Is There a Transom Bracket in Your Future?

Transom brackets transform mild-mannered outboard motor powered boats into top performers. Acceleration comes on stronger. Top speed registers higher. Fuel economy improves. Handling manners become exemplary. Beyond heightening performance and improving handling manners, brackets lend other significant improvements.

Mounting the outboard motor further aft eliminates the transom cutout, paying big dividends when backing down on a fish, or when running in following seas.

Brackets allow tilting the outboard motor completely up and out of the water, thereby protecting aluminum castings and the propeller from the ravages of corrosion. Some brackets even include flotation in their construction, which raises the stern and keeps the cockpit drier.  Another benefit of hanging the outboard motor off in thin air, (as opposed to snug up against the transom) is greater cockpit space. What was formerly the outboard motor well becomes the cockpit sole.

Many top line boat builders install transom brackets on the factory floor, right alongside the cleats, bilge pump and rocket launchers. Examples are Jupiter, Angler and Regulator, to name a few.

It’s also common practice to retrofit older boats. Grafting brackets onto inboard and stern drive boats with worn out powertrains pays off in higher performance and improved handling while burning less fuel.

A cautionary note: Outboard motor transom bracket installation is too complex a procedure to be undertaken by the average do-it-yourselfer. For example, moving an engine aft alters the center of gravity, and therefore, a boat’s balance and handling. To compensate, experts usually re-locate the fuel tank forward. For the amateur boat-builder, the question is, exactly how far forward? Also, for obvious reasons, fuel tank  installation is a job best left to the pros.

Obviously, rigging high horsepower engines is a serious matter. So much so that Suzuki Marine voids the warranty on any of its outboard motors sold unmounted.

Then there’s the matter of the transom’s structural integrity. Dry rot is notorious for turning plywood core material soft. Soft means weak. Hanging hundreds of pounds of outboard motor and bracket off an aged transom tempts catastrophic failure. Another complication could occur due to the inexperienced boatwright while drilling bracket mounting holes into the transom: if not properly sealed, core material is exposed to moisture and eventual decay.

Conversely, a professional installer knows exactly how to fill in a stern drive cutout and how to repair or restore a weakened transom. The net result of a professional installation is a transom and bracket assembly that won’t leave you nervously looking over your shoulder to see whether the twin 200’s have taken a hop, skip and a jump down to Davie Jones’ Locker.

Better the good news about what transom brackets can do for a boat’s performance is the wide array of companies that build them, and the wide variation in features and benefits.

Armstrong offers a line of custom-designed, high performance outboard brackets. Most noteworthy features include flotation that lends the hull greater buoyancy and eliminates back spray that might otherwise wet the cockpit. Access plates are watertight.

B-Bracket custom builds its line of outboard transom brackets to fit any style hull: curved, step, full or cutout transom.  Construction is marine grade aluminum alloy that’s powder-coated to protect against corrosion. The surface is non-skid.

Gil Marine is renowned as the dean of outboard transom bracket manufacturers. Its models are aluminum alloy with stainless steel mounting studs and bolts. Gil brackets are available to fit V-6 and V-8 outboard motors in both single and twin installations, and in all shaft lengths. One noteworthy Gil option is the ubiquitous swim platform. According to the manufacturer, its non-skid is so tough it will never wear of peel off.

The Porta Transom Bracket is unique in that it is hydraulic and can accommodate from one to five high-horsepower outboard motors. Hydraulics allow the engine to be completely tilted out of the water. Because motor height is adjustable, the helmsman can
fine-tune propeller depth for fast flying or shallow running on flats.

Stainless Marine offers a full line of outboard transom brackets for single and multiple engine installations and custom fabricates to order. Optional positive flotation can be added to any of its models. © Copyright 2007  by Tim Banse