Outriggers for a 2012 Freedom 275.

[Horn985]

Looking to install outriggers on my 2012 Freedom 275. Has anyone mounts them to the T-top without welding in plates? Looking for ideas. I know GW doesn't recommend it. What other mounting options has anyone used. Would only use them a handful of times a year. I really don't want to pull the T-top off the boat to have plates welded in. TIA

 

[fitzman]

Horn, I may be able to help you out with some ideas on mounting outriggers to your hardtop. Last year I mounted Taco Grand Slam bases with 15’ L x 1 1/2” outriggers on my 2004 Islander 270 hardtop without welding. They are working well so far. I had a pair (2) 14" x 5 1/2" custom mounting plates cut in 3/16" 304 stainless with 3 1/4" diameter cutout for outrigger for mounting bases on top of hardtop. I sent a simple drawing with cutout placement to this excellent and reasonable metal fab house in central PA. They shipped plates and cut outs to me in DE for about $120 & shipping. I used stock Tigress 5” W x 6. 1/2” L in 1/4” anodized aluminum backing plate for the bottom of the hardtop. I also used a composite angular wedge on top with the outrigger base. I used the 3 1/4“ stainless cut outs elsewhere on the boat for backing plates.

I have a couple of pics below that show the finished set up. I can get some better close up pics once I get back down to the boat at the beach in next couple of weeks. The company that I used for the plates is listed below. Their office Mgr is Greg G. and great to work with. They hay have an eBay presence and I have used them for other project backing plates in stainless or aluminum. PM me if you want to discuss this in more detail on phone. Best, Jim

2TwentyTwo Steel Designs, LLC - http://www.2twentytwosteel.com/

 

[SeanC]

If the mountings bolts are far enough apart you could get brackets fabricated to fit around the hardtop tubing. This is how I mounted mine. They are anodised aluminium. Still need to trim the bolts.

 

[Hookup1]

The hardtop isn't that strong at least not on my boat. Some kind of honeycomb coring. Both riggers had backing plates and wedges to level the riggers. both had cracking top and bottom.

I pulled my hardtop, opened it up and reinforced with Coosa board out to the aluminum structure and welded backing plates in. Overkill but they won't crack again!



There are a few "no weld" solutions posted here as well.

 

[Horn985]

Horn, I may be able to help you out with some ideas on mounting outriggers to your hardtop. Last year I mounted Taco Grand Slam bases with 15’ L x 1 1/2” outriggers on my 2004 Islander 270 hardtop without welding. They are working well so far. I had a pair (2) 14" x 5 1/2" custom mounting plates cut in 3/16" 304 stainless with 3 1/4" diameter cutout for outrigger for mounting bases on top of hardtop. I sent a simple drawing with cutout placement to this excellent and reasonable metal fab house in central PA. They shipped plates and cut outs to me in DE for about $120 & shipping. I used stock Tigress 5” W x 6. 1/2” L in 1/4” anodized aluminum backing plate for the bottom of the hardtop. I also used a composite angular wedge on top with the outrigger base. I used the 3 1/4“ stainless cut outs elsewhere on the boat for backing plates.

I have a couple of pics below that show the finished set up. I can get some better close up pics once I get back down to the boat at the beach in next couple of weeks. The company that I used for the plates is listed below. Their office Mgr is Greg G. and great to work with. They hay have an eBay presence and I have used them for other project backing plates in stainless or aluminum. PM me if you want to discuss this in more detail on phone. Best, Jim

2TwentyTwo Steel Designs, LLC - http://www.2twentytwosteel.com/

Thanks Jim. Yes I would love close up pics whenever you get down there. Quick question, why didn't you put larger backing plates on the underside also?

 

[Hookup1]

When you are mixing stainless and aluminum its best to use sleeve washers to insulate the dissimilar metals. McMaster Carr is a good source.

You could also use an oversized plate on top that extend over the aluminum hardtop frame.

 

[fitzman]

FWIW, I did bolt the larger top mounting plate through the hardtop frame for additional structural strength. For underneath hardtop, I had the stock Tigress plates leftover from another project. I believed that in combination with the much larger top plate, that this would suffice for the structural frigidity needed. Available real estate underneath the hardtop was also a consideration for the smaller plate. I coated all of the dissimilar metal contact surfaces and stainless hardware with DURALAC, an anti-corrosive jointing compound used by aircraft manufacturers.

 

[Horn985]

FWIW, I did bolt the larger top mounting plate through the hardtop frame for additional structural strength. For underneath hardtop, I had the stock Tigress plates leftover from another project. I believed that in combination with the much larger top plate, that this would suffice for the structural frigidity needed. Available real estate underneath the hardtop was also a consideration for the smaller plate. I coated all of the dissimilar metal contact surfaces and stainless hardware with DURALAC, an anti-corrosive jointing compound used by aircraft manufacturers.

Thanks Jim. I really appreciate your detailed response!

 

[fitzman]

Horn, I PM’d you.

 

[Horn985]

Horn, I PM’d you.

I never received it Jim.