Please help - outboard motor mount

Good Advice

Chris,
Thanks for the advice, especially the one about patience! I'll let you know how things turn out.

Craig
 
How's the Honda Running?

cjdavia said:
According to the dealer nothing is wrong with the motor and it did not leak any oil for them. It is strange that the oil level is now magically in the 'normal' range and there are oil drips under the drain screw.

I can't wait for the rain to subside in Atlanta so I can take her out again and see if the problem continues!

Thanks for your help
Chris

Did that cure the problem Chris?
Thanks! :)
 
I think so....

Thanks for asking!

The dealer told me that they did nothing to my motor, but I noticed oil stains on the cavitation plate under the oil drain plug which leads me to believe they did drain out some excess oil. I've only had the chance to use the motor once, but I had no issues so things are looking up!

The other thing that might have happenned is that the boat might have been squatting too low into the water. When I took it out last I tried my best to sit as far up in the cockpit as possible when then motor is running. Maybe I'll adjust the trim angle out a bit next time and see what happens.

Thanks for all of your help! -chris
 
Too much oil

I had similar symptoms with a motor scooter when I overfilled the chain gallery.
The chain gallery vent pipe sucked the excess oil into the air cleaner which caused the engine to run very rich and die because of the restriction in the air filter element.

I haven't read all the posts yet, but I'm willing to bet that's all it is.

Steve B.
Current boats:

C14.2K Mod 2, Dragonfly 1000 Trimaran, Avon 310 RIB and 2 Stearns inflatable kayaks.
 
Deck Plate idea

I just wanted to thank you for your deck plate idea - I just finished mounting my motor mount on my 1978 Capri, and it was essential that I access the space under the seat to reinforce it. Brian
 
Outboard Motor Oil

Thanks senormechanico,

Yup, once I drained some of the excess oil and replaced the gummed up spark plug, my honda outboard worked fine... no thanks to my dealer.

A few weeks ago, I started her up after a long winter and it worked on the first pull. Yipee!

Thanks for responding!

Chris
 
Does everyone have a cable run from the motor to the transom in case the motor mounting bracket should break off. It could prevent you from becoming one of the many people who have sacrificed their motor to the lake gods ;)
 
FYI - Outboard mounting

Outboards should be mounted so the cavitation plate is level with and at the same angle as the bottom of the hull. More up angle is faster top end, down angle pulls from the hole faster but is slower. Probably not much noticable difference with a 2hp.
To the guy using the Minnkota troll motor, where and how did you mount the battery?:confused:
 
Final thoughts from Chris (cjdavia)?

Hello all, I just found this thread and it is great, well the whole site for that matter! I am a new 14.2 owner.

I was hoping for a follow up or summary post from Chris D, but anyone can chime in on this.

Honda 2hp Motor:
I haven't decided on the long or short yet.
Does your motor have the short or long shaft? also with or with out the clutch? and how does it work for you? How is the noise (Reyher mentioned that the short may be louder)?

Also i keep my boat in a lot near the launch, so i will need to remove the motor each time and transport in a car, does this sound feasible?

Bracket:
Also I think you mentioned mounting the bracket inside rather than outside to allow for more room, can you please give more details? Also did you end up with a Garelick mount, how far does it come off the back of the boat?

Did you countersink the bottom bolts and only going through the outer piece of plywood?

Final thoughts:
Is there anything that you would have done differently?


Thanks,

Gabe
 
Some thoughts from cjdavia

Hi Gabe, here are some of my thoughts -- I also sent you my cell phone number in a separate note, so feel free to call me if you would like to talk to me in person.

I am not sure what year your 14.2 is, but I was told by a capri technician that most of the 14.2s already have a reinforced transom. He was surprised that mine was not reinforced, but my 14.2 was one of the first ones built. I needed to add my own reinforcement because when I initially used the clamps on the motor to bolt the motor to the transom, both sides of the transom sprung in and out, like a plastic oil-can. The transom was completely hollow inside. I could make the fiberglass around the transom move myself my just pressing it with my hand. Plus, the motor needs to rest about 10 inches behind the transom so it does not get in the way of the traveller. Since the motor does have some weight, and it needs to rest behind the transom, I felt like the distance would put way to much force on the fiberglass and it would easily shred.

My honda 2HP is a long shaft. Like Reyher's, mine is pretty loud. However, I have never owned a boat with an outboard so I have nothing to compare it with.

The motor has a built in 'centrifugal clutch', so when you turn the throttle down way low, the motor continues to idle but the prop does not spin, this is pretty cool. To put her in reverse you simply swivel the motor around.

I constantly move the motor on and off the boat. I keep my boat in the garage and trailer her back and forth everytime I want to sail. I ALWAYS take the motor off of her when it being towed because my trailer does not have an extension rod to securly rest the motor. The motor also bounces around alot, and I don't want to put too much pressure on her transom.

The motor is pretty light, and it is easy to mount and dismount. The motor connects to the motor mount with 2 'C' clamps. All you have to do is tighten / loosen the clamps and you are good to mount/dismount the motor. The motor fits fine lying down in the trunk of my car. You can only lie it down on one side, the side that has the extra plastic bumpers. I have also forced the motor to stand up in the back seat of my car, wedged between the passenger seat and back seat.

