Kicker motor mounting issues

[djenks]

Hello - I am a brand new member here, and have my first need of accessing the collective wisdom of Sea Ray owners who may have encountered the same situation I have.

I just purchased a 1998 215 Express Cruiser. It currently has a very cool trolling motor setup with remote control steering, electric start, etc. that is great for fishing. The mount (made by Remote Troll), situates the motor a fair distance aft of the swim deck to accommodate the remote steering mechanism. When the motor is raised out of the water, it adds a full 3 feet to the overall length of the boat.

I have a 25' slip in Roche Harbor. With this motor mount and the motor up, I use every inch of the 25' (no room for any motion while tied up at the dock since moving even an inch will overstep my paint marks at one end or the other. So.... looking at how I can re-mount this motor on a scissors type mount minimizing the amount the kicker adds to the overall boat length. I am OK with sacrificing the remote trolling capability, since fishing will not be my primary use of the boat.

Thus far, all kicker motor mounts I've seen create issues that rule them out. There is a swim platform on the back of the boat. This means there is no flat, vertical surface to which a motor mount can be attached. A mount that uses the swim platform, (horizontal mount), does not allow a motor to be positioned low enough to avoid constant cavitation, even with a long shaft motor. Even if I found one that provided a motor position low enough to work, when the motor is tipped forward to raise it out of the water, the added length exceeds the slip space. Scissor mount will be the way to go so raising the motor out of the water is done by vertical motion as opposed to tipping it, but I've not found any that provide enough vertical travel AND have a horizontal mounting plate.

I can't imagine other SeaRay owners with swim platforms have not encountered this problem, so would appreciate any insights gained in solving it. I'm leaning toward a custom fabricated bracket, but have to wonder if SeaRay or others haven't already solved this problem with something that's already on the market.

Please don't tell me to get a bigger slip, or leave the motor in the water. The slip cost goes through the roof over 25', and marine growth and corrosion resulting from leaving the motor in the water is not a good solution for me.

Thanks!
David

 

[Lazy Daze]

Welcome aboard, David!

Do you have the standard (integrated) platform or an extended (bolt-on) platform?

Could you use a Platform Bracket AND a Scissor-type? Meaning, mount a Platform-type bracket to your swim platform, then mount the Scissor-type to the Platform-type?

 

[djenks]

Hi Dennis - thanks!

I have the integrated swim platform. Your idea is a possibility as long as the point where the mounting-plate-to-mounting-plate meets is somehow compatible. I've not yet seen any two brackets that match up enough to do this.

I am investigating a custom fabrication, and its looking more likely that will be the best route.

David

 

[Lazy Daze]

David,

This is the one I had in mind when responding yesterday: http://www.garelick.com/product.php?pnumber=71078 If it doesn't fit "perfectly", I doubt it would be very hard to make it fit... There's always a way!

Since you have the integrated platform... are you sure a scissors-mount will drop the kicker far enough into the water?

This starts to add more money into your project (obviously), but have you ever given any though into adding an extended swim platform? They usually sit lower than the integrated one - along with giving you much more space out back. It would make the overall length of your boat about 23'6"... plus your outboard... bu think that would still come in under 25'.

 

[djenks]

Hi Dennis,

Yes - such a mount has been considered, and you're quite right, the issue with it is the inability to get the motor far enough down into the water to avoid cavitation. Even a long shaft had that problem when the original owner used such a mount.

Mating a scissors mount to the type of mount you're referring to may be an option as long as the two mounts can attach to one another really securely.

I'll find out more after talking to a fabricator in about a week at my marina in Roche Harbor to see what he recommends. I am betting we'll end up with a custom bracket that is "L" shaped where one of the mount surfaces is attached to the swim platform horizontally, and the other hangs down toward the water to accept the scissors mount bracket, thereby getting the motor low enough in the water for running, and allowing vertical motion to retract the prop out of the water without extending the overall length of the boat.

David

 

[Lazy Daze]

Sounds like a plan, David. You know, a 3/4" piece of plywood (even epoxy coat it, if you want) attached to the platform mount can be your long "L". Just a thought.

Let me know what you come up with - good luck!

 

[1956olds]

You may have a small enough boat for an electric trolling motor that mounts to your outdrive .One of the charter captains in AuGres mi has them on his boat and they are very much out of the way.

 

[S.S. Fireball]

Is this what you have, or are looking for? Seems like this would get it out of the water for you, but may not help with the length problem... (note these are pictures from two different installations)




JD