Motor alignment on the transom?

[Chuck B.]

I have just finished tearing out all of the wood out of the transom of my boat, "I sure hope I dont ever have to do this again!" I stepped back to look at the rear of the boat and noticed that the motor is not mounted in the center of the boat, it is about 3/4 inch off to the right. I have looked at other boats, and they are all directly in the center of the boat. Seeing that I have glass work to do on the back of the transom, should I glass in these holes and remount the motor in the middle, or leave it where it is? Any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hooty]

Re: Motor alignment on the transom?

Hiddy Chuck B.,<br />Did Chanesaw Evin help ya get that old transom out? If not, I bet ya did have a tough time with it. Ya see, Evin takes 'um out with a chainsaw and he's very good at it. <br />To answer your question, I'd go ahead and plan on centering the engine when re-installing it. Supposedly, some boat/engines handle better with the engine off-center but I've never seen it, so figger on the engine going back on in the center. Keep us posted.<br /><br />c/6<br /><br />Hooty

 

[MIKE F]

Re: Motor alignment on the transom?

To find the center of your transom don't just measure in from the sides. Short of making, your own large, compass type, tool just get a piece of string, 5' or so and a pencil.Tie a knot around the pencil at one end of the string.Use about 2' of the string and use it as a compass to mark the transom where it meets the bottom of the boat, both to the left, and to the right, of the keel.Next go to one of those new pencil marks at the very bottom of the transom and using more of your string draw an arc back towards the center of the boat transom. Using that EXACT same length of string do the same thing from opposite side of the transom.Let out more of your string and do the same thing from each side again using those first two marks you made on either side of the keel.You'll see that you have two sets of lines crossing each other. Drawing a line through them will give you the true center of the boat. <br />Did that make sense?