A Better Outboard Bracket
Hi Joe I installed an EZE-Slide Outboard bracket (see URL): http://www.breezeindustries.com/marine.htm on 'Thumper' our 1984 Cat 27' 5 years ago and have been very pleased with the results. I can now lift my 9.9 Merc right out of the water when under sail increasing my sailing speed and freeing up the lazarette for another portable gas tank (or what have you). You may notice that when under power, your outboard has a tendency to dig in and pull down the stern almost burying the motor? Solution: pull the motor up 6 inches. Need to service the upper end of the motor? In the upmost raised position the bottom of the engine cover sits flush with the top of the stern coaming rail. I sail (and power)in the Pacific Northwest of Canada in every possible condition. I have never doubted the ability of this bracket to withstand the torque of the motor while under power. An added bonus has been that the noise level of my 2 stroke motor has been less as it now sits outside of the boat instead of in it. In a tight squeeze, the motor can be also be rotated on its mount thus allowing the boat to be turned on a dime. I covered the outboard hole with a custom cut piece of white Lexan, keeping the the top of the hole open by one inch. This allows the lazarette to ventilate and avoids cutting holes in the transom for the fuel line and the electric start cables. The installation is a bit tricky as 3/8" bots are used to secure the bracket to the transom. You need to make sure that you are drilling true 90 degree holes before you mount the bracket. You will also need to reinforce the the 'dead' space in the upper transom with marine grade plywood pieces so that the stern coaming rail will not be crushed when tightening the mounting bolts. (Any doubts, hire a pro). This stainless steel bracket cost me $700 Canadian back then. In real money now (read US$) that should be be about $500 plus shipping, duty and taxes. BTW: You may want to reconsider about cockpit controls for your motor. Every installation of an outboard remote control in the C27 that I've seen has had problems with lines getting wrapped around the controls. If you choose to forgo the expense of a remote control system on your outboard, I strongly suggest that you use a 'Zip-Lock' plastic bag to cover the tiller of the outboard as it will be permanently raised in the near vertical position. This will avoid electrical problems if rain water runs down into your electrical contact points on 'da stick' Good LuckFred McMullen