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