Dinghy Motor Mount
- Thread starter Squidd
- Start date
I have one
In the pic you can's see too much. Under the motor at the bottom of the mount is a handle built into the inflatable. There is a plywood tongue that slides down into it. One thing I did learn is that I must keep the pressure up in the dinghy. If the air pressure is too low the dinghy tries to fold in the middle when I open up the throttle. The motor in the picture is a 2hp.
I also built a motor mount that goes on the stern ladder to provide an emergency motor if the main engine fails. I found the Honda 2.0 will push my SanJuan 28 at 3 kts.
Ken
In the pic you can's see too much. Under the motor at the bottom of the mount is a handle built into the inflatable. There is a plywood tongue that slides down into it. One thing I did learn is that I must keep the pressure up in the dinghy. If the air pressure is too low the dinghy tries to fold in the middle when I open up the throttle. The motor in the picture is a 2hp.
I also built a motor mount that goes on the stern ladder to provide an emergency motor if the main engine fails. I found the Honda 2.0 will push my SanJuan 28 at 3 kts.
Ken
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I should have added the blue vinyl flap is to keep the motor clamp handles from digging into the dinghy because I didn't have quite enough clearance. The wooden rods are kept from coming out by drilling them and putting in some hitch pins. In my case I had to drill holes in the rod holders on the dinghy to secure the wooden rods. The boat is a cheap SeaHawk II from Costco. We've used it infrequently for about 10 years now with no punctures.
Other than being cheap, the beauty of this is the dinghy rolls up into a bag that I tie down on the bow (about 18 X 12 X 10 inches) when cruising and not in use. It stows in the cabin the rest of the time. The mount comes apart and easy stows in the lazerette.
Most dingys are in the way most of the time while not in use.
Ken
Other than being cheap, the beauty of this is the dinghy rolls up into a bag that I tie down on the bow (about 18 X 12 X 10 inches) when cruising and not in use. It stows in the cabin the rest of the time. The mount comes apart and easy stows in the lazerette.
Most dingys are in the way most of the time while not in use.
Ken
I used to have the same dinghy as Ken. I built a wooden, hinged platform to fit between the tubular bracket and the dinghy. This stabilized the motor and prevented it from tilting under power. The top, horizontal shelf had holes drilled so that I could tie the shelf to the horizontal bars in four places. The arrangement was a bit bulky but worked effectively. The two parts were hinged for simpler disassembly and storage. I believe that you should be able to buy the tubular brackets as a separate item.
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Thanks to google images and you tube DIY videos, I was able to construct a mount for my dinghy...
It attaches to the back of the boat on two mounting lugs and is supported, reinforced with copper tubing to the oar locks...
Needs a little prime and paint to protect it, but should be strong enough for the little buzz wacker motor I found on e-bay...after cleaning the carb, filter and lines, it starts on a half a pull...
Should beat the heck out of rowing the dinghy to shore for "dog duty"..
It attaches to the back of the boat on two mounting lugs and is supported, reinforced with copper tubing to the oar locks...
Needs a little prime and paint to protect it, but should be strong enough for the little buzz wacker motor I found on e-bay...after cleaning the carb, filter and lines, it starts on a half a pull...
Should beat the heck out of rowing the dinghy to shore for "dog duty"..
Congratulations
I suspect you won't be disappointed. Just one thing: Put a line on your motor and tie it to the boat. In the event of a bracket failure, you won't loose the motor. I learned this lesson in about 1970. Just by chance I had both hands on the motor when it came off the boat. Otherwise my dad would have been upset. It happened again last fall and I hadn't tied my usual line to the motor. I happened to have a good hold on it again. Wow was I lucky.
Ken
I suspect you won't be disappointed. Just one thing: Put a line on your motor and tie it to the boat. In the event of a bracket failure, you won't loose the motor. I learned this lesson in about 1970. Just by chance I had both hands on the motor when it came off the boat. Otherwise my dad would have been upset. It happened again last fall and I hadn't tied my usual line to the motor. I happened to have a good hold on it again. Wow was I lucky.
Ken
Hate to keep dragging up an old thread, but that first picture was so crappy, I wanted to show what really went into building the motor mount...
The back of the dinghy had "lugs" that were designed for an optional electric motor sold by West Marine..
I wanted to incorporate them into the design so I built a transom out of marine ply and added "hooks" that clip into the lugs in back
Needed some side to side stability as well as transfering torque to a greater portion of the dinghy so I fabricated longitudinal stabilizers (braces) out of copper pipe from transom to oar locks...
These in turn are secured to the oar locks with clips
And to the transom with "J" hooks tightened from the back...
The mount seems to support the 3 hp 2 cycle (24#) motor rather securely...
And folds into a compact package for storage...
The back of the dinghy had "lugs" that were designed for an optional electric motor sold by West Marine..
I wanted to incorporate them into the design so I built a transom out of marine ply and added "hooks" that clip into the lugs in back
Needed some side to side stability as well as transfering torque to a greater portion of the dinghy so I fabricated longitudinal stabilizers (braces) out of copper pipe from transom to oar locks...
These in turn are secured to the oar locks with clips
And to the transom with "J" hooks tightened from the back...
The mount seems to support the 3 hp 2 cycle (24#) motor rather securely...
And folds into a compact package for storage...
That should work. The rods on ours are wood dowels and need to be replaced periodically. having it break down for storage is a must and I see you also addressed that.
Our San Juan also has an extendable ladder that drops down at the transom. I also built a small mount that attaches to the ladder so in a pinch I could put the motor on the transom to push the main boat. My little Honda 2hp will give me 3 kts if I need it.
Naturally I tried to use it this summer when my strainer clogged up and no wind. It wouldn't start thanks to e10 gasoline. I had to disassemble the carb and clean it out to get it to run again. So much for emergency backups.
Ken
Our San Juan also has an extendable ladder that drops down at the transom. I also built a small mount that attaches to the ladder so in a pinch I could put the motor on the transom to push the main boat. My little Honda 2hp will give me 3 kts if I need it.
Naturally I tried to use it this summer when my strainer clogged up and no wind. It wouldn't start thanks to e10 gasoline. I had to disassemble the carb and clean it out to get it to run again. So much for emergency backups.
Ken