Is it safe? Thru transom mount needed?

[Broke Knee]

I recently purchased a 5 hp Briggs outboard and am wondering about trailering it. Is it safe to mount it to the back of the boat using the typical spin screws and trailer it on a 2-3hr highway drive? If so, what precautions do I need to make? Assuming i need to tie down the handle to avoid it spinning while driving? Anything else?

Or...do I need to get a thru transom mount?

I can place the motor inside the boat but don't like the idea of having it bounce around on it's side....even if packed well the bouncing around can't be good for the motor or the boat.

Any advice and or pics you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[JamesM56alum]

i'v got a 5 1/2 johnson on the back of mine and it rides fine, i do strap the lower unit to the trailer so the motor's not just flapping after every bump, other than that man the clamps hold fine just check them every now an then to make sure they haven't vibrated loose.

 

[Ictalurus]

Any advice and or pics you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Get a transom saver.

 

[Jdholmes]

I was asking this a while back about my 9.5 hp...the consensus was pretty much split but i think the majority seemed to lean away from a transom saver for a motor that light..I would think this to be even more true with a little 5 hp.

Strap it down tight and you should be good.

 

[bumpyroad]

I definitely would not just let it bounce around on the bottom of the boat. tighten the two screws and fasten them together with a padlock, or a tube that you slide over the handles. I would use a motor toter myself, and be sure the bunks, etc. go out past the transom so you don't put a bend into the bottom/keel of your boat.
bumpy

 

[Broke Knee]

Thankfully my bunks go all the way underneath the end of the boat, would never have thought about checking that so thanks for the advice......only bummer is I can't use a transom saver becase the cross bar of the trailer is too far under the end of the boat so it's not a good angle, it would basically come straight out which would defeat the purpose I'd think.

In the past I glued 1" shallow metal cups to the back of the boat so that when the motor was on the spin screws even if loosened wouldn't allow the motor to slip off. If the lossened they'd just slide to the lip of the cup. That could be a help potentially.

 

[Ictalurus]

only bummer is I can't use a transom saver becase the cross bar of the trailer is too far under the end of the boat so it's not a good angle

My trailer had the same issue. I bolted some aluminum angle at the ends of the bunks to make a place to mount the transom saver.

the consensus was pretty much split but i think the majority seemed to lean away from a transom saver for a motor that light

Never heard of that, I'd reconsider the transom saver if I were you.

 

[Jdholmes]

only bummer is I can't use a transom saver becase the cross bar of the trailer is too far under the end of the boat so it's not a good angle

My trailer had the same issue. I bolted some aluminum angle at the ends of the bunks to make a place to mount the transom saver.

the consensus was pretty much split but i think the majority seemed to lean away from a transom saver for a motor that light

Never heard of that, I'd reconsider the transom saver if I were you.

That is an opinion.... And you are welcome to it. There are lots of others who have the opinion that for a motor under 50 lbs it is quite a waste of money.

There are a few reasons I am inclined to agree, and the debate has raged for many moons so I will suggest we not drag it up into this thread.

 

[Broke Knee]

Bolting some angle iron to the bunks isn't a bad idea....I'll look into that as an option if I go with a transom saver.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[JMichael]

only bummer is I can't use a transom saver becase the cross bar of the trailer is too far under the end of the boat so it's not a good angle

My trailer had the same issue. I bolted some aluminum angle at the ends of the bunks to make a place to mount the transom saver.

the consensus was pretty much split but i think the majority seemed to lean away from a transom saver for a motor that light

Never heard of that, I'd reconsider the transom saver if I were you.

That is an opinion.... And you are welcome to it. There are lots of others who have the opinion that for a motor under 50 lbs it is quite a waste of money.

There are a few reasons I am inclined to agree, and the debate has raged for many moons so I will suggest we not drag it up into this thread.

I think that if you're going to suggest leaving out a topic of concern because it's already been debated, you might at least provide a link to that debate. That way others could make use of the info in that debate. I haven't seen this debate you speak of myself, and I think it's entirely appropriate to discuss the topic in this thread since it might be of concern to the OP.

I've personally seen several cases where a 20-25hp motor has caused severe cracking where the transom joined the side gussets. As far as I know, all of these boats had been towed down some pretty bumpy gravel roads, but that's very typical for a boat that lives out it's life in this part of the country. One might expect different results if you're only towing on smooth paved roads. I can also say that I've never seen one of the boats around here have transom problems like that when the owner uses a transom saver. I don't know what weight limit I'd cut off using a transom saver, but I use one with my 20hp because of what I've seen in my own personal experiences.

 

[Ictalurus]

I can also say that I've never seen one of the boats around here have transom problems like that when the owner uses a transom saver.

Agree 100%. I looked at the original thread JDH had referenced, IMO the discussion seemed to be around the idea that the transom saver would transfer some of the motor weight to the trailer. I do not agree with that. The transom saver, IMO, keeps the motors weight on the transom (possibly even more centered as the motor is tilted forward some) and from bouncing around, preventing stress and torsion where the transom joins the gusset, exactly as you have mentioned. I'd put one on every outboard, even a 9.9 bouncing around can create a pretty good pull when you consider inertia.

 

[Jdholmes]

1. A 5hp is much different than a 25 hp+

2. I cannot point you to hundreds of links. Google is and you will see that it is indeed not a settled topic but one of those hot debates that will forever rage on because there are no hard facts just a lot of opinions.