Transom saver?

[Silvertip]

Re: Transom saver?

I am among those who believe they are unnecessary, and may cause more harm to the trailer and do little if any good to a seaworthy transom.

As for a middle ground--blocks, etc., that will stabilize the motor and not harm the trailer, fine, but they must be tied on so they can't fall off while driving. there are many easy and cheap ways to deflopperize a motor, and lave the trailer out of it.

All owner's manuals say not to trailer on the tilt bracket. They also say to use eye protection while operating a screwdriver.

I have been trailering for decades and asking on the internet for years: Are there any examples, even second hand, of a tilt bracket failing? Hearing none, I will continue to use mine for trailering.

Considering that most engine manufacturers do not recommend towing with the engine tilted and supported by the tilt lock, I'd say you are flirting with a broken tilt lock but then some folks hook up the trailer, don't check lights, don't have a spare, don't check tire pressure, don't know if the engine runs, and head for the lake so have it your way.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Transom saver?

What about tilting motor up and using a ratchet strap from motor to an anchor point toward front of boat? It would take the stress off the tilt lock.
I did this recently cause the trailer was a tad short for the boat and had no way rig up a homemade "transom saver". Boat transom was shot(didn't know it at the time). I haven't made up my mind about using/not using a transom saver....just wondering if the ratchet strap idea is any good.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Transom saver?

no that is not a good idea. better to have the weight on the tilt bracket. Solid weight won't hurt it, as history proves. Pounding might. Your ratchet strap is likely to fail, with terrible consequences.
Tying a motor so it doesn't bounce/flop is a good idea if your towing conditions are likely to cause that.

Silvertip, my point is, I and all my boating friends and family have been flirting for decades and none of us have got anything to show for it--except our trailer cross bars are in great shape. Call us the control group. All of the other problems you mention, of course, we have had (and fixed).

What about tilting motor up and using a ratchet strap from motor to an anchor point toward front of boat? It would take the stress off the tilt lock.
I did this recently cause the trailer was a tad short for the boat and had no way rig up a homemade "transom saver". Boat transom was shot(didn't know it at the time). I haven't made up my mind about using/not using a transom saver....just wondering if the ratchet strap idea is any good.

 

[fishfeatures]

Re: Transom saver?

home cookin' unfortunately i have to say that I purchased a used motor some time ago with a broken tilt bracket, was getting it cheap , replaced the whole part that attachs to the the transom from a scrapped motor that a friend had , and prob solved ... but it did happen, not to me but to some other poor unfortunate..

 

[scipper77]

Re: Transom saver?

I have often thought that in order for a transom saver to be effective it needs to have a shock absorber built in. When you have a rigid mass attached to a rigid transom, rigidly attached to a trailer the stress on the transom can be tremendous (due to the lack if damping). I fail to see how a rigidly attached transom saver does anything but apply that tremendous force somewhere else.

For my little 5.5 horse I use bungee cords between the outboard and the rear bench. That small amount of damping (more like a spring, I know) makes a huge difference.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Transom saver?

I have often thought that in order for a transom saver to be effective it needs to have a shock absorber built in. When you have a rigid mass attached to a rigid transom, rigidly attached to a trailer the stress on the transom can be tremendous (due to the lack if damping). I fail to see how a rigidly attached transom saver does anything but apply that tremendous force somewhere else.

For my little 5.5 horse I use bungee cords between the outboard and the rear bench. That small amount of damping (more like a spring, I know) makes a huge difference.

The force is divided between two places though. And the "prying" force down on the transom is reduced/removed.

A transom saver seems like a no-brainer to me. I added one to my last boat which didn't have power tilt and I didn't trust the tilt lock. This thread has made me want to get one for the current boat even though it has power tilt and a good tilt-lock bracket thingie.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Transom saver?

I have often thought that in order for a transom saver to be effective it needs to have a shock absorber built in. When you have a rigid mass attached to a rigid transom, rigidly attached to a trailer the stress on the transom can be tremendous (due to the lack if damping). I fail to see how a rigidly attached transom saver does anything but apply that tremendous force somewhere else.

For my little 5.5 horse I use bungee cords between the outboard and the rear bench. That small amount of damping (more like a spring, I know) makes a huge difference.

