what does my transom need to mount an outboard?

M

michael barnes

Active member
it is an aluminum starcraft, and on the transom, is has about a 2x8 running across the top, to reinforce it. do most outboards, 25 or smaller, just hang on, and clamp tighten? or do i need to do anything else to the transom, for maybe bolting on a mount or something...? i really know nothing about outboards, so im not sure what to be doing to get it ready to for an outboard. thanks for bearing with me, i appreciate the help.
 
Hey Michael,
I recommend bolting the motor to the boat. 1 bolt is adequate; use 2 if you need it to be symmetrical. Most outboards have a hole or two that can be used for this purpose. Clamps can loosen over time, and a few guys have stories about losing a motor that was clamped....Use Stainless hardware.

Dave
 
Small outboards should have a transom clamp built in and/or through holes for bolting. If using just a clamp, padlock it or use some sort of mechanism to make sure it doesn't work loose and allow the motor to fall off. It happens, a lot! I prefer belt and suspenders here and use the clamp and through bolt when possible. I would also recommend something like a "transom saver" aluminum plate to keep the clamp or bolts from pulling through the wood.

Good luck on the motor search, wait for the right one. Oars will work better than you might think until then.

Gene
 
sounds great, thanks for the advice. was actually planning on putting some oar locks on, to get out and see how (if...) it floats, and maybe do some fishing this spring. a boy i used to hang out with had a row boat on the creek, and you could really get that thing moving.
 
forgot to ask one more thing about bolting rather than clamping. do you just clamp the motor on, and then run a bolt through the clamp assembly to keep it from working loose?
 
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