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Constructing An Outboard Motor Hoist (Courtesy of Ivor Parsons)

When we think of our pulley blocks we tend to think of sailing main-sheets, kicking straps and so-on but of course lots of times pulley blocks are bought for something else entirely. We had a few interesting discussions with one of our customers Ivor Parsons who was on a mission to invent an easier way of getting his outboard motor from his boat down and onto his dinghy.  Ivor kindly sent us some photos of his system once and up running and we thought it would be nice to share them.

outboard motor hoist

Ivor has managed to rig up a system with a couple of our pulley blocks and some line, which allows him to lower the outboard down to the dinghy without fear of dropping it or over-reaching and risking injury (or falling in!), I think it time the lifting point on the outboard could be neatened up, but functionally the system looks great.

It took a couple of discussions to work out the best choice of pulley blocks for this outboard motor hoisting system, in the end we settled on two blocks which give a 3:1 mechanical advantage, and incorporate a cam-cleat so the line can be gripped in position when needed without worry of any drops.

The two pulley blocks that Ivan bought for the job are shown below, each image can be clicked to find further details and specification.

Lower Pulley Block (Our item number SM-0565)

Upper Pulley Block (Our item number SM-0566)

Also of course we need a suitable length of rope or line, we would suggest some braided polyester such as the one shown below (these particular pulley blocks are good for line up to 10mm diameter, which is far stronger than needed but feels nicer on the hands than a small diameter line)

Braided Polyester Line (Available In A Range Of Diameters)

For further information or any other assistance with selection of pulley blocks and suitable rope feel free to get in touch with us by phone, email or using our contact form.

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