Do you use a transom saver/outboard motor support?

[mike rousseau]

I think you're outnumbered 15-4, it's a no brainer, yes for the transom saver. Some people take better care of their kit.

 

Hey

Lots of people wast time and money doing all sorts of unnecessary things because tv convinced them to...

 

Just look at flu shots...lol

 

But go right ahead and do what everyone says instead of using logic....

 

I'm sure I'm wrong about the torque of your motor being far greater then the torque created by your motor bouncing when you drive over a crack in the road...

 

I ave been wrong before and I'm sure I'll be wrong again...

 

 

...

Edited June 5, 2012 by Musky Mike

[Fish4Eyes]

I'm sure I'm wrong about the torque of your motor being far greater then the torque created by your motor bouncing when you drive over a crack in the road...

...

 

You make a good point here. But you have to agree, a transom saver will extend the life of your transom when compared to not using one.

[doubleheader]

Does everyone really think there's more stress placed on the transome while trailering than when running over a 1 foot chop at full throttle?

 

Personally I believe you make an excellent point. In addition, I've seen firsthand what can happen to a lower unit when a transom saver decides to break when you're on a trip. My buddy had this happen and it wasn't pretty. I know there are lots of opinions on this, but I went with the m-ywedge style. It is the only transom saver that allows for the absorbtion of road shock. I've been using this for 5 years on 2 different boats with no problems. As a side, they are also very convenient to use and store. BTW, I have A 200hp Verado.

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

Edited June 5, 2012 by doubleheader

[Squid]

You don't need them on Lunds.....

[RangerGuy]

You will find answers for both sides.

I use one and here is why.

 

I tend to think when the boat is in the water it has some

shock protection because the boat is in the water.

It's not strapped down tight to a trailer with no give.

 

BUT.... my main reason is from first hand experience. Here's

my story.

 

Second trip with my 1989 Ranger Fisherman Tiller some goof

rear ends me on a nice sunny dry summer afternoon.

 

He hit me so hard he pushed a full size old caprise (it was

a midterm tow vehicle until I got a truck LOL!) and my boat

half way thru an intersection. I was stopped at a red light

with my foot on the brake. Oh it was full size Chevy Pickup

that rear ended me.

 

The prop, skeg and transom saver took the entire shock. I lost

2 blades off the prop, 4 inches off my skeg and folded my transom

saver.

 

I didn't even have a pressure crack on my transome NO DAMAGE!

 

I had the boat transom inspected to make sure. I used this boat

for 6 more years before selling. When I sold this boat transom

was still perfect.

 

I don't think I would have been so luck if the transom saver

wasn't there to divert the shock down and on to the trailer.

Edited June 5, 2012 by RangerGuy

[Pikeslayer]

check this out great video on a new product I am getting one of these for my 90hp merc

 

 

you can get them here

http://vrxfishing.co...ing-system.html

 

Is there an English version of this video????

 

Billy Bob, can you translate???

Edited June 5, 2012 by pikeslayer

[smally21]

my 115 johnson (evinrude really) has the transom saver/towing support built in. so i use it. never owned one before. an ounce of prevetion they say..can't cause any harm, hardly a waste of money to look after your kit wether a life saver or not..

 

on the comparison between smashing thru waves and being towed..not sure what to add but your boat was designed around being in the water with the motor in a certain (most likely down) trim position, not to be suspended at a great angle bouncing down the highway.

 

customers used to comment about the amount of bunk support under their boat..my reply was usually how do you feel about it hammering waves at 50mph? not sure they are connected...or a fair comparison.

 

as to the comparison to a fishes gills and the transom saver..????????????????????????? they are not related. interesting segway for sure.

[Tybo]

check this out great video on a new product I am getting one of these for my 90hp merc

 

 

you can get them here

http://vrxfishing.com/motor-mate-outboard-locking-system.html

 

Why not just tighten the steer pin or replace the worn bushings. If the engine is shaking that much on the trailer,I would

hate to see how much it bounces around on the water.

[Tybo]

You will find answers for both sides.

I use one and here is why.

 

I tend to think when the boat is in the water it has some

shock protection because the boat is in the water.

It's not strapped down tight to a trailer with no give.

 

BUT.... my main reason is from first hand experience. Here's

my story.

 

Second trip with my 1989 Ranger Fisherman Tiller some goof

rear ends me on a nice sunny dry summer afternoon.

 

He hit me so hard he pushed a full size old caprise (it was

a midterm tow vehicle until I got a truck LOL!) and my boat

half way thru an intersection. I was stopped at a red light

with my foot on the brake. Oh it was full size Chevy Pickup

that rear ended me.

 

The prop, skeg and transom saver took the entire shock. I lost

2 blades off the prop, 4 inches off my skeg and folded my transom

saver.

 

I didn't even have a pressure crack on my transome NO DAMAGE!

 

I had the boat transom inspected to make sure. I used this boat

for 6 more years before selling. When I sold this boat transom

was still perfect.

 

I don't think I would have been so luck if the transom saver

wasn't there to divert the shock down and on to the trailer.

 

Wasn`t the transom saver,But the hydraulic manual relieve valve in the tilt support that saved it.

As the truck hit the engine it open and dump the oil allowing it to move.

[whiskywizard]

Here's my humble opinion...

 

Lots of responses here based on instinct and intuition, but I didn't see anybody apply basic physics nor do the static/dynamic load calculations.

