Thursday, January 12, 2012

What is the best way to mount a 2.5 hp outboard to a small (2 person) pontoon boat?

Place the motor on the stern with the transom between the clamps. Tighten.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The pontoon boat is basically a piece of plywood on floats. ... The pontoon boat doesn't have a vertical surface like the transom of a regular boat."



LOL, figured it was something like that...sorry for being such a smart-@$$.



For the transom itself, two pieces of 3/4" exterior grade plywood joined with a high-quality epoxy, and covered with a layer of fiberglass cloth would be strong and durable. Two pieces glued together makes a stronger board than a solid piece of hardwood or a single piece of plywood the same thickness.



If fiberglass is too much trouble, there are other solutions for protecting wood from the elements -- if you don't do something it'll start to delaminate quickly.



I'd visit the hardware store for a couple stainless steel L-brackets (shelf brackets for example -- that's not a whole lot of weight) for mounting. Better get four. Thru-bolt the brackets to your pontoon platform first, two on top, two underneath.



Getting your transom at the right height might be a trial %26amp; error process. Think about drilling several sets of holes.



Use stainless steel fasteners if longevity is a factor. For best results, pre-drill the holes a little larger than you need, fill 'em with epoxy, then drill through the cured epoxy. That will isolate the wood from the elements. At the very least, coat the bolts with 3m 5200 when you install 'em. You don't want water getting to the interior of your plywood.



That's what I'd do. At least, it's what I'd set out to do. What I ended up with might be different.....you know how it goes....What is the best way to mount a 2.5 hp outboard to a small (2 person) pontoon boat?
Its hard to answer this not knowing what the boat is like, but i would suggest mounting it on the back/ transom obviously and somewhere strong, reinforced with metal preferably or wood.
  • duplicolor
  • No comments:

    Post a Comment