Help me find a dinghy motor mount!

I need a dinghy motor mount like this for my trawler:http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|294|314561&id=166128


Problem is that the specific item above only works on 1" rails. *My rails are 1.25". *The only ones I have found that work on 1.25" rails cost like $300 which is just silly. *Anyone know of a mounting bracket such as the one in the link above that works on 1.25" rails that costs under $50? *I know I could make one but I have enough things to do already. *

This is sold by Fisheries Supply http://www.fisheriessupply.com/productgroupdetail.aspx?cid=18130&keywords=motor+bracket and possiby Defender as well. It's for 1" rails but perhaps you could drill out the holes to 1.25." The price is about $45.

FWIW you can make any link active in a post by putting bracket-URL-close bracket at the front of the pasted-in URL, and bracket-forward slash-URL-close bracket at the end of the URL. I have to spell it out like this because if I actually do it you won't see the code, just the highlighted text.

I have a photo of the teak bracket but the photo posting part of the forum application isn't working right now.

Oh, is that it? - wow thanks for mentioning that last bit Marin, I was wondering why I could not get any pic to upload the last 2 days, and had convinced myself some vital thing had gone wonky when I recently upgraded to the latest Snow Leopard OS X on my MacBook. Your explanation, I like better.
Woodsong, I have one of these http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-1836-guard-rail-outboard-pad.aspx but it is really just a UV stable plastic version of the one you gave the URL to, but as a 1/4 inch is not much, and there is some lee-way in the clamping it might go round 1 & 1/4 inch if you used longer bolts at the rail end, I would think, so it still might work. Otherwise there is the one Marin linked.

A nice piece of hardwood about 1" thick , router a groove in it for the rail and a couple of s/s hose clamps or U bolts, Viola you have a musical instruement, I mean outboard bracket.Mount it at a T junction of the rails and it wont slip round.

Benn

You can buy from Tap Plastics 2*pieces of HDPE 1" thick by 6" by 9" for $15.00.* Router out 1.25" for the railings and then*counter sink some holes to bolt the 2 pieces together.

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=49

Larry/Lena
Hobo KK42
Manzanillo, Colima, MX

Tony, I am just upgrading my dinghy system on Moonstruck.* A Weaver Leaver has just arrived.* I think it is a great system, but it is expensive.* If you want to stop by and take a look, let me know.

By the way, your tag line sounds as if you have met one of my "old" girl friends!

Peter B wrote:

I was wondering why I could not get any pic to upload the last 2 days, and had convinced myself some vital thing had gone wonky when I recently upgraded to the latest Snow Leopard OS X on my MacBook.

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We upgraded our Mac to Snow Leopard awhile back and the ability to post photos to the forum was unchanged.* This is something that's happened within the past few days.

*

I can't believe no one makes a dinghy engine mount like the one I posted at the top of this thread that will fit 1.25" rails! Do most folks have only 1" rails?

Don, the weaver leaver looks awesome but more $$ that I want to put into engine storage right now. Is your Sabre up in chattanooga right now? I thought she was down on the coast???

I guess i am going to have to just go make one.

Woodsong wrote:

I can't believe no one makes a dinghy engine mount like the one I posted at the top of this thread that will fit 1.25" rails! Do most folks have only 1" rails?

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The most common rail sizes in boats like most of us on this forum have are 3/4," 7/8," and 1".* I've not seen anything larger in the typical marine stores.* Fisheries Supply in Seattle sells stainless tubing in diameters up to* 1.25" but a quick look through their rail-mounted accessories and components shows only two mounting sizes for almost everything, 7/8" and 1".

1.25" rails (or larger) would seem to be the sort of thing found on larger boats, and the demand for an off-the-shelf, rail-mounted outboard bracket on a yacht is probably about zero.

Drilling the required holes in a chunk of UHMW may be the easiest way to get what you want.

*

Our little boat has stout 1 1/4" rails on the main deck and 1" on the flybridge deck. We bought a Magma cooker and luckily Magma has 1 1/4" rail mounts for where I decided the cooker should reside and where I initially put it (aft on the main deck).

Luckily, Magma also has 1" mounts for where SWMBO decided the cooker was actually going to reside (aft on the flybridge deck).

Woodsong wrote:Don, the weaver leaver looks awesome but more $$ that I want to put into engine storage right now. Is your Sabre up in chattanooga right now? I thought she was down on the coast???

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Your thought was correct, Tony.* The Sabre has never been in Chattanooga.* She is berthed near Boca Grande, FL.* The engine bracket is in Chattanooga.* That is my project when returning to the boat after Christmas.* We will do a couple of projects then take a nice long cruise around the SW FL coast.* We plan to take it to the Chesapeake in May.* My Blackfin is in Chattanooga.

Here is where Moonstruck is** http://www.gasparillamarina.com/

*


-- Edited by Moonstruck on Saturday 11th of December 2010 04:13:29 PM

I just took one off my rail. It is a teak block, made up from 3/4" pieces glued together to 2 1/4". It is held on the inside of hte rails and stick up above far enough to tighten up the motor mounts totally above the rail. This has the added advantage of getting the bottom of the skeg up off the deck. It was attached to the rails by 3 U-bolts. Those can be sized to fit your rail. Simple.

koliver wrote:

I just took one off my rail. It is a teak block, made up from 3/4" pieces glued together to 2 1/4". It is held on the inside of hte rails and stick up above far enough to tighten up the motor mounts totally above the rail. This has the added advantage of getting the bottom of the skeg up off the deck. It was attached to the rails by 3 U-bolts. Those can be sized to fit your rail. Simple.

