Weird issue with transom saver

[Bay Stealth]

I've had my boat for about 5 years, it is a 21' center console bay fishing boat. It has a 1996 Yamaha 150 outboard on it. I've never had any trailering issues with it. I hadn't had the boat out in about 4 months until last Sunday. When we were headed down to our fishing spot a guy on the highway pulls up flashing his lights and yelled out the window that my prop was dragging the road,,,I quickly pull over and find the motor all the way down and the transom saver still attached to the motor but draggin the ground, it is ground down to resemble a spear. This saver came with the boat so I attributed the problem to the saver itself failing. It is the type that leans on the rear roller. We went ahead and put it up on the factory tabs and took off. It rode fine the rest of the way and back home but the factory locks were bent out a little bit. I went ahead and bought a new transom saver at Academy, put it on like I have for the past 5 years and took off down the road today. Check it a little ways down the road and same thing as the week before, motor was in down position and the saver was ground off. Now I'm thinking its something with the Tilt/Trim mechanism? Somehow I think the motor is bouncing up and down and coming detached from the roller and then the weight of the motor pushing back on the hydraulics. I once again put it on the factory locks and on the way home it came down again. The factory locks are pretty well bent up,,,its real puzzling to me since I've never had an issue with the motor doing this.

Does anyone have any insight into this? Thanks,,,I'm lucky so far its only scraped the skeg and prop just a little bit but I don't wanna leave a trail of lower unit parts all over SE Texas!

Thanks in advance!

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

All of the transom saver bars I've used have either had a strap at each end to keep them in place or were pinned to the trailer via a special bracket, no amount of bouncing would dislodge them.
What model are you using? Even if it didn't come with some sort of strap, I'd feel compelled to use something to keep it in place.

If this is a new problem, I'd look closely at the trailer bunks or rollers too, it may be a sign that something has moved or changed position.

I'd still secure the transom saver at both ends.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

agree, secure the transom saver.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

There are a number of things going on here. 1) Both ends of the transom saver need to be secure to prevent disengagement. 2) Is the back of the boat tied down? If not, the boat is bounciing enough to disengage the transom saver and hence it is of zero value. For a transom saver to be effective the boat must become part of the trailer. That means strapped down securely. The motor must become part of the boat and trailer by securing it to the saver. The idea of the transom saver is to let the trailer springs absorb road shock. The only way that can happen is to isolate all movement between the boat, motor, and trailer so it acts as a single unit.

 

[Bay Stealth]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

I see what you guys are saying but the thing thats weird to me is that for 5 years I've had the saver secured at the motor but not on the roller. The transom is secured via two transom saver straps. Before I loaded the boat yesterday I checked all the bunk boards and they were secure. The boat doesn't appear to be moving at all. I understand about securing it on both ends but like I said, for 5 years I've done the same routine with it and have never had this happen,,,

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

I have the same kind.It straps to the lower with a rubber bungee.The other end rests on the trailer roller. The roller end has no strap that goes to it.
Now that i think about it there should be some way to secure the roller end to the trailer.
My guess would be your power trim is not holding pressure in the down position.The motor bounces and the transom saver bounces off the roller.
Have you noticed any leaks or has the TnT got slower?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

Unless the roller end is secure there is nothing other than the trim hydraulics to limit up travel on a sharp bump. Obviously the transom saver can't go down but it certainly can disconnect. I much prefer the transom savers that fit over a bracket on the frame and are secured with a pin. That way there is absolutely no movement or chance for a disconnect.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

Well, apparently, it isn't working the same now as it did for 5 years. There's a strap or whatever on the roller end for a reason. That it didn't come off for 5 years doesn't change the reason for fastening it.

Probably there's additional play in your trim after all that time. Put the retaining strap on, like it's supposed to be, and the problem won't happen again.

