input on motor/bracket setup etc.

[jedvandale]

I have a bunch more 1/8" stainless plate from some home-made fixed trim tabs that were on the boat (bad idea). There is enough there to triple up the back plate double the sides and add quite a bit of bracing. Does anyone think that would suffice? Another thought: I am an accomplished cabinet maker and I have a whole industrial sized roll of glass cloth and a near endless supply of epoxy, could I conceivably build up a bracket/swim platform from 3/4" ply wood doubled up, epoxied together and enclosed in cloth and resin? If you guys think this would work I'm capable of making something WAY nicer than I could ever afford and I already have all the materials to do it.

[Richie Rich]

Jed, unless you can get someone to do some calcs on the forces of the bracket, I wouldn't do it......as mentioned, there are plenty of good quality used aluminum, stainless and composite brackets out there that have been designed to work and can be had for several hundred bucks......its not worth the risk....look around...you'll find something and have peace of mind....

[charlie_the_tuna]

didnt BS recently fab one out of wood and glass for his seacraft? maco, i think the build can be found somewhere back there.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by jedvandale

I have a bunch more 1/8" stainless plate from some home-made fixed trim tabs that were on the boat (bad idea). There is enough there to triple up the back plate double the sides and add quite a bit of bracing. Does anyone think that would suffice? Another thought: I am an accomplished cabinet maker and I have a whole industrial sized roll of glass cloth and a near endless supply of epoxy, could I conceivably build up a bracket/swim platform from 3/4" ply wood doubled up, epoxied together and enclosed in cloth and resin? If you guys think this would work I'm capable of making something WAY nicer than I could ever afford and I already have all the materials to do it.

Recientlyu, I needed to replace the pad that my outboard kicker mounted to.. not the bracket itself, just the wooden pad. It was designed to hold and take the force of up to a 15 hp engine. It's made of 3 sheets of 5/8' Marine Ply, laminated together, sanded, urathaned, etc. My point is, that's for a 15 hp kicker.. I can only think of the force that is generated by a 140 hp engine at WOP. So the short answer is yes, you can probably make something that will hold... for a while.

(But if it were me, I'd buy something made for the job)