New Engine Box and Yamaha 9.9

When we first built this Tiki 30 we moved the motor fwd to the center of the cockpit. This left the aft end of the cockpit clear for the helmsman and provided a convenient location for the GPS. It also placed the motor in the center of the boat where it would be much less likely to cavitate. It was also a great location for the jib winch.

The box hinged up for easy access to the motor.BUT all was not quite as groovy as i should have been. We mounted the motor about 6" too low. This caused the motor to get too much salt spray on it and sometimes a high speed it would get water right over the top. This caused service issues with the motor due to corrosion.

Also when I purchased  the motor I was unaware that motors this small were available with power tilt. It was a little inconvenient to have to unlatch the box and fiddle around for the latch to raise or lower the motor.

 This summer I purchaesd a new Yamaha 9.9 out board with both electric start and power tilt. We made a new engine box and modified the motor mount to raise the motor up 6". We had to lengthen the box by almost a foot to accommadate the motor in its' higher position and allow it to tilt up. The new top does not have a raised edge which allows water drain off rather than be trapped by the fiddle.

 The side benefits of this change were that we got a better lead to the jib winch and the GPS was much easier to read mounted in the taller box.

The new box is glassed into the cockpit floor and is much more rigid and we don't get water squirting out when we are blasting along at high speed. Access to the motor is a little more restricted but for other than oil changes and a new spark plug I need to yank it and take it to a technician. 

The power tilt is really really cool and I am very pleased with the new motor and the installation.We also get almost another knot of boat speed with the 9.9 compared to the 8.