Fw: The engine mount
I am forewarding to the group some letters sent to
others on the side so that these fixes can be shared with those of you who are
about to build and are interested. This is not to discourage anyone, but
just problems that can be avoided and or over come. Oddly, my most
troublesome problem was overcome with a one cent piece of flexible plastic on a
handle. I will foreward at least one other letter as well.
The latest on my rework of the lower engine
mount bolts. If you use a large engine such as the honda 75 which is
great, you will have the two lower mount bolts spending time below water.
Excuse me if I already mentioned that. the fix is to hang your motor,
drill the holes and remove the motor. Now if you have already glassed and
built in everything at the transom as I did, you will need to cut access holes
to get back in now. I would suggest cutting access from the area of the
gas tank which of course means you will have to have a removable lid that closes
this area. Also before both tanks are installed. Now put the bolts pointing
outward so the nuts are put on from the outside. Use 5200 at the heads and
then make up a thick epoxy mash and glass over these heads to hold into place
and prevent any water from seeping in. Later use 5200 around where they
come through on the outside. I am just now finishing this
fix.
If you use a side mount engine control which I
think you must. It will need to be about seat height and a little to the
rear. What this causes is, the hand wrapping down slightly onto the side
of the handle when going into reverse. No amount of practice will prevent
this. The result is when comming into a dock and needing to backdown, the
engine will raise up out of the water as the up button is right where the meat
of the thumb wraps over. A bad design. This has occurred several
times with me and also my wife who has smaller hands. My expensive first
prop is now going into repair due to this already. The fix came to me the
other night which I did. Simple. I wrapped a heavy piece of plastic
over the top of the handle, extending it in an eyebrow out and over the up-down
control. Thus I cannot accidentally actuate the up button. I need to
be deliberate now to use it which worked great yesterday.
While on the subject, you will get a meter
telling where your engine is as to tilt. However, this only shows a small
amount. Then you may want to tilt further up, but if going to far, you
will hit the sides or the swim platform. I just made, but not installed
yet, two alarms (lights). These will be actuated by mercury switches
mounted within the engine cowling. Take an older thermostat which you can
get from a heating contractor and tear it apart using the two wires to run the
circuit through.....the top most position is to prevent me from mashing the
bottom of the swim platform and the next down is to hold the boarding ladder
into place. It rests onto the prop hub very nicely. Better raise the
ladder and lower the engine before staring however or there will be some bad
noise.
Just re-read your letter. The top part
ahead of the motor board is freeflooding and scuppers are drilled in. The
prob is the closed area below which I mentioned above. I did not mention,
but I am putting two PVC pipes down into this area before closing. These
will have a screen and a loop down allowing air into and out and also a way to
vacuum water out if any get down there in the future. You are right though, a
little glycol in here would help.
I think I mentioned in some letters to the group
about using heavy PVC pipe warped around and under the cutwater, set into epoxy
and screwed down. This will give you a bullet proof bow to jam onto
any rocky beach. If you did not read this let me know as you will wear off
any fiberglass and be into the wood within several beachings. Be back and
happy building. Brad