Offshore OB brackets

[Fish mojo]

At the boat show, I looked at alot of boats with the outboard motors mounted on the swim decks, or offshore brackets as they're called. I liked the fact that they give a full height stern/transom section. My worries are that the motor is mounted so far back that if/when you are fighting a fish it could be a real problem keeping your line out of the prop if the fish runs under the boat. Any comments from current users/owners? Thanks.

[BlueWater]

My inlaws use to have a home made style set up like that. It gave a masive amount of room to fish and it really didn't get in the way most of the time. You just adapted the way you played fish.

Bluewater.

[HOGTIDE]

I saw the same setups this year. They look really cool. But, I had the same concerns. The other worry/ question I had was, would the motor have problems with being 'dowsed' by a rough or following sea? Since the weight of it sits back a couple feet without flotation under it, I thought the motor's weight and leverage might cause it to submerge easily in bad conditions. And if you are adding an additional length of 3' to the boat with this extension, why not just make the boat 3' longer with an XXL transom height for the same performance and even more floor room?

These question aren't derrogatory...I really like the looks of the design.

[Joe Schwab]

Mine is rigged that way from the Duckworth factory. It is the only way to go with an OB as far as I'm concerned. It gets the weight back compensating for the lighter weight of the OB vs. inboard and decreases cavitation from rough water in turns. In other words the motor is sitting back by itself with little disturbance from the hull of the boat. It also gives maximum room in the boat to passengers and fishing. I did kind of freak the first time I saw a following wave come over the top of the motor when I chopped the throttle. I run a 150 Yamaha salt water series and have never detected salt water inside the cowling. The motor is 6 years old and shows no signs of corrosion other than on the skeg. I talked to a guy at Garibaldi who built his own sea drive transom and put it on a 24 foot Sea Ray. He runs a 200 HP Merc and goes Halibut fishing with it and loves it. A great way to utilize these great fiberglas hulls that are sitting around with worn out I/Os. You save space, weight and most of the time fuel. You do have to watch heavy fish to keep them out of the prop but that is what your UP button is for.

[img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

[Pilar]

The full height transom and more room are the main benefit. I've heard that a boat rigged this way runs faster too, I'm not sure why.

[zipper]

I am going to go do a testdrive on a Thunderjet with this setup on Sat. - I'll post what I find. I've never been in a boat with this configuration so it'll be interesting. Sure looks good and the extra room on board is great. I'm hoping for a windy day so I can see what it's like in some chop. zip

[Yellow North River]

I had this on a 20ft Olympic NW Walkaround very sweet setup. The boat runs faster smaller planing area, quieter, tons of space only way to go.

[Denali]

My silverwing has this set up as well. The additional room is awesome. You plane faster and the offshore bracket can hold a cooler (outside of your boat) if you want. This is how most offshore glass boats are rigged in Fla and the salty coasts. The only downside with this set-up is your reverse thrust is a little weak and steering (in reverse) a little sloppy. Not a problem except around docks/ramps etc. The only other concern is with a full height transom if you take a wave over the back the water has no where to go unless you have scuppers installed. A cut transom allows the water to drain out quickly.

[Troller]

I have a 22 foot formula vee with the outboard bracket. Lots of room for fishing and never a problem with the motor getting submersed. I have never had a problem with the motor getting in the way . Except for once a 18 lb king that swam under the boat then headed around the motor. No problem though just raised the motor and line came out. Would of had the same problem with any engine configuration short of a pump. He was mighty good tasting also. A friend of mine who made boats for almar for 12 years told me it will make it handle like a bigger boat. The boat is actually 25 feet if you measure back to the engine when it is down.

[Uglygreen]

I love mine - full transom, extra boat storage, extra flotation, extra planing area for the hull in a reverse v at the stern turned up in a beavertail results in smoother ride in the chop at speed. Plus I like how they did the kicker bracket and the DS mounting.... great things.









UG

[Killertraylor]

I thought about the offshore bracket on my NorthRiver but decided against it due to the "fish fighting" challenge it potentially presented. I didn't want to give up all that fishing space though, so I had a custom splashwell designed. The reason the boats plane better and are easier to manuver when the motor is placed back (at least according to the guys at NorthRiver) is because the water is cleaner 2 feet behind your boat (less bubbles caused by the boat skimming through the water)

[Threemuch]

My Olympic has it. It can be a hassle, I lost one fish to it this last year, but mostly because I wasn't paying attention. Mostly you use the motor to keep the fish off one side or the other. If you like to let fish run wild around the boat, and change sides many times, you will lose many in the prop regardless of where it is. I got some line in the prop though, and it was very hard to reach, so now I keep a wetsuit on board.

[Bankbound]

Sure is an uglygreen boat if I've ever seen one! :grin:

MH