 

The loads generated by a boat undergoing full throttle acceleration or rapid closed-throttle deceleration are orders of magnitude greater than those generated by a tilted outboard on a rough road. On the water, amplitude, and cycle/frequency are just as high.

 

If you really need a transom saver, you have bigger problems ahead. Transom savers have become nice little profit generators for those dealers who sell/add them, and marketing tools for the trailer builders who include them "at no cost". Everybody selling in a competitive market is looking for an edge.

 

The empirical evidence here is pretty sketchy too. Just because you've used one for years and your transom is A-OK doesn't mean the transom saver can be credited. It's like saying I whistle to keep the dinosaurs away. hey, that really works!

 

 

Do they cause harm? No.

Do they "save your transom"? No. If they did, you'd be on the bottom due to accelerative loads.

Do they help in the rare event that you're rear-ended on the road? Maybe yes - they just might help in this case.

 

 

Transom savers answer a question that didn't need to be asked.

(IMHO)

Edited June 5, 2012 by whiskywizard

[whiskywizard]

People freak out when you hold a big Walleye/Pike/Musky up without supporting the weight because it damages the gills........engine's weigh a LITTLE more than that, so imagine what "damage" it can do to a transom if not properly secured....

 

Agreed; never pick up your engine by its gills.

[ch312]

transom savers are a waste of money and don't do anything? to those who agree with that statement, have you ever followed someone trailering a boat with a 150hp that wasn't using a transom saver? you can see the motor bouncing up and down over bigger bumps which might not be as bad as some people make it out to be, but $50-75 is cheap insurance. no matter how you slice it, a transom saver is at least preventing normal wear and tear while on the trailer which will prolong the life of the transom.

 

i've personally only seen two transoms that were damaged by unsupported outboards because they didn't want to "waste" the money on a transom saver. i have yet to see or hear of any damage to transoms when transom savers were used. must be a coincidence, eh?

 

i look at it like a seat belt. 99.99% of the time it's not really doing anything, but it's definitely worth having it that one time you need it. it's not uncommon to encounter bone jarring potholes or very rough train tracks on unfamiliar roads.

 

 

are hydraulics affected at all when not using a transom saver? how well is your motor going to perform after the skeg and prop are grinding on the road for a while after the rare case of your hydraulics failing while towing? about 10-12 years ago i remember my dad coming home early cursing and swearing at the boat. in my early teens i had no clue how expensive it was to fix a skeg and replace a prop...

Edited June 5, 2012 by ch312

[express168]

I had one on my boat and it only had a 40hp 4 stroke, is it necessary maybe but for the small price it is worth it. Just last week I was waiting to turn onto a street and watched this guy towing a boat go over a set of railroad tracks, his motor flew up completely horizontal and came crashing back down against the transom and did a couple smaller bounces. That type of bouncing and shock definately is not good for a transom or motor, it was only a 25hp and I wonder how far or how many times he was towing that way.

[Tybo]

When I got my first one back in the 80`s it was called a engine saver not a transom saver. Used for a safety if the hydraulics ever failed.

Stop the engines lower unit from hitting the road.

[lifeisfun]

When I got my first one back in the 80`s it was called a engine saver not a transom saver. Used for a safety if the hydraulics ever failed.

Stop the engines lower unit from hitting the road.

I was just about to make the same point

[Lip-ripper]

Yep, use one. When the motor it trimmed up the pressure on your transom is multiplied.

Ever try holding 20 pounds in your hand close to your body? then hold it with your arm extended and see the difference... same principle.

 

The waves bouncing comparison would be applicable if you hit the waves at 50 mph with your motor trimmed all the way up, but in this scenario, it's not a fair comparison.

[BillM]

I don't know many people flying across the lake at 50mph with the motor trimmed out so far out it's off the hydraulic jacks in the back.

[smally21]

One hardly needs to provide the applied mechanics drawing and mathematics to have opinions based on years of experience and common sense. that is what was asked for.

 

While im not convinced for the need of a transom saver on a solid, well maintained boat myself, the suggestion they are "useless" and a "cash grab" suggests that the thousands of boaters who use them, including hundreds of members of this forum, are suckers who fell for the hype and wasted their money. Seems unlikely a whole industry would exist just to rip-off the ignorant.

 

I failed to see any force and amplitude calculations in your post whiskywizard, nor did you provide any empirical evidence of your own.

 

So by your logic your post is just as invalid as all the other experienced and knowledgable boat owners that have added their input to this thread. Except, of course, for the big words. They lend enormous credibility.

 

as a matter of fact, in general i agree with all your comments. and i particularly like the reference to proper hoisting technique

Edited June 5, 2012 by smally21

[Roy]

I can never be accused of being a mechanical engineer. But I feel that anyone who will be sinking $15K+ on a boat and motor shouldn't try to save $50. on something that everyone knows is definitely not a bad idea. My Mercury manual says that I should have one so I bought one and use it.

[Squid]

Wow three pages of discussion on Transom savers. Non fishing posts get way more replies than fishing posts these days...

[BillM]

Recently added a transom saver for the 115 Yami on the back of the Lund.

[Billy Bob]

Recently added a transom saver for the 115 Yami on the back of the Lund.

 

Looks like you didn't get them memo......not needed on Lunds.....

[woodenboater]

Kinda related. Does anyone make one that has a built in shock absorber/spring system ? Swallow the hits but keep the stress off the back. or could it be an easy shadetree build ?

[BillM]

Looks like you didn't get them memo......not needed on Lunds.....

 

I'm going against the grain BB!

[Billy Bob]

If you go against the grain......"you could be a Redneck"........