Your understanding of physics is flawed. Two or more items that are locked together do not separately apply force to each other. Weld, glue, screw or otherwise fasten three separate things together and drop them. They do not come apart. A properly fitted "De-Flopperizer" physically ties the engine up/down plane, the transom and the trailer as one solid piece. The transom is tied to the boat which is tied to the trailer and the engine is tied to both the transom and the trailer. There is no movement hence no torsion on the transom. Remove the transom saver, and using your 5.5 HP engine as an example, now grasp the lower unit and raise it up -- then drop it. Creates a thud does it not. That sir is what breaks tilt locks. Lots of people have done lots of things their entire lives and have not had a problem. That does not mean it can't or that it won't. Many folks don't use a fuel system stabilizer either and have no problem. Those that don't and ended up with problems wish they had. Call it insurance.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Transom saver?

My understanding of physics is spot on. If you take a 10 lb brick and drop it on your hand from 5 feet up it will hurt to say the least. If you put say a large sponge on your hand and repeat the same experiment you will walk away with no damage. Even though the same force is applied over roughly the same area.

When the trailer hits a pothole that force can happen within a fixed moment or a dampened moment. (the moment that is applied due to the outboard center of gravity not being along the same vector as the mounting plane on the transom).

It's pretty simple physics.

Try replacing the struts on your car with metal rods and see how the car holds up to potholes at expressway speeds.

 

[Redneck_Randy]

Re: Transom saver?

I have often thought that in order for a transom saver to be effective it needs to have a shock absorber built in.

My transom saver has just that but it's several small round hard rubber balls inside a sliding shaft at the top of the transom saver.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Transom saver?

Anyone that thinks they are a waste of time, should come look at 2 boats.

One is an Alumacraft Classic 16 LTD, bought new and fitted with a 25 hp.
It took 3 seasons for the transom to separate and bow out to the point that it was unsafe.

Transom is now "wrapped' .064" stainless, inside, over the top, and down the outside, and thru bolted in place.

Granted it was driven on a lot of gravel roads, but that is the real world we live in. The tilt lock and the swivel tensioner also broke.



The second motor is my current rig, 18' Starcraft Aluminum SS, rigged with a 115hp.
Has 1.5" laminated plywood transom, solid, with an extra 5/8 plywood bolted on the outside.

Go ahead, tilt the motor and apply about 20# of pressure on the prop and watch the motor and transom move.
Now follow me down the road and watch the motor bounce 10x that much.

Watch as it all becomes rock solid when the trailer frame, boat, and motor, are secured to make one solid mass.



Oh, they do make transom savers with a shock absorber in it, but it defeats the purpose of tying everything together solidly. It actually allows the motor to move.


Click Link


Products like the "Wedge" or "Lock n Stow" MAY reduce motor movement and help protect your hydraulics, but they transfer all torque to the transom thru the motor mount. read the damage reports on "ripoffreport" website.

You have tires and springs BELOW the trailer frame to cushion the blows.

But you need to stop the torquing action that the motor puts on the transom.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Transom saver?

Anyone that thinks they are a waste of time, should come look at 2 boats.

One is an Alumacraft Classic 16 LTD, bought new and fitted with a 25 hp.
It took 3 seasons for the transom to separate and bow out to the point that it was unsafe.

Transom is now "wrapped' .064" stainless, inside, over the top, and down the outside, bolted in place.

Granted it was driven on a lot of gravel roads, but that is the real world we live in. The tilt lock and the swivel tensioner also broke.



The second motor is my current rig, 18' Starcraft Aluminum SS, rigged with a 115hp.
Has 1.5" laminated plywood transom, solid, with an extra 5/8 plywood bolted on the outside.

Go ahead, tilt the motor and apply about 10# of pressure on the prop and watch the motor and transom move.
Now follow me down the road and watch the motor bounce 10x that much.

Watch as it all becomes rock solid when the trailer frame, boat, and motor, are secured to make one solid mass.



Oh, they do make transom savers with a shock absorber in it, but it defeats the purpose of tying everything together solidly. It actually allows the motor to move.


Click Link


Products like the "Wedge" or "Lock n Stow" MAY reduce motor movement and help protect your hydraulics, but they transfer all torque to the transom thru the motor mount. read the damage reports on "ripoffreport" website.

A point well taken. I suppose my opinion on damping is based on my personal experience with my small outboard. The outboard does not lock into a trimmed up position so a damped transom saver would till take all of the force. But it would do it with less peak force applied to wherever the other end mounted. If my outboard locked in to the trimmed up position then the shock absorber approach only slightly reduces the force the transom sees.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Transom saver?

re; "Go ahead, tilt the motor and apply about 20# of pressure on the prop and watch the motor and transom move.
Now follow me down the road and watch the motor bounce 10x that much."

If your transom moves with 10# pressure, you need a transom, not a transom saver. That one ain't worth saving.

 

[TMALEGA]

Re: Transom saver?

Lol look at the can of worms my very simple question opened up. This is great. Thanks for all the respsones.