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Now that is a simple and obvious solution. *I was thinking something that covered both sides of the rail but if I understand what you are saying, and what just occured to me, was that i could mount a 1" board or even a piece of a 2x10 or something that is stained to look good and just mount it on 3 ubolts high enough to get the engine mounts above the rail....I'd have to be ok with the ubolts being visible and maybe put some pieces of rubber or something between the rail and the ubolts so that it doesn't ruin the rail but that would certainly be a simple solution!

*

Tony:
Mine was hanging there when I bought the boat in 94, looked old and there was an old 6hp Evenrude on the little dink, sized for the mount. I had a 15 Merc on my inflatable, that I had brought over from my old sailboat, so I got rid of the smaller stuff. Didn't get around to taking the mount off till this fall, when I was refinishing where the rail attached to the underside of the upper deck. When I had the rail off, I decided that old piece of teak had to come off. There wasn't anything between the u bolts and the 1.125" rails, and no marks were left. I had just bought a bunch of U-bolts that size, so those went into my spares kit. The lump of teak came home. It has lots of life left in it, if I can think of something that needs that thickness.
The nuts were countersunk into the teak, to leave the engine side without any protrusions.

Woodsong, I think Tidahapa and Koliver have nailed your solution. A nice chunka wood with a shallow groove just inside one vertical edge, (and I think for a tinny O/B > 15 hp), 2 x 1/4 inch u-bolts would suffice, and there's your problem solved.


-- Edited by Peter B on Saturday 11th of December 2010 11:53:05 PM

Well, I have to thank you all here @ TF for making me see the very simple and easy solution to a mount for our dinghy motor. *While it's not a sexy piece of equipment (the mount OR the engine lol), both work great. *The engine is actually completely rebuilt so while she looks old she runs good and is less likely (hopefully) to get stolen. *The engine mount will work for now...the sea ray owners near me may consider it too simple but hey- it's a 27-28 year old trawler after all- I am allowed some poetic license, right?*Simple piece of yellow pine I stained and drilled for Ubolts and recessed the washers and nuts so as to not protrude....works for now until I find a "sexier" solution but I really can't see spending $200 for a "professional" set up. *May try to get a nicer piece of wood and stain to match exterior teak but at least I am not having to toss the outboard inside my kayak until I find something a little nicer looking.

Something to be wary of---- friends we used to boat with built a similar mount for their 4hp outboard. They also used a soft wood (I believe it was pine). Like you, they built the mount with the grain running horizontally (at least that's the way it looks in your photo). At one point during a trip to Desolation Sound we took with them something--- don't know what--- put a bit of a pull on the motor and the mount board cracked all the way across right under the motor's C-clamps.

It would have been better had he oriented the mounting board with the grain running vertically. Even better, of course, would have been the use of a much tougher wood--- oak, ash, etc. He made a new board at the conclusion of the trip and used (IIRC) a piece of oak with the grain oriented vertically.

Perhaps the best of all would have been a thick piece (or a pair of thick pieces laminated/screwed together) of marine ply with some sort of finish to protect it from the weather.

In any event, be careful of putting any leverage on your mount as it could crack across the same as our friend's did.

ditto what Marin said! First thing I noticed in your pix is the cracking prone orientation of the woodgrain. Please try again right away.

ack. Hmm...well....it's a pretty tough piece of southern yellow pine....typically pretty darn tough wood and cut out of a 2x12. Point taken though. I will beat on it next time I am there to see if it wants to crack at all....I would be amazed if it does but I see your point about the grain. Luckily I've got more 2x12 stock laying around if I need to swap it out or I can get some oak or other material. Perhaps back to the workbench I go.....

Woodsong wrote:

ack. Hmm...well....it's a pretty tough piece of southern yellow pine....typically pretty darn tough wood and cut out of a 2x12. Point taken though. I will beat on it next time I am there to see if it wants to crack at all....I would be amazed if it does but I see your point about the grain. Luckily I've got more 2x12 stock laying around if I need to swap it out or I can get some oak or other material. Perhaps back to the workbench I go.....

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Woodsong, sorry to say that you really need to change Your orientation.* That is the orientation of your OB motor mount.* When pine dries out it will tend to season crack on a line parallel to the grain direction.* That can instantly weaken it.* It has a tendency to crack at the stress point.* If it is treated pine, the tendency is greater because most treated is not kiln dried.* Seems to be something that needs to be taken of.* Those guys had better eyes than me, but kudos to them for catching it.* That is what makes this forum so useful.

*

Truth be told, the block was cut off a 2x12 kiln dried, non-pressure treated, southern yellow pine. It has been in my garage for about a year. Before that, I was using it as scaffolding for when I put the new facade on the garage (tore off the siding and installed cedar shingles...talk about labor intensive!!). So- it's been beat around pretty good and never showed any signs of cracking despite some tough use.
At any rate...no need for me to have to worry if a heavy wave will crack it in half from the pressure. Guess I'll go cut up another piece of 2x I have laying around and orient the grain parallel with the outboard. Let's hope I don't run into this issue when I build the 2nd berth I am about to start in the kid's stateroom! lol

A short section of board will snap along the grain much more readily than a longer plank of the same dimensions.

Woodsong wrote:

At any rate...no need for me to have to worry if a heavy wave will crack it in half from the pressure.

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Tony, you haven't been at Island Cove long enough.* When one or more (sometimes they come out in a line) of the 60-80 footers come out of the Yacht Club channel toward Harrison Bluff, you can get hit with a 6' wall of water beam on.* It is always good to secure loose items before venturing out.* Many of them slow down for no one.

When you change your orientation--that is the orientation of your motor mount, it would be good to cap the mount with some copper sheating.* It will place the open grain up to wick the water.* Since the pine is not treated, this really should be done.* Just bend a copper cap over and use copper nails to keep down galvanic action.

*