home made outboard motor bracket

[marcusroemelen]

Hello. Im new to this site. i am building an outboard motor bracket to put on my 1967 23 foot john allmand ticonderoga. I need more fishing space in the boat.I have beed given a 1978 mercury 1400 outboard. i would like to one day put a evinrude 200 ho etec on it. has anyone on here ever built something like this?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Welcome to iboats

What powers your boat now? Building an outboard transom bracket requires a STRONG transom to start with because the "leverage" of weight alone stresses the transom and when an outboard is hung out there a couple of feet the pure physics of pressure/weight fall into place.

Do you have any photos of your current set up? I would check the transom of a 1967 boat really close.

Yes there have been people here who have rebuilt their transom and built a bracket too.

 

[friderday]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

We made one for our 15' restoration from a couple yrs ago. Woodonglass gave us a reference for plans...check this website: Dillon-racing.com/jackplateplans or google Dillon racing jackplate. We made ours for about $70. I will post a pic of it later.

 

[maryhannaj]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Hey marcusroemelen. Welcome! You're in the right place for your project. There will be plenty of help here for you. I am doing a restore/rebuild on my Glastron bass boat right now that is in need of a whole new transom and stringers. I plan to beef up the transom upon rebuild and thought that maybe we could help each other out with some ideas since it sounds as though you are going to build a pretty heavy duty set-up.
There are certain regulations and requirements written by the Coast Guard as to how much horse power you are allowed to run on what type of boat. This is decided by the boats hull dimensions such as over all length, beam width and transom height. They have a handbook designed for back yard boat builders that will explain how to do the equation to determine the right size or horse power motor to mount onto your boat. By looking through this handbook, maybe you can make good, informed decision as to how you can design your bracket.
I have downloaded a pdf of the manual but I am unable to copy it here for you. Sorry, I tried. I will try and get the handbook to you. Look for me on private messaging.

 

[marcusroemelen]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

thanks for responding. Right now it has an old omc outdrive that has the square rubber boot and a 305 chevy with a cracked block. I am going to put a new very heavy duty transom on it. I believe in overkill. Im going to use carbon fiber and epoxy resin for the transom and the motor pod. I have done a lot of research and have a cpl of professionals helping me with this. The motor im useing is a 1977 mercury 140 hp outboard. I believe its just around 200 lbs. The boat came with a 165 strait six chevy motor origonaly. the guy I bought it from put the 305 in it. The boat is solid and gorgrouse. I will be posting pictures. I know that the only wood in the boat is in the transom. and its very solid, But still going to beef the transom up. Im a disabled vet. and I like to spend my time on the water. Im going to make this boat last longer than ill be around. Thanks for all the comments and info...

 

[maryhannaj]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Hey man. Thank you very much for your service! You mentioned that the only wood is in the transom. Are you sure that there are no wood stringers of any type. It might be just me but that eeems to me to be unlikely. But I also know nothing about your boat.

 

[friderday]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Sorry for the delay in getting pics of our bracket up as promised. Flu bug been flying around here & got me this wknd. Anyway-this is the bracket my son built using that Dillon racing jackplate site/plans Woodonglass referred us to. Made it for like $60-$70 bucks I think. Powdercoated it as well. Hope this helps, & again, sorry for the delay. Lisa

 

[friderday]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

By the way, I know ours is a much smaller engine than what you are planning for, but maybe this will give you a starting point...

 

[Bondo]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

thanks for responding. Right now it has an old omc outdrive that has the square rubber boot and a 305 chevy with a cracked block. I am going to put a new very heavy duty transom on it. I believe in overkill. Im going to use carbon fiber and epoxy resin for the transom and the motor pod. I have done a lot of research and have a cpl of professionals helping me with this. The motor im useing is a 1977 mercury 140 hp outboard. I believe its just around 200 lbs. The boat came with a 165 strait six chevy motor origonaly. the guy I bought it from put the 305 in it. The boat is solid and gorgrouse. I will be posting pictures. I know that the only wood in the boat is in the transom. and its very solid, But still going to beef the transom up. Im a disabled vet. and I like to spend my time on the water. Im going to make this boat last longer than ill be around. Thanks for all the comments and info...

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Thank you for yer service too,....

