Aux o/b mounting?

[rbcoomer]

Does anyone know of an auxiliary outboard bracket that can be simply fitted to a partially concave surface? (With as few holes in the hull as possible... )

Following advice from an earlier thread, I picked up a 2.2hp Suzuki outboard at the weekend to use primarily as a backup, but also for when creeping into shallow waters. This was as an alternative to either electric o/b or a prop-guard type device as when I weighed it all up, a second battery and cost made the former option expensive and whilst a guard might save some damage, it would offer nothing in the event of other engine problems.

The boat is pretty small at 14', so there isn't enough width on the transom to mount alongside the existing 30hp Evinrude. Even just fitting temporarily in the event of a breakdown would be difficult because a) there wouldn't be enough room to turn it (the main unit is bolted through transom so wouldn't move easily) and b) the towing eyes would obstruct the clamp anyway.

Thus an auxiliary bracket on the starboard stern quarter would seem the best option. I think this would be possible, but most brackets I've seen are designed to fix to a flat(ish) surface and in addition it would be desirable if I can adjust height to minimize draft in shallow water. The final requirement is that the auxiliary can be removed and stowed in the bow when at sea - not that I'm paranoid, but in the hands of a newbie the freeboard needs all the help it can get when in a swell...

I've attached some pics to give an idea of mounting space, size of outboard and logistics of being able to reach tiller! (i.e the closer to transom the better!)

Thanks in advance.

 

[vandy]

See if the Suzuki ob's clamps are wide enough so you can attach it to the port side on the transom without any bracket, also check if the shaft is long enough...

otherwise, you just need to attach a bracket, but buy one which stands higher than the transom (they go down so you can put the outboard in the water).

And, final advice; if i were you, I would have swapped the Evinrude OB with a better/more reliable engine. I have a very bad memory of owing an evinrude 70hp, and i can tell you that it really ruined one whole season of boating...

You may spend £2k-£3k, but you will save LOADS on repair, etc..

 

[rbcoomer]

See if the Suzuki ob's clamps are wide enough so you can attach it to the port side on the transom without any bracket, also check if the shaft is long enough...

otherwise, you just need to attach a bracket, but buy one which stands higher than the transom (they go down so you can put the outboard in the water).

And, final advice; if i were you, I would have swapped the Evinrude OB with a better/more reliable engine. I have a very bad memory of owing an evinrude 70hp, and i can tell you that it really ruined one whole season of boating...

You may spend £2k-£3k, but you will save LOADS on repair, etc..

I tried clamping direct but even removing the main o/b fuel line leaves no room to turn the auxiliary and it's bracket fouls the towing eye on port side. Starboard side is even more limited as main motor is slightly offset and gear selector cable fouls the casing of the aux.

I've concluded that the bracket is the only sensible option, but most seem designed to fix to a flat surface and mine is seriously concave! It would also need to be on Starboard side as swim latter occupies the port quarter!

I had been watching out for outboards over the winter, but £2K-£3K would be way beyond current budget and lots of other jobs to do on boat! Initially I looked because I thought 30hp would be too small, but it actually does fine and for the sea, the size of boat is more a limiting factor than the motor. Although she copes well with swell, there are some local hazards like the bar at Teignmouth that just don't make sense to tackle when sea is a bit moody... Outboard was problematic last year, but has now benefited from another service, some rewiring, new battery, new pump diaphragm, plugs and a carb clean. Not done much on the water yet this year, but she ran fine on a shakedown a couple of weeks back. To be fair, motor hadn't run in a long time when I got her, so a few issues to be expected. Seats, gel coat and trailer refurb top of list currently for coming winter, but with a child out with us, some form of backup propulsion was a higher priority. I'm ultimately aiming to accumulate a fund for next boat, but this will be a bigger project for getting on the water in a couple of years time. Looking for inboard next time - 18'-21' with cuddy and a bit more storage. It will likely be another buy cheap and rebuild - some of us never learn...

 

[Tranona]

You need a swingdown bracket bolted through the transom with a hardwood packing piece to take out the curve. Make sure you have a backing plate, also shaped on the inside. The lifting type bracket will allow you to raise the engine out of the water when it is not in use. Make sure you mount the whole assembly so that the engine is correctly immersed when the bracket is locked down.

Nice weekend project !

 

[rbcoomer]

Hrmmm... Hadn't thought of packing out a standard flat mounting - I had been looking for something with adjustable 'legs' that would bolt to curved surface at different aspects.

I guess I'll need to sharpen up my 'not very good' woodwork skills and see how much mutilation I can inflict on a couple of bits of hardwood.... Not sure about 'weekend' however - I have visions of a large pile of woodshavings and an ever-smaller bit of wood that bears little resemblance to the shape required in a couple of months time!

