Installing an armstrong bracket

[JohnB]

All,
I just got the bracket back from the powerder coating place and it looks great. I am going to be installing it this week, and had a few questions.
1. I am going to use the rubber backed washers against the bracket to keep from chewing into the powder coating for both the mounting and engine bolts. I know that the rubber has carbon in it, which is bad for aluminum, but the tradeoff would be cracking/chewing into the powder coating. Anyone have any better ideas.
2. I am going to use 5200 to seal the bracket, especially the tub. Any better ideas to make sure the floatation tub stays dry? This is an Armstrong with the tub facing the transom being open.
If anyone else has some tribal knowledge they want to pass along, please do.

[Bushwacker]

You might want to consider running the rigging tube and hydraulic steering lines down into the bracket and then thru the transom inside the bracket like Don Herman does. He has a rigging kit for that. May add about 3' to length of lines but makes for a nice uncluttered swim platform.

[RingLeader]

They make nylon washers that you can use instead of the rubber washers. Double washer with a nylon washer against the aluminum and a stainless washer on top of that.

You might consider 3M 4000UV for the sealant. It should hold up better where exposed to sun and the adhesion is almost as strong as 5200.

[JohnB]

Any pointers on where to find the nylon washers? I will check with my local fastener company.
As for running the rigging through the bracket, I am a little old school about holes in the boat relative to the waterline. I will probably run it through one big snake out the transom to the motor. We very rarely dive off this boat, so in my case it is not a big deal. I think it does look really slick. Maybe if I ran them through a pipe that had an exit above the waterline, I could live with that.
I will have to give it a ponder, thanks for the suggestions.
Here are some pictures of the bracket fresh from the powder coater. Notice it is the same color as the hull

[Bushwacker]

Looks good! What does it cost to powdercoat a bracket these days?

10-4 on holes below the waterline! The hole thru my transom inside tub is near the top of the tub, so it's above the waterline, but I still filled it full of silicone sealer from the transom side anyway! Don Herman's rigging kit contains 2 alum tubes about 2.5" OD x 6", and two 3' x 2.5" ID flex hoses; one hose runs from tube in transom thru tub to tube in pf, and other hose goes from pf tube to motor. Theoretically the internal hose would prevent a hull leak even if the tub got full of water, but need to allow for Murphy when it comes to hull leaks! I believe Don's system has some redundancy so you'd have to have multiple failures to get water in the hull. The "belt & suspenders" approach is definitely warranted when it comes to holes in the hull!

[NoBones]

Any pointers on where to find the nylon washers?

John, Sky Craft at I4 & Fairbanks has a big selection
of Teflon and nylon washers...

See ya, Ken

[Old'sCool]

Does the tub have a drain??

[JohnB]

Ken,
Thanks, I drive right by there Fridays.
I will look at Don's transom tube setup before deciding. I am just very picky on how I do that stuff. This boat sees some serious water, and I do a lot of power drifting reefs with the back end in the waves/wind, so I am always thinking worst case.

The tub has a drain plug and a cap on the top (standard armstrong design).

As for what it cost, I got an hook-up from a buddy. I don't know what the retail cost is, but I couldn't by the paint for what I paid. The hassle was the prep. I put 30 hours in cleaning and getting all the paint out of the welds.

[3rdday]

I have the same bracket, 'cept on mine, tub is sealed. You will Love that bracket.I would 3m 5200 everything, even the bolt holes drilled into the transom.I havent had any leaks thru mine. Every six months I check and recaulk with 5200. The tub has stayed dry. Also did you get the 1/4 thick aluminum plates with bolt holes drilled, that are used for backing/support ( they go on the inside of the transom & bilge)?? Food for thought....On the Inside of my transom I used a 6"W 3/4"thick strip of KING STARBOARD as backing for thrubolting from port to starbd.to better help distribute the load across more of the transom.

[JohnB]

I have a 5" wide 3/8th" aluminum L beam that runs the entire width of the transom that bolts on the inside, and there is about 1/2" glass/epoxy skin on the outside, and a 3/8" epoxy skin on the inside with 2 3/4" meranti plywood cores.