[Shaker-King]

I am just about done installing a Garelick bracket and motor. The bracket came with a safety cable. The installation directions show where it connects to the bracket but nothing else. The cable is 4' long with eyelets on each end.

Where does it go?

Do I wrap it around the motor? Does it stay in place all of the time? Is it one of those extra parts you just leave in the garage? :hoboy:

thanks

 

[1pump]

My '87 Merc came with an eye for a safety cable. It's bolted to the cross shaft that the motor tilts on.
If the other end of the cable attaches to your bracket, what happens if your bracket comes off the transom? Bummer. :depressed:
You might think about attaching the cable to the boat, rather than the bracket. I'm not familiar with that brand of bracket, but I've seen a few that don't seem to be too beefy.

 

[BuKuBass]

If the motor comes off the bracket, once the intake goes underwater, it won't be running for long. It's happened to me twice. First as a twelve-year-old cutting cookies with Grandpa's six horse Merc; the safety chain worked. The second occurred while running in the bay between the mainland and Ambergris Caye in Belize about a decade ago. No safety chain was attached to the 40 hp Yamaha Enduro. It was shallow enuf to dive and wrap a rope around it then with Humberto standing on my shoulders, we were able to position it properly on the transom.
The trailer hitch shouldn't come off of the ball, but ocasionally it does. Nor should motors come off of the transom, but occasionally they do. I have chains securing both my gas and electric.

 

[Tilla]

My guess is that there is a spot on the motor for attaching a cable (Merc).
One consideration is if the motor comes of while running, and the prop is thrashing about, what is you hull made of?

 

[Shaker-King]

Thanks Guys I was feeling really stupid that I needed to ask. When I saw that a cable was included I expected a small 8-12 inch stub, then I unwind it and find that it is 4'.
This is long enough that I could get all sorts of things caught in it.

 

[Webdog]

SK,

Here's a picture of my cable.

 

[Shaker-King]

Webdog,

Thanks, doubling the cable is what I ended up doing. I also put a tie wrap around the cable loop so it would less likely to jump out and grab anything.

So far I am pleasantly surprised at how easy this bracket is to raise and lower. I had heard nightmares about spring loaded brackets being difficult to use, thankfully not the case yet.

It was too floppy to tow with the motor on it, at least for a glass boat. I got a web belt with a ratchet and secured it to a couple of the cleats. It rode solid as rock.