How to Mount a 1966 Mercury Outboard Motor to a Heavy Boat

Mercury Marine's 1966 outboard engines, depending on the model, mounted in one of two ways. This means that, regardless of the size of the outboard, or whether it will be used as a "kicker" -- an auxiliary outboard, to assist a larger motor on a heavy boat -- or as the primary power source, its mounting is the same. The only difference lies in where on the boat you want to mount the outboard.

Things You'll Need

  • Measuring tape
  • China marker
  • Drill
  • Hardener
  • Epoxy resin
  • Tongue depressor
  • Sandpaper
  • Six 1-inch stainless steel bolts and nuts
  • Six 1-inch stainless steel flat washers
  • Six 1-inch stainless steel lock washers
  • Torque wrench
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure from the center line of the boat's transom -- on the back where the outboard is mounted -- to a point 48 inches to the left of the center line, with a measuring tape. Mark this location with a china marker.

    • 2

      Hold the kicker bracket so its center aligns with the 48-inch mark. Align the upper mounting holes in the bracket's base with the upper mounting holes for the main outboard.

    • 3

      Drill 1-inch holes through the existing 1-inch holes on the mounting bracket and through the transom of the boat with a drill and a 1-inch bit. Mix one drop of hardener into 1 ounce of epoxy resin, in a clean plastic cup, using a tongue depressor. Spread the epoxy over the interior of the newly drilled mounting holes, using the tongue depressor. Allow the epoxy to cure. Sand the epoxy so the bore -- the hole -- is smooth.

    • 4

      Hold the kicker bracket to the newly drilled mounting holes. Insert 1-inch stainless steel bolts through its four mounting holes, into and through the hull. Slide 1-inch stainless steel flat washers over the bolts, followed by 1-inch stainless steel lock washers. Thread 1-inch stainless steel nuts onto the bolts and tighten to 55 foot-pounds with a torque wrench.

    • 5

      Mount the outboard by opening the threaded clamps -- used on smaller horsepower 1966 Mercury outboards -- setting the clamp over the kicker bracket or the transom of the boat, if the outboard is used as the primary power source for the boat. Tighten the clamps snugly and attach the engine's safety chain to a secure mounting in the boat.

    • 6

      Mount larger, higher-output outboards by setting the mounting bracket of the outboard over the stern of the boat or -- if the outboard is used as a kicker, over the kicker bracket. Insert two 1-inch stainless bolts through the hull or kicker bracket. Slide a flat washer and lock washer onto each bolt and secure the bolts with a stainless steel nut. Tighten the two nuts to 55 foot-pounds with a torque wrench.