New 14'TDB Classic owner

Shawn Seim

Shawn Seim

New member
Hello Gentlemen,

I am a long time reader, and I have enjoyed the ability to use the content of your posts to pursue my passion of bringing fine fair to our table. I just had to post a few photos of my "New," to me 14" TDB Classic. I'm in Washington State, and we don't see many of the classic duck boats out here. I always make a habit of looking in the Craigslist listings for boats and decoys. Well, as it turned out. I had an incredibly lucky day as I found my first TDB, and it now has a home in my garage.
The boat is in excellent condition. It is a 89' model with full blind and an additional blind attachment that the original owner used for Brant hunting. The only change to the boat was the removal and replacement of the outboard mount. The floor and hull looks virtually unused. No gouges, gashes or repairs. The boat lacks an electrical system, i.e. lights, but I will quickly get those added. I have researched postings and it looks like the 25hp 2 stroke is the preferred motor for this boat. I have a solid line on a very nice short shaft 20 hp Honda four stroke with electric trim and start. Do any of my fellow TDB owners have any experience / thoughts about that engine?
I'm just tickled pink with my find, and the best part is that our season ends on the 27th! I'm literally busting my hump to get this boat into the water this season.

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I believe the 14' TDB Classic is only rated for a 15hp outboard. I have seen it mentioned many times on this forum. Best of luck with the boat.
 
A man walks into sift the stream for flakes of gold and finds a goldmine...Nice! Goodluck finishing out the season!

Regards,
Kristan
 
Hi Shawn, A guy by the name of Jim Cripe was the TDB dealer in WA back then as I also purchased a classic in 1989.
Was living in Anchorage at the time and he sent it up on a barge.
Your boat looks to be in VERY good shape.
I have been running a 25 short on mine for the hole time, tried a 15 four stroke just wasn't working.
I have no dealings with the Honda 20, but maybe another member will?
I have added the extra bolts on my motor pad as well works good for the 25 and its torque.
That trailer is a Calkins and has whats known as a surelube hub system, I have never had any
problems with mine as I just hit it with the grease gun once a season.
Congrats on your new rig "its a Classic", lol.
Good luck getting out on the water.
Dave
 
Shawn,

Congrats on your find. It does look to be in excellent shape. I will mention a concern I have which I only offer as a suggestion. If it were mine I would probably add a brace to the motor board. I'd run one from the top center of the board (staying just under the motor clamp) forward to where the cleat is bolted thru. Either that or run two braces of the top corners of the board forward and splayed outward a bit to better withstand the torque and weight of the motor. I know this may be overkill but that is just the way I build things. I'm sure others will say it is just fine but I'm still throwing it out there for you to consider.

I hope to see some hunting pictures from your boat before the season's end.
 
I would second Dave's comment. I don't have a TDB Classic, but watched the motor sway back and forth on Gene Jr's, while trailering, and saw the torque movement when out of the hole... There is too little bearing surface for my taste, and I have read where cracks and leaks have developed at those mounts. Perhaps they were too heavy a motor being used, if it is rated for just 15hp? Use a transom saver for sure when trailering.
 
Great find! Congrats.

My other comments are exact as Dave & Dave, looks like some bracing is needed on that motor board if you are going to hang a 25 on her.
 
Sean congrats on a wonderfull find. An original TDB from the 80's and looks to be wonderful boat at that. As the others have stated carefull with the motor bracket and HP. the 14ft model is only rated at 15hp. You may want to watch that oversided bracket closely it looks like it was meant for a 20" transom rather than the original short shaft motor.
 
Tony, I think raising the motorboard and going to a long shaft motor is a common change for guys, as the short shaft motor puts the handle too low, and shifting is a lean over the stern affair. Of coarse the long shaft just adds to the torque issue. Something you can address on the new builds I am sure, a real opportunity to improve on the original design.
 
I'd be concerned with exceeding the manufacturer's plate. I understand that a lot of guys do it and almost consider it required for those boats. Understand the risk that you take in overpowering the boat - an accident that results in injury or death can be very easily be blamed on the overpowering and you will be responsible for that. I would not overpower a boat.

Having said the above, I'll further the suggestions that the guys have made about reinforcemnets to the motor board. It looks like inside the hull there are the supports from the inner liner that you could tie the motor board to that woudl make ti nice and strong for a long shaft of a hp that agrees with the plate.
 