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

Yes, a transom saver is great, but I would be more concerned with why the unit is dropping down. If your fluid is full, you may have a sticking valve in your T/T pump or the cylinder seals are shot, etc.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

The reason the trim unit is dropping down is because the transom saver has been improperly used for 5 years and the resulting shock loading has damaged the seals. Damage occurs when the trailer jumps upward on a bump. That tosses the lower unit upward. In physics one learns that an object in motion tends to stay in motion so when the trailer begins its downward travel the lower unit is still going up for a a fraction of a second and then slams down until the slack is taken out of the transom saver attachment. During that time the trim cylinders are also absorbing that shock. This could be happening over every expansion joint in the highway.

 

[woosterken]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

you say the motor is a '96 how old is the boat?
check the transom maybe it is getting weak also?

woosterken

 

[Bay Stealth]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

Thanks for all the input and replies. I checked the motor more today and found that when the motor was only part way up or down I could lift up on the lower unit and freely move the motor up, thus the bouncing and disloging of the saver. I listened to the system more and could hear some knocking noise and at times when the motor would be all the way up the pump would be running but the motor wouldn't move for about 30 seconds. A little rubber strap would not have kept the saver steady with the force of the motor bouncing up and down. I bought the boat from a friend of mine who had it since it was new and he used the same saver in the same manner for the previous 7 years. I'm sure that the jarring on the highway did it no good but neither do the sand bars and oyster reefs that are a guarantee to hit in the bay waters of Texas. The combination of the saltwater enviroment,rough water and smacking underwater obstructions are more to blame than not using the strap over the years. I talked to my mechanic today and he priced me out a remaned unit if thats what he feels it needs when I get the boat to him. He is going to check it and verify what we need to do so I will let you guys know.

Once again I appreciate all the informative replies and your time to post them...

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

If you were 'trapping' the transom saver with the power trim in the down position for 5 years, in effect, the power tilt could possibly been holding the weight of the boat. I've seen guys power down on a transom saver and actually lift the boat off the bunks or rollers. I watched one guy to it and when I hollered to him that his boat was off the rollers, his reply was that was how he centered the boat, and "By the time I get home, the drive will have settled down where it belongs". He was actually driving home with the boat hanging on the transom saver and the stern lifted partway off the rear rollers. It did self center the boat, but I can't imagine it was doing his transom or power tilt/trim any good. His transom saver was reinforced or repaired with angle iron, so I guess he bent that a few time too.

A properly used or functioning transom saver will immobilize the motor in a tilted position, making it as well as the boat one with the trailer, if the boat isn't secure, the transom saver can do more harm than good.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

I'm not a fan of transom savers, but if you are going to use one, Silvertip is right - the boat, motor and trailer must move as a single unit. Otherwise, every bump you hit in the road, big or small, is going to jolt your motor. If the saver isn't fastened and the boat isn't strapped down tightly, you are going to have three independently moving masses, and that's not a good thing.

My personal opinion is that, unless you trailer very little, and for very short distances at that, the improperly secured saver has done vastly more damage that the occasional contact with a sandbar or oyster reef ever would.

At any rate, get the repairs done and then make sure all three components (trailer, boat, motor) are strapped down tightly before trailering.

 

[bailey]

Re: Weird issue with transom saver

B/S I bought a "transom saver" this past spring to help lessen the pressure on the transom. I tow a ski boat with a 140 Johnson on it,so there's a bit of weight to contend with. as per the instructions regarding the "saver" installation after you attach the "saver" to your trailer and motor the manufacturer recommends that you lower the trim "shafts" a wee bit to prevent just what happened to you (motor dropping down).I followed the suggestions for about a month,until my power t/t started to act up. Fellow at the marina advised me not to do that,reason being the t/t cylinders would be under pressure just to keep those "shafts" extended which is not a good thing plus the fact that "road crud" etc. etc. gets on those rods and eventually ends up in the cylinders which will cause big problems $$$ to your power t/t eventually. I agree with the other fellows regarding the use of "bungee cord" as a safety precaution when using the "transom saver" while trailering your boat. The "saver" (bought from "West Marine") came with 2 bungee cords to be used on the trailer and lower unit as per instructions.

Bailey