Should I use a support bracket as the owners manual recommends?

[Joolz]

Having recently acquired a 17' Starcraft runabout with a 97 Force 120HP that came with all the manuals, I came across this page of the motor's owners manual that has me wondering how I should tow the boat on the highway.

With my old boat that had a 115hp Johnson, I towed it with the motor fully down as there was enough clearance from the bottom of the skeg to pavement. I thought this to be the preferred method and I didn't use a bracket from the trailer to the leg either. Some say using a trailer to leg support bracket puts additional strain on the leg, due to the trailer's movement that doesn't always match that of the boat.

The Force is longer and I can't fully lower the motor, even while parked. So I have been towing it with the motor fully tilted up, resting on its built-in brackets.

Which is the best way to tow the boat? Personally I'd prefer to have it lowered. But since I can't fully lower it, It'd need to angle it somewhat and it would require the use of a support bracket, as suggested by the picture below from the owners manual. Am I right to think these brackets can cause more harm than good? Which method do you prefer while towing on highways?

 

[GA_Boater]

I would if you can't tow with the motor vertical. Those tilt supports levers/hardware can break and often do.

 

[Joolz]

Those tilt supports levers/hardware can break and often do.

Are you referring to the small motor bracket that supports the engine when fully up? Wasn't aware that these break. Surprised it hasn't broken yet, seeing how the boat and motor are 20 years old.

K, so you don't see a problem with using those aftermarket bars/brackets that go from the trailer to the leg huh?

 

[GA_Boater]

Yes. And the manual says the tilt support isn't for travel.

Motor defloppenizers work as intended. Not to save a transom because they don't, but they do stabilize the motor while towing. The thing stops the motor from dragging on the ground and from bouncing, which is also what breaks the tilt support lever and hardware.

 

[Joolz]

Great, just made arrangements to buy one tomorrow. Will be picking it up in the afternoon. Only $30 for this bar that extends from 28" to 59" (I need around 38"). Made by Fulton, hope it does the job. Another benefit of having the motor down is that it will alleviate some of the weight off the tongue. Need to take some closer measurements but it seems that with motor down, the tongue weight decreases by some 10kg. Currently I have a tad too much weight on the tongue, I even moved the boat back 4cm towards the rear of the trailer. Helped save some 5 or 6 kg. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[89retta]

With our old boat an 81 vanguard with a 115 Johnson. I always towed it with the motor up. Never once had a problem and I've towed it more then 2000 kms return every summer for holidays for 4 years before we sold it

 

[JimS123]

Instruction manuals are provided just for the fun of it. They have a few extra employees around that write good, so they just want to give them something to do.

Please excuse the sarcasm.

If the manual gives directions, why wouldn't you follow them? I know, I know, people say they did it a certain way for years and there was no problem.

My FIL was just that kind of guy. No matter how much I cautioned him he said "It;ll be OK". One year with the motor full up bouncing on a bumpy highway, the transom of his tinny literally broke loose and the motor and tin bounced to the side of the road.

Always use a transom saver, never a motor tilt bracket unless the manufacturer says use it for highway travel.

 

[jimmbo]

Motor defloppers and Transom breakers are the most accurate description to date

 

[Joolz]

Since posting this last year I finally had the chance to install and try out the bracket. Now I see why these are so useful. Hadn't realized these came with compression dampeners, so my fears of too much stress being transferred to the leg was misplaced. Pretty neat system. However this cheapo Chinese-made Fulton bracket was deceiving in its description and it is too short. The max length is only 28", leaving me with some 6 to 8" short of optimal length. As is the skeg is only 6" off the ground and that's after lowering the hitch in the TV (not a desired option). This in part due to the trailer's crossmember being too far in.

This leaves me with two options: trying to locate a longer 7/8" square tube to replace the one that came with the kit. Or finding a way to add a spacer to the frame (would rather not resort to welding a new crossmember). The first seems to be the easiest option but wonder if a longer tube would throw off the dampeners effectiveness. If there's an easy and dirty trick to address this, plz let me know.

Another question is with keeping the motor from tilting to its rest position. As I was driving I noticed the motor slowly tilting to the side (as is intended) but this was putting additional stress on the bracket. So I tied the steering wheel with a piece of rope. Is this what you folks do or is there a better way to keep the motor straight? May seem like an obvious thing to tie the steering wheel but rather ask than find out the hard way that this caused some issues to the linkage, etc.

Btw thanks for contributing to one of the many questions I have on boating. Heeding to your advices is keeping things safe. This forum is truly an invaluable resource.

 

[ahicks]

I think concern for running a deflopperizer should be related directly to the number of miles too/from your favorite launch. If it's 10 miles round trip, I wouldn't be too worried about it. if it's 200 miles, then it might be a good idea to do what you can about deflopping.

 

[Joolz]

Solved: made a quick run to Metal Supermarket and picked up a 7/8" tube that's 5" longer than the one that came with the kit. Drilled a couple of holes and now motor has a 10 to 11" clearance, doubling what I had before. Won't know the exact clearance till it's on the TV and on flat ground but if it ends up being too long I just need cut the tube a bit. Only $13 for the 29" long tube that's stronger than the one the kit came with. Gotta love Metal Supermarket. In and out in 5 min and dirt cheap. Only thing left to do is slap a couple of coats of black spray paint. Will never tow the boat without a 'transom saver' again. Thanks all for the assistance with this.

 

[GlasV162]

I've used one for years and wouldn't tow without one. We just purchased a brand-new boat, and the selling dealer advised me to tow using the tilt-lock on the outboard; I asked about a "transom saver" and he said it wasn't necessary. As soon as we got home with the new boat, I started reading the owner's manual only to find that Mercury advises against using the tilt-lock, and recommends using an aftermarket "transom saver."
The lesson here: always verify what the dealer tells you.