Zodiac Yachtline 480 outboard engine mount showing stress cracks

[Flyinghigh]

Has anyone had outboard engine mount issues? Curious to see if anyone has good repair or replacement ideas. Thanks

[office888]

Originally Posted by Flyinghigh

Has anyone had outboard engine mount issues? Curious to see if anyone has good repair or replacement ideas. Thanks

It's a high stress area.

You could repair / reinforce with epoxy.
Replace the part (it is easy to change)
Replace with an copy made of aluminum (I've seen this before)

[Flyinghigh]

[Flyinghigh]

Leaning toward a repair backed up by plate aluminum. Finding parts has been challenging.

[psycho]

I have a tiny little hairline crack showing on mine, but nothing as serious as that. Will have to keep an eye on it though.

What engine you got there, pushing it along?

[office888]

Z2312 - BRACKET 480 DL/MEDLINE 1

This is the part.

$900 msrp. Ouch.

[Flyinghigh]

Re-engineering - repaired bracket sounds like the way to go. Thanks Office! Do you sell parts? I plan on keeping this boat, but haven't found a good parts provider.

Psycho-The Zodiac has a 75hp Yamaha, which the boat is rated for. Beautiful set up. Higher speeds (35mph plus)the boat yaws a bit. Always puts a smile on everyone's face. This stress crack, started out small, and quickly grew. Keep a close eye on yours.

[office888]

Originally Posted by Flyinghigh

Re-engineering - repaired bracket sounds like the way to go. Thanks Office! Do you sell parts? I plan on keeping this boat, but haven't found a good parts provider.

Psycho-The Zodiac has a 75hp Yamaha, which the boat is rated for. Beautiful set up. Higher speeds (35mph plus)the boat yaws a bit. Always puts a smile on everyone's face. This stress crack, started out small, and quickly grew. Keep a close eye on yours.

Nah, I don't do parts sales.

I will comment though, I'm from Michigan originally...there aren't many inflatable parts dealers in the Great Lakes area.

Wolf's Marine - Benton Harbor, MI
Dinghy Concepts - St. Clair Shores, MI
Islander Marine - Marblehead, OH
Samsel Supply - Columbus, OH

"cgoing" on this board can also help you out.

I'd grind the crack out to inspect for damage. If the glass is good, I'd add more to stabilize the location.

On both sides, I'd grind the gelcoat off.
Lay down a bead of milled fiberglass / epoxy to help fillet the edge
I'd do ~4 layers of 1708 with West System Epoxy, then put some white paint on top.

Also, you need to take your transom box off and reseal all of the bolts...your polyurethane sealant appears to be bad. Longevity of it is only about 10 years.

[Flyinghigh]

Thanks for the great advice! I appreciate it.

[VanillaIceCream]

My YL 420 looks to be the same setup, when I bought it this work had just been done:


The outboard bracket was cracking just like yours is, it wasn't going to last. I have a 50hp with power trim and tilt. The Zodiac was taken to a professional fiberglass repair shop and the bracket was reinforced and re-gel coated.


Also, a aluminum plate with a cross member was installed where the battery sits - as that fiberglass area also had cracked very badly...partially from poor design and also having two huge batteries strapped down there being too much weight. I now have a small battery that is just enough to start the motor and run the electrical as needed, but not trying to carry a portable power station.


Since the repairs I've used about 300 gallons of gas this first season and so far no problems with the bracket cracking.

[Flyinghigh]

Thanks for the feedback Vanilla. I appreciate the battery mount advice. I love the boat, it's worth the tlc.

[Flyinghigh]

*UPDATE*. Ended up being just the wood transom plate. Fiberglass mount was solid outside of gel oat stress cracks. I replaced the wood, and took an extra step to seal. Back in business for another fun season.

[Flyinghigh]

Be aware 5200 adhesive is used between transom and engine mount box.

[Mexico356]

Hello. I’m new to the forum. I just bought a yatchline 420 with a Yamaha 40. It leaks trough the motor mount bolts.

From your experience what sealant should I use and what is the proper procedure

Thanks

Eduardo