Greetings, I had a Johnson 9.9 on my O'day 25. It finally gave up the ghost. Bought a 8hp fourstroke. Took off old motor and bracket (told not beafy enough for four). Bought new Garelick bracket. Old holes lined right up! Too good to be true? Yes. Mounted new motor (20 inch shaft Tohatsu). Drop engine and end up with cavetation plate just in the water! This bracket has a plastic block that the motor hangs on. IT has lots of holes in the back but only four in the front. I still have the wood block form the old one. Its curved (age) and starting to delaminate. I could cut a new wooden block with the top closer tot he top of the bracket or try and drill neew holes in the plastic. Either way this will only get me an extra 1.2 to 2 inches as that's the point at which the locking nuts on the motor would hit the top of the pracket. Though I could make the wooden block wider and allow the arm on the motor to shift left or right so one is in the middle of the bracket and the other just off to one side. Dropping the bracket would only get me 2 inches or so as its close to the bottom of the transom now. Very expensive bracket. But don't want to lose very expensive motor either. Ideas. I don't use the engine much as I'm on a mooring but . . . What is the optimum depth for the motor. Even with the old one, if I went to the bow to drop the headsail the prop would come out on any wave! Mike
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Move the bracket
I also replaced my 9.9 Johnson with a new four-stroke. I bought the same Garelick bracket. The trouble is, is that the new bracket does not have the same travel as the old one. I lowered the bracket so that I used the lower holes in the transom as the upper holes in the bracket, and drilled new holes in the transom for the lowers. I also made a wedge so that the bracket sits perpendicular to the water line. Garelick does make a bracket with more travel, but it cost much more $$.
I also replaced my 9.9 Johnson with a new four-stroke. I bought the same Garelick bracket. The trouble is, is that the new bracket does not have the same travel as the old one. I lowered the bracket so that I used the lower holes in the transom as the upper holes in the bracket, and drilled new holes in the transom for the lowers. I also made a wedge so that the bracket sits perpendicular to the water line. Garelick does make a bracket with more travel, but it cost much more $$.
Mike...I'm in the same boat
Ours is an Oday 28 with 9.9 hp Yamaha. Old bracket broke. Got the Garelick 71090, and found same problem as yours. Plan is to put boat on the hard and move bracket and the "wedge" it is bolted to. Like you, a new wedge is in my future as ours is coming apart. I'll take pictures, etc, but likely that we won't have it out of the water until 2nd week of July. Not much help to you now, but you're not the only one with this problem. I agree with Steve...moving wedge/bracket is best solution. BTW, the 71091 bracket has about 6 inches more vertical travel, and it's not that much more money. May be worth you looking into. Optimum depth for motor? Look to see if a waterline isn't painted on the lower unit of your motor. If not, 8-10 inches on a long shaft is about right. Maybe someone else with more experience on this can chime in.
Ours is an Oday 28 with 9.9 hp Yamaha. Old bracket broke. Got the Garelick 71090, and found same problem as yours. Plan is to put boat on the hard and move bracket and the "wedge" it is bolted to. Like you, a new wedge is in my future as ours is coming apart. I'll take pictures, etc, but likely that we won't have it out of the water until 2nd week of July. Not much help to you now, but you're not the only one with this problem. I agree with Steve...moving wedge/bracket is best solution. BTW, the 71091 bracket has about 6 inches more vertical travel, and it's not that much more money. May be worth you looking into. Optimum depth for motor? Look to see if a waterline isn't painted on the lower unit of your motor. If not, 8-10 inches on a long shaft is about right. Maybe someone else with more experience on this can chime in.
Still too short
Even with an extra-long shaft (25"), the prop will still be out of the water with the new Garelick bracket. The bracket must be moved.
Even with an extra-long shaft (25"), the prop will still be out of the water with the new Garelick bracket. The bracket must be moved.
Is the water circulating?
I have a '78 25 - and last year added a Yamaha 9.9 high thrust 4stroke last year - my holes did not line up - the footprint of the Garlich motor mount for 4strokes was larger than the wedge - I attached a steel plate (aluminum would have been better) along with a 11/2' piece of solid pressure treated wood to back up - And reinforced the insige of the transom with 4"x4" 3/4 inch pressures plywwood baking plates - the cavitation plate when down - is about an 1 to an 11/2 in submerged - not much - My point would be that I beleive the key issues is to assure that the motor is low enough to have the water circulate - and I can tell this because there is a pee hole that the water circulates out - if I see this I know the water is cooling the engine - which is the key issue - I also have an oil indicator that darkens when the engine is low on oil or is heating up - So when I am motoring - I know the engine is operating OK - by the steady flow of water through the pee hole - thats my 2 cents - best of luck -
I have a '78 25 - and last year added a Yamaha 9.9 high thrust 4stroke last year - my holes did not line up - the footprint of the Garlich motor mount for 4strokes was larger than the wedge - I attached a steel plate (aluminum would have been better) along with a 11/2' piece of solid pressure treated wood to back up - And reinforced the insige of the transom with 4"x4" 3/4 inch pressures plywwood baking plates - the cavitation plate when down - is about an 1 to an 11/2 in submerged - not much - My point would be that I beleive the key issues is to assure that the motor is low enough to have the water circulate - and I can tell this because there is a pee hole that the water circulates out - if I see this I know the water is cooling the engine - which is the key issue - I also have an oil indicator that darkens when the engine is low on oil or is heating up - So when I am motoring - I know the engine is operating OK - by the steady flow of water through the pee hole - thats my 2 cents - best of luck -
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