Pushpit dinghy motor mount

CaptDon01 · Mar 21, 2013

Brian,

Here is a photo of the motor mount for our dinghy motor on our Catalina-22. It's a 2-piece plastic mount I believe I purchased it at West Marine, or it might have been Downwind Marine on Canon Street in Pt. Loma,(I see your in Oceanside, so your in the area). I needed to attach a verticle tube and used a SS split T-fitting used on a bimini. I had to enlarge the area where the T mounted in the motor mount, but this was easy with a Dremel tool. The bottom portion of the verticle tube was secured with a bimini mount. My little 2-stroke Tohasu is pretty light, but our new 2 HP Honda fits fine, but it's about 30 pounds.

Now if your pulpit tubes are 7/8", and you need 1" for the mount, you could also make adaptors. Get some scraps of tubing from one of the many canvas shops in our area, or metal supply stores, and using a cut-off wheel in your Dremel tool,(you do have a Dremel tool I hope), cut several lengths a few inches long, and cut them in half to fit around the smaller tubing. I would probably put a little 3M4200 or 3M5200 to secure them, and keep them from possibly vibrating.

Don

onecoolair · Mar 21, 2013

We are talking about the stern railing here.. Right??

CaptDon01 said:
Brian,

Here is a photo of the motor mount for our dinghy motor on our Catalina-22. It's a 2-piece plastic mount I believe I purchased it at West Marine, or it might have been Downwind Marine on Canon Street in Pt. Loma,(I see your in Oceanside, so your in the area). I needed to attach a verticle tube and used a SS split T-fitting used on a bimini. I had to enlarge the area where the T mounted in the motor mount, but this was easy with a Dremel tool. The bottom portion of the verticle tube was secured with a bimini mount. My little 2-stroke Tohasu is pretty light, but our new 2 HP Honda fits fine, but it's about 30 pounds.

Now if your pulpit tubes are 7/8", and you need 1" for the mount, you could also make adaptors. Get some scraps of tubing from one of the many canvas shops in our area, or metal supply stores, and using a cut-off wheel in your Dremel tool,(you do have a Dremel tool I hope), cut several lengths a few inches long, and cut them in half to fit around the smaller tubing. I would probably put a little 3M4200 or 3M5200 to secure them, and keep them from possibly vibrating.

Don

We are talking about the stern railing here.. Right??
I found that just a scape piece of garden hose worked just fine for a rubber spacer on the stern railing. Did basically the same as you did with fitting the stabilizer tee ....Scape piece of s.s.Bimini tubing and Bimini clam on tee fitting...Pretty simple....holds and stores 20+ year 8 hp tohatsu no issuies. Made a new sunbrella motor cover that keeps the west marine bought plastic stern rail mount covered also..... First plastic mount from WM the uv rays got to it.

woodster · Mar 22, 2013

Brian D said:
Hey guys, just purchased a Suzuki DF2.5 for my dinghy. So I purchased it used but the mount the guy was selling (West Marine re-marketed Sea-Dog) does not fit. My pushpit is smaller than normal pushpits.

So, anyone have other ideas or options? Thanks in advance.

get two peaces of teak 3/4" or 1" thick and cut them 6x6...i prefer 1"....

then go to a cabinet shop and have them take a core box bit the correct size of your tubing and have them route out a T in the wood ...about 1" from the top edge all the way across and then route coming from the bottom in the center of the boards up to the the horizontal and you are done ...if wood workers in the west are like the ones here in the south east they will be glad to to do it for you...just make sure your boards are sq .....

regards

woody

zeehag · Mar 22, 2013

star board also works for dinghy engine holder on a sternrail, and needs no wood protection.....just sayin....

seadaddler · Mar 22, 2013

Idea

Can you do something with the one won't fit or something like this,I vote against wood unless you like more work.
Nick

seadaddler · Mar 22, 2013

Strength

3/8 might not be very strong but not sure really just would not want to see your motor falling off into the water.
Mine is 2 pieces of plastic bolted together with the rail in between making it a strong mounting point and been working for about 5 years in the Florida sun and don't see wood holding up as well in the sun.
Nick

Ron20324 · Mar 22, 2013

If there is a plastic supplier/fabricator in your area, they probably have a scrap box where you might find what you need.

