Transom extension?

[sly_karma]

Found a good deal on a used Etec 130 with 1150 hours, of which 50% at idle according to printout. Came off a RIB tender for a luxury motor yacht, full maintenance reports and receipts are provided. I like the V4, better power to weight than the 150 hp V6. Would be excellent power for my 19.5 glass hull: cleaner, more reliable and economical than the old 2 strokes I'm used to. The old Lund hull is solid after I did a transom and stringer rebuild four years ago.

But... the Etec has a 25" leg and my transom is 20". I'm a carpenter, I can see how to build a sturdy 5" extension doweled into the existing and then have an aluminum bracket fabricated that would sandwich over the re-glassed taller transom and through-bolt into the original one below. Has anyone seen this done for a midsize motor like this? Traps and pitfalls?

Pro:

• $4500 for a lightly used modern outboard including rigging and instruments
• approx half price of lease return motor
• motor still has 2 years warranty left
• transom addition would be relatively cheap as I can do most of the labour myself
• I have a heated shop and engine hoist, can do the re-rigging myself
• less time and money than pod conversion
• existing steering cable will switch straight over
• will improve clearance to kicker - the Etec appears to be a lot narrower than the wide, bulky Merc V6 I have now. Currently the two cowlings foul just short of full steering lock.
• remote oil tank setup means more compact cowling and gets a bit of weight off the transom
• Etec weighs same as existing Merc 150

Con:

• modifying hull structure always carries some risk
• time and cost of transom work (estimate $500 for materials and aluminum bracket fabrication) - not just a simple engine switch
• stuck with same boat work space unless pod conversion is done
• engine mass will sit 5" higher than currently

 

[casper5280]

Did something similar on my Malibu worked great. My transom was solid and the bracket cost me about $350

 

[sly_karma]

Thanks @casper5280 that is very much what I had in mind. Did you cut fibreglass along the top of the old transom and dowel in more wood? Or is the bracket stiff enough in its own right?

 

[casper5280]

Whole thing is aluminum. Just like a upside down U. Just slipped it on and bolted it up. Transom mount and motor mounts are all thru bolted and sealed the whole thing on the edges. I put 4" flat bar on the inside of transom instead of big fender washers. If I was to do it again, I would not powder coat it. Years after the install all around the bolts and washers the powder coat started to flake off.

 

[sly_karma]

Thanks again! That makes life simpler. If I decide to buy this motor, it makes the transom work relatively simple. Would very much prefer not to disturb the existing fibreglass work, it took a helluva lot of time.

 

[RGS]

Here is another option.

https://thmarinesupplies.com/products/cmc-static-jack-plate-5-inch-vertical-extension

 

[Wild Bill]

https://www.overtons.com/cook-power-lift-electric-hydraulic-transom-jack-with-gauge-322743.html

 

[sly_karma]

Thanks for both of those suggestions, makes me wonder about a manual jack plate. My adjustable kicker bracket pushes the 9.9 back 6" off the transom and made a tie bar linkage unworkable. Moving the main back would likely improve alignment and clearance between the two. Design is already done and there is some adjustability. Weight shift aft doesn't worry me too much, main fuel tank is already bow mounted.

 

[sly_karma]

I pulled the trigger on the ETech. Its gonna be nice to have a relatively modern piece of iron on my transom! Will wait to see how it all looks by eye and tape measure before I decide custom bracket or jack plate.