A guy by the name of Jim Cripe was the TDB dealer in WA back then
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WOW! There's a name from the past. I remember way backwhen he split from TDB Co. to produce his own duckboat and proceeded to run his whole sales campaign around bashing TDB's and boats from other manufacturers (I contacted him when I was looking at a number of boats including the TDB I ended up purchasing). He turned a lot of people off (including me) with the way he marketed his stuff. Did the same thing with a line of silhouette decoys. I may be mistaken, but as I recall he later lost his shirt in lawsuits over a tragedy relating to one of his "superior, unsinkable, far safer than anthing else" boats
 
Hi Guys,
Thanks for all of your suggestions.
I too have read about the possibly / issues of torque and a larger than rated outboard. When the original owner replaced the motor mount, he added a 1/4" thick plate of aluminum that extends over the top of the mount. If you look closely at the mount, you can see it on the aft face. The mount itself is 15 1/2" from bottom edge to top edge. I have been looking at trying to add some sort of torsional support to the mount, but it seems that anchoring the support to the aft top deck area might be troublesome. In order to properly anchor the support, I would have to penetrate several inches of what I assume is floatation void to obtain an anchor point on the interior of the boat. I'm not sure that just mounting to the surface of the aft deck would really be a long term fix. I would think that without some type of below surface, permanent anchor point. The supports would eventually just work themselves loose.
The reason I was considering the the four stroke 20 hp Honda, is the fact that it weighs in at 104 lbs. I was hoping / thinking that that must be very close in weight to late 80's model 15 hp 2 strokes???? I mostly hunt alone. I'm 6'2" and 200 lbs, and unfortunately dog less at the present time. However, my son and daughter are getting old enough to come along and I'd like to have a little bit more power. There would never be more than two people in the boat at one time. Funny, as I have been typing this, my neighbor just emailed and offered me a Yamaha 15 hp 2 stroke short shaft that he has literally used twice.
 
Hi Guys,
Thanks for all of your suggestions.
I too have read about the possibly / issues of torque and a larger than rated outboard. When the original owner replaced the motor mount, he added a 1/4" thick plate of aluminum that extends over the top of the mount. If you look closely at the mount, you can see it on the aft face. The mount itself is 15 1/2" from bottom edge to top edge. I have been looking at trying to add some sort of torsional support to the mount, but it seems that anchoring the support to the aft top deck area might be troublesome. In order to properly anchor the support, I would have to penetrate several inches of what I assume is floatation void to obtain an anchor point on the interior of the boat. I'm not sure that just mounting to the surface of the aft deck would really be a long term fix. I would think that without some type of below surface, permanent anchor point. The supports would eventually just work themselves loose.
The reason I was considering the the four stroke 20 hp Honda, is the fact that it weighs in at 104 lbs. I was hoping / thinking that that must be very close in weight to late 80's model 15 hp 2 strokes???? I mostly hunt alone. I'm 6'2" and 200 lbs, and unfortunately dog less at the present time. However, my son and daughter are getting old enough to come along and I'd like to have a little bit more power. There would never be more than two people in the boat at one time. Funny, as I have been typing this, my neighbor just emailed and offered me a Yamaha 15 hp 2 stroke short shaft that he has literally used twice.
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GRAB THAT 2 STROKE! great motors and while it wont be a speed demon it will be much safer for the boat and its transom.
 
MLBob, I got the boat and kind of lost touch with Jim.
I do remember the decoys he was selling and I think the name was Outlaw decoys.
Shawn I have a bracket bolted to the motor pad to the boats stern but had to remove the anchor tie down,
there has to be a better way, this is a bother for a manual tilt as the motor has to be tilted t the side before it can be released to go back down to normal operation, the bracket catches on the Y 25s foward and reverse. I will try to get a pic but you should not need all this if you go with the 15 hp.
 
More than the weight, the 15 1/2 inch leverage is my biggest concern. Even if the aluminum plate adds enough strength to the motor board, there is still a tremendous pressure being applied to the hull of the boat at the attachment bolts near the bottom of the board.

