1892 24' Offshore transom question

Check out http://www.classicmako.com. It's a very common modification. You just don't see than many posted here. I'm doing it on my Mako 17. I've never seen anyone try it on such a small boat so who knows how it will turn out...

Explorer23 said:

Hello All,

I recently purchased a 1982 24' Offshore with a rotten transom. So, we are in the rebuilding process.

My question to those is this: The boat has a notched transom and we would like to build it up to gunnel height. The reason? to place live wells and possible fish box at the transom. The second reason is due to an offshore fiasco on the same boat in which a wave crashed over the transom and flooded the majority of the inside (thank goodness for cool heads and great bilge pumps!), which scared the health outta me and the occupants. Yes, the splash board was up, but didn't stop the wave.

If someone has undertaken this and has can provide insight on whether this will work, I would appreciate it. Photos would be appreciated as well.

Thank you all for a great board that has provided valuable information.

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If this is an outboard application, then the major issue is motor mounting. If you fill in the transom will you be able to mount the motor at the correct height and still be able to tilt it?

Personally, I myself have been impressed with bracket mount boats. From your experience in regards to waves over the back, I have been in situations as well in a 20' with OMC Seadrive that I made it back and others did not. One of my friends sunk his Mako and was less than a mile from me one day. He having a notched transom.
Performance to me has been very good. No negative affects from what I can see. Use the motor to help trim down the bow when/if it porposes and you are in business.
Now, I got my Grady last year with twin's on the bracket and love it! Also, no negative experiences. On the contrary, performance is outstanding in this boat! If it was a weight issue on this model, I would likely see water coming in the scuppers, but that has not happened.
I like the full transom and storage it provides and think it looks better, not to mention the floor space added in most cases.
Don't get me wrong, would take a Euro transom as well, but not a notched transom. I know there are others that feel opposite, but this is my opinion and experience.
The negative I see for me is inability to plane on one engine, yet I have not really tried that hard so far. I found my bracket was full of water when I brought home for the season and drained it, so will retry to see if I can plane on one sometime this year and see if that extra weight helps or not. Make sure when you put the bracket on, to seal it with 5200....all bolts, seams, motor mount bolts, anywhere that water can get in.

By the way, that is some really good looking fabrication! Nice job!

closing it up will be nice...but if you do, get a full floatation bracket, like the hermco....also if repowering, keep as close as possible to the original 2s engine weight to keep the scuppers above the waterline..

Richie is right on the weight. Compare 2 stroke weights when powering and try to keep it as close as possible. Can also relocate things like batteries forward somewhere save to relieve some weight in the aft areas can help.

The 24' offshore I had came with a bracket and a 225 HP Johnson 2 stroke. I changed the engine to a Merc 225 Optimax. I loved the combination and would advise using the bracket if budget allows.

If you're worried about transom weight, you can get the twin bracket from Hermco but it may give too much lift. How did the boat sit before? When I went to the Hermco bracket on my Sailfish, it raised the scuppers a good 2".

If you want a full transom, you'll have to do a bracket (which is probably what you're finding out). One option would be to build up to 30" and acquire a 30" shaft motor. As for sitting lower with a bracket, figure out how much further aft the motor would sit, then find a math/physics whiz to find the effective weight shift. Many models after yours came with a notched transom or full with bracket, essentially the same hull. A call to Grady would probably yield valuable info, they have pretty good Customer Service and you're not the first to ask the question ... :wink:

Grog said:

If you're worried about transom weight, you can get the twin bracket from Hermco but it may give too much lift. How did the boat sit before? When I went to the Hermco bracket on my Sailfish, it raised the scuppers a good 2".

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2 inch rise? That's pretty good.....was this a change of bracket, ie, from the OEM Springfield Aluminum to the Hermco, or was this a retrofit, ie no bracket to full twin?

That would solve alot of scupper issues.....