Motor bracket

[BigMike8o9]

My question is, if I am installing a 30in. bracket on the back of my 23ft Walkaround, should I raise my motor hight from the original?
How much should it be raised?

Thanks, Big Mike

[McGillicuddy]

I think the convention is about 1 inch up or every foot of setback. I imagine that will vary depending on bracket flotation and motor weight. With the walk-around you have a little more weight forward so 2.5 to 3 inches probably get you where you want to be.

Maybe Hermco can give you a more realistic number.

Post some pics, ain't seen many of those...

[Bushwacker]

I think the convention is about 1 inch up or every foot of setback.

I think that's a little conservative. I believe Don mounted my motor that way, and I raised it 2" from there. BRP says top of the AV plate should be ABOVE the water when you're up on plane and mine was nowhere in sight! Don recently redrilled motor mount holes to raise it another inch. Tested it today and picked up 1-2 mph, but AV plate is still below water, although better than before. I think it could come up another inch, but that would take a jack plate or a major bracket redesign!

[BigMike8o9]

Post some pics, ain't seen many of those...

I think they didn't do well because of too far forward C/G. Some had pig weight added to the stern (mine don't)

The bracket will fix that I hope
Big Mike

[BigMike8o9]

I think that's a little conservative. I believe Don mounted my motor that way, and I raised it 2" from there. BRP says top of the AV plate should be ABOVE the water when you're up on plane and mine was nowhere in sight! Don recently redrilled motor mount holes to raise it another inch. Tested it today and picked up 1-2 mph, but AV plate is still below water, although better than before. I think it could come up another inch, but that would take a jack plate or a major bracket redesign!

Wow, I'm thinking maybe 3 inches then. I think your boat has almost the same balance as mine because they are both cabin models.
Does yours have any weightg in the transom?
Big Mike

[Bushwacker]

Mike,

I don't think the Seafari 20 has nearly as much weight up forward as the 23WA. The bunks should be about the same weight as the fwd casting deck and fishbox on the CC models, and the cabin top is relatively thin glass (about 1/8") with no core in it. The Seafari 20 cap we got for Skip & Carla's 21 is easily picked up by 2 guys; I'd guess it weighs maybe 50 lbs with no windshield on it. I've never heard of any ballast weights being used in the Seafari 20 like folks have found on the 23 Sceptre/Tsunami's. I believe the later Sceptre's (and probably the WA's) also used plywood cores in the decks instead of the balsa core used by Potter, which would add some weight up front.

This shot shows my AV plate was 3.5" above the keel BEFORE we raised motor another inch. What works on the 20 might not necessarily work on the 23, but there are 4 holes in the mounting bracket on motor, so you might want to consider starting out with the 3.5" AV plate height with mount bolts in 2nd hole from top. That way you could raise it 2" or drop it down 1" to fine tune it. Or, just install a jack plate, which will move the motor even further aft, but that shouldn't be a problem with your CG location. I considered a jack plate, but my motor is already too heavy for the boat with the 30" setback, so I didn't want to shift the CG even further aft! Denny

[BigMike8o9]

Sorry I don't know why I thought that was a 23 ft boat. It just looks that big in the picture.
Think I will still try 3 on the plus side.