 

[Kawasaki]

rb, by the time you have dropped the motor in the water
and got it started and made the mayday call and sorted out the missus panicking and settled the child down and found out which way yer pointing and managed to get the little suzuki to point the boat in the right direction, yer might as well got two rollocks fitted and have half a chance of rowing to a safe haven!!!
Unless you are going 'Deep Sea' I reckon the way yer boat is shaped at the blunt end yer may as well rely on a good main engine
We did for the first 5 years when we were boating in a place with currents up to 8 knots.
With a 16 footer
I had a 2 hp Suz as back up and enough room to clamp it on the transome if need be
But I opted for a decent radio and a back up
We did get in the mire once
I rowed to a back eddy and waited for assistance that I called up on the vhf
AS someone else said
Put yer efforts into making sure the main outboard and it's fuel supply etc is 100%!

 

[AndieMac]

I like Tranona's idea, even move/discard the stb. ski hook and shape a cut-out on the inside edge of the timber spacer for the water fed speedo cable to run.
You are bound to have a mate who will turn up some wood for you, and paint it the same colour as the hull, as well as a pad for inside the transom.

My understanding and experience of the early Evinrudes is generally they are a good solid performer, their alloys appeared to be superior to that of the early Mercs.
Out of all the earlier model engines still being used locally here, the Evinrude/Johnson is the most popular.

Kwacka may have not read your earlier thread about wanting to sneak about in shallow inland rivers, but he has got a point about making sure the main donk is perfect.

 

[rbcoomer]

rb, by the time you have dropped the motor in the water
and got it started and made the mayday call and sorted out the missus panicking and settled the child down and found out which way yer pointing and managed to get the little suzuki to point the boat in the right direction, yer might as well got two rollocks fitted and have half a chance of rowing to a safe haven!!!
Unless you are going 'Deep Sea' I reckon the way yer boat is shaped at the blunt end yer may as well rely on a good main engine
We did for the first 5 years when we were boating in a place with currents up to 8 knots.
With a 16 footer
I had a 2 hp Suz as back up and enough room to clamp it on the transome if need be
But I opted for a decent radio and a back up
We did get in the mire once
I rowed to a back eddy and waited for assistance that I called up on the vhf
AS someone else said
Put yer efforts into making sure the main outboard and it's fuel supply etc is 100%!

You're probably right and I do have a pair of paddles!

I think I would have been more relaxed but for last season's 'issues': The Evinrude hadn't been used for a number of years and thus I took to be serviced whilst I cleaned up the boat and trailer. That was first mistake as it was then out of situ. They cleaned up 'rusted' shaft and replaced impeller, changed oils, plugs etc and 'tested'. I charged a good battery and went out with a friend (he took his own boat). Went 6 miles, moored up to check no problems and then couldn't start! Battery low and then flat after a dozen attempts, friend towed in. Own diagnosis was rectifier open circuit, so decided best way to be sure on condition was to check myself! Voltage at battery was also 4V more than at starter, so ordered new rectifier, remade ends of battery leads, fitted voltage gauge, recharged battery and set off for second run on local river this time. Uneventful bar repeated stalling at low revs, particularly engaging reverse. 3rd trip with friend again on river, stalled and wouldn't restart - towed in again. Stripped and cleaned, plugs, leads, engine connectors, control box wiring & dodgy kill switch, new pump diaphragm and replaced battery with heavy duty deep cycle, changed fuel and then had tuned and new impeller (again) last month. Engineer said compression was low at 120 although iboats forums suggest this is good for these units? I had started and run a number of times in barrel, but it had always stalled when throttling off or idling.

Took out last week after service/tune for shakedown on river and generally all ran well, although stalled once when throttling back and wouldn't restart so waited a few minutes and restarted. Seems to have flooded perhaps? It also still stalls when opening throttle in reverse, but given that's not preferred direction of travel and it will reverse at idle ok so I'm not too concerned... Planning another river run tomorrow on the Dart (Totnes down to sea and back) and then if all goes well, a run at the weekend from Teignmouth around to Torbay and back.

You've probably figured by now why the auxiliary at £100 in boat jumble was an easy call! It seems to start first time every time and runs ok, so although I hope I won't need it, I'm thinking it's more likely when not if...

I figure that even if it's in the ski-hole, we'll have some peace of mind knowing it's there and in an emergency it would squeeze on the transom - just not turn far! If however I fit it to a bracket, I can run up each trip and keep in working order - and I'm less likely to drop it when fitting...

A dead engine on the river doesn't concern me too much as we are well equipped and would paddle to side using current or drop anchor and radio for help. The sea is another issue however and even a 2' swell can get a little uncomfortable when broadside on trying to restart like on my first trip!

 

[rbcoomer]

I like Tranona's idea, even move/discard the stb. ski hook and shape a cut-out on the inside edge of the timber spacer for the water fed speedo cable to run.
You are bound to have a mate who will turn up some wood for you, and paint it the same colour as the hull, as well as a pad for inside the transom.

