02-27-2008, 03:52 PM
Two things:
1. You've got the steel-framed model. Nice. I preferred alumie because of the weight.
2. I extended the male pieces all the way to where the side-decks mate up with the main frame. That was about 6". The motor weighs 41 lbs, and I'm a worrier by nature, so I wanted as much tube as possible anchoring the engine-mount bracket. Probably overkill since nothing on a boat is "dead" weight; water provides a lot of cushion/give.
My fab guy said I was worrying about the wrong thing; he thought that if the mount was gonna break, it would be in the back corner(s), where the down pieces mate up with the slide-in male pieces. That's why we went with .082/.089? steel. That mount is flippin bomb-proof.
Again, overkill? Most likely. But if the bracket were to snap while the engine was in gear, I would have a MAJOR problem on my hands: a fast spinning cutting blade on the end of a loose-swinging lever on an unstable watercraft that is made bouyant by an easily-cuttable container that holds the bouyancy material. And all this happening while floating in ice cold water.
Not a good plan.
I didn't check the steel spec's at Outkasts website, but I'm bettin their steel is around .067. Really no need to do more; who would think someone would come along and do what I did?
Call' em, find out, and consider extending your male pieces. Watch your engine bracket corners.
You're probably fine as is, but I'm just throwin it out there...
Wanna race? [cool]
[signature]
1. You've got the steel-framed model. Nice. I preferred alumie because of the weight.
2. I extended the male pieces all the way to where the side-decks mate up with the main frame. That was about 6". The motor weighs 41 lbs, and I'm a worrier by nature, so I wanted as much tube as possible anchoring the engine-mount bracket. Probably overkill since nothing on a boat is "dead" weight; water provides a lot of cushion/give.
My fab guy said I was worrying about the wrong thing; he thought that if the mount was gonna break, it would be in the back corner(s), where the down pieces mate up with the slide-in male pieces. That's why we went with .082/.089? steel. That mount is flippin bomb-proof.
Again, overkill? Most likely. But if the bracket were to snap while the engine was in gear, I would have a MAJOR problem on my hands: a fast spinning cutting blade on the end of a loose-swinging lever on an unstable watercraft that is made bouyant by an easily-cuttable container that holds the bouyancy material. And all this happening while floating in ice cold water.
Not a good plan.
I didn't check the steel spec's at Outkasts website, but I'm bettin their steel is around .067. Really no need to do more; who would think someone would come along and do what I did?
Call' em, find out, and consider extending your male pieces. Watch your engine bracket corners.
You're probably fine as is, but I'm just throwin it out there...
Wanna race? [cool]
[signature]