And They wonder why Sailors hate outboard motors! :) . . . .

[Charles Brennan]

So, I'm playing with where to mount the $20 dollar Fulton motor mount I got at a flea market, onto a SCAMP-in-progress.
I've got it all worked out for the trolling motor I intend to use, but if things don't work out . . . . .
Hey!   We're talking about someone who is regularly buried under the Crushing Weight of Reality, here! 
So my back up contingency plan (if I'm forced to go back to ICE engines)  is to locate the motor mount so I could also install a Honda BF2.3 outboard, if my previous trolling motor plans fall through.

So I'm online, getting dimensions for transom height, cavitation plate dimensions, etc and I trip over the owner's installation manual for the BF2.3 and scrolling through, I see this:
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Seriously? 
"Remove the three 5mm nuts with an 8mm wrench . . . ."
Gee Guys, when I tried that, NONE of the nuts moved!! 
With diligently researched and published information like that, from no less an authoritative source than the manufacturer,    I figure I'm just going to go hit up my son to borrow his BF2.3 and hang it on the mount, to see where it might fit and be usable.

Areas of concern:
1) (Obviously) Proper engine height in the water, for efficient propulsion.
2) Things the motor could hang up on, when in the up (unused) position on the mount.
3) Ability to tilt motor up out of the water and not slam against the transom, or snag on everything.
4) Things that could snag or impede boat operation, such as the traveler hanging up on the motor tiller handle, etc.
5) Ability to start, operate, steer, etc. the motor, when deployed (down position on the mount).
 
Any of you guys using this motor on small sailboats, have any insights or experiences you could offer, to help save me from myself?   
The boat I've used for the past 48 years came to me with a motor mount pre-installed, and those answers already worked out, so I'm treading on unfamiliar ground, here.

Thanks for any opinions (and especially, for any facts!),
Charles Brennan

[Frank B.]

Facts??? I have no facts! Not sure you can handle the facts Small, four stroke, carb fed, gas outboard motors are the work of the devil.

Anywhere you use the terms impede, hang up, slam, snag, etc., the possibilities are so endless that they can't even be imagined.

Anywhere you use the terms start, operate, steer, etc., you are engaging in wishful thinking. 

I don't actually have any useful information on a boat of that type and size, other than do you have oar locks installed?

Have I mentioned lately that I hate ICE outboards?

[Charles Brennan]

Frank, The oarlock backing blocks have been located on the hull and installed for some time, now.
The oarlocks will be mounted on the coamings . . . . . .

 . . . . once I have mounted the coamings. 

I am definitely of the:
"Pray to God, but Row for Shore" persuasion, but there is one Dirty Little Secret that no one ever talks about:
The weakest link in oar propulsion, is the rower.
Not sure I have as much stamina any more, as does a liter of fuel, or 50 or 60 Amps of battery.
Never seen a motor get arm or leg cramps, or blisters, or just generally run out of steam. 

I intend to have all three forms of propulsion: Sail, Row, & Motor, available to me, but I've been on boats long enough, not to have too much faith in ANY of them!! 

Your post really made me laugh this morning. 
Thanks,
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

My little excursion last week is a good example of what you get with rowing. Exhilirating sail in the afternoon. Time to get to desired anchorage - dead into a 15-20 mph wind. Tacked up to cove entrance then time to row. It was a hard 20 minute pull!. Wind pushing me about as fast as I could sail. Only made a few hundred yards. Flip side: next morning no wind. Easy, comfortable, even enjoyable 3.3 mile row back to the ramp moving about a boat length each stroke.

[Doug SC]

Here are some photos of my older Honda 2hp long shaft I picked up for $400 on the motor mount I found for $30.

In the photos the wood mount is 13 and 7/8" long and the bottom of the motor is (approximately) 30" from where it rests on top of the wood.

This first photo is the motor all the way up which is in the bottom notch of the motor mount.
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This photo is all the way up and tilted up.
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This photo is the motor in the next to the lowest of all 5 positions.
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This photo is the motor in the next to the lowest of all 5 positions and tilted up
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This is the motor in the bottom position of the motor mount.
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I have not had a problem yet with the motor up in the first photo position while sailing. I have not sailed with it tilted up as shown in the second photo. I will probably sail with it in the titled-up position like in the fourth photo. I hope this proves helpful and thank you for all the help you so freely share with us.

[Doug SC]

I don't tend to steer with the throttle but use the tiller instead. Here are photos of the throttle in 3 different down positions.

In the middle position.
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The next position down.
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In the bottom position.
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[Roland of Macatawa]

Hey Charles:

Your SCAMP building fatigue seems to be showing.
A 5mm machine screw, nominal shaft/thread diameter, does indeed have a larger hex head, 8mm across the flats.
So, don't be too dubious of your manual.

