Outrage 18 Closed Transom

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JRP
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Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby JRP » Tue Dec 01, 2015 8:23 am

I have seen references to an optional Sea Drive that was available for the c.1985 Outrage 18 model with a closed transom.

Would anyone happen to have a link or links to decent photos or drawings that show examples of the closed transom Sea Drive configuration? Also, does anyone have any experience with or general knowledge about this configuration, for example the advantages or disadvantages or the performance? I am interested not just in performance, but also in the utility and practicality of the closed transom design at the stern.

Thanks!

EDIT: I have found some good resources here on CW:

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/011368.html

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/seaDriveConversion.html

jimh
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby jimh » Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:26 am

The term SEA DRIVE is an OMC term for their outboard engines with an unusual mounting configuration. Boston Whaler boats could be ordered with a closed transom for installation of a Sea Drive. This option was called a Sea Drive Blank transom, meaning the transom was closed off and ready to have a Sea Drive installed. My impression is that there were very few boats ordered with the Sea Drive Blank option. I think most boats with a Sea Drive were ordered with the Sea Drive option, and the OMC Sea Drive engine was usually installed at the factory by Boston Whaler. The Sea Drive was first available c.1983, according to some information from the REFERENCE section of the Whaler portion of the website at:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/engineBrackets.html

jimh
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby jimh » Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:48 am

I don't think there are any advantages to having a c.1985 OMC Sea Drive engine on a Boston Whaler today. The outboard engines would be old, conventional, smokey two-stroke-cycle engines with very little sophistication, and the mounting system is rather large, heavy, awkward, and probably completely unsupported by any repair or replacement parts.

The advantage would be in having a Boston Whaler hull with the closed transom, albeit one with a big hole in it for the Sea Drive engine mounting. The big hole can be repaired, restoring the transom. Then a different sort of engine set back bracket could be used. Typically an aluminum welded set back bracket like an Armstrong Bracket could be bolted to the transom.

The advantage of an outboard boat with a closed transom and its outboard engine on a set back bracket is primarily in the closed transom keeping water out of the boat in a following sea or when trolling in big waves. The aft portion of the boat has a small deck, which creates an enclosed and somewhat weather protected storage area. You can put a lot of gear and some of the rigging, like batteries and oil tank, into the enclosed area, and this really cleans up the appearance of the transom area. The aft deck usually had two or three hatches with teak covers, and that also dressed up the boat's appearance.

There may be some advantage in performance to having an engine set back bracket, but this varies with the design of the bracket. Usually all set back brackets have some floatation, called a BUOYANCY BOX, that displaces water to create buoyant force to help offset the weight of the bracket and the weight of the outboard having been moved several feet aft of the transom. In some set back brackets the buoyancy box will be out of the water when the boat reaches planing speed, and this will remove the buoyancy box's drag. The outboard on a long set back bracket also tends to look somewhat like a race boat so its appearance is considered to be attractive. You really don't see this being used much today in new boats. New boat designs tend to have their engine set back bracket arrangement molded into the hull as part of the hull structure, not just bolted on as in the 1980 boats.

Jeff
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby Jeff » Tue Dec 01, 2015 12:16 pm

Here are a few photos of an 18 Outrage that was for sale here in Detroit a few years ago. It started as a seadrive and then had the transom center modified to have a standard outboard mounted while still keeping the stern quarter boxes. It was for sale for $18,000 which to me was a steal...

3G43F33If5Kd5Hd5Mdd4592f24768e2bd1f55.jpg
3G43F33If5Kd5Hd5Mdd4592f24768e2bd1f55.jpg (124.96 KiB) Viewed 16315 times
1993 23 Walkaround Whaler Drive - 1988 190 Grady White Tournament- 1981 15' Striper (under restsoration) - Curator of Everything Boston Whaler on Instagram

jimh
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby jimh » Tue Dec 01, 2015 1:03 pm

That OUTRAGE 18 with the E-TEC for $18,000--wow that was a deal. And a very interesting, one-of-a-kind modification.

JRP
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby JRP » Tue Dec 01, 2015 4:47 pm

Wow that is a sharp looking Outrage 18, Jeff. Very interesting, too, the way it is has been modified to almost be a cross between the "closed transom" design of the Outrage 18 and the 19 Outrage II's single-notch transom design.

I was just curious about this Outrage 18 closed transom design, primarily with respect to the extra stowage in the stern section. I can see why the original "Sea Drive" was not a great success, but I really like the appearance and functionality of the closed transom design variant on the Outrage 18. I have never seen one in person, though.

jimh
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby jimh » Wed Dec 02, 2015 11:51 am

Below you'll see the aft deck and transom of a Boston Whaler REVENGE 22 that was probably originally a Sea Drive model. I believe the Sea Drive was removed and the transom repaired. An Armstrong aluminum engine set back bracket was installed. This particular bracket is quite a long set back. I don't recall the exact dimensions, but as seen below, it is a generous set back distance. An OUTRAGE 18 with a closed transom would look very similar to this, although the beam of the boat would be smaller. The Armstrong brackets are usually custom-fabricated and expensive. I don't know exactly how you go about calculating how high to mount the bracket on the hull. I think Armstrong gives you advice on that, as they have obviously got a lot of history on how to install their products.

The transom of the classic Whaler hull is not completely flat, as you can see here. The center portion is usually thicker by about an inch. With the transom closed, there must be some way for cockpit water to drain quickly. In the Whaler Drive configuration, two large, about 3-inch ID tubes are cut through the transom so the bottom of the tubes is level with the deck. These two large openings will drain the cockpit to the sea if a big wave comes into the cockpit. Normally you don't even notice these drains because their outlet openings are hidden by the wings of the Whaler Drive. The wings of the Whaler Drive are not flush to the transom, so there is about a one or two inch gap between the drain outlet that is flush with the transom and the wing of the Whaler Drive.

