Outboard bracket and taffrail mods.
Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 12:06 pm
This is Outboard bracket : replacement of timber pad
This was from an old haul out (I finally found the pics on my old phone/camera)... long post I drafted ages ago ...get a cup of tea...
Three issues needed solving as my moored Investigator and myself grow old together.
Getting into and out of the boat, getting the outboard on and off the boat and the deterioration of the outboard pad.
My problem is that my back is about ten years older than me and as much as we fool ourselves eventually you have to take to make life easier. Previously these hadn’t been as much of an issue, we climbed over the taffrail from the tender and I had to either lift the OB from the rocking tender while standing in it onto the pad or, if the OB was onboard, swing it over the top of the rail onto the pad. That has become a method for younger men.
My two fold approach has actually solved a few problems .
First I have finally cut away the centre section of my ss taffrail, one, to facilitate easier boarding from the tender and two, for moving the motor about.
The original plywood mounting pad on my outboard bracket had long ago given up the ghost. Plastic replacements get a very bad wrap on the net.. Transferring the OB from my tender to the boat tends to be brutal on the pad and gouges the top away and I just kept shaving the damaged top down and repainting it. Eventually the OB pads would not clear the metal bracket. I eschewed the idea of an aluminium protection cover because (from my experience as a lifetime tinny owner) I think the cushion of soft timber helps to dampen the already PITA vibration you get from small two strokes.
So, secondly I have made a double width outboard pad that extends towards the boats centre line. This was made from an off cut of 50 x 190 treated pine beam I picked up during council throw out a while back . As it is not quite as tall as the original pad I've added a 'sacrificial spacer' piece of oiled hardwood ( made three off) which is screwed into the top with ss countersunks. This piece of hardwood will take all the stresses of loading and I can slap bit of oil on it occasionally. Once it's stuffed it's easy to screw on another one . The main pad where the clamps go will remain reasonably unscathed. This is the bit that takes the thrust forces. Why double width you ask ? Well with my particular spinal damage light deadlifting is difficult but not out of the question but human crane acts in attempting to swing weight away from your body are.
It is far easier with Mrs Ozzie’s help to just drag the OB on board through the new opening when standing on a nice solid deck we then swing the leg out through the opening and plonk it on the extended part of the bracket. I can then stand in the port side locker and slide the OB across to it's normal mounting position. No fuss . No muss. And no rough stuff . At least that was the plan, which has worked so far. Although it's not really a problem I have also added a lift up 'gate' across the removed section of taffrail made from aluminium channel. My original plan was to have a grandiose swinging gate professionally made in matching 25 mm stainless . Maybe later on. I notice most investigators have no cross piece on the taffrail but I do fish and often at night from Spritzig II so, like a seat belt you only need it when you need it. I have also added a SS boarding ladder as I USED to be able to haul myself out of the water using the inbuilt ladder steps......but that was during the Howard administration. One day I should just about have this boat sorted, probably the year before I’m too old to sail.
If you don’t see pics yet give me 10 minutes ...make that a few hours. My pics are on my superceded android phone which won’t log in to this site because my browser was the same as the one Noah used on the arc. Need to find an adapter for my micro sd.
This was from an old haul out (I finally found the pics on my old phone/camera)... long post I drafted ages ago ...get a cup of tea...
Three issues needed solving as my moored Investigator and myself grow old together.
Getting into and out of the boat, getting the outboard on and off the boat and the deterioration of the outboard pad.
My problem is that my back is about ten years older than me and as much as we fool ourselves eventually you have to take to make life easier. Previously these hadn’t been as much of an issue, we climbed over the taffrail from the tender and I had to either lift the OB from the rocking tender while standing in it onto the pad or, if the OB was onboard, swing it over the top of the rail onto the pad. That has become a method for younger men.
My two fold approach has actually solved a few problems .
First I have finally cut away the centre section of my ss taffrail, one, to facilitate easier boarding from the tender and two, for moving the motor about.
The original plywood mounting pad on my outboard bracket had long ago given up the ghost. Plastic replacements get a very bad wrap on the net.. Transferring the OB from my tender to the boat tends to be brutal on the pad and gouges the top away and I just kept shaving the damaged top down and repainting it. Eventually the OB pads would not clear the metal bracket. I eschewed the idea of an aluminium protection cover because (from my experience as a lifetime tinny owner) I think the cushion of soft timber helps to dampen the already PITA vibration you get from small two strokes.
So, secondly I have made a double width outboard pad that extends towards the boats centre line. This was made from an off cut of 50 x 190 treated pine beam I picked up during council throw out a while back . As it is not quite as tall as the original pad I've added a 'sacrificial spacer' piece of oiled hardwood ( made three off) which is screwed into the top with ss countersunks. This piece of hardwood will take all the stresses of loading and I can slap bit of oil on it occasionally. Once it's stuffed it's easy to screw on another one . The main pad where the clamps go will remain reasonably unscathed. This is the bit that takes the thrust forces. Why double width you ask ? Well with my particular spinal damage light deadlifting is difficult but not out of the question but human crane acts in attempting to swing weight away from your body are.
It is far easier with Mrs Ozzie’s help to just drag the OB on board through the new opening when standing on a nice solid deck we then swing the leg out through the opening and plonk it on the extended part of the bracket. I can then stand in the port side locker and slide the OB across to it's normal mounting position. No fuss . No muss. And no rough stuff . At least that was the plan, which has worked so far. Although it's not really a problem I have also added a lift up 'gate' across the removed section of taffrail made from aluminium channel. My original plan was to have a grandiose swinging gate professionally made in matching 25 mm stainless . Maybe later on. I notice most investigators have no cross piece on the taffrail but I do fish and often at night from Spritzig II so, like a seat belt you only need it when you need it. I have also added a SS boarding ladder as I USED to be able to haul myself out of the water using the inbuilt ladder steps......but that was during the Howard administration. One day I should just about have this boat sorted, probably the year before I’m too old to sail.
If you don’t see pics yet give me 10 minutes ...make that a few hours. My pics are on my superceded android phone which won’t log in to this site because my browser was the same as the one Noah used on the arc. Need to find an adapter for my micro sd.