H26 Outboard Motor Shaft, Long or Extra Long

[Kamo]

Dave,

Thanks for such a quick reply. I will follow your advice, gain access to the back of the hull and see what can be done to support the bracket. Will report on progress

Gregory

 

[twalker H260]

If you look under boat info-260-mods you will see one of the issues with the earlier mounts- the brackets themselves were too light and tended to twist - some owners added reinforcement to the brackets to prevent/repair this issue.

https://hunter.sailboatowners.com/mods.php?task=article&mid=20&aid=6889&mn=260

If I recall correctly later models had heavier brackets.

I don’t think I ever saw anyone on the forum note they had an issue with the stern fibreglass unless they had a outboard far larger than recommended.

Our 2004 has a high thrust 9.9 Yamaha extra long shaft. It has no issues other than some cosmetic spider cracking which it’s had since its second year.

 

[JimInPB]

I see that this old thread is back in play again, so I will add a few comments that I hope will be helpful.

On my Hunter 26.5, I have the same port tack drag issue, but it's not bad with the 20" shaft 9.8hp I have now. The big problem that I have is the lower unit coming completely out of the water in heavy seas or when making a hard right turn. A 25" would help with that, but at the expense of adding extra stress to the transom. The bracket itself seems fine, but the transom already flexes more than I like. I would add a couple square feet of 1/4" G10 before going with a longer shaft on that boat.

One strange thing about the way that mine is set up is the prop. I have a 3 blade with a steep pitch. I get a lot of slip when I give it the gas. Performance would probably be better with a 4 blade, low pitch, high torque prop, but I don't want to add the extra stress to the transom at this time, so I just leave it as-is for now.

On a recent 25 mile trip with a 2.5 knot current & 10 knot breeze both dead on the nose, I was able to average about 5mpg just motoring, while making just over 3 knots average headway over land. A buddy in a Cherubini 27, with a similar motor, burned about twice as much gas on the same trip, the same day. That boat is a couple thousand pounds heavier & I think that he lays on the throttle a little harder than I do. I was below 3/4 throttle & felt like I was near hull speed.

A longer shaft will cause more drag & likely increase your fuel consumption.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Does anyone know where Doug J went to? I have a question about an earlier post with photo of new metal bracket for outboard motor bracket?

 

[Doug J]

Does anyone know where Doug J went to? I have a question about an earlier post with photo of new metal bracket for outboard motor bracket?

Hi Dave! I'm here, just not been active lately. Haven't had my boat out since last September. Too much other stuff
been going on.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I have been working and repairing sailboats this summer for Boy Scouts who know how to tear up boats. See Ya.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Wanted to know if you had any other photos of that bracket?

 

[Doug J]

Wanted to know if you had any other photos of that bracket?

Well, I don't have any other to provide. But I think the pic's I already uploaded in this thread, show it pretty good. Here's a quote from my original post with dimensions.
"The starboard side of the mount is extended out 4 inches. The aluminum tube is 2"x 3"x 8", 1/4" thick. An aluminum wedge 8" long adds another inch, for a total of 4 inches. The port side of the wood mount is beveled and shaped to fit the contours of the transom. The wood is walnut measuring 19" x 13" x 1.75"."

Considering I have a 25" Tohatsu 9.9hp, I lifted the wood part 2 inches. This not only helps when tilting the motor up out of the water, but also allows enough clearance for the front of the motor and the deck.

Overall I am very happy with the way it turned out. Seems to me very strong.

Hope this helps.

 

[Kamo]

Hello again,
The information you guys provided is great. I can not wait to stick my head behind the bulkhead to see the mounting area from behind ( as suggested by Dave) but we have 95F+ weather here so the inside of the boat is like a pizza oven. I did look into the bollard pull numbers for small outboards; if anything I was conservative with my 200 lb of thrust estimate. I will do my own measurement when I have the boat on the water; much easier than digging through hundreds of ignorant/superficial posts all over internet.
I will provide the numbers here when I have them. It might take a while but it will happen!

Gregory

 

[ChristianJ]

Hello all, I am the new owner of a Hunter 26 slipped at a lake. I also need to change the outboard engine mount. What would be an easy repair that will hold an 8hp Nissan. Here is a photo on what it looks like. I appreciate the help and guidance I will take photos again when finished. I am thinking to go to local store and get treated wood and cut it to size. Drill holes for the 3/8 stainless bolts. Clean the surface of the boat with some acetone and then use 4200 around the holes before bolting the wood back to the boat. I am not calculating anything other than getting it done. Is there anything else that I need to consider like spacers, or?