Herrick18911 · Mar 23, 2013

There are also these blocks sold by WM to attach stuff to rails that can be used successfully. These blocks are white plastic with an opening hinge and thumbscrew to close it down. There is a groove made for the rail to pass through. Buy 3 of them and attach them to a board (teak or starboard) that is long enough to cross the 2 rails of the pushpit and leave attachment space for the motor as well. Attach 2 across the top, leaving enough space for the motor to be attached, and 1 for the bottom rail. Easy peasey and you've got the equivalent of a $300 edson mount for pocket change.

Tod

seadaddler · Mar 23, 2013

WM

The mount I have is about $41.99 from WM on my rail and pretty sure it was cheaper when I got it,I have had it many years and about a year ago I did have to repair it and add thru bolts and some cutting it to allow me to lift it to the proper height with my motor lift.
My 8hp motor is heavy so I do use a motor lift onto the the outboard mount,I did not want to buy a new mount when I could use my old one with some work so good luck and hope you get it done.
Nick

Old Skool Neil · Mar 24, 2013

I know this is trivial but . . .

Pushpit? Who came up with that one? I know it's used from time to time but really?

Plan on pushing the boat with it? Not any more than planning on pulling the boat with the pulpit, so named due to it's similarity to the place Reverend Ike stands on Sunday mornings warning us against all evil.

Ask anyone who has worked in the sailboat industry if they're ever ordered a 'pushpit.' Stern pulpits or stern rails, yes but some other made up name? Nope.

shemandr · Mar 24, 2013

It stumped me at first. No intuitive link to what it is that I can detect.

Chris Patterson · Mar 24, 2013

It is technically a pushpit.

Go back to Chapman's, there it is..

seadaddler · Mar 24, 2013

Brian

Do you have a photo what your rail looks like and how you need to build the motor mount.
Nick

Old Skool Neil · Mar 24, 2013

Chris,
I admitted it was used from time to time but questioned it's pedigree. Here's more:

PUSHPIT / ¦ noun a raised safety rail in the stern of a yacht, Origin1960s: humorous formation, suggested by pulpit
Are we trying to be humorous?

Annapolis Book of Seamanship, page on boat parts shows on the stern: after pulpit.

Donald Street in "The Ocean Sailing Yacht" referred to it as the stern pulpit or alternatively the more picturesque British term pushpit.
Are we trying to be picturesque?

[FONT=&quot]"Pushpit" is simply a vernacularism particular to the English that arose in the days of wherrymen.

On wherrys--small flat bottomed sailing barges used to transport people and cargos up, down and across rivers that ships could not enter, a similar platform was often constructed at the stern, aft of the cockpit and beyond the "taffrail" that enclosed the cockpit, from which a crew could use a long pole to "push" the boat when the wind failed. It too was commonly surrounded by a pulpit, however, since it was the location from which one "pushed" the boat, it became known--locally--as a "pushpit".

I therefore submit that although the term is used from time to time, it sounds contrived and in the opinion of a former industry purchasing agent, ridiculous unless of course you're aboard an English wherry.

[/FONT]

Herrick18911 · Mar 24, 2013

Regarding the clamp I was referring to; it is called "West Marine Plastic Rail Clamps", item #: 5142070 and sell for $24.99 for a pair at West Marine. I also found them in the Rigging Shoppe in Canada.

Regarding the term Pushpit; the pulpit is the term for the bow rail and the Pushpit is used for the stern as noted in Chapmans. For clarity since many are unaware, many marina people will refer it as a stern pulpit as that is what the average consumer would know. Doesn't make it official though.

Tod

Chris Patterson · Mar 24, 2013

Yeah, I wasn't trying to be a know-it-all, or argue. You're correct in that if I refer to it as anything other than a stern rail, or stern pulpit, I get odd looks. Most of the vernacular is strange and antiquated to me. Nowadays, it's a toilet. Certainly I'm not going to the "head of the boat" to use it, although I certainly have. You'll get some odd looks in the marinas about it, but after a few times they tend to leave you alone anyway..

And I build rail clamps out of one inch starboard. Drill a one inch hole in it, cut it through the middle of the circle, drill two 1/4" holes to right angles of that with associated bolts, rail clamp.

(I can tell by the board that this relentless weather has more than a few outdoors-men cooped up in front of this damn computer. Myself included obviously. I'm starting to feel like Lt. Dan).

Pushpit dinghy motor mount

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