1976 224 CC: Offshore Engine Bracket

[Jamesc22]

Hey guys, new guy here. Going through an old Mako with my old man this winter. Nice little COVID activity. I want to close out the transom (it is in fine shape) and reinforce with coosa - no problem here. Any ideas where to get a good deal on single engine brackets - without skipping on quality, obviously. I am seeing Armstrong brackets online for the tune of $3k+. That’s more than I got the boat and trailer for!!!

any help would be great,
james

[hectorsn]

Congrats on the new project. If you are doing the work yourself of closing in the transom then maybe you are skilled enough to make your own bracket from glass. A few guys have done it here and some searches around the web will provide a bunch more resources. Don't know how much cheaper it ends up being but you definitely get what you want.

Otherwise it will have to be a used bracket. You're gonna have to hit the forums and craigslist/ebay for that and may have to compromise to save a few bucks.

Whichever way you go I would suggest getting one with the most amount of flotation possible to allow for heavy 4 stroke engines.

[jamie]

I had a local welding shop build one for me from aluminum. They built it to my specs which were based on info that I gathered on the net and this site. The cost was very reasonable. I'm sure that there is a shop local to you that could do the same.

[Jamesc22]

jamie - my concern is the specs. I can’t seem to find any plans online how to build.

I know what I want, just not an engineer so want to make sure she floats and weight distributed, etc.

[jamie]

Start by looking at lots and lots of pictures of brackets. Get an idea of how they are typically designed. There are at least three different ways of doing them.
1 - Flat bottom that slopes up to the rear like this: http://www.custommarinewelding.com/i...e_standard.jpg
2 - V bottom that slopes up to the rear like this: http://www.custommarinewelding.com/i..._flotacion.jpg
3 - V bottom where the bottom is parallel with the keel of the boat kind of like this: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pr...GoFf79DDGcuOO2

Lots of good info here for mounting and lots of pictures: http://dadmarine.com/index00.html

[Jamesc22]

jamie - great stuff.

[mugwump4]

When you realize how much labor you'll have in making your own bracket, it becomes apparent why they're so expensive!

That said, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another bracket for my next project. I just wouldn't call A&J marine.........

[Jamesc22]

mugwump4 why not A&J marine?

[BallBuster]

Building your own is a big job. Have wished I had started from scratch rather than incorporate the old bracket. Here is the progress I've made on one for my 246. Buoyancy tub bottom is formed and welded. The rest is tacked in place. 1/4" 6061 plating, 1-1/4" x 1/4" wall tube, and 3/8" x 2-1/2" flat bar.

[dbiscayne]

I bought a bracket from A&J, good experience overall, picked it up at their shop and saw quite a few other nice looking products being built.

[mako224]

For what its worth, there was no Mako model 224 in 1976. If your title says its a 1976 Mako 224 something is fishy. Post up pictures of the boat.