transom saver or trailer bracket?

[moonman]

I purchased a 16.5 ft Crestliner with a 1988 90hp v4 Johnson last fall. It has a bracket that you just flip down when trailering. I was thinking of adding a transom saver because the bracket doesn't seem like it is big enough to support the motor. I sort of worry about hitting a pothole and the motor bouncing around. What do you guys recommend?

 

[JB]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

Does the bracket transfer stress to the transom or to the trailer? A transom saver does exactly that. . .save the transom from bounce stress by transferring it to the trailer frame.

 

[airshot]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

+1 on the transom saver, unless you have exceptionally smooth well paved roads.

Airshot

 

[Lurch77]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

I add myself to the pro-transom saver list. I want all energy transferred to the trailer and as little as possible to the transom. You can buy transom savers cheap enough, and they are simple to make if you are even more frugal and handy with some tools. You can even make them from a chunk of 2x4.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

the transom is made to handle outboards; the rear strut of a trailer is not. also the motor and transom/hull move together, but not the hull and trailer, so part of what you are transferring is twisting force--bad for motor and trailer.

Although seldom necessary for a large motor, you can tie it down so it doesn't bounce. If you don't trust the latch, stick a board up under there.

I am of the anti-transom saver camp.

 

[Lurch77]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

My trailer came with one built in from the factory. A boat transom is designed to hold a motor, not to support one bouncing down the road over pot holes and whatnot. That's additional leverage the transom should not need to bear, and can cause metal fatigue. The transom still carries the motor's weight. The transom saver and trailer simply keep it from bouncing. There is very little weight transferred from the motor to the trailer.

The latch or board stuck in there protects the motor tilt/trim mechanisms, not the transom.

 

[Water logged]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

My Mercury has that flip down lever also, but the manual warns to not use that to support the motor while trailering. I couldn't use it any- way, because the way Tracker mounted my engine it won't raise that high.

Glenn

 

[jwalterus]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

the transom is made to handle outboards; the rear strut of a trailer is not. also the motor and transom/hull move together, but not the hull and trailer, so part of what you are transferring is twisting force--bad for motor and trailer.

while transoms on recent boats are supposed to be strong enough to support the motor bouncing around, I've seen more than one person with an older boat find out the hard way their transom couldn't take it
I keep the stern of my boat strapped down pretty freaking tight to my trailer, my boat sits tight on the bunks and rollers, and I'll let the suspension absorb the road bounces, not my hull
as far as the rear strut goes, if it can't support the weight of the motor pushing in the same direction as the force imparted to it when loading your boat, how do you expect it to hold up to repeated launches and loadings?

My trailer came with one built in from the factory. A boat transom is designed to hold a motor, not to support one bouncing down the road over pot holes and whatnot. That's additional leverage the transom should not need to bear, and can cause metal fatigue. The transom still carries the motor's weight. The transom saver and trailer simply keep it from bouncing. There is very little weight transferred from the motor to the trailer.

The latch or board stuck in there protects the motor tilt/trim mechanisms, not the transom.

my same way of thinking

 

[catfishr1]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

Howdy moonman; I definitely am pro transom saver.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

, I've seen more than one person with an older boat find out the hard way their transom couldn't take it...


as far as the rear strut goes, if it can't support the weight of the motor pushing in the same direction as the force imparted to it when loading your boat, how do you expect it to hold up to repeated launches and loadings?

I guess it's better to find out on dry land that your transom is too weak to handle the force of a motor than out on the water away from shore--because if your transom can't handle trailering, it's not seaworthy.

Not that I've ever pushed a boat against a rear trailer strut, but the issue with the motor attached to the trailer instead of the hull occurs on a bump, where the boat/motor lurches left and the trailer lurches right. That metal brace between the two twists, which probably won't hurt the trailer much, but can't be good for the motor. it's not an issue of steady weight against the strut at an angle.

All owners manuals now say not to trailer on the tilt latch. They also say not to operate in muddy water. So far, no reports of a tilt latch in good condition failing while trailering.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

the transom is made to handle outboards; the rear strut of a trailer is not. also the motor and transom/hull move together, but not the hull and trailer, so part of what you are transferring is twisting force--bad for motor and trailer.

Although seldom necessary for a large motor, you can tie it down so it doesn't bounce. If you don't trust the latch, stick a board up under there.

I am of the anti-transom saver camp.

Sticking a board under the motor to hold it up is crime in my view. Why -- I had one come out of a boat that I was following and hit the front of my truck. A little higher bounce and it would have gone through the windshield. Bad idea and very inconsiderate. tilt locks are also not designed for trailering. They are designed to hold the motor out of the water when docked. Your description of the physics involved with the "Deflopperizer" (the IBoats correct term for a transom saver) is only accurate if the boat is not secured to the trailer to start with. If the boat is properly secured, then the motor, transom, and the trailer are one item and there is no undue stress on the trailer cross member, engine or transom. If there is anything loose in the system then yes, the system is not functioning properly. Like anything else in this world -- things that are not used correctly can hurt you or damage things.

 

[gm280]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

I am of the transom saver, I mean the “Deflopperizer” group myself. While the transom of your boat is supposed to take the load of your engine, why would you allow your transom to take additional forces if you can stop them allowing your transom to last longer..?

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

My Mercury has that flip down lever also, but the manual warns to not use that to support the motor while trailering. I couldn't use it any- way, because the way Tracker mounted my engine it won't raise that high.

Glenn

What Glenn said. That lever is not designed for trailering. Get a Saver.........

 

[dingbat]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

Who Needs A Transom Savers - BoatUS Trailering Magazine | BoatUS

To clarify this point of contention, I went directly to the source and contacted several major boat manufacturers to get the official company line and was surprised by what I found. Not only did the majority of the boatbuilders I contacted dismiss the need for a transom saver, but a couple of them seemed to almost be offended by my calling into question the structural integrity of their hull.

Tracker Boats, on the other hand, endorses their use and includes a "motor toter" with all of their packages. These findings fall in line with the general notion that smaller jonboats and bass boats are more susceptible to transom damage due to their higher motor-to-boat weight ratio. Aluminum boats also seem to be more prone to damage (broken welds, popped rivets) than heavier, reinforced fiberglass transoms.

Mercury, for example, recommends trailering with the motor in the full vertical position, and no additional support is required. If this is not possible due to limited ground clearance, additional support is recommended. Newer Evinrudes, on the other hand, have a built-in spring-loaded support that completely eliminates the need for an aftermarket product.

In light of the fact that Grady White, Chris-Craft, Boston Whaler, to name a few, neither require nor recommend a transom saver for their boats, this seems like a rather moot argument.

 

[Lurch77]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

Sounds like the article mimics this thread. Some for it, some against it. As for me, my Sun Tracker came with one, so I'll continue to use it.

 

[Fed]

Re: transom saver or trailer bracket?

If you're worried about the tilt levers OMC advise to tilt fully up engage the levers then tilt down until the TRIM rams are fully retracted, if you listen you will hear the clunk as each one bottoms out.

If you're worried about your transom think about this.

When you're jumping waves the whole of your outboard is outside the transom trying to rip the back of it out with thrust from the prop plus downward momentum from the outboard.

When you're trailering the outboard is pretty much balanced on top of the transom so the pot holes aren't trying to rip your transom outwards.

(There are some lesser brands of outboards that require support but not your OMC.)