Bracket Project

[oldbluesplayer]

Beautiful work - love that boat !

If you're takin orders, I'll take one - next in line after Nick !!!


Bill

[WillyC]

Very cool and awesome fuel numbers. If my calculations are correct 34 liters is just shy of 9 gallons which equates to 3.9 miles per gallon. Not to shabby for a 1979 oldie but goodie.

[Snookerd]

Big-Dang, she looks good. Ditto on that water line way below the boot strip! Nice job.

[Ajc]

Big - do you by chance have any of the measurements for your bracket; I'm thinking about building one for a 20' that I just bought and cut up already.

[Bigshrimpin]

I've done a couple brackets since this one and learned a LOT of lessons along the way. Number one lesson - buy a hermco!! Building a bracket cost about $800 - $1000 in materials (not including beer). Hermco is $2495 for a single. Building your first one will take about 100 hours to complete from start to finish.

If I were to make one for another boat, I'd make a simple box type. Hermco's design has a lot of complex curves and the chances to screw up are high. I would have probably given up except that I had Strick coaching me through this first one. That said I'll try to piece together some rough dimensions of the red one (which btw is on a 23 now holding up a Honda 225 in FL).

These pics were one I build for my dad in 2010. It looks a little funny b/c he had a 30" motor that would eventually go on it and platform had to fit b/w the trim tabs, but this design is easier to build.

[flyingfrizzle]

Originally Posted by Bigshrimpin

I've done a couple brackets since this one and learned a LOT of lessons along the way. Number one lesson - buy a hermco!! Building a bracket cost about $800 - $1000 in materials (not including beer). Hermco is $2495 for a single. Building your first one will take about 100 hours to complete from start to finish.

I second that, Building brackets isn't for the beginner or someone that hasn't got a ton of extra time and patients. I started on for my 25' and haven't got it done yet. I started strong and made good progress then work kept me away for a while. I have got it about finished now but still need to do the swim platform top half and bond them together. I will try to post a few more pic up once I get a chance to do so. If you decide to do one, keep it simple, once you get 3 different angles merging together it can be hard to get the dimensions correct. A simple box style would be the way to go but even it would be tough to make. Just having to get the top half to drop on the bottom and fit right is a task not to mention you mount height, motor height and transom angles all come into play too. Mine is on a 14 degree transom angle with a vee bottom that is angled around 22 degrees to match the hull bottom but then there is a 20 angle rise as the bottom flotation tub rises up to a tapper that makes one hell of a compound angle. The hermco comes straight back and is flat on the bottom where as mine has an extra set of angles in it that makes it that much more of a bare. It will be worth it in the end but I think I will pass the 100 hr mark that Big mentioned. There is too many used ones floating around for $1000 to do this or for the time spent you could just buy a hermco and have something real nice. Unless you are up for a challenge or just hard headed like me I would proceed with caution.

[Ajc]

thanks for all the input so far guys. im currently in the process of a new floor; with that being said im tying to decide on whether or not to cut out the rear seat area , and make it a full transom or just cut out the splash well area and leave the seats with the stock transom height.. im leaning toward cutting them out and raising the transom.

[Bigshrimpin]

For a 20 seacraft, I'd notch the transom to 25" and run a motor close to or less than 400lb or buy a hermco.

I'll try to get rough dimensions up . . . I know it was 38" wide (the width of the fiberglass mat and roving) Front face was 17" tall and rear was 22" Setback was 27". Bottom v was 20.5 x 20.5 and 36w (tapered down from 38"w) at the swim platform.