Thank you here is a current photo of the bad wood just after it split underway.

 

[ChristianJ]

Here are some photos from inside also. I will remove the screws on the panel in the berth aft to get to the back of the motor bolts. It is interesting that it does not have any nuts there? Should I add nuts, do I need washers, should I have any backing or just tighten the nut onto my new bolt. With 4200 to seal it up? The current board is 16 x 6 x 2.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@ChristianJ
There are aluminum encapsulated plates in the fiberglass which was drilled and tapped. This is why You do not see any nuts and with the newer four stroke engines and/or if the threads wallowed out, I have suggested distributing the load in the back by adding plates to the backside.

 

[Kamo]

Hello Christian,
Your pictures will make my life easier. They show what I expected to see which is two metal strips laminated into the structure of the fiberglass (you can see the outline in IMG ....827). The holes in the metal are threaded which makes things easier. You don't need help of another person when tightening the bolts. Using 4200 is a standard approach to prevent water from wicking along the threads and causing corrosion.
Perhaps you would like to reconsider the use of treated wood. Other than chemical treatment this is very low quality, low strength wood. So from mechanical point of view it will not be a good solution and it might even stain the gel coat and corrode the bolts. The zero dollar, high strengths solution would be to use a scrap of Versa-Lam laminated wood product. If you drive by any residential construction site you will find scrap pieces much larger than what you need. It is an order of magnitude stronger than regular wood, reasonably waterproof and if you varnish it it will give you many years of service. Garolite (phenolic) or other strong plastic would of course be better but unless you have connection to scrap pieces rather pricey.
I am still looking for a force gage to measure the thrust of the outboard to prove/disprove my calculations.

Gre

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Kamo;

From experience, the weight of the four strokes are heavier vs. the two stroke. Originally, the design of the former to the 260 was a 26 designed for a two stroke. Also, the transoms are designed to accommodate up to a 10 hp as told to me by manufacturers in the past. I know with a 9.9 hp at full throttle, you will start to plow or raise the bow and when that is done, it is like hitting a wall of water;; thus, slowing the boat down. I generally have suggested to throttle down a little to a point the bow is not raised up for a faster speed. You are aware this is a displacement hull, not a plaining hull like a power boat.

 

[ChristianJ]

So after a friend did not like my home supply store wood option as u have also pointed out. I went a head and ordered 2 pieces of starboard and intent to cut them to the 19 x 6 and since they are 1 inch thick I will use 2 to ensure the strength of the original 2 inch mount. Here is a photo of what I ordered now it's hurry up and wait until it arrives in 2 days so that I can get back on the water. Any comments on this direction would be appreciated.

 

[Kamo]

It will have the strength for sure. Could not find from the listing if it is UV stabilized or not. If yes, you are perfect, if not it will get brittle. Best part is that it machines beautifully with ordinary woodworking tools and it will look great. Even if you have to replace it in 5 years, it might be great option.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Christian.
I am familiar with the boat and engine. If starboard, it will be fine but you could call the mfg to make sure. I used starboard too for outboard material to use. But it is costly.
Your engine also was made by Tohatsu. If you mix oil with the gas, then it is a two stroke lighter in weight than four stolroke. If you ever want to extend the outboard motor bracket, you can purchase The stainless steel brackets from the forum store and I think the bolt pattern is the same.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

One other thing sand and glue together the two pieces of the starboard with Gorilla Glue clamping the two pieces together and let dry for 24 hours. Trowel the glue evenly and reallly clamp are the keys. Worked for me.

 

[Fred]

Nice job Mark! I'll keep this in mind for an upgrade to my installation.

 

[LuckyD]

Dave I am interested in your comment about 8 hp vs 9.9 hp too much power. I have 1996 H26 with Suzuki 8 hp 3 blade prop - assume original prop. Engine runs fine and pull starts fine. I find it difficult to back out of slip with any significant stern wind over 10-12 mph. Boat moves very slowly and any side wind angle tends to push me back toward other boat slips. Never had any collisions or super close calls but unnerving trying to pull away. Not particularly reassuring entering slip either when go into reverse to slow down forward momentum. I have to go in with as slow as possible forward momentum to be able to slow enough to stop in slip, and works fine in light winds, but if any side wind I have to enter slip under more power and very hard to avoid bow impact. I have large buoy tied in to bump so it is manageable but more stopping power would be desirable. I have often wondered if 9.9 motor would improve thrust power enough to be noticeable or if a 4 blade prop on my 8 hp would have more impact for forward and reverse power to control boat better without giving up too much forward speed when needed? Any thoughts or experiences with this would be appreciated.