 

[ssobol]

Re: Transom saver?

If you boat is held to the trailer with straps it is not a completely rigid system. The straps can give and with a decent bump, the boat can move slightly in relation to the trailer.

If you have a transom saver (typically a solid metal device) and the boat shifts even slightly you could end up with a fair amount of force on the engine lower unit and the transom. A 3K# boat moved 1/16" would present a fair amount of force through the transom saver to the motor mount. If you hit a bump and the boat shifts a little, the transom probably will not have enough spring force (from the transom flex) to cause the boat to move back to it's original position (say after the next bump) resulting in a continuous force on the transom.

The only way to prevent this would be to attach you boat to the trailer with some sturdy bolts and then install the transom trailer.

That all being said, I have a transom saver on my boat/trailer and use it all the time. It likely saves wear and tear on the motor tilt mechanism for all those bumps that are not big enough to cause the boat to shift.

You can even put a strain on the motor mount/transom just by driving the motor tilt down onto the transom saver itself. My boat is a Zodiac RIB and I can see it move when I tilt down into the transom saver. My tilt mechanism can move the entire boat when it is on the trailer.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Transom saver?

My understanding of physics is spot on. If you take a 10 lb brick and drop it on your hand from 5 feet up it will hurt to say the least. If you put say a large sponge on your hand and repeat the same experiment you will walk away with no damage. Even though the same force is applied over roughly the same area.

When the trailer hits a pothole that force can happen within a fixed moment or a dampened moment. (the moment that is applied due to the outboard center of gravity not being along the same vector as the mounting plane on the transom).

It's pretty simple physics.

Try replacing the struts on your car with metal rods and see how the car holds up to potholes at expressway speeds.

Your example is nowhere near the physics involved with a "De-flopperizer". Your hand is already stationary and you drop a brick from some height. Yup -- your hand hurts and maybe comes apart from the impact. There is no "impact" with a transom saver because the boat, trailer, and motor are as one single unit. The best example given here was to install the transom saver and them apply force at the prop. The transom cannot move because the force being applied is being transferred to the trailer which transfers the entire load (boat, motor, gear, beverages), gently I might add, to the springs. Now then, back to the tilt lock which is what this was all about. Yes, you can bungee, cable, rope, or whatever you wish to to tie the motor firmly only the lock to prevent UPWARD travel that would otherwise result in DOWNWARD travel which is what breaks tilt locks. Chances are that alone would prevent breakage, because it would limit or prevent up travel. But the fact remains, the restraint applies additional down force -- albeit not enough to break the lock. Time to put this topic to bed.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Transom saver?

I think we both agree with each other. My example was meant to show that damping can reduce the peak force that is experienced. When you hit that pot hole think of it as that brick hitting the bottom of the tire with great force.

It is a mute point however as I have already conceded that my example is based on the the motor being free to pivot at the transom (as is the case with my outboard). It is hard (ok impossible) to add a damper to a fully constrained system.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Transom saver?

Well, gotta say, most things in life change with time but not transom saver threads. Been here 9 years and they're all pretty much the same, althought we got a new term out of this one (de-flopperizer), so all is not lost. (That one will be available on Google soon I bet.)

 

[Fed]

Re: Transom saver?

I like my full feedback cable steering so I need an Engine De-Flopperizer without a Transom Saver because my transom isn't faulty.
Short of tying a rope to the steering wheel or trailering in the flopped over position has anyone ever seen a gadget to lock the steering straight?

What motor do you have TMALEGA?

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Transom saver?

I like my full feedback cable steering so I need an Engine De-Flopperizer without a Transom Saver because my transom isn't faulty.
Short of tying a rope to the steering wheel or trailering in the flopped over position has anyone ever seen a gadget to lock the steering straight?

What motor do you have TMALEGA?

bungee cord the wheel to the console, that is what I used prior to the de flopperizer. The bungee cord worked well but didn't look very professional. Maybe if it was color matched to the interior?

 

[TMALEGA]

bayliner transom saver

bayliner transom saver

Ok as of now I hvae found the transom saver for the bayliner trailers we were discusing a few weeks ago. I found it at bass pro but they sale them on here. I drove around the city for about 30 minutes yesterday to try it out and the motor didnt bounce or slide off the lower unit. I was truely impressed by it. Granted it does go a little lower on the lower unit then I would prefer but i used a little longer bungie and went around the top of the leg to help hold it up, so far no problems. My motor fit snugly into the rubber mount also.Hope this helps anyone with the bayliner trailer we were discussing.

http://www.iboats.com/Adjustable-Tr...05922699--**********.306588906--view_id.37977