Motor Mount Rusted Through

[Underblog]

I picked up a beater Leisure Island 16' er last year and launched her this spring. She has a 25 Johnson that runs well.

My question is about the motor mount forward of the transom, the flat piece of sheet metal you look down upon from the back gate. Mine is pretty well rusted through. I am wondering if all I am losing is speed and fuel efficiency and how much at that by letting it rust away. The angle iron supporting the motor is all fine; I am wondering whether it is worth the expense to make the repair or to wait as long as possible.



I tried to get a picture, but the glare on the water made the images unusable.

 

[newbie4life]

Re: Motor Mount Rusted Through

ah... HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! UNDERBLOG - THAT'S WHAT MY PONTOON LOOKED LIKE LAST YEAR.... I have a Leisure Island 20' (deck is 16' but the title says 20' - must be the pontoons they measure.) We redid it on a bit of a budget -- but folks are amazed at the transformation... we even named it... "Wreck-A-Mended".

I'm trying to decide which piece you're looking at -- is it the part the motor is directly mounted on, or is it the thin piece of sheet metal thats somewhat of a motor protector ahead of that? I would be glad to take a picture of mine in the morning and see if I can get it posted-- if you think it would be helpful. Mine has a lot of turbulence back there regardless - but if there's something that can be done to make it more 'hydro-dynamic', it would only help.

I wouldn't expect to get 60 mph out of it -- but every little bit has to help with $4/gallon fuel.

 

[Underblog]

Re: Motor Mount Rusted Through

It is the thin piece of sheet metal just forward of the bottom of the transom, below the water level. That is the motor protector, is it? It seems to catch some water, but Rover is hardly what you would call a performance machine with its 25 horse Johnson.

 

[newbie4life]

Re: Motor Mount Rusted Through

I have a 40 hp yamaha, and it's not much better. I get around 14 mph or so, depending on conditions, load, and if the stupid engine is running right. :/

That thin piece of sheet metal also has the two angle irons on the side to support the weight of the engine mount (at least on mine it does.) I'd have to look at mine again, but I would want it fixed or replaced if at all possible. From what I can see, it looks like that piece of metal is there to protect and move junk out of the way of the engine, make it more dynamic as it goes through the water, and helps support the engine...

My yamaha didn't have power trim and tilt -- but I have been parting out an old boat, and pulled the trim cylinders off... and there's enough 'structural integrity' on that thin little piece of metal, that, with a little reinforcing, I mounted the trim cylinder to it.

Is there a way the rust could be cut out and patched in with new metal? If not, it would be relatively easy, to pull the engine off, and un-bolt the mount from the pontoon -- seems like there's 6 or 8 bolts that hold it to the pontoon. Take it to a metal shop, and in a couple hours it would be fixed.