New Motor Mount Board

After looking into a plastic replacement for the outboard motor mount, I decided to make one out red oak and coat it with Cetol wood preservative. I used the original piece that was made out of plywood as a pattern for the outline and mounting bolt holes.

I used a piece of 1" x 12" x 24" and cut it into two pieces so the grain on the outer sections is aligned vertically. Next, I copied the original pattern onto a piece of light construction paper. The pattern was transferred onto one of the pieces, the pattern was cut out with a jigsaw then the mounting holes were drilled through it. The shape was then transferred to the second piece after corresponding holes were drilled into it and the 2 sections were bolted together. After both shapes were sanded until they matched and no seam could be felt between them, a 3/8" x 6" x 24" piece of red oak was cut in half and stacked one over the other so the inner layer of wood would have a grain that runs at 90 degrees to the outer layers. After this, the mounting holes were marked off and drilled through the center layer. The final steps were to make one more pass around the perimeter of this 'sandwich' with the jigsaw, then sand the whole thing smooth, mount it, and coat it with Cetol wood preservative. A couple more coats, then I'll probably end up putting the motor mount back on this weekend.