Outboard setup on Pearson 30

[duncan14]

Hi All,

My inboard recently died and I decided to put an outboard temporarily to get at least some use of the boat this season. It's a Pearson 30. I got a used 9.9hp outboard with 25" shaft (Sailmaster) and a $100 aluminum mounting bracket from Amazon. Have a few stupid questions now:

- how should I go about measuring proper position of the bracket? How far down should the motor go?

- the bracket is adjustable and spring-assisted to move the motor up and down, but I'm confused about this. What is the purpose of this adjustment? If I need to take the prop out of the water, shouldn't I just tilt the motor up? Why move the bracket? Is that a one-time adjustment to set a proper position, or the motor needs to go up and down on the bracket while under way?

- Any tips on controlling the motor? For steering I believe it should be locked and I steer with the rudder, right? What about throttle and forward/reverse? Is there possibly a way to link it to existing controls from the inboard engine?

- any tips on connecting fuel and electric (there's electric start)? Do the hoses usually go overboard, or its better to make a hole for them and put the new gas tank inside?

- the motor is quite heavy (around 100lbs). I suppose the bracket needs some good backing plate. What do you guys usually use for that? I was thinking of using a piece of treated wood (deck board). The plate should be from the back only, right? No need for one on the outside, under the mount?

Sorry, just feeling stupid (again!) and wanna to have a plan in my head before I start any work. Any help is really appreciated!

 

[kappykaplan]

- Any tips on controlling the motor? For steering I believe it should be locked and I steer with the rudder, right?

The problem with this is that the rudder is in front of the motor, so you'll not have any real steerage until the boat is moving (just like in reverse when you had a working inboard).

Any reason why you can't get the inboard fixed this sailing season?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

- how should I go about measuring proper position of the bracket? How far down should the motor go?

As low as possible while not going under in moderate waves. Outboards can handle an occasional, brief dunk

- the bracket is adjustable and spring-assisted to move the motor up and down, but I'm confused about this. What is the purpose of this adjustment? If I need to take the prop out of the water, shouldn't I just tilt the motor up? Why move the bracket? Is that a one-time adjustment to set a proper position, or the motor needs to go up and down on the bracket while under way?

Sometimes the head of the motor will hit the transom when tilting up or the motor isn't completely out of the water when tilted

- Any tips on controlling the motor? For steering I believe it should be locked and I steer with the rudder, right? What about throttle and forward/reverse? Is there possibly a way to link it to existing controls from the inboard engine?

Pick up remote throttle controls or an outboard tiller extension. For a temporary setup, I doubt it'll be worth the trouble. Utilizing the internal fuel tank, if gas, is really nice. I did this on a boat with an unreliable inboard. You'll use a lot more gas than you would diesel.

I would lock the motor in place. Trying to steer with it will be difficult with a 30' boat. The transom is likely too tall for you to reach the motor

- any tips on connecting fuel and electric (there's electric start)? Do the hoses usually go overboard, or its better to make a hole for them and put the new gas tank inside?

If this is a temporary setup, I'd try to avoid putting too many holes in the transom. Electric start makes the sailing experience much more enjoyable and gets the motor started faster in emergencies

- the motor is quite heavy (around 100lbs). I suppose the bracket needs some good backing plate. What do you guys usually use for that? I was thinking of using a piece of treated wood (deck board). The plate should be from the back only, right? No need for one on the outside, under the mount?

I used three layers of 1/2" ply. Looking at other boats I realized that a single, large sheet would be plenty. Inside only is sufficient

 

[duncan14]

Thank you all! This is very helpful. I tested the setup on a motor stand in a backyard and I think I understand it a bit better now. Tilting the motor on the bracket is quite hard. The motor is heavy and will be too close to the boat. Also tiller gets in the way, so the motor needs to be rotated before tilted, making it even harder. Seems that lifting it on the bracket is easier. Will try to set it so it's in the water on the bracket's lowest position. Bracket provides for about 13" of vertical movement, hope it will be enough to take it out.

 

[LLoyd B]

Your problem is similar to adding a trolling motor to a ski boat. You will probably want to look at a local dealer for ideas because when sailing you don't want your trolling motor to drag while making way but also make the prop go deep enough to not be pulled out of the water with a following sea. Probably won't be as cheap as fixing the diesel but that's just a guess giving the time of the season.

 

[ShawnL]

As someone who has a boat with only an outboard -- try to get it to where the prop is just out of the water when the bracket is all the way up. On my '22 the long shaft motor is still in the water a little bit and if I want to really sail, I have to tilt the motor as well. Which is a holy pain in the rear. It tilts fine, but to get it to lock back in when I put it down is annoying to say the least. I've had to manually (with lines) spin the boat around so I could stand on the ramp facing the motor to really get it to lock-in so that when I reversed, it didn't try to tilt up.

Normally, I just sail with the bracket all the way up and accept the fact that 1/2 the prop is still in the water. It's just a lot less hassel. On the inside of the hull, I have 2 aluminum "L" brackets to distribute the load.