i need to add a motor mount...how hard is it?

[mountforever]

I'm thinking about buying this....

sailboat 1972 Ericson 23 ft- I moved and need to almost give her away

how hard would it be to add a motor mount to the back? i'd just be adding a small evinrude 4hp kicker to get me out of the harbor. i don't want to go with the outboard well idea....either i want to add something myself or something prefabbed to the transom....suggestions?

[scottyt]

not very hard, basicly if it does not have a mount you need to get one and install it. which includes reinforcing the transom if it needs it, which can be as simple as a marine ply backer and some big washers.

now you can go fancier with remote controls and making it rotate but a 23 foot boat does not have enough freeboard for you not to be able to reach it

[breezetrees]

I think that boat has a cutout on the transom so you can mount the motor directly onto it. There's a picture at www . sailingtexas . com if you look at the ericson mk 1.

-Mike

[zoom555]

Originally Posted by breezetrees

I think that boat has a cutout on the transom so you can mount the motor directly onto it. There's a picture at www . sailingtexas . com if you look at the ericson mk 1.

-Mike

Yeah, if you look at the photos of the boat the OP is looking at on craigslist, it does have a bit of a cutout. But, usually you see such cutouts built up with some stainless or plywood so that you're not screwing the outboard onto fibreglass and cracking the gel coat - I don't see any such protection in the craigslist pictures.

$250 is a crazy price for a 22 foot boat. Even though the vendor is practically giving it away, I think it should be surveyed. A survey will be necessary to get insurance for the boat, and I'm guessing it will turn out that there is core damage somewhere. I just had a rudder rebuild and repairs to the skeg on my 25' boat, both a result of waterlogged plywood core. The total cost was in the range of Cdn$5,000 by the time everything was done (almost as much as I paid for the boat two years ago). Sometimes "deals" like a $250 boat are too good to be true.

[zz4gta]

Originally Posted by zoom555

$250 is a crazy price for a 22 foot boat. Even though the vendor is practically giving it away, I think it should be surveyed. A survey will be necessary to get insurance for the boat, and I'm guessing it will turn out that there is core damage somewhere. I just had a rudder rebuild and repairs to the skeg on my 25' boat, both a result of waterlogged plywood core. The total cost was in the range of Cdn$5,000 by the time everything was done (almost as much as I paid for the boat two years ago). Sometimes "deals" like a $250 boat are too good to be true.

And I speculate that a meteor will crash into the earth in the year 2135.

A survey will cost as much as he's asking for the boat. Take a look at it in person yourself. Check out the thread that sailingdog posted about going to see a potentially 'new to you' boat, and save your surveyor for a big purchase. Make sure the hull looks good, there are no standing waterline marks in the cabin, and the rig isn't going to come crashing down. Other than that, have fun.

And a piece of sealed marine plywood with big washers is fine. I think my motor mount is just epoxied onto the back of the transom and it held an 85 lbs outboard. Not very well mind you.

[sailingdog]

The thread ZZ refers to is my Boat Inspection Trip Tips thread I started.

[timebandit]

The cut out on the back is where the motor mounts--you don't need a mount.

Originally Posted by mountforever

I'm thinking about buying this....

sailboat 1972 Ericson 23 ft- I moved and need to almost give her away

how hard would it be to add a motor mount to the back? i'd just be adding a small evinrude 4hp kicker to get me out of the harbor. i don't want to go with the outboard well idea....either i want to add something myself or something prefabbed to the transom....suggestions?