Product Review Article ...
An indispensable piece of hardware for your mono or deep vee!
This is a nice piece of hardware that has been introduced by Butch Fields some time ago, but I hav
e just recently acquired one with my new Hurricane Mono (to be featured in a future issue). To date I have always been making my own stuffing tube supports, either by using wood, fiberglass or even making similar aluminum brackets. After seeing one of these pieces, I must admit, it is probably not worth the effort to make your own bracket except if your doing it for your own personal satisfaction.Otherwise, at $35.00 USD list price, I would recommend you just buy a T-bar and make it easy on yourself! The T-bar has two (2) stuffing tube holes bored into the center piece to accommodate different tube/engine heights. This center piece is also adjustable about 5/8” total movement sideways to let you get the perfect alignment with your motor. The stuffing tube holes are 11/32” in diameter and K&S brass tubing of corresponding size fits right in. There are no special instructions required for this piece of hardware really, it is pretty straight forward. I would recommend installing the motor in the hull first. Then drill your hull for the stuffing tube and install it temporarily. Shape the tube as it should be to fit the transom hole and lineup with 
the enging. Slide the T-bar onto the tube using the hole that will best match your setup. Mark the stringers for the two (2) mounting screws. Remove the T-bar, drill the stringers at the marks you just did. Reinstall the T-bar on the stuffing tube and mount using the two (2) stainless steel allan screws and washers supplied. If any sideways alignment is required, simply loosen the allen screw on the top of the T-bar, the one holding the center piece in place. Adjust the center piece so that the stuffing tube lines up with the engine and tighten the screw.
Now, just to make sure there is no confusion, the T-bar is drilled for an 11/32” stuffing tube. A lot of
Speedmaster strut setups are designed for use with a 5/16” stuffing tube. If you are using this setup, you will need to make reducers at one end of the tube or the other. Option 1 would be to use a 5/16” tube that will fit inside the strut as intended and just make a sleeve at the engine end by slipping a short length of 11/32” tube over the 5/16” tube. Solder it in place and it in turn will fit right into the T-bar holes. Option 2 would be to use an 11/32” stuffing tube that will fit in the T-bar and reduce the strut end with a piece of 5/16” tube that will fit inside the 11/32” tube and protrude into the strut. There might be some strut setups out there that accommodate an 11/32” stuff tube, but I myself have not seen any. This of course is in reference to Speedmaster type struts that are intended to be used with welded flexcables and a collet on the motor end. If you are using a square drive setup then an 11/32” stuffing tube is the way to go with the T-bar. Hope this article has been informative and might assist you in using one of Butch Fields’ T-bars in you next boat setup. The T-bar is used in Mono hulls, or any other hull type where your stuffing tube would exit the hull at the transom. For hulls where the tube exits forward of the transom (through hull bottom), you can use Butch Fields’ “Butch Block” for an equally clean and accurate setup.
Happy boating!
The “T-bar” and “Butch Block” can be purchased from:
Butch Fields
Ph: 610-721-6559
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