[Rhodes22-list] Tips on removing motor lift?

[ROGER PIHLAJA]

Hi Thomas,

I bought the manual lift back in 2011 direct from GBI.  You would have to check with Cindy Spitzer to see if they have any more stock or if they have conversion kits.  If they don’t have any stock; then, it’s just takes a couple of Harken side-by-side 3 sheave blocks, a cam cleat, and some 5/16” line to build your own, assuming you already have an electric GBI motor mount to convert.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium 
1978. Sanford, MI

As Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 21, 2025, at 1:06 PM, THOMAS POLISE via Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:
> I’m interested in this conversion also, can you send a link or catalog cut on the manual lift?
> 
>> On Apr 20, 2025, at 10:57 PM, Rosie Krueger <rosie.krueger at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Hello all,
>> 
>> We're planning to remove the electric motor lift from our 2007 Rhodes and
>> install a Panther manual adjustable bracket instead. Before we proceed with
>> the project, I am wondering if anyone has any tips about removing the
>> electric lift setup.  I read through the "Converting Electric Winch Motor
>> Lift to a Manual System" thread, but that mostly seems to involve changing
>> the method of power for the existing lift tracks, rather than removing them
>> entirely.
>> 
>> We have a few reasons for switching.  Like others who made the manual
>> conversion, we don't like the vulnerability of relying on the electrical
>> system in a moment when we might really need the motor.  But worse, the top
>> of the existing lift system significantly interferes with the tiller handle
>> on our ePropulsion Spirit electric outboard.  The tiller handle folds up a
>> bit, but not far enough to allow the outboard down as far as it could go,
>> even with the tilt set as far back as possible.  We've also found that the
>> current positioning allows potential for the outboard and rudder to
>> collide. The Panther bracket should push the motor far enough off the back
>> of the boat to resolve that issue.  We did consider getting the epropulsion
>> throttle controller for the outboard, but that was about 2x the cost of the
>> panther bracket and wouldn't have solved the motor/rudder issue.  (We
>> already had the tiller controller from our prior boat - if you're
>> considering buying this outboard for an R22, definitely just go with the
>> throttle controller from the start).  With the light weight of the
>> ePropulsion, we also don't particularly need any of the assistance from
>> either the electric lift or a manual pulley conversion.
>> 
>> Anyway, all of these reasons have us feeling confident in making the
>> switch.  However, I never feel confident messing with holes in the hull. It
>> seems like it should be just a matter of unscrewing the screws on the
>> tracks from inside the lazarette, but I'm not sure if there's any adhesive
>> or other surprises awaiting us after that...So, if you've ever taken the
>> lift tracks off and have any advice about the process, please send them my
>> way!
>> 
>> Also, assuming the process goes successfully, we'll have a used electric
>> motor lift to part with - feel free to reach out if that's of interest to
>> you!
>> 
>> Happy Spring!
>> Rosie