When I use the motor, the water line is just where it should be on the motor's shaft. However, when I start to move at a faster pace, the extra weight of the motor along with the thurst causes the rear of the boat to sit noticably deeper in the water. I think I need to play with the trim angle of the mounting bracket to fix this. When my wife is in the boat with me, sitting in the front, the boat is just fine. When I use the motor alone, I usually scoot to the front third of the boat and use the capri's tiller to steer. I do have to scoot back and forth to adjust the speed though.

Bracket:
I used a simple, lightweight, stationary Garelick motor mount. The mount does allows me to adjust the trim angle by simply moving two bolts. I found the heavier, adjustable mounts are way overkill for the capri. The adjustable ones usually have springs that were meant for much heavier motors. With the light 2HP honda motor, it was nearly impossible to get enough strength to lower the motor using the adjustable bracket, and when you raise the motor, the springs would shoot that motor up way too fast.

If you are going to do what I did, you will have to drill a few holes into your transom. I drilled 4 holes to mount the marine plywood to both sides of the transom. You can see them if you look at the third picture of my earlier post. These holes line up with 4 holes on the motor mounting bracket. The top holes on the bracket were there, and I think I had to manually drill 2 new holes near the middle of the bracket. When you drill these holes, take care to make sure you can access the hole from both ends of the transom - the molded seats might get in the way and make it impossible to access.

I also had to drill 2 holes through the plywood only, but not the transom. These holes were for the 2 lower mounting bracket bolts. They did not go through the transom because the seat was in the way. I did countersink the bolts to the back part of the plywood so I could the plywood could rest flush on the transom, yet still have bolts sticking out for the bracket.

If you mount the bracket 'properly', the bolts that connect the bracket to the transom are spread out as far as possible. If you look at the bottom-right bolt on pic 3 of my previous post, it is pretty close to the edge of the plywood close to the backrest part of the seat. Luckily, mine just happenned to work out perfectly for me, but I really lucked out here. In order to reduce the chance that the seat will get in the way, you can invert the mounting brackets. This reduces the space between the bolts, so it does not spread out the pressure as well, but it gives you a bit more room to avoid that seat. If you are REALLY careful, you should be able to mount the bracket properly, with the width as wide apart as possible, and avoid the seat. If you are at all nervous about the seat getting in the way, i would invert the brackets.

The rear-most part of the garelick mount rests a little more than 10 inches away from the rearmost part of the transom, the motor mount itself is 1.5 inches. On my older 14.2, it just clears the rigging. Once in a while, if I raise the motor out of the water when under sail, the traveller catches on the gas cap when I come about, but that is about it.


Some other thoughts FYI....
Use marine plywood
I mitered the edges of the plywood so water would drip off of the plywood
I did coat the bolts with black marine caulking to ensure that water could not sneak in there
I sanded, pretreated, stained, and sealed the plywood before permanently installing it.
I also used some marine adhesive to glue the plywood to the transom before bolting it in.
Caulk and seal all around the plywood if you are anal like me.
Use washers so you do not gouge the plywood
I used stainless steel bolts, washers, and nuts that would not rust.
MAKE SURE THE PROP DOES NOT GET IN THE WAY OF THE TILLER BEFORE YOU INSTALL THE BRACKET

I would not do anything differently, my wife and I are really happy with how this project turned out.

I will pass on some advice about using the motor itself.... I keep about a gallon of gasoline in the cuddy when I am out on the lake, just in case I run out of gas. One time I needed to refuel, and I accidentily dropped the motor's gas cap into the lake! From now on I keep a spare in the boat, just in case!

Good luck, Chris
 
outboard motor mount

Chris,

Thanks for the thorough reply, this information is quite useful.

It sounds quite simple, now that you have figured it all out for me.

We keep the boat in a lot near the lake, so this weekend I will check to see if it is a solid transom, I think it is a 90s model so it probably is. I will most likely not add the extra plywood layers. This should make things a lot easier for me.

The mount you used with the Honda 2hp sounds like a winner!

Thanks again,

Gabe
 
Motor Mount

You guys put way too much work and money in that little boat. With the heavy engines installed the center of gravity is in unfavour of her sailing abilities. I have put a MinnKota trailing motor plus battery in her. That is givig me hours of operation for no cost in gassoline and oil. It is lightweigt, economic, environmental friendly and sailing is an ease. Just put mount it to the transom with an extra wood plate from bot sides. Make it Teak to add some durability. The shaft is adjustable 'on the fly' and no problems or whatsoever with the lines. Ok: You have an electric cable running through the boat to the forward compartment. But if you solder and isolate everything together nice and clean you never ever will have a short circuit. She won't run fast on electric but hell- we are sailors. Not the dumm motor boaters around.
 
Now for the motor.......

