Can Spindrift Rascal carry the weight of an outboard?

[Thomas B. Miller]

I recently bought a 1981 Spindrift Rascal, and am wondering if the transom is strong enough to carry a 5hp, 67lb motor. What kind of mounting bracket would put the least strain on the transom? A friend is diabetic, and it could become necessary to get him ashore quickly

 

[Michael Rosso]

Wow. Another Rascal owner. Here I thought I was the only one! I don't see why you couldn't, although I would glass in a nice big piece of plywood to the inside of the transom first. Should be pretty easy to get to with that large hatch at the back. The rail comes out quite a bit, though. How are you planning on mount the outboard so that it wouldn't interfere?

 

[Ghagley-Rascal-14]

Hello, I have a 1981 Rascal with a motor mount. The previous owner used a 4 HP on it and he said it did fine. There are no modifications to the inside of the hull to support the mount. I picked up a 3.5 HP for my boat and it should be here this week. I will report back how it worked.