Factory Offshore Bracket Questions

[outdoor_duck]

Hi there - :noob alert

I purchased a 1999 232 Gulfstream with a 2007 Yamaha f350 engine mounted on the factory offshore bracket. I really love how it handles out here in the Monterrey Bay where we tend to have a mixed swell averaging 3-4 feet this time of year. I just wish there were more fish deeper offshore that we could chase!

A few questions:
- the 350 is too large to tilt all the way up when the boat is in the water. This means that ~4 inches of the lower unit are stuck in the water. Does this mean my engine is mounted too low? Or that I need to get a larger bracket to allow for more tilt on the engine to make sure it comes fully out of the water when not in use

- Again on engine height - it seems like the cowling / outboard is only 4 - 5" out of the water when I have the engine fully tilted down and running in a following sea - is this normal? I've always had inboards and this is my first outboard boat -- I'm not sure what the engine should look like when running at slow speeds fully tilted down and definitely don't want to swamp the engine! I have a closed transom and bracket so not really worried about getting swamped from behind.

- There is a 3" crack all of the way through the front of the cowling - how urgently do I need to have this repaired?

- the PO ran a line of 5200 around the transom / bracket line and it's beginning to crack and I'm guessing there is water getting between the bracket and the transom - this doesn't mean that there's water getting into the outboard bracket does it? I'm assuming the factory bracket is fully closed off but just want to make sure. Also - the 350 is a heavy engine - do I have to be worried about cracking the transom if I run fast in a heavy sea? It sure does pound a lot!

Thanks in advance for helping me! I'm already falling in love with this legendary machine

 

[DennisG01]

First, is the boat/transom/bracket rated for that big of an engine? If not, that explains quite a bit... and possibly bracket/transom failure.

As far as the height (holes) of the engine... the proper height is when the anti-ventilation plate is skimming across the water when on plane. VERY roughly speaking, the plate should be about 1" higher than the keel for every 1' it is mounted behind the transom. Best way is to look when on plane.

I'm not sure on whether the bracket is hollow... I "thought" they were, but I'm not positive. Open the access plate and take a look. Pump the water out or open the drain if needed.

5200... yes, get that stuff out of there. Are you sure that is what was used (did someone specifically tell you that?). Totally wrong application for it, if it is. Either way, it's failing. Dig it out, replace with proper stuff.

Cowling crack... up to you. Bare minimum, you can put tape over the crack to keep water out. Although if it's just a thin crack (you don't mention how big the "opening" is), probably not even that big of a deal since water will drain back out. But the more salt water you can keep out, the better.

 

[artodea]

Congrats on your purchase - it's a great little boat (admittedly biased). The specs on my '96 Gulfstream state 350HP max so the transom should be able to handle it. The V8 350 is a heavy beast but so are twins.

The single-engine bracket is hollow and intended to be water-tight. There should be sealant between the bracket and the transom when installed so a bead added at the interface seam is belt-and-suspenders. You can clean that out and replace it if it is ugly or leave it be. The inspection plate on the bracket can be opened but there is no need to go in there for engine installation. If you loosen one of the screws on the bracket inspection plate and hear air hissing in or out, that's a good thing since it is water-tight if it is air-tight.

I find that Grady installs the bracket relatively low on the transom. My engine is mounted all the way up and my anti-ventilation plate is barely at the surface when on a plane. If your engine was installed on the "lowest" set of holes you may want to have someone take a peek while you are running on a plane and properly trimmed out.

As for your tilt question, most, if not all big Yamahas wind up with their foot in the drink when fully tilted, even when mounted all the way up, on the Gulfstream. When I had a Yamaha engine on my boat I painted the forward portion of the lower unit with bottom paint (note - use an appropriate paint for aluminum on the engine AND the bracket).

+1 on Dennis' comment on the cowling. I will add that a used cowling could pop up on craigslist or forum postings.

 

[DennisG01]

That's good to hear that it was rated for 350HP. So at least that pretty much negates that "worry".

"Logically" speaking, if someone added a bead of caulk around the outer perimeter of the bracket it's because the primary seal has failed. Or they had taken the bracket off and resealed with 5200 (again, wrong stuff to use) and some squeezed out. But then again, when talking about "previous owners", logic is not always logical.

On a side note, my lower unit also stays partway in the water (just the first few inches of the forward gear housing) along with a bit of the bracket. Like Art mentioned, I also painted just that area (also with "no metal" paint).

 

[outdoor_duck]

Thanks for the help!

I'll check if the anti-ventilation plate is skimming the waterline on plane today. It sounds like motor getting swamped in a following sea is less of a concern than I would have thought and mounting height more has to do with where the lower unit sits while running vs where the cowling/top of the engine sits at low speeds

As far as the 5200 goes, the PO specifically told me he sealed w/ this compound himself - curioius what the proper stuff to use is? I'm always worried about crevice corrosion having had to replace foamed-in gas tanks on a previous boat

Anyways - thanks again and I look forward to contributing on here as soon as I know more about the boat

 

[DennisG01]

What a shame he used that - probably learned to do it on some forum where people post "what to use" without really knowing themselves.

There's any number of brands that can work in this situation. The trouble you're going to run into is removing that 5200. It will be tedious, but get as much of it removed as possible. In the end, you really don't need to remove all of it - you'll just end up with a bigger caulk line as you're covering up some of the existing 5200. Of course, you could just go ahead and remove the whole bracket and start fresh! Hopefully he didn't 5200 the bracket to the hull!!!!!!!!

But, as far as products, I personally like the Boat Life stuff. Been using it for close to 20 years and it seems to outlast anything else I've used (that's not to say that I've used everything out there, though). But will definitely last longer than anything you buy at Home Depot. Look into the LifeSeal and the LifeCaulk versions.

 

[outdoor_duck]

Thanks, Dennis - I'm going to try out the BoatLife lineup

 

[DennisG01]

FYI, LifeCaulk is stronger (not that you need strength here) and a little longer lasting, but is messier. LifeSeal would be my recommendation for you... and honestly, what I would use in this case, too.

 

[outdoor_duck]

Hi all - thanks for the replies and help here

I spoke w/ GW support today and they let me know that the 1999 single bracket doesn't support the V8 350. This explains the separation I'm getting between the bracket and transom

Unfortunately the previous owner also used the existing transom bolts and washers and now I have stress cracks around 2 of the 6 transom bolts and need to have the transom repaired and strengthened as a result!

This is all pretty bad - I'm now sitting with an expensive engine on a new (to me) boat and am looking at a new bracket and/or repower

Any advice on what to do??? I'm thinking

1 - strengthen transom, buy double bracket that allows me to mount a single as well and keep the 350
2 - buy some used e-tec 200s or 0x66s and use the double bracket that I bought in step 1
3 - repower on the existing bracket with the suzuki 350

Would love some wisdom.... :hmm

 

[artodea]

Sorry to hear that. It is very interesting that the original bracket can't handle the V8. It is a heavy engine...
I'd go with option 1 - since you will have to strengthen/repair the stress cracks with options 2 and 3 anyway.
Good luck - and please keep us posted on how it works out.

 

[blindmullet]

Repair the area and get a full flotation bracket of your choice. Keep the 350 as that's the entire value of your boat. I'm worried about the single bracket on my boat holding a 300. There just isn't enough area to displace all that force. I worry more about torque and less about weight.