Outboard too big for my boat?

[lmholmes11]

Hello All,

I just bought a 1972 Viking Deck Boat from a guy along with a 1973 (i think) Mercury 800 Thunderbolt 80HP. Here is where I have a question, the boat used to have an inboard/outboard in it. Will the exsisting transom hold my motor? It is not rotted, but some of the wood is missing so I have put some epoxy down the crack and have re inforced it with a sheet of metal on the inside and a steel plate on the outside. I am really concerned about this, I want to have a safe boating season. If I stand in the back and I kick the transom it flexes just a little bit, hardly at all. Any input is appreciated. The boat is rated for 140HP but that was with the old engine. Thank you

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Outboard too big for my boat?

Regardless of the HP difference between the I/O and your current OB, NO ONE in their right mind is going to tell you that it is safe to operate any craft with a cracked transom.

Too many issues, safety, liability, insurance, and so on.

The reality is, too much unknown, we can't see it, feel it, or measure it.

The thickness and size of the plating you have used MAY be adequate, but that's about as far as I can go.

Usually an I/O requires a pretty sizable hole in a transom, it isn't just a matter of sealing the water out, but replacing a much larger area of the transom so as to be structurally sound enough to handle not just the weight of the OB but the forces it generates pushing and pulling on the transom and transferring those forces to the rest of the hull safely.

I don't believe this the job for a beginner.