Hello all, new to the forum. We recently purchased a 225 Tournament, and the bottom 2 bolts on the bracket that should be holding the outboard are missing. Have a hard time finding the length required. Spoke to 2 dealers and was advised to contact Grady-White directly, who then told me to contact a dealer. I was also advised they should be through bolted but that is not the case. The bracket is threaded, any help would be appreciated. also the top 2 bolts are 3" when measured and only about a 1/4" of threads is showing past the lock nut, does that seem correct?
225 Tournament bracket
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Mustang65fbk
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I did a quick search on the website here as well as Google and while I couldn't find the answer specifically for your boat, I did see that another member used 5" bolts on the lower section of the outboard for his boat. If it were me, I'd honestly just go to whatever local hardware shop/store that you have near you and get a couple bolts in each size from maybe 3" on up to 5.5", going up by half an inch each time. There's a great place around here called Tacoma Screw that specializes in hardware that is a much better quality than what you get at Lowes or Home Depot, and their employees actually know what they're talking about... go figure. I'd tell them what you've got, see what grade of bolt they recommend as well as if they recommend any particular coating on it, and then just buy two 3" bolts, two 3.50" bolts on up to again probably 5" or 5.5". Worst case scenario is that you have a few extra bolts laying around and you probably spend $20 on them, though maybe they'll take them back if they're unused? I'm guessing you'll likely want some 316 grade stainless steel bolts, but again I'm no expert on the matter. Perhaps someone else will come along here with a better answer for you, but 3" seems a bit small for an outboard bolt.
So you only have a total of 2 bolts holding the engine on? Somebody messed up somewhere - those don't usually just "fall out".
This is something where it's expected that someone just "figures out" - that's why you're not getting a quick answer.
Measure the depth of the bracket "hole" and add the thickness of the engine flange.
For your last sentence... and threads that stick out past a nut are, obviously, meaningless.
EDIT: My 3rd sentence... for some reason I was thinking you had the engine off. If not, you obviously don't need to do any math.
This is something where it's expected that someone just "figures out" - that's why you're not getting a quick answer.
Measure the depth of the bracket "hole" and add the thickness of the engine flange.
For your last sentence... and threads that stick out past a nut are, obviously, meaningless.
EDIT: My 3rd sentence... for some reason I was thinking you had the engine off. If not, you obviously don't need to do any math.
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Are the top 2 threaded, and also have a lock nut, or are only the bottom 2 threaded? Are the bottom 2 holes open, to extend the bolt, and add a nut, or is it not drilled through, and you need an exact length? In either case, can't you just stick a pencil or something through, and measure? A $3 caliper from HF measures depth with the pin at the end.
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Hello, thank you for the suggestions. The bottom 2 holes measure 3" from where the hole of the bracket bottoms out, to the outside of the outboard. I have tried a 3" bolt, but it gets real tight and I have just under an inch before it makes contact with the outboard, tried 2 1/2 and again just under half inch from the outboard. A 2" does tighten down all the way but seems like not enough threads to hold it in place. Also not sure if a lock washer is required, if it is then it makes for less thread with a 2 inch bolt. All I have figured out is it's 1/2-13 bolt. The top 2 are through bolted with lock nuts.
What matters is how far in is the bolt threading, not how much is left sticking out. If 2.5 is tight with .5 sticking out, 2" are in the hole, which is the motor bracket and the transom bracket. 2" minus the thickness of the motor bracket is how much thread is engaged. Now add a lock washer to the bolt. Are you comfortable with that amount of thread?
It seems like, from the holes being open for a while, that their is probably dirt and gunk in the hole. The dirt clumps up and doesn't let the bolt thread in well enough. The dirt has no where to go but "pack up" inside the hole. Clean the hole out and try again.
I use a cordless drill and these bore cleaning brushes in different sizes to clean up threaded holes. A squirt of rust buster, in and out a few times, ending with a long period of reverse to back out the dirt. Got lucky, and picked up a bunch at a Walmart clearance for about $.20 apiece.
Mustang65fbk
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Agreed. I can only imagine how much flex there has been over the years with only two of the four total bolts in there. Seems like anytime the outboard would get trimmed up or down, that it would put a lot of stress on the mount as well as the transom.
Fishtales
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Agree. Scary nobody picked up on it. I'd get a surveyor and then go see the seller.
I have cleaned and brushed both holes out, I have tried the bolts on both sides and they seem to stop at the same place on either side. I will try again as suggested and see how it goes. I thank everyone for the great suggestions, hopefully I can make progress and be able to get on the water.
Boat was in storage prior to us buying it, when we first saw the boat everything was there. The second time we saw it, it was still intact. When it arrived in our driveway it was 2 bolts short, I assume someone needed them more then we did. I do not believe they fell off as someone took time to put fresh silicone in the holes.
Mustang65fbk
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I'm assuming it was a private party that you bought it from? If they removed two of the four bolts holding the outboard onto the boat, I can only imagine what else they did to neglect it.
Unfortunately it was not a private sale, the gps/fish finder and transducer was also removed. Not worried about the f/f as we purchased a new garmin to replace an old raymarine it came with the day we bought the boat. It unfortunately has happened before when looking at another boat a few years back. A furuno went missing off a boat we were looking at and the marina selling it said what can you do things happen, so we walked from the deal. This time it happened after the fact. Just looking to move forward, life's too short.
Mustang65fbk
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If it happened with a dealer or broker, I'd contact them and ask for compensation or a partial refund, as well as post a few reviews about the dealership in question and explain what happened. That way, hopefully others don't have the same experience that you unfortunately had. There's no reason why they should've removed anything, up to and including the bolts that attach the outboard to the boat.
If the bolts aren't going in as far as your measurement says it will, the hole isn't cleaned out well enough, yet. Clean it better. You may want to use a thread chaser.
The only other reason could be that the threads are buggered up - but it is highly unlikely that the deep threads are buggered when the shallow ones are not.
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Boat was purchased in December, not worried about it now. I am just looking to move forward. I will try again to clean them out and see what happens.
Don't assume that the threaded holes in the lower bracket holes is 1/2" x 13 tpi , just because the nuts on the top bolts are that size. It could be that the top holes were threaded at one time and the threads were damaged so the bracket was drilled out and 1/2 inch bolts installed. You may have the wrong thread pitch that you are trying to screw in and that is why it stops before the head comes up tight. The best answer is to drill the bottom holes out and install 1/2 inch bolts with nyloc nuts. While you are at it put longer bolts in the top holes. 1/4 inch of thread in the nut is not enough. You need to measure the thickness of the transom and use bolts that have just that much smooth shank between the head of the bolt (put washer on first) and where the threads start. That way you have a better chance to get good sealing through the wooden transom. It doesn't matter how much thread is protruding through the nut. If it is more than you like and it bugs you, cut it off. Use BIG rigid washers inside the transom.
Bracket from the factory, what year, who manufactured it? Call them up and ask the thread size, and count.