I too, believe in overkill, but carbon fiber is Over the top, overkill,...
Spend yer money on Glass, resin, 'n fillers,...
The money wasted on carbon fiber can go into the gas tank,...(or a Bigger motor)

Yer plan is entirely Doable, 'n there's Lotsa ways to go 'bout it,...
A Stand-off bracket,..??
A Pod-bracket,..??

With a 23' hull, I'd think yer gonna need a Bigger motor,...
a newer V6,....

 

[maryhannaj]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

That's a nice bracket friderday. What's the set-back on it? I'm guessing for the price it's probably not aluminum. Am I wrong?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Thank you for yer service too,....

I too, believe in overkill, but carbon fiber is Over the top, overkill,...
Spend yer money on Glass, resin, 'n fillers,...
The money wasted on carbon fiber can go into the gas tank,...(or a Bigger motor)

Yer plan is entirely Doable, 'n there's Lotsa ways to go 'bout it,...
A Stand-off bracket,..??
A Pod-bracket,..??

With a 23' hull, I'd think yer gonna need a Bigger motor,...
a newer V6,....

^^^
yep to all of that. Bondo nailed it. Esp the service thank you & the bigger then 140hp Merc.

Compared to your 23ft hull, my 'little & lightweight' 18ft aluminum Holiday is rated for nearly that, so you may not be happy w/ the performance a 1978 Merc 140 gives you.

BTW: I think a Merc 140 weighs more then 200lbs, and is much closer to 300lbs... seems I remember it being 280-290lbs.

A similar thread @using carbon fiber came up, I'll try to find it, but one of my take away's was that carbon fiber is not a particularly DIY'er friendly material to work w/. Another was the likely failure point at the boundary between the carbon fiber pod &/or transom and the typical fiberglass & polyester resin constructed boat.

Use the advance search function from the resto forum homepage for carbon fiber, look for posts by ondarvr, our resident glass materials & resin expert...

Thanks again for your service & good luck w/ your project.

 

[friderday]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

maryhannaj-yes it is..my son went with a buddy to a local shop & told the guy what he needed it for. The owner found the perfect piece of 6inch angle in the backyard. Charged him $60 or $70 bucks and even cut it into the 4 separate pieces he needed. He took them to a fabricator friend who rounded the edges, drilled holes, etc. for a beer or 12. Sent it off for powdercoat & that was it. Cheap n easy...

 

[maryhannaj]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Great score friderday. That would also be a great site for you to check out marcus. I'm gonna look at that myself I think.

 

[marcusroemelen]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Thanks for all the kind words. Sorry its taken me so long to respond. To answer a few questions and comments. Yes I am positive the only wood in my boat is in the transom. In 1966 John allmand only used fiberglass for the stringers and deck. And i did research about my 140 hp. The boat came with a 165 inline six cylender engine and an outdrive. I wasnt sure on the weight of the mercury motor, But i know im dropping about 600 lbs and only loosing 25 hp. plus my outboard is 2 stroke not a 4 like the old 165 origionaly in the boat. I have one of my engeneer buddies helping me with his cad program building the pod to mount my motor on. Hopefully soon I can put some pics up for you guys. thanks for all your comments...

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

You are right about the weight difference, but I bet there wasn't a smaller I/O motor offered in your 23ft fiberglass boat. But I'd for sure bet a larger motor was offered.

Perhaps you aren't interested in hauling a lot of weight @ people & gear or getting there quickly. Possibly you're concerned about fuel economy. Maybe the weight savings alone will boost your performance sufficiently. Done correctly, a pod can improve performance of a boat & motor combo over the same combo w/ out the pod.

You may not even notice there was a change in performance moving the 15% smaller motor back on a pod. Not sure anyone could predict final performance of those changes w/out having access to the manufacturer's data @ performance, center of buoyancy and weight distribution.

What all are you planning to do while fabbing the pod & reworking the transom to accommodate it? If there's any other work to be done, I'd take the time & shop for a larger OB motor. A V6 as Bondo mentioned, would be a great fit on a fiberglass 23ft boat w/ a setback pod. If you have time, you could even wait & shop for a DEAL.

Not sure about NW Ohio, but there are often CL ads looking to trade a larger motor for a smaller motor. A 140 Merc would fit many decent sized boats, so I don't think it'd be hard to sell if it's a good running motor.

Having someone to do the CAD work will be a huge help too.

