Stern Pulpit Outboard Motor Mount!

[DougR]

Most outboards can be stored horizontally, but you need to check your owners manuals as there are sometimes restrictions as to which side up or down.

If it’s a four stroke the crankcase vent needs to be up, or maybe the carb needs to be run dry, etc.

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by Belezar

Does anyone know if you can store an outboard horizontally?

Four stroke motors usually need to be slightly tilted. Manufacturers recommend storing them resting on the control handle for that purpose. Some new ones can be stored flat. I suppose, it is not an issue at all with the 2-stroke motors.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by LauraleeG

Is anybody concerned about the stern pulpit holding. Fast? Seems that a motor mounted there for extended periods could really loosen the integrity of it?
Is there a way to reinforce it? Is it stronger than I think?

It is pretty common to have a welder come to the boat and add supports to the railing where needed. Keeping an outboard there in rough weather could stress the railing.

A wooden or plastic bracket (made or purchased) that bolts onto the intersection of a vertical and horizontal rail would be pretty strong, but reinforcement would not hurt.

We kept a 4hp on a pad like that for several years and even towed the dingy and motor at times. But when we got bigger motors we preferred to keep them below deck where there is zero risk of them getting broken loose and the weight distribution in the boat is better. If we tow a dingy now, which is extremely rare, the motor is not on it.

We now keep the outboard in the boson's locker behind the shower in the bow. We raise it with a spin halyard and lower it through the hatch visible in the photo. This is a two person job, but easy. There used to be two outboards on the bracket, a 25hp and a 4hp. Now we have just the 15hp 2-stroke.

[Cynara]

Depends on size of your rail. We just wrapped a towel around the rail, set the motor on it and tightened the screws.

[slug]

If you have a modern transom it’s best to keep your outboard off the stern pulpit and locate the outboard low down on the transom
The outboard bracket in the picture is on starboard side under the horseshoe bouy

[slug]

If you have a modern transom it’s best to keep your outboard off the stern pulpit and locate the outboard low down on the transom
The outboard bracket in the picture is on starboard side under the horseshoe bouy

[CassidyNZ]

I've made a panel of two 12mm ply boards fitted both sides of the pipework spanning two horizontal pipes and sandwiching wooden blocks between to form an almost solid panel.

I have a 15hp Mercury 2-stroke, don't know the weight. What I found originally was that the motor tended to twist the boards with the bottom of the leg leaning into the boards. So Mark II has a block against which the leg (gearbox) leans - no more twisting.

Have done a lot of miles including passages with this mount, no problems. Oh, and my pipework is 1". That stuff is a lot stronger than it looks.

[LauraleeG]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

I've made a panel of two 12mm ply boards fitted both sides of the pipework spanning two horizontal pipes and sandwiching wooden blocks between to form an almost solid panel.

I have a 15hp Mercury 2-stroke, don't know the weight. What I found originally was that the motor tended to twist the boards with the bottom of the leg leaning into the boards. So Mark II has a block against which the leg (gearbox) leans - no more twisting.

Have done a lot of miles including passages with this mount, no problems. Oh, and my pipework is 1". That stuff is a lot stronger than it looks.

I actually understand / can visualize what you are talking about! Great idea!

[David B]

Our pushpit has the solar arch integrated into it (removed the original stanchions, and replaced with the 60mm arch tubes), so it is very solid, but as long as the motor is mounted in towards the corner where the pushpit is supported from two directions, it is pretty strong.

[thereefgeek]

I made ours out of slabs of 1" star board. Our boat is a canoe stern and the pushpit curves outward and slopes downward from horizontal where we wanted the engine to hang. I had to make a custom template to route the curved half-round slots for the rails. The motor is a 9.9 Honda and it weighs about 110lb. so I wanted the bracket to be a strong. Like everything I do, I may have over-built it just a bit....

We made a video of the project here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu5FDKwgzdE&app=desktop

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by hamburking

I bought a teak one at the local boat store for around $40. I was annoyed at the time because they didn't have the cheaper plastic one for $20.

OP, if buying a plastic one is out of your current budget, you can fabricate something like this yourself with a suitable sized spade bit. Bore the holes in a T shape, then cut the entire thing in half. If you can't afford hardwood, coat it with a thin layer of epoxy resin. Or leave it as is, but don't expect it to last long in that case if it is softwood. As to the strength of your stern rail, it should be fine, although that somewhat depends on whether it was installed properly to begin with or not.

[Captn_Black]

Or, hook it onto the rail with the brackets, rest the foot of it against an upright, with a small plank of wood to prevent damage, and lash the whole thing down. Speaking from experience
Although I have since fabricated a better solution.

[Suijin]

I have found that with almost all boat kit, if you set up an automated search on eBay that notifies you when an item that meets your parameters pops up, you can eventually get it at a reasonable price. The Edson outboard rail mount is a good example. Not enough prior sales on eBay to give sellers who stumble on one, have no idea what it is, and can't figure out what's it's worth to set a high reserve. I picked mine up for a song. I think I paid more for shipping than for the mount itself.

I keep a fistful of searches going on eBay for stuff I want but is not critical. It all shows up eventually, you just have to be patient.

[LauraleeG]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I have found that with almost all boat kit, if you set up an automated search on eBay that notifies you when an item that meets your parameters pops up, you can eventually get it at a reasonable price. The Edson outboard rail mount is a good example. Not enough prior sales on eBay to give sellers who stumble on one, have no idea what it is, and can't figure out what's it's worth to set a high reserve. I picked mine up for a song. I think I paid more for shipping than for the mount itself.

I keep a fistful of searches going on eBay for stuff I would like but which is not critical. It shows up eventually.

Hmmmmnn handy tip!

[DougR]

Here’s a homemade bracket that’s fairly robust....everything is 1/2” starboard.
And fairly inexpensive too.