Give Your Boat A New Lease On Life

Jerry Fox

There is a small company in Florida with a most unusual and unreplicated product that has amazed hundreds of boaters who have used it, and several boat builders who include it as an option or as standard equipment on some models. It is well worth a look.

The Porta Hydraulic Transom Bracket combines the best features of two products. A simple transom bracket extends the motor off the back of the boat for stability and more room inside the boat. A simple hydraulic jack plate can raise or lower the motor a short distance (usually eight inches max) but does not offer the setback advantages of a transom bracket. With the Porta Hydraulic Transom Bracket you get both - the setback, with its advantages, and the vertical movement range - of 12" to 24" - much more than is offered by any hydraulic jack plate on the market. You also have a wider range to raise and lower the motor to find the "sweet spot" for control, maneuverability, and operating in very shallow water. Better yet, you can raise the motor(s) straight up and have the prop above the bottom of the boar, or raise the motors completely out of the water and tilt them over the transom. This product is in a class by itself - there is nothing else like it out there.

The company says that the Porta Bracket improves top end speed, improves engine fuel economy, allows the propulsion line to stay parallel with the boat direction, gives more space inside the boat, Other advantages include stopping electrolytic damage to the motor(s) when at the dock, and doing away with the application of anti-fouling paint on the lower unit.

The design is so versatile, with models for as many as five 300hp outboards, and with setbacks of 17 to 26 inches. This thing is way better than a simple jackplate, and way better than a fixed transom bracket.

The company wanted to make a low maintenance product with a long useful life in the heat or the cold, salt or fresh water. Careful testing for selection of the most rugged hydraulic pump led them to the Oildyne (tm) 12 volt hydraulic pump with reservoir that is used on Mercruiser (tm) stern drive systems. The hinge design is the key to the long-life mechanical operation of the bracket itself. It is patented and uses a material that has nylon type durability and teflon style lubricity. In over twelve years of service, no bracket has suffered a hinge failure.

The Edgewater, Florida company makes many different models that work with leading outboards of 60hp or more. To learn more about this outstanding product, visit www.portaproducts.com.