Chapter 3: Transmission Geometry, CV Joints, Stuffing Boxes, and Engine Mounts and Beds
wall of the beds, with ordinary washers in-
side. Merely standing on the engine caused
the side walls of these hollow beds to flex
visibly. If the builder had only built in solid
wood blocks in the engine bed and through-
bolted the engine through both walls with a
backing block on the other side, and used
longer engine-mount-attachment angles, the
installation would probably have been accept-
ably rigid.
Engine Bed Construction
Figure 3-15 shows simplified recommended
dimensions for engine beds in fiberglass boats.
You can get more detail about this, along with
bed scantlings and construction as well as
construction for other materials from my book
The Elements of Boat Strength. If you’re trying
to track down a seemingly intractable vibra-
tion or alignment problem, don’t forget the
foundation itself: the engine beds.