 

[marcusroemelen]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

i do plan in the futureto go with possibly an evinrude etec either a 200 or 250. but for now the 140 will have to do.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Just a few words....... Thank you for your service. I too am a 20 yr vet

I doubt you will be happy with the performance results and lack of economy that the merc 140 will do. Yes a good etec (200 or 250) will work however in the end you will find the costs overwhelming. You would be further ahead of the game money wise and performance wise if you seek out a V-6 IO or even a 3.0 L 4 cylinder (I know the performance would be down but the 3.0 L are bullet proof, reliable and get great economy)

Just recently on Craigslist I have seen some free boats and project boats with 3.0 L ....... I guess I am telling you that the restoration/modification needs to be a slow paced well thought out process.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

I tend to agree, and if you are going to redo the transom anyway (yes, the big square boot stringer drives kinda suck ) its fairly easy to cut merc/volvo hole into it after.. I think I posted in another thread about this, a local guy did just that to the same boat I used to have (253 chris craft with omc 800 stringer)and he redid the transom, threw out omc rubber boot/stringer drive works, and installed a merc 454/bravo package...

The outboard you have been given would 'maybe' work, but it would likely have a hard time shoving a 23' boat around.. and control/maneuverability maybe an issue.. bigger motor better, (in some ways) but then its more weight hanging off transom, that will not only need to be redone to cover the hole, but strengthened up to take the forces an outboard is gona put in/on it.. The stringer drives literally put the drive/power forces to the stringers.. NO pressure on the transom at all.. many old designs (like my old 253 chris) were intended to be an inboard motor w/prop shaft, which the omc stringer was well suited to dropping into.. a merc or volvo drive does put some pressure/force on the transom, but a 200+ hp outboard is going to be quite a bit more...

Have you considered selling the 140 you have? I know around here ANY running outboard motor is worth good money, regardless of age.. If you could flip the 140, and find a good deal on an I/O package that would be my suggestion..

 

[Bondo]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Just a few words....... Thank you for your service. I too am a 20 yr vet

I doubt you will be happy with the performance results and lack of economy that the merc 140 will do. Yes a good etec (200 or 250) will work however in the end you will find the costs overwhelming. You would be further ahead of the game money wise and performance wise if you seek out a V-6 IO or even a 3.0 L 4 cylinder (I know the performance would be down but the 3.0 L are bullet proof, reliable and get great economy)

Just recently on Craigslist I have seen some free boats and project boats with 3.0 L ....... I guess I am telling you that the restoration/modification needs to be a slow paced well thought out process.

Ayuh,.... Great point Bob,... I believe the 3.0l I/O would out-perform at All points over the 140 hp 2-stroke outboard,...

Waayyy better economy on All points too,...

Rotten hulls with 3.0l Alphas are almost a dime a dozen this time of year on craigslist,...

With a 4.3l Alpha, it would be a kick butt boat,...

'n it's probably Easier, glass work-wise, to go with a Merc I/O, over buildin' a transom to support the stand-off bracket, ya gotta build,...

The only trade-off, of course, is deck space,...

marcusroemelen,...... Where's them there,.. Pictures,.?.?.?.
Ya said disabled, How so,..??
What's yer design parameters to accommodate yerself,..??

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: home made outboard motor bracket

Bondo....... he already has lost that deck space from the previous I/O and living with it would be an easy adjustment. Yup, just recently there were two free boats here with 3.0 L and even if the 3.0 needs work.....they are actually easier to rebuild then a 4 or 6 cyl outboard from my experience. They are just "different in the removal" process.Getting back to the OP (marcusroemelen) -Do your homework on prices, work involved and cost. Here is an example - a complete 4.3 package (carborated) Mercruiser 4 3L V6 Alpha Engine Package Complete with Outdrive Transom Reman | eBay There are cheaper out there.Now look around for a good used etec.Here is a 3.0 boat and trailer for $700 1988 LoadRite Trailer and 1988 Mercruiser 3.0 Liter Alpha One - $700 (Londonderry)

​Trailer is good shape with newer tires. 1988 Mercury Mercruiser 130 horse with Alpha One I/O motor. Needs harmonic balancer replaced. Other than that, has always been professionally winterized and in great running shape. Has not ran since stored in 2009. $700 or best offer, needs to go!


Here is the rule for shopping........ Stay away from OMC outdrives -Stay away from 3.7/470 mercruisers