The cleat forward of the motor board, do you have access to the inside at that point? If not, do you know just how the cleat is fastened? Screws into the deck surface? Thru bolts with nuts on the inside? Thru bolts into a threaded backer plate? I am just thinking that it might be possible to remove the cleat, while leaving the inside fastener in place, add your brace, then reattach the cleat on top of the brace foot by using longer bolts to make up for the added thickness of the brace sandwiched between the deck and the cleat. Clear as mud?

I agree that just screws into the deck surface are not sufficient. I would only use thru bolts and even then prefer a threaded backer plate. Bolts thread into the plate, then individual nuts are installed as a lock nut to keep the bolts from loosening up.
 
Shawn,

One suggestion. I'd forget about that arrangement that has your plug hanging from a chain and inserted from the outside of the boat. Cut the chain and insert the plug from the inside.

My TDB is a '96. I believe that was the first or second year they went to the composite grassing rails to replace the wooden ones. The motor board on mine is smaller and beefier as well, but it is through-bolted like yours. I remember expressing concerns about trailering with the motor on, and the late Tom Kondrk, who was the Ohio rep. for TDB at the time, assured me it would not be an issue. I have never had a problem doing so, and the mount is rock-solid after 17 seasons of hard use. Now that I'm retired and taking off way more than just on the weekends and holidays during the season, the motor is usually on the boat - - if not all season, then for weeks at a time. In the off- season, I store my motor indoors on a rack, not on the boat. I ran an old Mercury 18 on it when I first got it ( Note the correct use of the verb "run." One runs a motor on a boat... one does not "run" decoys as in : "We 'run' about three dozen fully flocked GHG super-mags and 3 spinners" ;-) ;-)) , and then purchased a new Merc 15h.p. - 2 stroke about 2 years later. Still have the Merc. If I'm hunting alone with the dog and all my equipment, the 15 is plenty of power and the boat gets on plane quickly. With another hunter added, it still moves the boat along well, but definitely not with the zip it has with just one hunter.You willl want to play with the tilt settings on your motor to determine the angle it performs best at.

Years ago when I was looking, the bottom line for me was that it fit the hunting conditions I encounter very well. Like any boat, you need to use your head, respect its limitations, and play on its strenghths.
 
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Shawn,

Neat boat for sure. I'd love to find one myself. As the others are saying the bolt config that low on the motor board would concern me as well. The addition of the aluminum backer is a good idea. As huntindave mentioned about adding a support and using the thru holes for the cleat, if it's only through the fiberglas shell I would consider some sort of vibration dampening as well to help eliminate the migration of the harmonic vibration the motor will transmit to that area. And if it's into a block say of wood fab'd into the deck I'd go ahead and drill through for a better bolted joint using an aluminum backer.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#vibration-damping-grommets/=kzpu2m

Hope to see some blood on the deck before your season ends.
 
Shawn, check out www.smalloutboards.com . there out of canada and sell 2 strokes. I came across them when I was looking for bigger motor for my TDB 17 classsic. I say 25hp 2 stroke. My buddy runs a 25 merc and with 2 guys and a dog...its just right. You don't have to run WOT. He also has a dolphin on it. Helps you get up on plane quicker and stay plane at slower speeds.

Good Luck w your search.

Phil
 
I am not a TDB owner I do see a lot of them on long Island. Most are running 25 HP. The 15 loaded does not get out of its own way is what I have been told. Is there something wrong with the 25?
 
Shawn; stick with a 15 hp motor .The motor mount on your boat has added bolting to rei nforce the motor mount board for a reason ,and that is the tork or thrust it has on the mount.Going with a larger motor like a 25 hp can and has resulted in the mounting board to break away or cause hair line cracks between the board and boat transume.and may start a slow leak that yuo wont know where it is coming from.I have a 14 ft;"hawk" TDB same as yours but this one has the transume motor mount all fiberglass moulded in the boat.I run a 2 stroke 25 hp yamaha on it .It runs great with 2 persons and dog with decoys and will get up on plane,but with 1 person and dog etc. she will porpoise wide open so i'll run her at half or 3/4 spead acording to water conditions [wave and wind] P.S.go with a 4- stroke elec. start. That way you don't have to worry about the correct oil mix. I hope this info. will be of some help to you,good hunting,these boats make good open water hunting like bluebill and cans etc.
 
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