential for that job to go seriously wrong...!

Cheers,

Gerry

[miccheck1516]

ohh thats a rather large lip indeed, much too big for my suggestion, i suppose cutting it away isn't the end of the world as any decent glasser could redo it should you want to in future....

[spartacus]

Cut the lip. The adjustable outboard brackets are next to useless on a RIB and will rattle like the transmission on a Vauxhall Viva!

One thing to consider is fitting a stainless steel eye on the transom knee or deck to ratchet the outboard tight when in a tilted position. The tilt pin or push bolt mechanisms on small outboards won't last 5 minutes in a rough sea. Did the same on my Ribcraft 4.8m (no lip to cut though).

[Gerry]

Thanks to all for your encouragement.

Cut the transom lip today and it wasn't anything like as bad as I feared.

I actually took the lip off all the way from the main engine cutout, since it wasn't worth just leaving a couple of cm of lip there.

Easy peasy with the angle grinder. Just cut carefully and left a little bit proud and then sanded that down. What I did do afterwards was coat some gelcoat filler over the area, but actually that's just made the job harder and isn't necessary (just fibreglass and gelcoat exposed after the cut). I didn't have a power sander with me and it needs a lot more sanding to look really good - so the gelcoat filler finish isn't brilliant but I can tidy that up at a later date.

I did have to cut the bulk of the tow eye off, since it was right in the way. I didn't remove it from the transom because I didn't want too start having to fill holes. Couple of pieces of ply temporarily on both sides and the aux sits very nicely with the prop at a good depth. I also used a strap to tie it to the lifting point just below in the inside of the transom.

Happy to have saved £100 by not buying an aux bracket!!

Cheers,

Gerry

[donegaldan]

Originally Posted by Gerry

Thanks to all for your encouragement.

Cut the transom lip today and it wasn't anything like as bad as I feared.

Gerry

Fair play...
A good new cutting disk and a couple stiff drinks to give a steady hand and bobs your auntie.
Takes a lot to go at the back of your boat with a grinder but fair play.
Your left with a better, more solid, safer and steadier mount, IMO.

Yes, I was able to achieve full lock, wee bit of tidy up work with a grinder will work a treat,
And do treat the exposed glass before too long.

On a final, you consider reversing the towing eye to the inside and using it as a safety anchor point for the aux to be secured to ?

Dan