Re: catalina27-talk: Outboard and bracketThanks Dave-How did you determine the
mount location (measurement on transom to bolt holes)? I really appreciate you
advice. Best, Ron
----- Original Message -----
From: David Shugarts<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 11:56 AM
Subject: Re: catalina27-talk: Outboard and bracket
Hi, Ron--
I used a piece of 1/2-inch plywood, as well as the two angle pieces that Cat
Direct sells you (very expensive pieces of steel, but probably worth it). The
plywood was an odd-shaped piece that extended over an area of about 18 x 15
inches, spreading the load somewhat. I later learned by reading Judy
Blumhorst's detailed accounts, and some others, that you could put in a certain
amount of work to account for the fact that the inner and outer walls of the
transom have a gap, by filling with things that would keep the gap stiff. But
it looks as though I got away with it in my ignorance of that, and possibly
because I added the piece of plywood and distributed the load.
Regards,
Dave S.
On 7/27/08 3:03 PM, "Ron Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Dave-I am just reviewing your detailed and very informative outboard
bracket recommendations. I am contemplating buying the Z2275. I gather that a
template and directions for mounting does not come with the bracket--right?
What did you use for a backing plate? I see that Catalina Direct sells a
couple of angle pieces for this for this purpose.-Ron
----- Original Message -----
From: David Shugarts <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]><mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2007 6:16 PM
Subject: catalina27-talk: Outboard and bracket
Hi, All--
I wanted to give a quick update on my outboard and bracket. Launch day
was
yesterday and I was able to get everything ready and working in time,
although it got a little tense.
First, I should mention that Catalina Direct got back to me on the
matter of
the claimed 17-inch bracket travel and they say they went out and tried
it
at their warehouse, and found 16.5 inches. They say you won't learn this
due
to the geometry until you can get the bracket down to the bottom notch. I
will measure and confirm this if I can.
The Catalina Direct bracket works very well and has just the right
amount of
spring for this engine, when going to the fist notch down. The second, or
bottom, notch will take a lot more force to reach.
I mounted the bracket using the middle set of holes, so that at a later
date, I can set it about 1-1/4 inches higher or lower. Lower will not be
necessary, as it sits nicely at the first notch with the cavitation plate
buried about two inches.*
Upon drilling the holes, I found by probing that the inboard two would
probably take two-inch bolts (3/8 diameter), but the outer ones (only
about
7 inches away) would require about 2-3/8 inch bolts. So I bought 2-inch
for
the inboard and 2.5-inch for the outboard holes. That was a major
mistake.
When I cranked on the outboard bolts, the transom compressed a bit, and
this
jammed the nuts down on the threads without tightening the bolts up. It
took
a session with the Dremel tool to cut these off, and then the 2-inch
bolts
were appropriate for all four holes.
I chose the port side for the bracket, the edge of it 9.5 inches off the
centerline, so as to clear the swim ladder. For various reasons, I chose
to
put the remote control box on the starboard side. It is my plan to put an
aluminum plate over the entire area where the existing engine switch and
meters are. For the time being, I put in a piece of plywood, and mounted
the
control box to it. This setup allowed me to use seven-foot control cables
that do an S-turn in the aft lazarette. The standard cables available at
iBoats.com are 6, 7 and 8 feet, so this was a good outcome.
I made a two-inch hole for the cables and put a three-inch boot on it,
exiting the transom at just about the topmost possible point. This has
to be
lined up with the starboard side of the engine, where the control cables
go.
Although I had started out by buying a Tohatsu 9.8 long-shaft, what I
wound
up with was a Nissan 9.8, the same engine with a different decal. It's a
really long story, but the bottom line is that the guys in Tennessee are
prone to numerous errors.
When I protested there wasn't any set of instructions as to how to use
the
parts kit that modifies the engine for remote shifter/throttle, they
faxed
me a diagram that is all they use themselves. By staring at this enough,
I
eventually figured out what was needed. I got some help via a phone call
to
their mechanic, but also got some conflicting info, too, so it was a
mixed
blessing.
The final challenge came when hooking up the electrical cable, which has
five leads. There is a diagram in the engine book, but very poorly
labelled.
Again, I stared at the diagram until I came to understand it at the
level of
the person who drew it. It turns out that an unlabelled item in the
drawing
is an electric choke actuator. My engine doesn't have one, so I could
omit
the blue lead. The other four leads had the effect of cutting out the
electric start switch and the neutral gear lockout switch.
I had to remove the engine's tiller because I needed the holes for its
cable, in order to move the battery cable over, since I had to use THAT
hole
for the manual choke, which had to be moved over in order to get the
control
cable boot in. This is the sort of thing that they don't explain at all,
so
you figure it out by standing and holding the parts in position.
Electrically, the start switch is replaced by the key switch at the
remote
box, and the neutral switch is replicated at the remote box. They don't
just
come out and tell you this, which would be too easy. The neutral of the
remote box does not necessarily agree with the engine's position. You
have
to adjust this with the control cable distance. At the present moment,
it is
just barely not correct, leaving the engine in forward gear unless you
momentarily shift to reverse. Should be easy to rectify.
The engine starts nicely but needs about five minutes to get warm enough
to
idle. But it is still early; it has only run a total of about 20 minutes.
The four-stroke engine is wonderfully quiet--essentially silent at idle.
*I had worried a little bit about how the heavy bracket and outboard
would
lower the stern vis-à-vis the waterline, but it was not a problem. I
estimate it only depressed about 3/4 inch. But it was a small
disappointment
that with the bracket in the up position, the engine doesn't clear the
water. I have some maneuvering room, since I can set the bracket higher.
But
I still have the Atomic Four in the boat, and I am going to wait and see
the
result of removing that weight.
I had heard that reverse is sometimes disappointing with these outboards,
but I don't yet see a problem. I don't have the knotmeter hooked up and
will
wait until the engine has some time before opening full throttle, so I
won't
know for a while whether she will drive it up to hull speed.
Regards,
--Dave Shugarts
C-27 #4866 Cahoots (1981)
SR, A4, Nission 9.8, Tiller, Dinette
Newtown (Housatonic River), CT
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Website: http://www.BoatDiddly.com<http://www.boatdiddly.com/>
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