transom on O'day 37

[Terry]

I need to install a transom on a 37' O'day and i need some ideas. Can anyone out there help me!

 

[Don Evans]

Holy Mackerel!!

Just a minor problem here Terry? Yikes! What happened to the transom? Are you talking about some delamination in the core? Or do you mean install a complete transom? This is one for the experts. I would contact a boat yard you know does competent glass work. In my opinion you are crossing over the DIY line with this one.Don

 

[Terry]

Don

Don The engine locked up and I'm being charged $12,000 to have a new one installed. I'm supposed to leave Puerto Rico for Fl. mid Nov. so i figured I would put a transom for a outboard so I could get back to Fl and take care of the engine problem there...Terry

 

[dave]

for thousands upon thousands of years mankind sailed without auxiliary power. around the world sail races still don't allow use of motors along the way. I suggest you just sail back to florida and then deal with the motor, don't kluge up your boat just to have a motor. you can always get a tow when you get close to port to get into a slip or boatyard.captain d

 

[Don Evans]

Ah...Got It!!

Now I know what you mean. Your referring to an outboard motor mount, hung from your transom. I had this mental image of a boat with no transom 8^)You do have a problem though getting at the darn thing, with enough prop buried in the sea and still be able to reach controls. The free board for an Oday 37 must be fairly high. About 5 feet I would imagine. Also you would want the biggest motor you can realisticaly hang from the mount, as the 37 displaces quite a bit. Certainly no less than a 10 hp. How much motoring do you expect to have to do?I should think the transom should be plenty strong enough, even though the boat was never designed to accomodate an outboard. Maybe another 37 owner can confirm this. Mounting a outboard bracket is fairly straightforward. Just make sure it is rated to accept the size and weight of the motor. You can buy or make shims to correct for the transom sheer. And make sure you mount that bracket with good quality backing plates and strong SS bolts.Good luck with the move. Let us know the outcome.Don

 

[richj]

transom

Terry,for what its worth, I agree 100% withDave on this one. I wouldnt bother with the outboard at this point. Question- do you have a dingy (hard shell or inflatable,it doesnt matter) do you have an outboard for it? well if you do, and as Dave said you sail her home- if you need to, tow her with your dingy. A short tow wouldnt be that difficult and if need be- seatow, boatus etc...if things get out of hand.good luck richj

 

[Terry]

mounted motor mount

Richj Well i bought a motor mount for it at West Marine and mounted a 25 hp. I'm taking it out this weekend to see how it does. Here in Puerto Rico at the navy base the harbor and marina for security reasons has been closed since the bombing and this is the first weeekend that it is open so everybody is excited to go out. Thanks for your input...Terry