Rigging outboard question

[wjhuskey]

I'm about to put a little bit newer motor on my old fiberglass bass boat and I'm going to try to do the rigging myself. It's a '04 Mercury 60 hp. I have an engine hoist in my shop and plenty of tools. My biggest question is sealing off the transom to keep water out - does regular silicone work for this or is there a special kind needed?

I think this should be a fairly simple job with a hoist...

 

[las]

Usually you would use marine grade adhesive sealant and that's what I would recommend.
Should be available in every marine shop.

 

[roscoe]

3M 4200
Atwood makes a similar product with similar name.

Sillycone has no place on a boat.

 

[wjhuskey]

Ok thanks for the info. Is this fairly easy to do? I have the tools needed for bolting on the motor but I'm a little afraid I won't get a good seal...the bolt head and washer on the inside of the boat isn't my worry but getting silicone under the bracket around the nut on the back seems hard to do???

 

[roscoe]

Prep surfaces with acetone.
Install mounting bolts half way. I use tape to hold bolts in position if they aren't long enough to put the nuts on.
Then apply sealant to transom holes, bolt shafts, and around edge if transom bracket.
Then slide bolts the rest of the way in and install washer and nut..
This way the threads stay clean.
Then a small amount of sealant behind the washer and tighten up the nuts.

Clean up the oozed out sealant.