Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigshrimpin
I've done a couple brackets since this one and learned a LOT of lessons along the way. Number one lesson - buy a hermco!! Building a bracket cost about $800 - $1000 in materials (not including beer). Hermco is $2495 for a single. Building your first one will take about 100 hours to complete from start to finish.
|
I second that, Building brackets isn't for the beginner or someone that hasn't got a ton of extra time and patients. I started on for my 25' and haven't got it done yet. I started strong and made good progress then work kept me away for a while. I have got it about finished now but still need to do the swim platform top half and bond them together. I will try to post a few more pic up once I get a chance to do so. If you decide to do one, keep it simple, once you get 3 different angles merging together it can be hard to get the dimensions correct. A simple box style would be the way to go but even it would be tough to make. Just having to get the top half to drop on the bottom and fit right is a task not to mention you mount height, motor height and transom angles all come into play too. Mine is on a 14 degree transom angle with a vee bottom that is angled around 22 degrees to match the hull bottom but then there is a 20 angle rise as the bottom flotation tub rises up to a tapper that makes one hell of a compound angle. The hermco comes straight back and is flat on the bottom where as mine has an extra set of angles in it that makes it that much more of a bare. It will be worth it in the end but I think I will pass the 100 hr mark that Big mentioned. There is too many used ones floating around for $1000 to do this or for the time spent you could just buy a hermco and have something real nice. Unless you are up for a challenge or just hard headed like me I would proceed with caution.