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I am soon to begin towing my 1984 Montauk 17 from south Florida to Michigan in the spring and back in the fall. A friend who makes long trips with his trailer boat strongly recommends a "transom saver" to support the motor and remove stresses from the transom while trailering. I read a BoatUS article which said that a lot of boat manufacturers say their transom is plenty strong and no transom saver is needed. Can you who trailer your boats give me any good reasons to use one or not? Does anyone know if it is recommended by Boston Whaler?

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interesting post, i cant help u here, however, i get conflicting advice..place a 2x4 under there and rest the engine on it for long hauls..and another one..dont use the flipup engine support bracket..its not enough support...then i got this numb mechanic one time that began to hang all 6ft2 of 275 lbs of himself on the tilted engine to show me the hydraulic pistons are strong enough..i could have shot the jerk..sorry for the rant

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I think it depends on what brand of motor you have and whether newer or older model.
What motor and year do you have?

Some motors do not need a transom saver as it wouldn't really do anything better then what is already incorporated within the motor bracket itself.

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I have a 1984 90HP Yamaha. It runs great so I hate to get rid of it.

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Ringleader has it right. The things built into the motor relieve pressure on the hydrolics. Transom savers are SUPPOSED to take motor weight off the tea some itself. I personally don't see the use in them.

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Actually, cwk6, from what I've read, the purpose of the transom saver is to reduce the torque on the transom caused by the motor bouncing. The only way to take the motor weight off the transom is to remove the motor from the transom.

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When you raise the motor, the center of gravity of the motor moves aft, thereby exerting a downward and rearward force on the transom, especially during the jostling of trailering. By using a tansom saver, you are in theory supporting the weight of the lower unit and reducing this unnatural pull on the transom.
If your motor physically bounces while you are trailering, you have some bigger issues to deal with, like a getting a trailer with the correct load capacity, or driving slower over bumps.

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When I purchased my boat I took it to a local trailer manufacturer and had it refurbished with new springs, bunks, tires and bearings. The owner stated The trailer and boat are a good match and and in good condition and ready to take the boat anywhere. I believe I've done all I can regarding the trailer. When I tilt the motor up, the power head moves to the inside of the boat. Forward. I believe the center of gravity moves forward also as the power head is the heaviest part of the motor. If you have done any driving on interstate highways where the speed limit is 70 mph, it is sometimes dangerous to slow down. Also, because of the distance between the rear wheels of the car and those of the boat, a natural oscillation can occur and that is hard to avoid. This causes the motor to bounce up and down. As stated in my original post, I'm only looking for opinions regarding the usefulness of the transom saver device, not looking for an argument.

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Sorry.
On many newer motors you cannot run the trim rods in.
So that is a moot point.

By titling the motor up, the heaviest part of the motor goes forward. Not rearward.
So that is a moot point.

As I say again, it depends on the motor and the year and how it was designed.

Yes, on many older motors a transom saver may be of benefit.
On newer motors, that may not be the case, and the transom saver is just a waste of money that someone wants to sell you and make a profit on.
It's part of advertising.

I am not familiar with the 1984 Yamaha but you might benefit from a transom saver.
What does the Yamaha manual mention? Anything?

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You asked for opinions, so this is mine. The flip up tab on the motor is not for trailering. My opinion is the same as stated above, that the weight of the power head pushed forward is not a good thing. And that foot sticking straight back would worry me to death. Knowing that the condition Of I 95 only gets worse as you travel north,I can understand your question. On my older Yamaha 70hp the trim cylinders will pull in with a 2x4 under the motor. This allows the tilt cylinder to pull the motor snug on the board. This will allow you to have the motor somewhat locked down without being trimmed all the way down and risking tearing the skeg off by hitting something on the road.
As to the transom saver. Unless your boat is tied to the trailer as tightly as the foot is tied to the trailer via the transom saver if your trailer goes down faster that your boat does the pivot action from the foot is going to do anything but save your transom.
All that said skip the transom saver and grab up an old piece of 2x4. Oh on that old 90. If you get tired of her throw it off at the last exit and Ga and give me shout. I live three miles off the interstate Ill come give it some love.