My understanding and experience of the early Evinrudes is generally they are a good solid performer, their alloys appeared to be superior to that of the early Mercs.
Out of all the earlier model engines still being used locally here, the Evinrude/Johnson is the most popular.

Kwacka may have not read your earlier thread about wanting to sneak about in shallow inland rivers, but he has got a point about making sure the main donk is perfect.

Thanks Andie - I'm hoping the motor is now ok, but Missus has somewhat lost faith in it - at least until we have a couple of uneventful outings! I'm a bit more forgiving and appreciate the unknown history and long period of downtime perhaps has an influence and a little tlc may be required.

I need to get myself some shear pins before I go creek-crawling, but that was certainly a large part of the reason I'll have to dig out my plane and a few chisels I guess... The outside 'packer' will be easier than the inside I suspect as that one will be concave I assume and thus tricky without a router or similar. I'll also need a close fit in order not to split the gel-coat.

 

[Kawasaki]

I like Tranona's idea, even move/discard the stb. ski hook and shape a cut-out on the inside edge of the timber spacer for the water fed speedo cable to run.
You are bound to have a mate who will turn up some wood for you, and paint it the same colour as the hull, as well as a pad for inside the transom.

My understanding and experience of the early Evinrudes is generally they are a good solid performer, their alloys appeared to be superior to that of the early Mercs.
Out of all the earlier model engines still being used locally here, the Evinrude/Johnson is the most popular.

Kwacka may have not read your earlier thread about wanting to sneak about in shallow inland rivers, but he has got a point about making sure the main donk is perfect.

:

You've probably figured by now why the auxiliary at £100 in boat jumble was an easy call! It seems to start first time every time and runs ok, so although I hope I won't need it, I'm thinking it's more likely when not if

Don't believe it
Its a pile of rust I,ll give yer 40 quid to take oit off yer hands!...

I figure that even if it's in the ski-hole, we'll have some peace of mind knowing it's there and in an emergency it would squeeze on the transom -






The sea is another issue however and even a 2' swell can get a little uncomfortable when broadside on trying to restart like on my first trip!

No sweat, I can sort it
I come from a long line of 'Welsh Wreckers!!

If you can squeese it in the transom you may have a chance
But dont chunter up to Anglesey
Somali pirates tried it
With 20hp auxilliary's
No Chance

 

[rbcoomer]

Re Somali pirates & Anglesey: Limited choice based on weight - I wondered about another Evinrude 30 alongside the existing, but 3 things stopped me:-

1) not sure how well the tub will fare minus 2 x bulky Evinrudes bolted to a lump of timber that used be transom a few fathoms beneath
2) assuming (1) didn't occur, how well said tub would steer with bow pointing at sky...
3) where I'd store all that extra fuel - perhaps in bow to counter (2) (at least until tanks empty?)

Re my 'pile of rust' - are you saying they saw me coming??? ...and there was me thinking I got a bargain... sniff!...

 

[AndieMac]

As you say, the plan is to move on to a larger boat, so a main engine repower is not the go if you can help it.
Looking back to the early days of tinkering about with older engines, yes they can be frustrating, but you also learn a lot about boats, it depends on your personality and your budget.

Until you do get to a stage of reasonable confidence with the main outboard, just take your mate for a run, and save the impressionable family for the good days.....you need to work on "won't things be great when we have the big boat dear!"

 

[rbcoomer]

As you say, the plan is to move on to a larger boat, so a main engine repower is not the go if you can help it.
Looking back to the early days of tinkering about with older engines, yes they can be frustrating, but you also learn a lot about boats, it depends on your personality and your budget.

Until you do get to a stage of reasonable confidence with the main outboard, just take your mate for a run, and save the impressionable family for the good days.....you need to work on "won't things be great when we have the big boat dear!"

Yes, I really enjoy the learning/tinkering so no worries there and on the other front, she's worse than me! Having had boats before, she'd probably trade me in for a Sunseeker if she could

 

[AndieMac]

There he goes again, as soon as Kwacka gets involved, the thread shamelessly degrades to humour and exaggeration, everyone knows it's too cold for Somali pirates in Wales, and he does over-play the flow rate of the Swellies.
Anyone would think he was trying to attract the thrill-seeking, adrenalin junkies for a fast and furious RIB ride in the Menia Strait....err.. Seawake 3 at Port Dinorwic for example

 

[Seajet]

RB Coomer,

I see 'Marinescene' are offering alloy or stainless swing down brackets, around £85 & £55 repectively - I expect the more expensive but lighter alloy job would suit your craft better - and as others have mentioned, do you need the towing eye to starboard ?

