Transom saver

[Douglasdzaster]

Hello everyone, I didn’t know if I should put this here or under trailering.
I’ve got a 40 hp Yamaha on a 1652 Monark. The motor bounces quite a bit when going down the road and it’s starting to wear on the old transom. I noticed a small fracture in the seam at the bottom of the transom right in front of the motor. All in all the transom is in great shape I want to keep it that way. My question is can I use a transom saver on a motor with tiller steering and no power tilt/trim? One will fit no problem there’s even a roller for it to go on. Unless y’all think mounting to the trailer would work better.

 

[maintenanceguy]

Bouncing down the road on a trailer is hard on a transom but if yours is already starting to show cracks, I think it needs to be repaired.

Here's what I did to reinforce my Transom.

I added a piece of 2" x 3" stainless tube behind the bench seat and tied that to the transom with 2 pieces of 3/8 stainless threaded rod. The end of the rectangular tube are welded to a strip of 2x1/4 flat stainless that I bolted through the side of the hull. There was nothing wrong with the transom but I was doing a complete re-build and wanted to avoid any problems in the future. It's absolutely bomb proof now. Just another option to consider.

 

[GYPSY400]

I will never trailer without a transom saver. My motor doesn't move whatsoever.. most models have a bracket that bolts to the bottom of the rear crossmember of the trailer, but some have the adapter to go on the roller. Either one is good as your transferring weight from the boat to the trailer.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I use a transom saver on a 25hp Mariner, tiller no power tilt, trim.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Nice rebuild Maintenanceguy. This is my first flat bottom and I’m enjoying it. All my other boats I’ve owned I used a transom saver but they where bigger engines with power tilt. Thanks everyone for answering my question and replying so fast. I’ve hated not having one on it.

 

[bplayer405]

Definitely get one. I always overbuild when I have to rebuild a transom, but even the best transom can be destroyed by a bouncing motor going down the road. I had a Mariner 48hp on my 1648 Monark, both older units, and that old outboard was heavy. No tilt, no trim. It tore up 2 cheaper transom savers, destroyed the rubber v on both. Way better than tearing up my transom. Just a good idea all round...

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[nccatfisher]

Yes, you can use a transom saver, but you have to make sure the motor is secured in it well and it (the transom saver) is attached to the trailer or the motor will bounce out of the transom saver.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

If you can tow with your motor down there’s no reason for it to bounce.

A lot of people think you need it tilted to tow but if you have 6-8” under your skeg youll be fine.

 

[jethro]

If you can tow with your motor down there’s no reason for it to bounce.

A lot of people think you need it tilted to tow but if you have 6-8” under your skeg youll be fine.

Yep, that's my philosophy. As long as the skeg is a few inches higher up than the axle, you are good to go. I never towed my 14 foot Starcraft with a transom saver. My big Sylvan however needs one as the skeg at full down can almost touch the ground.

 

[silentbravo]

No reason to bounce? You should try towing on some of the deplorable roads around me and see what can bounce.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

No reason to bounce? You should try towing on some of the deplorable roads around me and see what can bounce.

Within reason I have never seen a motor bounce in the down position.

Rough roads are everywhere, if you dont trailer your boat accordingly you're likely to wreck a lot of stuff.

 

[wmk0002]

No reason to bounce? You should try towing on some of the deplorable roads around me and see what can bounce.

Within reason I have never seen a motor bounce in the down position.

Rough roads are everywhere, if you dont trailer your boat accordingly you're likely to wreck a lot of stuff.

I agree. In the down position they want to turn more than bounce.

I don't use a transom saver because in theory the force from the outboard at WOT will be much greater than anything from bouncing. That and it's just one more thing I have to stow away when I launch.

 

[MrGiggles]

Yes, you can use a transom saver, but you have to make sure the motor is secured in it well and it (the transom saver) is attached to the trailer or the motor will bounce out of the transom saver.

If you use the kind that goes over a roller like mine, make sure you bungee the transom saver to the motor.

My bungee broke once, I thought for sure with the weight of the motor that it wouldn't go anywhere. Wrong, lost it on the road somewhere.

 

[Rene]

I have a 14ft v bottom boat with a 20hp tiller motor should I use a transom saver when traveling? I hear alot of people who say you should to take pressure off the transom is this true or just a way to get your money. The motor dosen't move around when traveling but I do travel alot of miles any help would be nice. Thank you

 

[Superlucky]

One other note to consider. Some manufacturers indicate that a transom saver is not to be used with their boats. With my Gregor Alaskan, I was specifically told NOT to use one by Gregor (Not the idiot salesman).

Good luck with your decision.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I have a 14ft v bottom boat with a 20hp tiller motor should I use a transom saver when traveling? I hear alot of people who say you should to take pressure off the transom is this true or just a way to get your money. The motor dosen't move around when traveling but I do travel alot of miles any help would be nice. Thank you

Do you tow with the motor raised or lowered?

 

[Rene]

Tow with the motor down, I have about 10 inches of ground clearance.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Tow with the motor down, I have about 10 inches of ground clearance.

Youre fine as you have it set up then.

I have about the same amount and have traversed some really rough roads without issue.

I would only tow with the motor up "if" I didn't have sufficient clearance with it down, say 6" minimum.

 

[Rene]

Thank you for your information that helps a lot on what I do. Thank you