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X2 for the motor tilt tab....not meant for trailering.

I used a transom saver in my smaller whaler. In the last five years, I've probably logged about 13,000 miles towing our whaler and have never had an issue with it at all. My recommendation is to use one.

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What are the manufacturer recommendations for trailering? I received no owners manual with my 25 yr. old Yamaha. I certainly don't mind going above and beyond what is recommended, but I am just curious.

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When I first trailered my boat home a few years ago I was a nervous wreck watching the motor bounce around in the rear view mirror. I now use a transom saver and my boat is tied down to the trailer just forward of the transom. The motor rides comfortably with no torque on the transom.

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X2

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Thank you all for your replies and thank you Joe for suggesting I look in the manual. The oldest manual I found is for a 1990 year but it appears to be about the same as my 1984. It says to tow with the motor in the "all the way down" position and if this is not possible to use a "transom saver" device and not to rely on the tilt support tab which may move when the motor bounces. The trip north will be on April 1 and I'll report what I learn from such a long trip.

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I discourage you from using a "transom saver". The transom of a Whaler hull is more than strong enough to support the outboard motor during trailering.

As always, the motor must not be allowed to bounce at all. Always follow the motor manufacturer's instruction for the proper trailering procedure.

If you do use a transom saver, be sure the motor is NOT fixed relative to it mounting bracket. This seems counter intuitive, but if the motor is rigidly locked on place, as it would be for trailering without the transom saver, and the hull moves even tiny bit during trailering as they often do going over a bump, the entire motor will act a big wrench to lever the transom. This can actually cause the damage you are trying to avoid.

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hello wing15601 and an inquiry for you. With your 90 trimmed all down, what clearance do you have between the skeg and ground? There are a few different transom saver designs on the market.

There is the more popular unit that supports from the lower unit to the rear cross beam or roller of the trailer and then there is the other type that presses or fits between the lower motor mount bolts and the O/B trim bracket. The O/B is trimmed down to create a pinch effect.

There is also one other type that I have seen that that are made of a dense rubber. They slide onto the trim pistons and press against the pivoting portion of the trim bracket attached to the mid-section once the motor has been trimmed down.

I personally use the model or type that fits against the motor mounts and trim bracket. I do not have sufficient clearance under the skeg and road when trimmed down so I need to trim some for the clearance. This type of transom saver allows me to better support the weight of the motor (when slightly trimmed for needed clearance) without having to fully burdening the trim pistons when trailering.

The bulk of my O/B's weight (in my case) is reasonbly still on a good center-line over the transom with my set-up. I experience very little motor bounce when I trailer to and from the marina or when I go down to the Fl. Keys. During my first few outtings I would trim my yamaha 90 all up, engage the lock-out tab then lower the motor till resistance was created on the small tab. I was told by a boat shop that this was adequate for trailering.

I watched in disbelief how the little outboard bounced while trailering. I was not comfortable with this so I researched for the solution that I now use.

As previously mentioned, with the traditional transom saver the boat needs to be well secured to the trailer to avoid having the motor slam against it rest or support as road conditions change.

Happy hunting or rather fishing for your trim/trailering solution wing15601...

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No one had any idea what year and brand of motor he had until post #5.

So it is apparent you were just guessing at what he had unless you personally know him and knew what he had.

We can't guess around here when trying to help someone.
It wastes everyone's time.

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Your post was #4 so you were guessing.

He didn't let us know what he had until post #5

Yes, it was a waste of time if he was trying to retract his trim rods on an engine that couidn't.
He could have easily had a newer motor until he let us know for sure.

From the original post #1, we didn't even know if he had Power Trim and Tilt. He could have had manual tilt.

