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Dinghy Motor Mount Gunwale Protection

SurabyaKid

Member III
Hi,

In the attached pictures you'll see I have a Yankee Boatworks (now defunct) dinghy with a substantial finished wood gunwale. I also have a good 'ol British Seagull 40 plus that I would like to use occasionally with the dinghy. The dinghy is rated for the 2hp output of the Seagull.

Are there any suggestions from the group as to how I might protect the finish of the wood from the abrasion of the metal screw type mount? As can be seen in the second picture, there is very little room to add a plate so I had thought to router out a bit from both sides of the gunwale so that a plate or sacrificial material could be put in place for the motor mount to attach to.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions,

Pat
E26 -> "Pronto"
 

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Emerald

Moderator
Do the pads twirl on the end of the screws, or are they fixed and turn as the screw does? If they twirl, perhaps glue some inner tube to them. Other thoughts would be a piece of brass (or aluminum or stainless) sheet on the wood piece.
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
The biggest problem I have with my Seagull is that the transom clamp doesn't open as wide as modern outboards so it is difficult to fit them over the transom of my Achilles for example.

If you are going to put some sacrificial material in there I would suggest an 1/8" aluminum plate on the screw side and a section of reinforced rubber on the outside of the transom. Most transom clamps have "nubs" on them that dig into the transom to hold the outboard on, especially when turning. I have used pieces of tractor-trailer mudflaps as padding on the outside of the transom. They are heavy rubber usually reinforced with fabric. They also may be too thick for the little Seagull so McMaster may have what you need also.

What year is that Seagull? What ratio do you run it at? Mine is a '69 and runs at 10-to-1!!!! Not exactly "eco-friendly"

RT
 

SurabyaKid

Member III
Thanks David & Rob!

The pads do twirl and look flat enough to be able to glue a piece of rubber to. The back pads do have a pattern in them, so the suggestion of rubber on the backside is a good one. I think I'm going to combine all the ideas and do an aluminum plate in front with rubber in the rear and pads on the twirling feet.

I presume centerline mount of the engine is the way to go for weight & towing? I will probably rig up a tiller extension so that I can move my weight forward a bit.

The British Seagull I have is an "EFPW" from January of 1983. It is a Forty Plus, Model 60, that runs on 25:1...still not especially eco-friendly, but better....plus they are gas sippers anyway.

Pat
E26->"Pronto"
YB7->"Pup"
 
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