Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

[kickinitoldfool]

So just getting ready to put in nice new transom, when I realized the engine plate holes are not centered on boat!! Thats right, the middle rib holes are perfectly in center (there is a factory line) and the rest is off by about .75" to 1.5"???? Was the motor mounting plates installed at factory or dealer? And now what do i do? This will put my motor off center.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

So just getting ready to put in nice new transom, when I realized the engine plate holes are not centered on boat!! Thats right, the middle rib holes are perfectly in center (there is a factory line) and the rest is off by about .75" to 1.5"???? Was the motor mounting plates installed at factory or dealer? And now what do i do? This will put my motor off center.

Dealers are normally responsible for rigging boats. There is a template that is supposed to be used so it sounds like somone ordered the boat unrigged and then installed the motor themselves. They probably had it on a engine hoist and didn't have it aligned right when they drilled the holes.

FYI, you can epoxy dowels into the old holes and then re-drill the transom correctly.

 

[kickinitoldfool]

Re: Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

Well thanks god I did not drill transom yet! LOL So drill where i need be and then fill old holes in aluminum with JB?

 

[barato2]

Re: Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

that'll work. but as he said, fill the holes in the wood portion of transom first, not just the aluminum skin, so your JB will last.

 

[kickinitoldfool]

Re: Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

It was a fresh transom, so there was zero holes in it.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

Kick - forgive my ignorance here, but by motor plate are you referring to the plywood piece between the transom skin and the clamp/swivel? Or the clamp/swivel assembly itself?

 

[kickinitoldfool]

Re: Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

Sound maybe I was using wrong terminology but yes piece of wood on outer transom skin and motor clamp/mount.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

Now we're getting somewhere. That piece of wood is cosmetic or at best acts as a cushion between the motor and transom. As long as the motor was centered and vertical and you use the same holes through the transom and skin you are OK. A lot of us use an aluminum plate, Starboard or even a white cutting board from the Dollar Store to replace the wood. BTW - it came from the factory and I think it's to protect the transom skin from scratches during motor install.

EDIT - You shouldn't have to drill any holes except to match the original holes.

 

[kickinitoldfool]

Re: Help!!! Was My Boat was Made on a Monday or Firday????

Unfortunately the holes in that board where off center and also off center through the transom, so both the board and motor where shifted to the starboard side by 3/4-1" off center. Anyways I centered new wood plate and will center motor where is should be. I filled in the existing holes to mount motor. There was 4 big bolts on old motor setup and with the new motor there is just two.