In the modified boat seen below, you can see a through-hull drain exhaust on the starboard side about a foot above the water line. I suspect that is the outlet for a sump pump that is intended to get water out of the aft cockpit area that is under the rear deck.

The boat shown was a good performer and seemed to ride very nicely. This boat was owned by Don J. at the time, and I don't think we ever had a flat out race between that boat and my very similar REVENGE 22 W-T Whaler Drive boat (also with a 225-HP). I would not have been surprised if Don's boat was a few MPH faster at full-throttle because the Anderson bracket would have been running mostly clear of the water.

closedTransomWithArmstrongBracket.jpg
Boston Whaler REVENGE 22 W-T with Armstrong Bracket
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The anti-fouling paint water line seemed to be applied a bit high on the boat and assumed a static trim that was down by the stern. In this picture, the boat is in a lock and the crew is standing at the bow to handle a line. This results in the stern sitting a bit higher than it probably would at rest with no one aboard. The Anderson brackets do not provide as much floatation as the Whaler Drive does.

For comparison, I include a view of the same model boat, REVENGE 22 W-T, with a Whaler Drive. You can see that with only a single engine on a Whaler Drive--which was often though to be intended for twin engines--the static trim at the transom is quite high. The transom splash well drains are well above the static water line. Again, in this view, there is crew on the foredeck to handle a line, so the stern is a bit higher than normal. You can also see the wings and the gap to the transom, where the cockpit drains are concealed.

whalerDriveTransom.jpg
Boston Whaler REVENGE 22 W-T Whaler Drive
whalerDriveTransom.jpg (33.65 KiB) Viewed 16242 times


In both these views you see how close to the surface of the water the anti-ventilation plate of the outboard is sitting.

jimh
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby jimh » Wed Dec 02, 2015 12:13 pm

You can see some images of a Boston Whaler OUTRAGE 18 with a closed transom and an added Armstrong bracket in the CETACEA collection. See Cetacea Page 24.

JRP
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby JRP » Thu Dec 03, 2015 6:42 am

jimh wrote:You can see some images of a Boston Whaler OUTRAGE 18 with a closed transom and an added Armstrong bracket in the CETACEA collection. See Cetacea Page 24.


That is another sharp looking Outrage 18 shown in the link above. Something about the closed transom gives the Outrage 18 a more refined, "big boat" appearance (to me, anyway.) And the Armstrong Bracket looks like a quality piece of hardware, nicely complementing the Outrage 18 with a closed transom.

With all the helpful information posted here, this thread will be a good resource for anyone researching the "closed transom" option on the Outrage 18 as well as other models.

hauptjm
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby hauptjm » Thu Dec 03, 2015 3:45 pm

As the owner of the 18 Outrage with the Armstrong Bracket on Cetacea page 24, I can say that configuration served me quite well for many years. However, I have since (late 2012) changed my Whaler's setup. Needing to replace the 150hp Johnson OceanRunner (3,000+ hours), I opted to remove the fixed set-back of the Armstrong bracket and replace it with a hydraulic jack plate. The Jack Plate I installed is one that has a 12 inch setback and has an 8 inch range of vertical lift. This accompanied by my new (2012) 150hp Evinrude ETEC has proven to be a superior setup. The multiple combinations of vertical lift and engine tilt give me unlimited ride characteristics for just about any condition.

JRP
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby JRP » Thu Dec 03, 2015 4:25 pm

hauptjm wrote:As the owner of the 18 Outrage with the Armstrong Bracket on Cetacea page 24, I can say that configuration served me quite well for many years. However, I have since (late 2012) changed my Whaler's setup. Needing to replace the 150hp Johnson OceanRunner (3,000+ hours), I opted to remove the fixed set-back of the Armstrong bracket and replace it with a hydraulic jack plate. The Jack Plate I installed is one that has a 12 inch setback and has an 8 inch range of vertical lift. This accompanied by my new (2012) 150hp Evinrude ETEC has proven to be a superior setup. The multiple combinations of vertical lift and engine tilt give me unlimited ride characteristics for just about any condition.



Thank you for the first-hand feed back. Very nice boat your have, too!

Could you please tell us the brand and model of your hydraulic jack plate?

Also, with your hydraulic jack plate, do you still need to use a 25" shaft on your outboard engine? Or would a 20" shaft suffice given the amount of vertical adjustment the hydraulic jack plate affords?

If not too inconvenient, it would be nice to see some photos of your new arrangement. Thanks!

P.S. What did you do with your old Armstrong bracket?

hauptjm
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby hauptjm » Fri Dec 04, 2015 1:26 pm

jackplate2.JPG
jackplate2.JPG (122.82 KiB) Viewed 16089 times
The Jack Plate is an Atlas Brand. I still have the Armstrong Bracket.

tg426
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby tg426 » Tue Dec 15, 2015 12:42 pm

The only concern I can see with a closed transom is the inability to shed water if you were to bury the bow or somehow capsize the boat. With the low transom and as long as you still have power, water inside the boat will be able to quickly run out the back. I'm thinking this is why BW designed the Outrages' transoms (pre early 1990's) this way...for use offshore, wide enough for twin motor redundancy and low enough to shed water.
Tom
Long Island NY
1988 Outrage 18 w/ 2000 Honda BF130

jrr
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Re: Outrage 18 Closed Transom

Postby jrr » Tue Dec 15, 2015 8:16 pm

Living out on the Eastern end of Long Island and fishing the rips (Gut and Race) I can attest to the 18' Outrage's abilility to shed water quickly. admirable boat I wish I didn't sell.