Alert!! Check your motor mounts!

[Jim Seamans]

Everyone should check their motor mounts. I was cleaning the boat Monday evening after being out for three days. Noticed that the steel brackets holding the motor mount to the transom were bending and twisting. I have a Honda 9.9 outboard and will place pictures on the Photo Forum.Credit to Customer Support at Hunter, they are going to fabricate a heavier bracket and replace these. No Questions asked, only how can we fix it. Great bunch of people.JimS/V Java

 

[Mike Gardiner]

Does this apply to all 260's?

Does this problem exist on all 260's, or was there an engineering change made at some time in the manufactuing process? If only some boats are impacted, is there a munfacture date or seriel number to identify the boats involved?

 

[Jim Seamans]

Mike - not sure

Not sure about any other boats Mike. Customer Support looked at the pictures I sent them and said "This should not happen and we will fix it".As a side note, I tow 150 miles round trip every time I go sailing and not sure if the bumpy roads contributed to this.JimS/V Java

 

[Jim Schaff]

Trailering Shouldn't Be Problem

I have a H26 and have trailered it many thousands of miles and have never had my motor off the boat. Got my boat new in 96 and motor mounts are still just as good as new.Jim Schaffs/v Morning Glory

 

[Frank on the BonnieLynn - H260]

Motor Mounts

Thanks Jim,I have to assume our mounts are the same. I recieved my boat a month after you. I did tow my boat from NC to MD and my mount looks fine, but I'll keep a close eye on it.

 

[Bernie]

My motor mounts are bent

Jim,I have been worried about my motor mounts bending since last year. I always take my motor off when trailering any more than a very short distance. So it is definitely not due to trailering in my case. As soon as I saw your posting, I called Hunter and asked for them to send me heavier ones too. They said that after you reported the problem, they weren't able to come up with a way to make them stronger. Apparently, there have not been many complaints about the brackets bending. They told me they would be happy to send me another set of brackets to replace my bent ones. I accepted their offer and plan to take the replacements to an aluminum welding shop to beef up their design myself. I will then replace them next time I pull the boat out of its slip, probably in November. It is my guess that this problem is developing primarily on 260s that are using 4-stroke engines that are so much heavier than the two stroke engines of earlier years. If I remember currectly, you have the same engine as mine with that heavier bigfoot lower unit. Let's stay in touch on this item.Bernie

 

[Jim Seamans]

Checking the Mounts

To All,I think this is one of those items we tend not to look at much, since it is down and out of the way. I was giving the boat a good cleaning and just happened to see it. Hunter is being very attentive about it and said they believe I'm the only person who has had this happen. So if you have bent brackets let them know about it. It is the only way their engineering group is going to re-engineer the brackets. They are not sure way it happened either. As someone said, it could be the weight of the 4 stroke engines.Hunter is going to send new brackets.JimS/V Java

 

[Michael Stephens]

Mine Too Jim

I made a point to look mine over this weekend Jim and they look very similar to yours. They seem to be bending and curling away from the hull. I have gaps in the sealant like yours also. I run a 8hp Nissan 2 stroke which is much lighter than the 4 stroke Honda so I don't think weight is the issue. Let me know if Hunter is making this change across the board or if I need to call them. Thanks for the insight.Michael StephensS/V Pure Heaven H260

 

[Joe C.]

Mine are about the same!

Hi Jim, Bernie, Michael and other H260 guys,I receintly noticed that my brackets are bending as well. I will call them at Hunter Monday and let them know that it seems to be a consistant problem. I have the Merc. big foot long shaft like Bernie's. I figured that it was caused by bumps while trailering as Jim suggested. Maybe in addition to stronger (less flexible) brackets we could add some additional support for the motor while trailering. Any ideas?Joe C. in NC'01 H260Windward Passage

 

[Nils Anderson]

Tilted or Not?

I have a new 260 and like the many years of trailering my '92 M26 classic, I tilt my 9.9 Yahama 4-stroke when trailering. I also tie it up to the top of the sternrail, sharing some of the load. The motor is balanced, so the load on the mount is only down, not away. Also, I position the motor in the center of the mount so the load is shared equally between brackets.Does anyone have the problem with this trailering configuration?Nils

 

[Mike Roess]

Mine Too (Honda 9.9)

Is it the thrust of the engine....or releasing the motor in the up position and just letting it go....or is the gauge of the metal too thin? If Hunter has an opinion I would like to hear it (michael_roess@yahoo.com)