I visited my local Honda dealer this afternoon after all the posts in this discussion thread. For 2007, the clutchless "feature" is gone from the 2 HP. It starts in neutral and you shift it into gear. Otherwise it is the same as the 2006 model. Quote for long shaft 2 HP Honda was $1,085. Any comments on the motor or price?

Ray
 
Way to go!

I just picked up my Honda BF2D Long Shaft for my 14.2. It is light, and easy to transport. I had my dealer install the Catalina motor mount for me. I have a 2001 model. I was told to get the long shaft version, so I'll get back to you all about how it works for me in a week or so.

I am amazed at the ingenuity of the members in problem solving.

Once I pick up my boat, I'll take a slew of pix about the tiller tamer, Topping Lift, Reefing points, etc. that I have added to the stock boat. The previous owner had only added a 6" cleat to the bow for mooring.

Take care and happy sailing!

Jon
Southampton, MA
 
So how do you like the motor?

Frostgfx, you promised us some pictures, and how do you like that honda?

Federalist, the price seems about right, and i like the fact that it starts in netural and shifts into gear. I hate that initial forward thrust that occurs when I start mine.
Chris
 
I just noticed this thread. I bought a '92 Capri 14 last year and had great fun with it. I had thought about adding an outboard, but the thought of capsizing with a motor turned me away. During the summer I capsized the boat three times, each time followed by a turtling action.

What do you guys with motors do during a capsize? Is it an issue to have your motor sitting upside down with the engine underwater? Aren't you spilling oil and gas? Even with a trolling motor, isn't it bad to have the battery under water? Finally, doesn't that heavy motor present a safety hazard while you float around the boat in choppy waters getting prepared to right it?

I'd really be interested in your thoughts cause I think a motor would really be helpful but for those few times it does capsize, I think it would be a real hassle.
________
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Hi Caerus,

If you are an aggressive sailor and have a tendency to capsize, I would not recommend the gas powered motor. A submerged motor is not a good thing, and if the gas vent is not screwed in all the way, gas will leak out into the water. The extra weight should make the boat more difficult to right, and I agree that it could get in the way if you are not careful when swimming around the stern.

I am going to jinx myself and say that I have not yet capsized my capri. I am overly conservative when I take her out because I am certain that my older-styled cuddy door leaks and I am worried that any interior floats have deteriorated to the point of being useless. Also, since my boat is so old, the motor is actually worth more than the boat itself, so I am further incented to keep her right-side-up. I do miss the adreneline rush of pushing a boat to its tipping point, but believe it or not, I have also found enjoyment in trying to outsmart the conditions by sailing within limits.

I think a battery powered motor could work out OK for you, but I'd defer to others on the forum They are less expensive, lightweight, and I think others have devised ways to secure the battery in the cuddy so it won't fall out of the boat or tumble around when it flips. I think I remember reading that you could put the battery in a waterproof enclosure, but I might be making that up.

I think your decision to avoid the gas motor is a good one.

Good luck!
Chris
 
cjdavia,

Thanks for the reply. When I bought the boat I never even considered a motor so I was a bit surprised to hear it could be done. My previous boat was a Laser 2 so I'm used to hiking out, but I'm getting older now (51) and I wanted something a bit tamer, but I simply can't resist those white caps.

At the same time, I've also sailed keel boats so I'm used to the idea of an engine, mainsail reefs, topping lifts, etc. I was just wondering where to draw the line. I've already figured out (the hard way) that you don't want to keep the mainsail cleated when coming about in gusty winds (something you can get away with in a keel boat), but I have put reef points in the mainsail and that helps a lot.

Anyway, thanks for the input. If anyone has any advice on the electric motor idea, I'm all ears. (Sculling for a couple of miles is also something I'm trying to avoid in my old age).
________
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cjdavia,

Thanks for the reply. When I bought the boat I never even considered a motor so I was a bit surprised to hear it could be done. My previous boat was a Laser 2 so I'm used to hiking out, but I'm getting older now (51) and I wanted something a bit tamer, but I simply can't resist those white caps.

At the same time, I've also sailed keel boats so I'm used to the idea of an engine, mainsail reefs, topping lifts, etc. I was just wondering where to draw the line. I've already figured out (the hard way) that you don't want to keep the mainsail cleated when coming about in gusty winds (something you can get away with in a keel boat), but I have put reef points in the mainsail and that helps a lot.

Anyway, thanks for the input. If anyone has any advice on the electric motor idea, I'm all ears. (Sculling for a couple of miles is also something I'm trying to avoid in my old age).

I was in dilemma should I buy electric or honda 2HP. Not a big fan of the internal combustion engines but not sure how electric motor would perform and what range would give me. So, I started doing research on trolling motors, but did not find anything that would satisfy me. So I made decision to actually build one by my self. I was thinking to get some old 2-3HP motor, rip off the engine, and install 600W, 24V system with a controller right inside of the housing. However, because I want to use same battery pack for my other projects, I decided to keep batteries in the waterproof box outside of the outboard motor. I just started on this project and if you interested you can follow it here: http://electricoutboard.blogspot.com/. I am also trying to bring my capri omega up to speed. Here is more info on that project. http://capriomega.blogspot.com/
 

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