Using the original ain't an option
If you tried the manufacturers and they have phased out their two strokes and you must buy a four stroke, then IMHO you really have no choice: you need to replace the bracket. There really were no four stroke outboards made when Oday was in business, so original Garelick brackets were not made to handle them. However, don't take anyone else's word for it. Call Garelick and see what they say about the suitablility of your bracket for a four stroke engine. My guess is that they will say that if your bracket is over 20 years old, you should replace it regardless of its original rating! Remember, its not just the added weight of the four stroke engine that is at issue; it is the extra torque generated by the four that is just as important to take into account. You can buy a lower hp four stroke that weighs as much as the two stroke it replaces and the original bracket will still be insufficient to handle the load. This question gets asked a lot on this site, and judging from some of the back and forth, I would bet that there have been a number of sailors who have decided to hang a four stroke engine on their two stroke bracket. I would be interested in their experiences. Everyone has their own level of risk tolerance and to some, it might be worth it to chance failure of the original/smaller bracket to avoid the extra work/expense of making a new transom mounting block to fit the larger bracket and going to the trouble of mounting both new pieces. Me? I'm paying about 2 grand for a new engine and the bracket manufacturer is telling me his product won't hold my new engine safely? I buy a new bracket.
