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Trying to mount an outboard on a double-ended cutter

1044 Views 9 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  OntarioTheLake
2
Hello all,
Hoping to get some help with this task. I need to mount a 9.9 engine on the back of my 36' union Polaris. Since its a doubled-ended cutter the stern is of course not a flat surface. Would love any advice or tips on this scenario. Below you will see some photos of the stern. Trying to avoid drilling as many new holes as possible. This would only be something temporary until I can fix the engine. But I need to do a buoy run.
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I have a 34 ft Pacific Seacraft, and years ago had a similar problem. I ran a piece of 3" aluminum channel from the upper stern rail nearly to the water. with the flanges facing forward. It was clamped to the stern rail at the top and secured to the dinghy towing eye which passed through a slot cut in the center of the channel with a wedge. Two plates a foot or so above the water were bolted one on each side to the channel flanges. They extended aft and were each bolted to short lengths of angle that were both in turn bolted to the outboard motor mount to which our 8 hp Nissan was clamped.

Now, it's been 10 years or so, and this is by memory. It's been under the port settee since. Out of sight and mind.
I have a 34 ft Pacific Seacraft, and years ago had a similar problem. I ran a piece of 3" aluminum channel from the upper stern rail nearly to the water. with the flanges facing forward. It was clamped to the stern rail at the top and secured to the dinghy towing eye which passed through a slot cut in the center of the channel with a wedge. Two plates a foot or so above the water were bolted one on each side to the channel flanges. They extended aft and were each bolted to short lengths of angle that were both in turn bolted to the outboard motor mount to which our 8 hp Nissan was clamped.

Now, it's been 10 years or so, and this is by memory. It's been under the port settee since. Out of sight and mind.
Ah yeah I wish I could see an image of it!
Kevin Boothby is your man.
Experience? Yep!
Besides the challenges of mounting, IMHO 9.9hp is not adequate for that boat.
If it's just for a temporary situation, would it make sense to rig something up alongside, like a side tow, instead of at the stern? It would be simple to build a frame that the engine would attach to and then clamp the frame to the bulwark somewhere amidships. You could space out the framework and clamps to spread the loads across a long section, to avoid stress cracking. Mounting it there might help to keep the prop in the water more too.
Here's one setup: Side-Mount Outboard Engine Bracket - Small
What is a buoy run?

Looks like you're in Waikiki. Lots of boats w/o running engines in there.

This question comes up fairly regularly, and the answer is pretty much the same: don't do it, or if you must a bracket and some attachments to the throttle and shift.

Can't you get a small boat to push you around?
If all you're doing is getting out to a mooring (is that what a buoy run is?), or trying to manouver in a tight area, why not just lash your dinghy to the side of the boat and run the outboard from it?
I'm in the Tennessee mountains right now and the boat is on the North Carolina coast. It will be a while before I am on the boat again and can take a picture..
OP hasn’t been here since the day after first post. Looked for a cheap miracle, we didn’t have it.
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