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Engine hatch lift mounting options

Riverryder

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Hey guys I have a Carrera and the mount for the lifting ram on the wood engine hatch keeps pulled the screws out. Wondering if any of you guys have a stronger way to mount the ram? Or ideas on how to make it stronger.

IMG_1902.jpg


Not the best picture but the lift ram mounts to the hatch with 3 screws.


Can you guys post some
Pictures of how you have yours mounted?

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norcalLmo

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Just a thought - looks like the top placement is attached near the rear of the hatch - it should be as far forward as possible to take pressure off the hinges
 

zx14

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I though the same thing, it backwards. The bottom of the ram should be towards the stern the connection on the hatch as far forward as you can make it. Run the ram as short as it gets. Attach to hatch angled toward stern. Where it touches, move it back about a inch. As far as the screws in the wood hatch, your just kinda, “screwed” without taking the covering off to through bolt.
 

Riverryder

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Anyone have examples on how it should be mounted. I can’t seem to find a good example on the internet


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wzuber

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Better pics would help significantly to suggestions to help you correct your problem. Current installation positions the ram is too parallel to the plane of the eng. cover and is pushing more horizontal than the top mounting bracket attachment method can handle. It appears it's mounted the way it is to get the hatch up and back as much as possible (90 degrees?) If you retract the ram completely would you be able to install it vertically from where the base is currently located? As far as the top mount goes to deal with the current ram mounting positions you could take a larger piece of 5502 grade, 3/16" thick flat alum. plate and shape it to the curvature of the cover or maybe alum. angle (if flat surface) and attach/thru bolt the ram mounting bracket to it and then drill 4/6/8 etc. screw holes around the perimeter of that plate into the plywood and attach with #12 or #14 wood screws to get you buy for a while but eventually that too will likely fail as to the pressure being applied to the top mounting bracket by the current mounting positions.
 

Bucketlist

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Well here is my advice based on my hatch blowing open on the highway at 60 mph. I have a 98 Hallett 240, and the bottom mounting bracket pulled out of the plywood sub floor while i was towing. The reason this happened on my boat was because the plywood was old, dried out and lost a substantial amount of its holding strength to retain the small lag bolts used to attach the bottom ram mounting bracket. The plywood was NOT dryrotted and had no signs of water damage. The rams top mounting brackets had SS fasteners drilled was thru top of the fiberglass engine hatch. So this attachment was as strong as the day when the boat was new.

My solution was to drill holes thru the plywood subfloor in nearly the exact location as original. The geometry of the ram and location worked perfectly and i did not want to have to repair the finish on the plywood. I then cut an access hole through the side made an aluminum backing plate
 

Bucketlist

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Sorry my post above decided to send itself before i finished........

I then cut a round hole through the vertical side of the plywood subfloor box ( facing the engine) and installed a 1/4” aluminum backing plate with holes drilled to match the ram bracket. I reinstalled the ram bracket with the aluminum backing plate beneath the subfloor and tightened up the new SS bolts. Following this I installed a plastic access cover over the access hole I cut into the plywood. Problem solved and this issue will never happen again. My opinion is that all manufactures should only use a 100% thru bolt captured mounting method like this.
 

Shrub Lurker

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Hate to hijack this thread, but why are most single ram set ups like this on the starboard side (the impeller side). To make it more of a pita to service?
 
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Riverryder

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Idk my new boat doesn’t have a ram just has gas arms! This was my old boat...




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