Trailering Small Outboard Up

[Loggerhead Mike]

I think the issue is more transom/metal thickness of your rig. I tore my transom twice trailering with a 3.5hp but my old seaking wasn't much thicker than a beer can and our roads suck.

Id personally take the motor off when trailering

 

[benjineer]

I think you will be fine with it up if well secured. Especially if it's all the way up and the bouncing is pushing down on the transom. The problem is twisting when you have a heavy lower unit (larger motors). I might use a saver on my 25 except the way the trailer is, I'd have to do some adding-on to make one reach. I'm scared to leave it all the way down because of road clearance and debris. I'm currently pulling the trim pin and putting it on the highest setting and locking the motor down on it. Using the shallow water drive would let it bounce up unless I strapped it down, and that bracket is not super strong anyway. My old 115 has a trailering bracket as was mentioned. I use it on that boat and no transom saver. It's really bad to let a motor with PT&T to bounce up and down on the hydraulics. Can blow out the seals. It's also not good to store it with the motor up and weight on the hydraulics. I don't think the carbs don't like it either. I know I'm off topic since you have a small motor, but good stuff to think about.

 

[bassin4fun]

Keep in mind, you keep saying 'small outboard'. That 9.5 is still about 70 lb. or so? On any road trip there is a fair amount of wt. bouncing around, flexing your transom, whether motor is up OR down. On a glass boat with that size motor, probably wouldn't fret. On MY tinboat? Definately using some sort of transom saver! If you just lock that motor in the full 'up' position, the lower unit just acts like a lever, torsioning your transom on every little bump and bang you encounter. This was one of the first 'mods' I did to my boat when I got it.(Had a '56 10 hp Johnson, quite the tank!) Still using it with my '83 Evinrude 15 hp.(70-75 lbs?) With a transom saver, the trailer frame takes on any shock, not the transom. Look into a transom saver, or fab one like I did. Worth the time and peace of mind! Check my pics in the"transom savers" post. These are from last season, once I get the boat out this season, I can get some more detailed pics. Ya definately want to use one, just beef up the one ya got a bit.

 

[Jdholmes]

I strapped it down...if there is any movement it is minimal and to the point that it certainly isn't getting more flex than it gets when I take off in the water...that's the point of having a transom....and one that is strong and well built should be able to hand the minimal jolts it is getting from the trip I took it on yesterday...at least from what I can tell.

Even if I could install a transom saver, which I really don't think I can with my setup, I wouldn't be convinced yet. There's just not enough evidence that it is worth it for a sub 100lb motor or even for a heavy one if you buy into the idea that tying it to the trailer can actually transfer more road pain directly to it....

 

[FuzzyGrub]

It is my understanding that for a transom saver to work, the motor must be able to pivot. If it is locked down, the enertia will still flex the transom. It is not just bumps, but also braking and acceleration when you get the flex. It doesn't elliminate the stress, just reduces it.

It is a strength of the transom to the weight of the motor on it. Not just a big motor issue. I have noticed it while trailering my lightest boat, a 14' cartopper style alum semi-v. It is rated for a 15hp. Had a 10HP sporttwin (older/heavier motor) and would flex the transom. Any distance driving, I took the motor off.

 

[glenbo8391]

I've got a 9.5 just like that, I think Evinrude says its something like 45-50lb. lets say the length of the motor is about the same as a trolling motor, so having the motor on your transom completely parallel to the ground the amount of torque on the transom is the same as running a transom mount 55# trolling motor(actually its a little less because most of the weight on the motor is closer to the transom moving the center of gravity to about half the shaft length, so 55lb*~1.5ft=82lb*ft, trolling motor is 55lb* ~2.5ft?=137lb*ft). Assuming a bump causes 3G's of acceleration, that'd be about 165lb*1.5ft=~150lb*ft. Less than twice that of the 55# trolling motor, I'm assuming that's alot less torque than the motor puts on the transom at WOT. With that small of a motor, I'd say its safe to not have a transom saver.