littlebunker
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2013
- Messages
- 33
I have a general question about building an outboard transom or bracket?why is this not done more often?
I was walking around my local marina the other day and I saw... probably a quarter of the boats, so maybe 20 or so, had some kind of outboard kicker bracket bolted on there. thing is, there were some giant motors on these brackets. I saw mostly 20s, some 30s, some 10s. more than a few had 2 kickers bolted on, with outboards. One guy had a 60hp hanging off there, and I checked his bracket and the plate said it was rated for a 60hp! I looked online but didn't find it anywhere, so maybe it was custom or something, but I've found 40hp kickers.
I feel like a 20hp is in the neighborhood of 150 pounds, or so? and I definitely saw a few guys with dual 20hps on the back, so that's a good 300 pounds of motor. If the transom is strong enough to hold THAT, just by a few bolts and a square foot of metal, it doesn't seem like a stretch to put 350 pounds of 100hp motor on a transom, if it's secured properly.
I mean, there's obviously something I'm missing. But what is it? It seems like, if you're comfortable just popping a few bolts through a sheet of aluminum and some plywood (on some of these boats, for sure) and hanging 150 pounds per bracket off the back of a boat, I would think that by taking off the transom, cutting a thicker transom and reinforcing it, bolting it properly to the frame (of glassing it in to the frame, if you have a glass boat) and then seriously reinforcing the whole thing cross-wise.... I would feel comfortable hanging a LOT more weight off the back. Cut a little outboard notch, and that just seems... doable. So why isn't this done?
Especially people with old aluminums with inboards. It seems like it would be so easy to fabricate a much stronger bracket and just hang it off the back, or bolt it through the aluminum to the stringers.
Would appreciate any insights!
Thanks!!
I was walking around my local marina the other day and I saw... probably a quarter of the boats, so maybe 20 or so, had some kind of outboard kicker bracket bolted on there. thing is, there were some giant motors on these brackets. I saw mostly 20s, some 30s, some 10s. more than a few had 2 kickers bolted on, with outboards. One guy had a 60hp hanging off there, and I checked his bracket and the plate said it was rated for a 60hp! I looked online but didn't find it anywhere, so maybe it was custom or something, but I've found 40hp kickers.
I feel like a 20hp is in the neighborhood of 150 pounds, or so? and I definitely saw a few guys with dual 20hps on the back, so that's a good 300 pounds of motor. If the transom is strong enough to hold THAT, just by a few bolts and a square foot of metal, it doesn't seem like a stretch to put 350 pounds of 100hp motor on a transom, if it's secured properly.
I mean, there's obviously something I'm missing. But what is it? It seems like, if you're comfortable just popping a few bolts through a sheet of aluminum and some plywood (on some of these boats, for sure) and hanging 150 pounds per bracket off the back of a boat, I would think that by taking off the transom, cutting a thicker transom and reinforcing it, bolting it properly to the frame (of glassing it in to the frame, if you have a glass boat) and then seriously reinforcing the whole thing cross-wise.... I would feel comfortable hanging a LOT more weight off the back. Cut a little outboard notch, and that just seems... doable. So why isn't this done?
Especially people with old aluminums with inboards. It seems like it would be so easy to fabricate a much stronger bracket and just hang it off the back, or bolt it through the aluminum to the stringers.
Would appreciate any insights!
Thanks!!