Engine Mount

[Mundaysj]

Can anyone tell me how the motor mount is supposed to work?   Does it naturally spring into the upward position and you have to push it down and lock it in to use it?  Mine is stuck in the down position.  A friend said he will help me try to fix it this weekend, but neither of us really knows how it is supposed to function.  If anyone has any close up photos it would probably help me.
Thanks in Advance!
Sherie

[Craig Weis]

With the motor on the mount [you need some weight to bring the motor down and into one of several LOCKED positions.]

The middle bar with the TEE through it  [port/starboard TEE] is to be grasped and pulled and then at the same time pull up on the outboard motor and pull that TEE TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE BOAT while at the same time lifting up on the motor. This unlocks the middle bar and allows the motor to be lifted. Release the bar to re-lock the raised motor into it's new position.
From the raised motor position the motor can be tilted or kicked out [the bottom away from the transon] but you may have to turn the motor 90 deg to tilt her out as by turning 90 deg keeps the outboard motor control handle from hitting the transom.

It is actually easier then it sounds. You can look at 'skips pics' in the CPYOS gallery as well as the two sites below. I have one picture of the mount with motor as my boat sits on it's trailer in the launch parking lot. I moved my engine two inches down 'cause I have a st'd. shaft length and two inches further back to pull start easier without rapping my knuckles. skip.

[Bob23]

Sherie:
   I've found that my motor mount locks in the down position because of the forward push of the motor. It can't be raised merely by the touch of the human hand. Instead, I keep a small pry bar on board (Stanley Wonder Bar, about 6 inches long, available at hardware stores..maybe HD), and wedge it between the TEE that Skip mentions, pry forward a bit and voila! it unlocks and then I raise the motor.
   I also run a line from that TEE to the stern rail to keep the motor from dropping while moored. My motor is a Nissan 8 hp 2 stroke so it's pretty light...maybe too light for the mount
I believe that these motor mounts must have been placed on Earth to keep us sailing humans humble but they are nice to have even if one has to fuss with 'em.
   When is episode 5 of "Blonde Ambition the sitcom" due out? I'm gettin' tired of reruns!
   Bob23, on the hard in NJ

[Mundaysj]

Thanks Skip & Bob,
I printed off the instructions and some close up photos of your mounts.  Hopefully we'll get mine springing to the UP position!

I didn't put out a Blond Ambition version lately because it would filled with the frustration of trying to find a first mate and although it might be entertaining for some, it is rather depressing for me!  You wouldn't think it would be so hard for an OK looking woman with a sailboat to find a man, would you?  Alas, maybe when I hit the Med... 6 years to go!!  )

Regards,
Sherie

[Bob23]

Sherie:
   In the meantime, how 'bout sailing and enjoying the best days of summer and fall on the water....and let him find you! The Med is 6 years away but you are here, now. We all enjoy and appreciate your accounts of your adventures. Don't stop now. Remember, it's "Blonde Ambition" not "Blonde Funk"!
   While I can't be first mate, maybe I can crew. "Koinonia" now sits on her trailer in my back yard...hauled out this Tuesday past and will be put away for the year this week. On 9/11, I go on for my 2nd rotator cuff surgery so I decided to get her out and cleaned up early. I won't be up for anything right away but a few weeks after the knife, I'd be available to crew for you. Let me know. Might be fun...I've never sailed up that way before.
   Best,
   Bob23, cleaning and waxing     

[dawntreader]

Sherie,

How old is your motor mount?  With time, the springs wear and the lift capacity decreases significantly.  If that is the case it may take a lot of lift force after you have used the T to release it.
Also, I've seen mounts that required a slight down pressure on the motor (i.e. pushing the motor down) while disengaging the T.

Mike

[Mundaysj]

Thanks Mike & Bob,
I'll see how the springs have held up on Sat morning.  My motor is a 1983 7.5 HP and it is HEAVY!  I hope I don't have to replace the whole mount!!
And Bob, didn't mean that I wasn't sailing.  You don't need a man to sail Blond Ambition!!  I'm out every weekend....one of these days I might even make it to the Verazzano Bridge!
Cheers,
Sherie

[dawntreader]

Sherie,

replacing a motor mount is not a difficult job, just an expensive part.

for a number of years I made do with a motor mount with dead springs by rigging a block and tackle (actually the boom vang off my previous C-16) attached to the rail and the mount to get the mechanical advantage needed to lift

have a good sail

Mike

[Bob23]

Sherie:
   I wasn't implying that you couldn't sail alone...only offering company. You certainly are more than competent as a skipper as your accounts of your adventures do show.
   Bob23, on a Sunfish

[LConrad]

Not sure what kind you have, but I find it helps to press down on the engine just a bit the motor is locked in the down position. Pressing down on the motor seems to release the latch. Then I can easily release the latch by pulling forward

[Mundaysj]

Just wanted to update you.  My motor mount is working great now!!  One of the springs needed to be tightened, and some of the bolts needed to be loosened, and the whole thing needed to be greased... but now the motor lifts right out and tilts so that only a bit of the prop is in the ocean.  Oh the hours of scraping the barnacles you all just saved me!! 
Thanks!
Sherie

[Bob23]

And we all know just how much you love to scrape barnacles!
Happy motor lifting from Bob23!