 

[rbcoomer]

RB Coomer,

I see 'Marinescene' are offering alloy or stainless swing down brackets, around £85 & £55 repectively - I expect the more expensive but lighter alloy job would suit your craft better - and as others have mentioned, do you need the towing eye to starboard ?

Yes they seem like a good option, but the curved surface was the downside - hence Tranona's comments on packing.

I might bite the bullet and get one and then look at how far away from the Evinrude it actually needs to be given only one will be used at a time. The alternative I was considering (don't laugh!) was a strip of stainless approx 3" x 30" folded into a
'''''''''''_____
____| shape.

One end bolted behind the existing o/b onto transom and the aux mounted to the other end proud of the hull by the depth of fold! It would also need some form of support against hull with a suction cup or similar to prevent flexing in horizontal plane (front to rear)...

...perhaps the pre-made version with some woodwork will be easier...?

 

[AndieMac]

The height adjustable one will provide you with options for either playing in shallow, snag filled rivers, set high or thrusting from down lower as the boat pitches, forward and aft in even the slightest wave conditions.

 

[Scubadoo]

When I used to have a Fletcher 16ft, I decided an Aux O/B on the port or starboard would upset the weight balance too much and more added weight, guess it could be more of an issue on yours (unless you have trim tabs). I just made sure I had oars to at least get to shore, anchor and radio/phone. Also made sure my Mercury 80hp was service regularly, however it still failed (gear box oil seal failed) but got a tow by a fishing boat passing.

Even my current 25ft boat still just has the one engine, can't use oars anymore as a backup but now have SeaStart. So I would recommend considering SeaStart (like the AA of the sea) for about £120 a year, real peace of mind. Mind you, not sure if they cover your area, but worth checking. FYI, in the two events where I had engine issues (well one was a fishing line), seastart got to me within 30minutes and fixed the problems.

 

[rbcoomer]

When I used to have a Fletcher 16ft, I decided an Aux O/B on the port or starboard would upset the weight balance too much and more added weight, guess it could be more of an issue on yours (unless you have trim tabs). I just made sure I had oars to at least get to shore, anchor and radio/phone. Also made sure my Mercury 80hp was service regularly, however it still failed (gear box oil seal failed) but got a tow by a fishing boat passing.

Even my current 25ft boat still just has the one engine, can't use oars anymore as a backup but now have SeaStart. So I would recommend considering SeaStart (like the AA of the sea) for about £120 a year, real peace of mind. Mind you, not sure if they cover your area, but worth checking. FYI, in the two events where I had engine issues (well one was a fishing line), seastart got to me within 30minutes and fixed the problems.

Thanks for the tip. I confess that I hadn't considered balance but in any event don't want to leave the auxiliary attached due to stern weight/low freeboard. If I and one other stand in the back (I'm 5'10" and about 13 stone) the sea quickly ingresses through the splash-well drain hole and although I know it will empty when moving, with a 25L fuel tank, heavy duty battery and main motor etc all on the stern, it seems wise to store the auxiliary in the ski-hole during normal sea use. As this in central, it should have minimal impact on balance.

I'll only fit the auxiliary in the event of a breakdown or when creek crawling on rivers etc. Although I have fitted a bilge pump, at a rating of 500 gallons/hour it's not going to cope in the event of boat getting swamped! My theory is that the freeboard will matter less in calm shallow waters (which they will need to be if we're getting that close) and in the event of a main engine failure in a chop (as I would need to sit at the tiller anyway for aux) I would move the main fuel tank and other occupants forwards to compensate weight.

I have considered Sea Start and they do cover Torbay, but until I've figured how much use we're going to have from the boat (time and cost limited), it's quite a significant overhead. I'm hoping this year we'll get some nautical miles under our belts, find our way around the local waters and gain some valuable experience plus iron out any further glitches with 'Charlie'! Then next near we can use much more and get more adventurous, go further etc as I will certainly have a better idea of her handling, time between set points in different conditions, local navigation hazards etc. Then I will most likely look at Sea Start as if we are doing perhaps 20-30 trips in a season, the cost becomes negligible. If we only get to do half-a-dozen this year it would translate to a significant expense. I'd be more relaxed with no backup if either I had a lot more experience or if the boat/engine had a good, known track record instead of having been laid up for a long while.

I accept that attempting boating on a shoe-string is never going to be simple, but I've already discovered that significant savings can be had by a bit of local knowledge. Spending £40-50 for a day 'pottering about' is about the limit for us at the moment plus a budget of about £600 a year for maintenance/insurance etc. Car parking costs around £10 locally (with trailer) (£12 in Torbay) so by launching at Totnes or Teignmouth rather than in Torbay a further £10 can be saved on slipway fees! Torbay is convenient, but if half your budget goes before you get in the water then you tend to go much less often and I'd rather use the tenner saved for fuel and more time in the water/more 'on the job training' anyway!