1988 Edson Restoration, Need advice on Motor Mounts.

[New Boater Brad]

Hello everyone... I have started a rebuild of the stringers and floor of my 1988 Edson from the bow to the engine which is a 4.3 L merc cruiser. The motor mounts seemed pretty solid so I opted to leave them in as removing and reinstalling the engine is a job that I dont think I can do on my own.
As I was grinding the fiberglass for the installation of new stringers I popped a hole in one of the motor mounts and discovered the wood inside is badly rotten.

The fiberglass around the mounts seems solid and the motor still seems solid enough as well.

Is there anyway I can reinforce these motor mounts without having to pull the engine and rebuild the mounts?

Thanks in adavance for any suggestions.

Brad

 

[New Boater Brad]

Re: 1988 Edson Restoration, Need advice on Motor Mounts.

Actually Im going to have the engine pulled and do it right.. But if anyone has any advice on building the motor mounts please feel free.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1988 Edson Restoration, Need advice on Motor Mounts.

the mounts are nothing more than blocks of wood on edge.....and fiberglass over them.

pulling the motor......is easy.....a 30 minit job.....one hour if you have never done it before..

4 bolts and some electrical.

do core samples on your transom as well....

 

[New Boater Brad]

Re: 1988 Edson Restoration, Need advice on Motor Mounts.

Hi oops.. thanks for the heads up. Well I had the people that I am buying my supplies from come and check out my boat for the amount of materials that I require. The one fellow has been restoring boats for 30 some years. He checked out the transom and it does need to be replaced. I just cant seem to catch a break on this one at all.

The motor is going to be pulled and reinstalled by the marina that I bought the boat from last year, this is a little beyond my expertise.

A couple of things this fellow said is a little disturbing. After all I read and seen on here and from Frisco.. is that the stringers must not sit on the bottom of the boat. He said that they should be? When I took the stringer out there was anywhere from 1/2" to an 1" of space from the bottom of stringer to the boat. Not sure what to make of that.

Second is that he said there is no need to fiber glass over top of the stringers just up the sides then resin the top of them.. is this right?

Third the motor mounts seem to be a hollow plywood box covered with fiberglass, the other mounts that I have seen on here are solid wood?

I bought this boat late last summer.. had it out for a few weekends before I had to pull it out.. I thought all I was going to have to do was replace the floor.. but after a couple of weeks of sitting at my dock there were mushrooms growing out of the floor.. Never thought that I would be in so deep.


Ill post some pictures shortly of progress and status of the project.