Outboard motor bracket

[heelingsoul]

I recently purchase an O'day 25 which I 'am doing some small repairs ,one of them is changing the motor bracket, looks that is in good shape but just give me a hard time to lower the motor, I 'am looking to by a new bracket for my 4 stroke 2007 tohatsu, I have two options the Garelick 71090 with 9" vertical travel or the 71091 with 15" vertical travel .
What looks to me , that I should get the 9", the real question is how low the motor has to be from the water line , when the boat is in the water.
Is any guide where I can look ? .
I was able to lower the motor only once with the help of three experience boat owners.
Right now I can't lower it to see how much difference I have with the existing bracket . I have a picture attached .
Thank you .
Marcelo

 

[adirondackbob]

Marcelo,

I replaced the motor mount on my 1983 O'Day 23 a few years ago and installed the Garelick mount you're considering (71090). It was one of the best upgrades I did to the boat. Before the replacement, I had a very hard time raising and lowering the motor, especially in lousy weather. (We have a 7.5 Honda that weighs about 85 lbs.) Since I always sailed with the outboard tipped up and out of the water, the struggle with the motor happened every time we went out. The Garelick changed all that. The heavy springs make it very easy to lift the motor--no struggle or sore back. And the entire mount is much sturdier than the old one. I recommend the upgrade.

I installed the 71090 thinking that I didn't need the extra few inches of lift, but I think if I had to do it again I'd go with the 71091. The reason is that in bumpy seas the prop will sometimes come out of the water. Of course, a lot depends on your motor, its dimensions, and whether it's a long shaft model. I don't know how much different the transom is on the O'Day 25 as compared to the 23. In my case, I wouldn't be able to put the motor too much lower because of the length of the shaft.

One other thing: I had to modify the fiberglass wedge on the transom to accommodate the Garelick, which is wider than my old mount. Since I have no experience with fiberglass work, I hired my boat yard to do that work.

Good luck.

Bob

 

[heelingsoul]

motor braket

Hi Bob ,
Thank you, for the replay .
As you can see in the picture the propel is pretty much in line with the
bottom of hull .
Exactly happen to me when I went out in a very windy day and was quite waive
the propel was out of the water.
Now the question is if I put a bracket that will lower the motor 15" instead of the 9" , I will afraid that the control of the motor will be to low and will be difficult to work with it .
What do you think ?
Marcelo

 

[RichBone]

The mounting holes on the outboard motor bracket that came with my boat didn't fit the holes on my fiberglass wedge. The bracket was wider than the wedge. A 1/4" steel plate wider than the wedge was installed on the wedge and had holes drilled in the plate to fit the bracket.

Rich

 

[heelingsoul]

motor braket

Rick,
what is the drop, from the upper point to a lower point of the motor, looks by the picture that there is a long swing arms, something like the 15" if I not mistaken , and also I can see that the control of the motor is quite high .
Do you have any difficulties to work with the motor in a difficult situation like handling the tiller and the motor at the same time? .
Thank's
Marcelo

 

[adirondackbob]

Re: motor braket

Marcelo,

I had the same concern about the motor sitting too low, but the Garelick mounts have several positions, so you can adjust accordingly. That's why I'm inclined to go with the model that has a longer reach. It gives you more options. However, it's best to do some measuring to be sure, since there are several factors to consider, including the length of your motor shaft.

Bob

 

[heelingsoul]

Bob ,
Thank you.
Marcelo