Question: how to mount transom bracket

[James Pierce]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on where (and how) to mount a transom bracket on my Johnson 18 so I can attach a small outboard motor. I understand a trolling motor won’t move the boat quickly, but my main goal is to have a backup option for getting in and out of the marina and for emergency use when the wind dies.

I’m based in the Pacific Northwest, where the wind can be unpredictable, so having some auxiliary power would give me a bit of peace of mind.

Here’s a link to the type of motor I’m considering - TEMO 1000:

https://www.temofrance.com/en_GB/shop/moteur-electrique-temo1000-546#attr=804,806

Would love to hear how others have handled this—placement tips, bracket suggestions, or lessons learned.

Thanks in advance,

James

[Rick Paullin]

That looks like a nice sleek electric motor for your boat.

I think one of the NJ owners mounted an outboard bracket on the starboard-side transom.

I can't remember if it was an articulating bracket that would raise/lower the motor.

I recently saw a photo of it, probably in an old post somewhere on this group site.

(it might have been one of the boat-for-sale listings)

Good luck!

  - Rick

[Chris Herbster]

That looks like an interesting option. Since it might be better to sail with the motor stowed near the forward end of the cockpit (for boat balance), I would try to build a bracket that could be placed on the rudder pintles. 

If nothing else, this would be a non-intrusive way to test the motor's ability to get the boat underway. 

Good luck! 

CH 

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[Santiago Rovira]

Hi James,

I built and assembled a custom 3/8" aluminum plate for mounting a 3.5 HP Mercury engine. 

You have to add an inspection hatch to be able to bolt the mount from the inside. 

Inside, also has two 2"x 6" aluminum plates to distribute the force exerted by the bolts.

You can see the diagram and photos below:

Regards,

Santiago

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[Jason Fitschen]

Hi James,

Sorry not to have gotten back to you on the furling unit — I hoep that’s resolved ok.

On the outboard:

• The brilliant thing about that unit (and some of the ePropulsion units) is that they are decoupled from the batteries, allowing you to put the heavy bits below-deck and forward, as well as only needing to carry the amout of bettery you need for that particualr day. I’d consider putting a flush-mount, watertight hatch (ABS Plastic) on either side of the centerline and forward of the traveller. Thiis would let you mount batteries and also have a space to store other things that you don’t want to share the cockpit with (dry bag, tent, beer, whatever)

• You can then come up with a mounting bracket that eliminates the need for the cunbersome clamping systems that most outboards need. The Temo has a quick-disconnect between the transom clamping bracket and the sliding bracket that hods the drive leg. Maybe buy a second transom bracket and remove the thumb-screws and anyting else extraneous, and just bolt this straight to the boat. Then you can reserve the clamp-on unit for another boat and have a lightweight, pemanent set-up for the Johnson that is low-profile and out of the way.

• I’d place this as close as practical to the centerline/rudder and mount an easliy detachable linkage to the trailing edges of both the drive and the rudder. When disconnected, the drive can be lifted and slid forward into the boat where it is out of the way along the centerline. When you drop the drive leg, you just snap on the linkage rod and the outboard leg does exactly what the rudder does, allowing for better steerage under power, and all using the existing tiller. Also no farting around with the rudder mountng, and it even lets you drop the leg while sailing for some assist and/or regeneration.

Hope this makes sense and is generally useful. If you still have a question about the furler, feel free to call as I’m back on the continent again,

Cheers,

Jason

On Jun 30, 2025, at 8:50 AM, Santiago Rovira <santiag...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi James,

I built and assembled a custom 3/8" aluminum plate for mounting a 3.5 HP Mercury engine. 

You have to add an inspection hatch to be able to bolt the mount from the inside. 

Inside, also has two 2"x 6" aluminum plates to distribute the force exerted by the bolts.

You can see the diagram and photos below:

<image.png>

<image.png>

<image.png>

<image.png>

Regards,

Santiago

On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 4:46 AM James Pierce <sjgp...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on where (and how) to mount a transom bracket on my Johnson 18 so I can attach a small outboard motor. I understand a trolling motor won’t move the boat quickly, but my main goal is to have a backup option for getting in and out of the marina and for emergency use when the wind dies.

I’m based in the Pacific Northwest, where the wind can be unpredictable, so having some auxiliary power would give me a bit of peace of mind.

Here’s a link to the type of motor I’m considering - TEMO 1000:

https://www.temofrance.com/en_GB/shop/moteur-electrique-temo1000-546#attr=804,806

Would love to hear how others have handled this—placement tips, bracket suggestions, or lessons learned.

Thanks in advance,

James

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