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Howdy all,

Finally found a seller who REALLY wanted to sell ... not just talk. Anyway I bought a really newish Montauk 15 with the 60 Merc. I have not had one in a while and need to trailer it home 150 miles. The Merc owner's book says to tow it with the motor vertical but the seller says that towing tilted is just fine. My concern is that vertical may not provide proper clearance for the prop and skeg.

I know there are devices to prop up the motor on the trailer cross beam to relieve stress on the transom, etc. but I don't have time to get one..

Any advice here ?

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Most manufactures reccomend that you not tow the motor in an upright position, supported only by the T & T. Unless you have a lot of clearance from the foot to the road, I would be afraid to tow in in the down position. However, in my opinion if you are traveling on good roads without a lot of dips and bumps I wouldn't be afraid to tilt the motor up and tow in that position. There probably is a latch on the motor that will take the weight off of the T & T cyinders. If the motor was one of the larger 100 plus HP then I would buy a support.

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I trailered my 13 from Florida to Texas with the motor down. I scraped once or twice going in and out of parking lots. Since then, I bought a transom saver and now don't have to worry about scraping the motor at all. If your boat and trailer doesn't have a transom saver on it, they're very easy to install and worth the money you pay for them. All the wieght of the motor is basically placed on the trailer and not as much force is on the transom of the boat.

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Just contacted the original dealer and he said to tow it tilted up and NOT to use that tab for fear of it breaking when hitting a bump.

I'm aware of the transome saver and maybe I can buy one locally but I need to get the boat tomorrow.

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I have towed over 1500 miles this summer, my mechanic suggested I tilt the motor up and then lower it on a peice of 2x4 never had a problem.

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I use a transom saver as well -- it really takes the load off the back of the boat. I noticed a much smoother rider as a result. My 17 Montauk rides very low on the trailer but I can not even put the motor in the down position when trailering.

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The tab or bracket is for working on the motor. You tilt the engine up, flip the bracket down and tilt down till it rests on the bracket. It is not for towing.

For towing, tilt it up enough to give you clearance and forget about it. A 2x4 also works for taking the pressure off the tilt system. Just remember to drill a hole in the 2x4 and tie it off to the boat in case it works loose.

I am not a fan of the tow bars (aka transom savers) since they tie the engine to the trailer and not the hull. I would want the engine and hull to be tied together.

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I think everyone has different preferences when towing. All I know is the transom saver has got to be better for the boat. My motor used to bump all around when towing and I can only imagine that is not good for the transom. The saver makes it ride as still as if I were sitting there -- no more bounce on the transom. To each his own I guess.

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Rob,

My motor used to bounce around a lot too until I installed a transom saver. Now it seems that when I am trailering, the boat and trailer are one. Seems much more stable to me as well.

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So the brackets on the motor are not to secure it when towing?

What about when parked on trailer back at home, motor up or down?

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Edmaude - I take my saver off when I get to the house and store the motor in the down position. I do not know if this is better or not it just helps minimize the room it takes up in the garage.

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I read a thread on which position to store the motor in but can't locate it. The consensus was, either. Boats at slips or a mooring store the motor in the up position out of necessity.

Then again, my Yamaha owners manual says to store it in the down position, if practical.

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I agree with Phil T, a piece of 2x4, or 2x2 squeezed between the midsection and the bracket will put the motor at the right angle for towing, take the pressure off the tilt system, and provide the necessary support. Had a transom saver once, didn`t like it, thought it was an unnecessary gadget, tossed it away, and got another piece of 2x2. Never had a problem. If you have a setback bracket mounted on your transom, You might have enough road clearance that you can leave the motor vertical.

rich

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I think the 2X4 idea is fine. My point is just that it still does not take away the stress of the weight bouncing around on the transom as you run down the highway. The saver helps reduce the stress on the transom while any other method serves only one purpose. I am not in love with my saver -- quite frankly it is a pain in the a**. I am just saying I believe it will help extend the life of your transom.

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I also don't see the difference between using a block of wood and the pull down bracket on the motor? On the Etec, the bracket is quite beefy and would serve the same purpose. Works just fine for towing, though I can certainly see the benefit of the transom saver, esp with bigger motors.

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I'm not sure if this is a Mercury part but check out the device in this Trailer Boats/Boston Whaler video on launching (there are other three more videos).

Boston Whaler/TrailerBoats.com-Launching your boat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu35wqiQHdE

Jeff

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I put a large bumper some people call them fenders and tilt my motor down on to that to relieve the stress on the hydraulics. Works good. Because it has eyes on the top and the bottom I tied ropes on to the eyes and secure the bumper to the motor so it does not fall out.

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I've towed my 16'7 around 2000 miles this summer always with the motor up and the factory bracket down and all seems well.
Steve

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I think the age and weight of the motor will have the biggest impact as to what system is best. No question that the saver would be the sure way to go, but I think one has to look at the total picture, weight, age, distance, type road, etc.

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Rob, I too am not a fan of my transom saver as it's a pain in the rear while at the ramp. However I feel the benefits far out weigh the hassles when it comes to the usefulness of the TS.

The video SpongeBob has on his reply is a pretty cool video. I've never seen a trailering device like the one shown in that video. Of course my boat and motor are as old as "All get out".

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I picked up one of these for my 15' sport. Works great and easy to use.

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

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All neat gadgets -- I watched the video and I have never seen a device like that. I am sure all these are fine but they still keep the weight of the motor on the transom.

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1.Just stop at the nearest W-mart, pick one up on your way to pick up boat.
2.Pick up boat and first chance you get on the way home, buy one.
3.Take a chance and if you damage the skeg, prop or worse, the gear case, you'll
really wish you bought the transom saver.
Just a thought, Ed;)

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The karavan trailer that came with my 15' sport does not have the cross beam at the back end of the trailer. It lies back far enough, under the boat, to make the standard transom savers impractable. That is why I found the rubber wedge my best option {as linked to on my previous post}.

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adrian961 brought up a good point. My old trailer had bunks that ran off the back with no cross member at the rear of the boat. That would be a very limiting factor of the transom saver. You must have a rear roller or cross bar that is all the way to the back of the boat.