So, it's better to ask the original poster in the beginning, what they are talking about and give us the year and brand or model to which they are referring before we start assuming and guessing.

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Trim rods retract. Save the money use a piece of 2x

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Any wear and tear you can relieve on that old girl the better.
I use the Attwood that connects to the rear roller.

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Are there any concerns about ground clearance of the skeg to the pavement when towing with the motor in the down position ? Lets say you have 10 " of clearance, I doubt the trailer would ever dip down more than an inch or two but what about uneven pavement, pulling off the shoulder or construction ruts ? Seems to me having it up on a transom saver if just a few inches would help. I have only towed my rig once and that was on the way home from the purchase, but now that I'm almost done with the restoration I'm looking forward to towing. Just trying to get educated she's a early 70's 13 footer with a Johnson 30 hp short shaft outboard.

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The first picture on my personal page shows my transom saver attached on one end a roller hung from the rear cross member of my trailer.

However, you can also see that if I had the outboard lowered, there is almost zero chance that the skeg would hit a pot hole of any size. Same is true for other road debris.

So why do I use a transom saver? Simple peace of mind that comes from overdoing pretty much everything.

Incidentally, my physics tells me that the loads exerted on the transom with and without the transom saver are probably close to the same.....the loads would be slightly less without a saver just as Tom said

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I found this thread in researching whether or not I needed a transom saver. When I bought the boat a couple of years ago, the previous owner sent it down with a 2x4 under the motor (I believe just above the hydraulics). From what I deduce, that sounds like the appropriate method. Would someone though please look at my hydraulics and motor and let me know if they agree.

http://s1132.photobucket.com/user/wcw....html?o=34


Thanks. 1976 85 Evinrude mounted to 1976 17' Montauk

Wade

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I use the M-Y Wedge. Fast and easy, highly recommended and well worth the cost. See the video links also.

http://www.m-ywedge.com/

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I have a 1984 Montauk with a 98 Yam 2stk 75hp & I use a transom saver, similar to docsoma"s. Has served me well over the last 11 years.

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transom saver photo on my PP

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Another vote for the My-Wedge. I didn't need it with my last Evinrude due to OMC's built in bracket. But the Honda trailers great with it. I also got the rubber blocks to keep the motor from turning during trailering.

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I purchased a 1982 BW Montauk in Fort Myers Fl in May of this year I to was concerned about the transom I purchased a Lock N Haul which worked great all the way back to NW Ohio. I figure better to be safe than sorry.
Hope this helps.

Greg

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Now you know one question which will occupy lots of time and result in no answer.
It works every time and next year you can ask the same question and derive the same conclusion.
I do not fully understand it all, it is just this way. Sort of like discussing politicians. "Mine is honest, yours is not!"

Personally, on the highway, I use one on the 2005 Montauk with 90 merc 4 cycle. And any other 40 hp + I would tow.
Stops them from bouncing fore and aft.

"How About Them Cowboys"

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Captain Obvious here, a MY-Wedge and 2" x 4", do not and are not "transom savers". Th My wedge and 2"x 4" are used to relieve stress on the hydraulic rams, which is really pointless as its the strongest item on the boat. The physics behind the transom saver, is to transfer shock energy to the trailer, not the transom. A peripheral benefit is that it relieves the stress on the hydraulic ram also. The jury is out on the necessity, but in my case, a 1980's skiff with a 2-2.5" transom, a heavy over-sized outboard and a jack plate about 370 lbs of motor on a 500 lb hull, it seemed reasonable. I tow my boat two hours every time we go north to the vacation house, it seems wise to have.

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As I state earlier, I am pretty sure the load distribution with or without a transom saver are probably not very different.

Damping down the vibrations or shocks of a lower unit bouncing might be another benefit of the transom saver, though here again my common sense suggests that a restrained lower unit might actually be worse than one that has a shock absorber or spring loaded type transom saver attached....I imagine someone makes these?