On my SunDayCat, I modified the motor mount by changing the 'clamp-on' plate to be positioned slightly higher.
This enabled the motor mount to stay in the same position for both motoring and sailing.
Which is much more convenient transitioning by not needing to reposition the parallel linkage.
My outboard is Tohatsu 6HP Sail Pro extra-long-shaft, so my dimensions are probably not relevant to you.

Regards, Roland

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Do you remember my dual installation? - ICE on the motor mount, modified electric motor on the rudder.

[Timm R Oday25]

Charles ,I'm going through the same process as you .The mounting pad that bolted
on back when our boat was new ,finally rotted away after 40 plus years .
Doug's photos empathathize the value of an adjustable mount .
I have a spare to send if you find it would help

[Charles Brennan]

Timm, Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm in good shape for motor mounts.  A hefty plastic honey-comb pad came with the mount I already bought.  If I had any criticism at all, it would be that it is perhaps, too hefty! It looks a little out of scale on such a small transom, and I'm considering making a smaller "wooden" mounting pad.
A little hefty:
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Here's a pic of the other side:
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("Wooden" = Southern Yellow Pine wood x 3 coats epoxy, 2 layers 6 oz. fiberglass cloth, 2 more coats epoxy, all mounting plate through-holes over-drilled, filled with thickened epoxy and re-drilled, coat of EZ Poxy primer and three coats of paint; so . . . . mostly still wood.)

My son, Chris is in the same boat as you, on his Sea Pearl 21, that also has a rotted motor mount pad.  If you could post a pic, perhaps he might make use of it.  I don't know his current plans,  if he's building a pad of his own, could use a new one, or might want to cajole his Dad into making TWO pads!! 

Hope this clarifies,
Charles Brennan

[Charles Brennan]

Doug, You have no idea how much your pics helped formulate my plans, but you are  likely to see some of it in a future Almost-a-SCAMP project report.

Thanks muchly,
Charles Brennan

[Charles Brennan]

Roland, Your reply:

Your SCAMP building fatigue seems to be showing.
A 5mm machine screw, nominal shaft/thread diameter, does indeed have a larger hex head, 8mm across the flats.

While technically true, is also somewhat misleading.
The Honda instructions specifically referred to a nut, (not a bolt) and nuts are always measured across the flats.
For example, a given 6-32 nut could be 5/16" across the flats, or another 6-32 nut could be 3/8" across the flats when additional surface area grip range is desired. I've used both types.

So my opinion, that the Honda manual writers were all wet, stands! 

As for "SCAMP building fatigue",     I am sure that is coming but so far, I've experienced nothing but exhilaration and anticipation on this project.
Although certainly, I would not have set out to be a boat builder as my first choice in acquiring a sailboat, I find I'm enjoying the process immensely! 

Hope this clarifies,
Charles Brennan

[Doug SC]

Yes, working on boats can be enjoyable and skill building, but that doesn't take away from the pleasure of complaining about it!

[Riley Smith]

I refrained from using an adjustable mount for one reason. I didn't trust that transom framing, considering it too light for the added moment to swing it AWAY from the transom. A couple of feet shorter and different materials and builder make a big difference    I think Frank is right, there is no possible way to think of ever contingency and just when you get comfortable, wham you get bit. I had to reroute the traveler bridle and STILL don't trust it. I've done the trolling motor thing and that sense of utility I got when Fed Ex delivered the old Nissan is way and beyond any other means of propulsion.

[Charles Brennan]

Riley, your statement:

I've done the trolling motor thing and that sense of utility I got when Fed Ex delivered the old Nissan is way and beyond any other means of propulsion.

Was a little sobering.

I was curious:
What size and type battery were you using?
What was your average range, when using a trolling motor?
In what ways did it let you down, (other than endurance)?
What were your specific frustrations?

I used a trolling motor on Urchin, 35 years ago and after 3 years of usage, ultimately went back to an ICE outboard.
But technology has not been standing still, in those ensuing three decades
I'll be using the same motor on a boat 1/3rd Urchin's weight, with twice the battery Ampacity and half again, the battery endurance of lead-acid tech, with the ability to re-charge via comparatively hefty solar array panels.
So far, electric vs gas range/usage numbers are looking tantalizingly close to being usable for my average cruising, daysailing, weekending, needs. 
About the only other thing I can think of to mitigate range anxiety, is to modify my motor for PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control, to squeeze a few more watts out of it.

Tell us!
Inquiring minds want to know,
Charles Brennan