I have an aluminum Triton VT19. Love the boat but it blows in the wind like an empty coke can. TALONS! I finally found a good price @ $1562 per 10' Talon, I bought two. Add $500 for sammich brackets and we're in business. Now comes the fun part...

Called around to get an installation quote: $225 to $250 IF the shop called me back. Several shops didn't want my money. No biggie I can do it. Asked my fellow TFFers and got some advice but it's just me and my lovely wife and I didn't want to balance my 125-Opti on a piece of lumber. So, ordered the Mercury Engine Lift Ring: $39 @ Amazon.

Found a super nice guy to rent an engine hoist from on Craigslist: $20 per day. For the record I had no idea how much hoists weigh, more about that later...

Measured once and cut twice: now I need longer transom bolts. Ordered those on Ebay. More waiting...

New bolts arrive, 3M-4200 arrives, and all my tools are spread out like a surgeon's kit. THIS IS SPARTA!!!

Some substance, unknown to man until now, has been applied between my motor and transom. This black death goo can hold a motor on WITHOUT BOLTS! Whoo-eee! We pried and prayed and wedged and wiggled and FINALLY pulled the motor off by pulling the boat/trailer with an F150 while I was dragged behind holding on to the engine hoist. Of course we hadn't PLANNED on an ad-hoc towing experience so now I get to paint the trim around the garage door, lucky me!

I won't show you the carnage that is my mauled fingers trying to scrape the remainder of this black plague off the motor and transom with a razor blade scraper. I've escaped bobcat fights with less damage.

Anyway, the kryptonite is removed(ish), the new longer bolts are sticking through the transom and I'm applying 3M-4200 around all four bolt holes. That sounds easy, but this stuff doesn't want to come out and I'm SO GLAD I saved the $8 and didn't buy the tube that fits in a caulking gun. I can now spend the saved $8 on a occupational therapist that can one-day reshape the muscles in my forearms.

3M applied(ish), wife in boat, head in the battery compartment, balancing on her knees while explaining to me all the 'thingys' that are in the way of her wrench. My grip has been reduced to that of a toddler as we try and get the motor back on. I'll spare you the details of the 37 times the plates pushed the bolts back through the transom; but it was fun and brought my wife and I closer than ever. In fact we plan to do a Talon install for our Anniversary in September.

Ok, so we get a majority of the bolts in the right place and now comes the muscle. I conjure up images of my line-backing days and hit the motor like a blocking sled; now the left side of the motor is in hole #2 and the right side is in hole #1. Wife assures me its fine like it is.

Once the stars clear from my vision I can see the motor is sitting ON the transom and by some sheer force of will I got the bolt to go through. I didn't know I was capable of bending time and space but I can. I can also easily bend aluminum if you need any bent. My wife calls her mother from another room after I tell her we gotta re-set the motor. She eventually comes back to help but I don't know what they have planned. I DO end up balancing the Optimax on some lumber because that's THE ONLY WAY I can get the motor to be in hole #2 on each side.

We get everything bolted up and now I get to rip my spleen attempting to power-clean an engine hoist back into an F150 by myself; my helper has retired for the day. Return the hoist, get my deposit back and head home to finish the job.

I try to explain that actually attaching the talons will be fun and rewarding, but the wife shares one of those special smiles saved for special times and gives me a two word response that rhymes with 'Truck Blue'. I back the boat back in the garage, completely defeated. I still don't have talons and worse I don't have the desire to continue. Maybe golf is fun...

What did I learn? Writing a check for $225 would save me some skin, some blood, some sweat, some paint, some sanity and whatever else the wife has planned after this adventure.

At this moment I have my sammich brackets on and that's it. The trauma in my forearms won't allow me to open the boxes the Talons came in and so my boat looks at me with disdain as it sits there with one awesome looking bracket and no shiny new talons.

As someone who shares my hobby and passion; if you ever see a red triton with two black talons at the ramp or on the water PLEASE PLEASE come tell my wife how much you admire them and if you had an extra $6000 you'd have talons too. If you DO have talons, please mention rather loudly that you couldn't believe it cost $3000 to install them but BOY ARE THEY WORTH IT!

I can't share any post-carnage pics due to pending litigation, but here's one before the 'FUN' started...


Sad, one-armed Triton...


One day when I finish physical and emotional therapy I'll post pics of my boat in all of it's two Talon Glory!!!

Wow, excellent story. I have an aluminum Bass Tracker, I mounted mine right to the transom. One Talon took 2 hours and 4 beers to install. I could do the next one in an hour, would still require 4 beers though.

Great story Jason. Every single time I try to do it myself it ALWAYS winds up costing me more than double what the original quote was to have a dealer do it. So, I have learned my lesson after years of experiences just like yours.

Let the professionals do it! It is cheaper in the long run and I save my sanity!!

Im laughing so hard that I am crying. The "thingy" line sounds like my wife. Wish it would have been easier for you.

Sounds like you've rounded third base and headed home. See you on the lake!

Well at least your wife looks happy!

Sounds like quality time with the bride. I am so glad that I had Sartin's Marine install mine this winter.

That black goo is 4200. I've see. It bust the glass on the back of a ranger. Best to use pudy knives. Silicone is all you need!! Hopefully you don't need to take it off again.

Looks good tho! That's why the shops charge a couple hours a pole.

Sounds like they used 5200 on the motor bolts on the original install...brutal stuff and will pull the gelcoat off of fiberglass. What you used, 4200 is what you want. I would say if you survived this with your wife your marriage is solid. Good luck with the rest of the install and looking forward to the finished project.

I thought I'd researched the 5200 vs 4200 thing enough. I died a little inside when I read Andrew Y'Barbo's reply, thinking I'd just put more 5200/kryptonite on my boat on purpose. But I doubt I'll pull this motor again, the next guy can deal with it. Just putting the engine hoist in and out of the truck was more than I want to tackle again.

Should I mention it took me about an hour and a half to install both of my Talons on my jackplate? Or is it still too soon?

Sorry to scare you. I was wrong. I have forgotten about there being a 4200 and a 5200. I was thinking of just the bonding one. 4200 is fine. We still use silcone only on transom bolts.

Too soon brother, too soon...

And Talons are supposed to be "easier" to install????? It probably took me (and 2 buddies) 6 hours to install one Power Pole.

There is nothing more fun than getting a muscle cramp at the absolute worst time, like when your holding a 225 HP up!