Securing TY Outboard Engine Mount

[Chris & Dale Schnell]

Has anyone rigged their TY Outboard Engine Mount to secure it from jumping up when placing the motor in reverse?

We have found ouselves on several occassions having to give a little throttle in reverse to avoid unwanted circumstances backing into our slip, and as a result the motor/mount jump up, and some control is lost.

What I'm thinking about is thru-bolting the bronze frame to the deck thru the stern mahogony. I have long arm access to this as we actually have a cavity just below the stern deck that our rudder post joins our tiller (e.g. I can see & touch the backing plates & nuts for cleats, etc.).

Thoughts or comments, or best yet, examples where it's been done. Thanks.

[Oswego John]

Chris and Dale

I through bolted the factory equipped motor mount on my first Ty through the aft deck. I didn't secure it for reasons of it lifting in reverse. I was mainly interested in preventing someone from stealing the O B by merely lifting and rolling the motor and the mount out together as a unit.

My 5 hp Mercury does have F-N-R and I learned early on that when it is shifted into reverse, it is necessary to make sure that the lock from the shaft to the engine is snapped in to prevent the engine from pivoting up and cavitating.

Good luck,
O J

[Jim Buck]

Chris and Dale,

The PO of my last Ty drilled a hole through one of the flats of the bronze mount on through the teak and fiberglass deck and secured it with a small bronze bolt (1/8" diameter?), nut and washer. The nut and washer on the underside was difficult but not impossible to access through the inspection port on the stern bulkhead of the cockpit. I had the same problem you speak of with my first Ty and it can also happen when the seas get a little choppy when going forward. The thru-bolting allowed me to leave motor (secured to mount with its own lock) and mount in place without fear of theft. It also assured me that the prop would stay where I needed it. I hated the idea initially of having a hole in the mount and through the deck but performance and security proved to be better. Perhaps one of our knowledgeable members has achieved a better mousetrap.

Jim

[Dick Villamil]

I installed a second cleat on the port side and then use a bicycle lock with cable that runs through the cleat, through the motor mount and through the motor handle. As long as the cleat is attached it will keep honest people honest!

[Sea Hunt]

I am a rookie so my comments should be viewed with great caution.

That said, I have a Suzuki 6 hp/4 stroke (long shaft) that weighs about 57-58 lbs. and is attached with the traditional (original) O/B bracket. On the few occasions that I have had to motor in reverse (coming up a little too fast on my mooring float stick or approaching the club's dock a little too fast) I have not noticed the O/B and bracket to "jump up" or lift up.

My apologies in advance but are you sure it is actually lifting up If it is actually partially lifting up out of the water than I think OJ has the answer - you may not have the shaft properly locked in its bracket.

With the combined weight of the O/B plus the bracket plus the fact it has to lift up against water resistance (however minor that may be) it would seem difficult for the O/B and bracket to actually lift up. That said, I have never actually shifted into reverse and gone to full throttle. I guess if you did that it may be possible for the O/B and bracket to lift up. However, your post suggests you only give a "little throttle" in reverse as I do.

If you are in forward and need to quickly go to reverse, there is a brief time delay for the prop to stop its clockwise(most common)/forward rotation and begin its counterclockwise/reverse rotation. Combined with this time delay it takes a few seconds for a small O/B to move a 2000 lb boat in reverse.

I would be reluctant to drill holes unless it is absolutely essential. I was going to add a cleat on the port quarter also to use for a cable lock but decided against it - 4 additional holes are 4 holes too many. I just got a longer cable and secure the O/B to the factory installed starboard quarter cleat.

As I said, I am a true rookie and know very little about the subject. I offer my observations from my experiences only and again apologize if they are inaccurate, misguided or foolish (as many of my observations are ).

[Chris & Dale Schnell]

The only outboard I've used is my 90 hp Honda on my Boston Whaler, and of course it has hydraulic lift, etc. So I will dig out the owners manual on my new 4 hp 4 stroke Yamaha, find the lock discussed and engage it, and see what happens. I too am very reluctant to drill holes unless absolutely necessary. I do currently use the bicycle lock concept, but I run it around the back stay which works fine. In reality, it's keeping honest people honest....a good pair of heavy duty bolt cutters and it's gone. Anyway, we'll be going out tomorrow, so I'll let you know the results.

[RIKanaka]

Chris and Dale,

There was a previous discussion about this very issue http://www.capedory.org/board/viewtopic ... n+outboard.

I think the conclusion was that a heavier 5 hp motor would not breach, but a lighter one, like my 2hp Honda, would.

I've found that not gunning the outboard makes it less likely to breach.

I've also considered running a line between the two deck cleats and tensioning it around the motor shaft. I don't know if this would solve the problem or not, but it's worth a try.

[Chris & Dale Schnell]

Yesterday I went down to prep Miss Dale for a sail, which includes starting & warming up the motor. Tied to the dock, I put her in reverse & gunned it a little, and sure enough the motor didn't lift, the whole motor on the bracket did. I then stood in the cockpit, placed my left hand on top of the cowling to hold it down & gunned it which provided sufficient resistance to prevent it from jumping. This leads me to believe that 2 bolts (w/backing plates) thru the stern deck holding a bracket over the bronze engine mounting will be sufficient to keep it stable in reverse. Note, I don't want to drill thru the bronze bracket as I don't want to compromise it's strength. Rather, I will design a bracket to go over it & secure it in place. In the mean time, my newfound technique of holding her down & being gentle in reverse worked perfectly yesterday, but it was also a perfect day on the Cape Fear River....82 degrees, NE wind about 12-15 knots, and an overall calm river (except a few eddy spots where the Cape Fear enters the ICW & also out towards Bald Head Island). I'll be designing the bracket for when she's blowing 15-20 out of the Southwest (our predominant heading) and I need a little more coxing. When I do, I'll post some pictures of the project. But Yesterday, the wind was fair, my bride was beautiful, and the beer was cold....Life was Very Good!