clamping on a 20hp outboard

Man i did something stupid today,i torqued the clamps down so hard on the transom i snapped the bracket,unreal.I hand tightened it then torqued it with a wrench like a dummy.I ordered a new one already but i am so mad at myself.I hope i didn't weaken the other side as well as only one side broke and not the other.I was so surprised how easy it came off to install a new one,that is the good news.I guess i shouldn't use a wrench at all the next time coming.

Does anyone who doesn't bolt the engine down just hand tighten it and use a wrench to tighten it more or do you guys just go hand tight as possible?????????

Also need to mention i'm not bolting it down because i don't know how long i will keep it.I may keep it forever or in time sell it for a nice new suzuki again like i should of never sold to begin with.The reason being is so many parts new are obsolete,i know ebay but i like new.

Also to,did i weaken the other side by doing this?It seemed ok and i believe i lucked out with only snapping the one side. I just hope i didn't weaken the other side.

Also i was thinking of putting 2 pieces of plywood together on the back of the transom so it's thick enough to run a decent thick screw through the wood itself and nothing would hit the inside transom,just through the wood itself as a safety precaution.I just was going to run a thick screw through were the bolt holes are on the bracket so at least the outboard is secure and won't lift up and i won't have to through bolt the engine.I know the plywood itself will be permanent and bolted through the transom just like the lowe jon boats are.My 1648 alumacraft has a lip on the inside of the transom were the clamps sit under so i know that side is secure from moving up,i just figured since i don't know how long i will keep this outboard i could do the plywood idea and it also gives the bracket on the outboard something to bite to without damaging the aluminum transom itself. It can't hurt.

I figured i could try this so i don't have to bolt the engine to the transom so it can be removed.I just don't want to keep drilling holes in the transom.

Iv'e never had any engine come off a transom ever but i figured this would be much safer. Am i going overboard here and just clamp it on as hand tight as possible and use a safety cable and make it as tight as possible so it can't lift up much if at all?Like i said having that nice thick lip on the inside on the transom gives me some security of at least the clamps not moving up,i use zip ties to so the clamps can't turn once i get them tight enough and then at night i lock it up with a lock.

What you turn to tighten offers a clue to what to use...
Good on having a cable just in case.
Just check your tightness each use before trailering and before launching and no problem should ever arise.
A firm(evenly on each one by alternating) hand tight on the smaller engines suits me just fine.

Yeah i can't believe it snapped like it did though.I just got the new bracket in today and installed it today,i got it from boats.net.Took me like 5 minutes to install it.I asked the guy there if hand tightening was enough and he said 100%,he said people think tighter is better but it's not always.He said as long as i tighten down as hard as possible by hand i should never have an issue,I also explained to him that i have a nice thick lip near the top of the transom and the clamps boots sit directly under that,he said as long as you tighten them down and put like a lock or zip ties through the clamp holes so they can't move that motor will never come off especially with that lip above the clamps, i feel much better now but i am going to put a safety cable anyway for peace of mind.

I have never had one come off ever and i have hit some serious waves in my jon boats,tight turns,etc but after researching this i can't believe how many people lost an outboard from just clamping it down,sounds fishy to me.I'm sure many people neglect to check those things when they go out all the time.

I like to attach a rope to the motor just in case.

jy951 said:

I like to attach a rope to the motor just in case.

Click to expand...

Me to,smart thing to do.

They are designed to be tightened by hand only, thus the little handles on them instead of a nut/hex head that would require or allow a wrench to be used. I've never owed a motor larger than my current 25hp but I've never had any issues of a motor coming lose on me. All I do is get it night and tight with one hand only. And I never turn it as far as I absolutely am capable, but I do get them good and tight. I've also never bolted one of my motors on, but since I'm planning on keeping this rig a while, I'm giving consideration to bolting this one on just as added theft prevention.