Turning I/O into outboard with bracket

[Lenny]

I know my hull is up for sale and I honestly don't know why maybe a slight bout of depression! Part of me wants to get the saw out and start whacking the back of the boat up and getting rid of the seats and I/O doghouse for an outboard and bracket. The transom hole would be easy enough to patch and building the stringers up would be no hassle either. I am wondering where I should cut as to not create more work than needed. Maybe someone could mark up my photo

[KenB]

Hey Guy,

I am doing the same conversion on mine, (once I get done with a massive nose job... she needs a boob job too so....). Anyway let's compare notes.

My plan is to replace the decks too, but it looks like you don't need to do that.

I am going to try to keep the two fish boxes, and extend a step/platform between them. I had a mako172 angler, which had a rear platform, which was great to fish from (I fly fish and light tackle mostly). If you don't try to keep the two fishboxes, it will probably be a little easier. I am not planning to do a cap across the top of the transom, but if you remove the fish boxes, you might want to think about it. I think that is what strick and others have done on theirs.

My first cut was going to be in front of the fish boxes (1 in photo), from the topcap, across the gunnel, down to the deck. Then across the deck (2) and around the motor well (3). Then smaller cuts to remove the topcap from the transom. At this point I was going to remove those two fish boxes carefully, but if you aren't going to keep them then just rip them out. I was planning to keep the top of the gunnels.

[Lenny]

I have done the floors casting platform the whole enchilada, I was body work and paint away from dropping the I/O in. Until I took the sawzall to it :-) I plan to cap the top of the transom off, heres what she looks like now



You can see I cut more toward the transom as I didn't want to screw myself trying to do something with the top cap to meet my new transom cap, I came back 16" from the transom which is where my new cap will be.

[KenB]

I have done the floors casting platform the whole enchilada, I was body work and paint away from dropping the I/O in. Until I took the sawzall to it :-) I plan to cap the top of the transom off, heres what she looks like now

You can see I cut more toward the transom as I didn't want to screw myself trying to do something with the top cap to meet my new transom cap, I came back 16" from the transom which is where my new cap will be.

You did that in one day!!?? NICE!

Looks like you got a great work space too. How does the transom look? Mine is toast, but even it if wasn't, I would probably be redoing it because I wonder if the stock i/o transom were beefy enough to mount a hermco bracket. Keep it up!

Sawzall seems to answer lots of questions...

By the way, I am not planning extend my deck all the way to the transom, but I will make a 2 of those tubes (with flappers) for deck drains. I figure it will be a lot easier to mount the bracket that way.

[Lenny]

You did that in one day!!?? NICE!

Looks like you got a great work space too. How does the transom look? Mine is toast, but even it if wasn't, I would probably be redoing it because I wonder if the stock i/o transom were beefy enough to mount a hermco bracket. Keep it up!

Sawzall seems to answer lots of questions...

By the way, I am not planning extend my deck all the way to the transom, but I will make a 2 of those tubes (with flappers) for deck drains. I figure it will be a lot easier to mount the bracket that way.

I wish I could accomplish all that in one day :-) I worked pretty hard at it 2 years ago and got to the point where body work and paint would have the hull ready for dropping things in it. After a 2 year hiatus from it I have decided I would rather have an outboard with a bracket so I took the sawzall to it, the transom was done 2 yrs ago, I planned on beefing up the stringers at the transom some though

[KenB]

Good call on keeping it. Keep posting progress and questions!

[Lenny]

I have a question, I am going to cut the plywood around the doghouse where you can see the pencil lines. I was thinking it should be beveled to some degree, my question is would you bevel it so that the new piece is so that it slides under the deck bevel or does it matter?

[Wildman]

Good to see you working on it instead of selling it

I would put a 'positive' bevel on the existing deck and a negative bevel on the new deck pieces. Then attach cleats to the underside of the existing deck. This will allow you to screw the new deck to something and the top of all the pieces will be level. When you get ready to lay the deck down, butter the beveled surface with thickened resin and screw it down that way the pieces are already bonded before you lay matt over the deck.

[KenB]

Maybe use a circular saw angled over to 45°. That's as far as my makita goes over, and I had to use a hand saw to finish some of the cuts.

[Lenny]

I am in the process of repairing the top cap. All of the area you see ground out have been repaired now I need to glass around the lip where the rubrail screws to but don't know what glass to use? Also someone gooped the joint where the top cap over laps the hull any suggestions on how to get that crap out of there. I need to take some pictures I have the stringers built up and glassed from where they were cut to accomodate the I/O. Now I need to build the new bulkhead and cap.