Engine mounting

[PeterM]

With my boat being now about 6 1/2 years old I have been going over it chacking all the nuts/ bolts/ screws etc to make sure all is as it should be before (hopefully) lots of use over the summer.

One thing I have noticed that I never have seen before ;

- The top Engine bolts seem to be pulling into the transom.

I suppose over 6 years and 450 hours the loads through thse are pretty large, so to fix it & stop it happenings its been suggested I fit a ' distribution bar' - essentially a big cross beam to spread the loads away from the bolt holes.

I am planning on whipping the bolts out one at a time, with the boat still on the water to fit it in the next few days.

So questions are - does anyone have this fited already ?

does anyone think the motor will fall off if I take one bolt out at a time ?

[bedajim]

Originally Posted by PeterM

With my boat being now about 6 1/2 years old I have been going over it chacking all the nuts/ bolts/ screws etc to make sure all is as it should be before (hopefully) lots of use over the summer.

One thing I have noticed that I never have seen before ;

- The top Engine bolts seem to be pulling into the transom.

I suppose over 6 years and 450 hours the loads through thse are pretty large, so to fix it & stop it happenings its been suggested I fit a ' distribution bar' - essentially a big cross beam to spread the loads away from the bolt holes.

I am planning on whipping the bolts out one at a time, with the boat still on the water to fit it in the next few days.

So questions are - does anyone have this fited already ?

does anyone think the motor will fall off if I take one bolt out at a time ?

Yes, well a large stainless plate

And no it shouldn't be a problem if you do one bolt at a time as in remove one then refit it before removing the next one, can you fit a beam 1 bolt at a time or would some large washers(bits of square flat bar) be any good

Jim

[Avocet]

I know nothing about what you're proposing but the effect seems to be the same as fitting oversized washers to spread the load, so it makes sense.

On the basis that you've four bolts designed to take the forces applied at WOT, I'm sure that three will take the dead weight of the engine when stationary.

.....but I'm more than happy to come along and take the photos if I'm wrong.

[Chris]

If they are pulling into the transom then I would also take a good look when they are out to make sure you have not got water ingress causing the transom to go soft.

[PeterM]

Originally Posted by Chris

If they are pulling into the transom then I would also take a good look when they are out to make sure you have not got water ingress causing the transom to go soft.

I'm trying not to think about this possibility .......but yes a good opportunity to check.

David , I'll let you know if I drop the motor into 6ft of water & mud ............

[Mollers]

I've bolted through s/s plates on our SR4. We refitted all engine bolts with silicon to prevent water getting in there. If done neatly, it looks smart.

[PeterM]

Just to make clear I'm not going to take each bolt out in turn until there is loud splash and I see the engine vanish- I'll put them back in before I take the next one out........

I have visions of cheques being written with lots of zeros if its got water in it. So worst case who can I give it to to get it sorted ?

Ribshop sort it ? Biffer ? Anyone I need to start calling ?

[Nasher]

Pete

I wouldn't panic just yet, it's probably just compression over the years and hours of use rather that anything more serious.

Spreading the load over a wider area is something that should have been done from when it was new, and a good thick Stainless plate covering a wide area would do the trick. - Another annoying thing manufacturers don't do.

If it has got water in there then it's a case of de-rigging, cutting out the transom from outside or inside and rebuilding it. If you don't fancy having a go at it yourself then Biff is probably your best bet.

I will be interested to hear if it is water ingress, as you know I like the look of your boat, and thought Shearwater would have done a better job of building her.

Nasher.

[PeterM]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Pete

I wouldn't panic just yet, it's probably just compression over the years and hours of use rather that anything more serious.

Spreading the load over a wider area is something that should have been done from when it was new, and a good thick Stainless plate covering a wide area would do the trick. - Another annoying thing manufacturers don't do.

If it has got water in there then it's a case of de-rigging, cutting out the transom from outside or inside and rebuilding it. If you don't fancy having a go at it yourself then Biff is probably your best bet.

I will be interested to hear if it is water ingress, as you know I like the look of your boat, and thought Shearwater would have done a better job of building her.

Nasher.

Cheers Nasher , being an eternal pessimist I've got my fingers crossed. As mine was no1 built the hull was supplied direct by RING, and to be honest I dont think the previous owner took a great deal of care with It so who knows what hw did/didn't do.

Hopefully I'll find out mid week & let you know. Off to the boat jumble now

[9D280]

If you got transom towing eyes or an A-frame you could run a ratchet strap or a rope round the back of the engione to hold it up, then can take both bolts out at once - probably easier if you are fitting a bar or plate......

Much as the bolts will be fine to hold it strength wise, I'd be more concerned by the torque of the weight on the lower bolts making a nasty mess of the bottom two as it tried to fall back, unless of course your engine is old enough to still have the "transom screws" you get on wee portable engines (to hold the top of the clamp against the transom).