Transom Savers

[Hory]

I was looking for some opinions on transom savers. On a 14-16 foot boat with a 15-25 horse motor, is one necessary? The person I am asking this question for travels about 15 - 20 miles to their fishing destinations and they have yet to take their boat out and from my understanding have it on a tilt-trailer. My response to them was that having the motor down rather than tilted up would reduce strain, however clearance could be an issue and thus a motor rod (transom saver) might be wise. Also even if clearance isn't an issue, the motor would bounce around a lot during travel more than likely. What do you all think?

[Northlander]

Use one they are cheap.

[harvey lee]

I agree with Steve, cheap insurance.

[Big Buck Buster]

Put one on. I have always used one. Even on my little 20 hp had one on it. Ground clearance was an issue for me, plus I didn't have to worry about the motor hitting the ground while traveling.

BBB

[PerchJerker]

You're right about motor bounce being a problem. If he can trailer with his motor all the way down he could strap the lower unit to the trailer to stop the bounce .... but if he has to tilt the motor up to trailer then he should go with a transom saver.

[Fishing Junky]

Another option would be to put a 1x4 between the motor mount and motor itself to keep the motor at an angle. Then bungee from the lower unit to trailer to keep it from bouncing. Junky......

[AaronM]

I've heard the opposite of that. I heard that connecting to the lower unit transfers road vibrations to that area. Also, boats are designed to handle the load of a outboard hanging off the back. People do both, and either way works. I've never used one and have never had any problems whereas other guys use them and also have zero problems. I think it's a moot point.

[CAMAN]

IMO transom savers should be required by law for the safety of the motorists behind you. Have you ever been stuck behind someone trailering a boat with a 200 hanging off the back and every little bump that motor is flopping up and down? That is ALOT of weight and torque being put onto that transom that it was not designed to support. Add that up over a few trips and its a lot of stress being added that doesn't need to be. And add the wear to the engine bracket from the constant movement I don't see any reason not to spend the $20-30 on a transom saver. As for the vibrations from the road being transfered to the lower unit, its no more than without one, infact its probably less, on my transom saver there is a 1" thick rubber pad that cradles the lower unit, and last I heard, rubber absorbs shock and vibration.

I will never buy a used boat that doesn't have a transom saver already installed. I know I can install one myself, but its piece of mind that the previous owner took care of it and its one less issue that can't pop up down the road and cause issues.

And the blocks that go into the motor bracket that claim to act as a transom saver do little to nothing to protect the transom, the weight of the lower unit will still put stress on the transom, it will be slightly less, yes, but the further down on lower unit you are able to support it the better. Its called physics.

Take the 30 extra seconds it takes to install one at the ramp for the piece of mind.

[Fishing Junky]

Remember now, he's inquiring about a 15 and 25hp range motor. Keeping them from bouncing is the key here I believe.

[fasternu]

Maybe it's just me but I've never seen a $20 transom saver. And comparing a 200hp motor to a 15-25 is comparing apples to oranges. Minnesota doesn't need MORE LAWS than we already have. No wonder the legislators are always giving themselves pay raises, the work harder making new laws than anyone gives them credit for.

[marine_man]

To bring this back to the topic at hand, I disagree...

I've heard the opposite of that. I heard that connecting to the lower unit transfers road vibrations to that area. Also, boats are designed to handle the load of a outboard hanging off the back.

Transoms have come a long way from the old days; regardless, keeping the motor from bouncing back and forth as you go down the road (however you do that) will keep you transom in better shape over the long term. Is it required for all boat / motors? No, probably not. But, with bigger engines, and especially the added weight 4 strokes add, reducing the amount of vibration / movement of that big mass will make the transoms life quite a bit easier.

marine_man

[h8go4s]

"Have you ever been stuck behind someone trailering a boat with a 200 hanging off the back and every little bump that motor is flopping up and down? That is ALOT of weight and torque being put onto that transom that it was not designed to support."

I'm thinking the stress on a transom from a full-throttle 200hp outboard slamming the waves at 50 mph might be kinda high. It's built to take it. All the same, I use one on my 40hp/ 16 1/2 foot rig on long trips just because it seems like a good idea.

Ron.

[Nainoa]

A transom saver is too cheap of a thing to not have.

Literally they're like $15

[hydro]

I absolutely recommend buying and using one. I hit a pothole and had a 20 HP motor bounce so hard that it broke the casting that held the throttle assembly. Big job to fix, and would have been prevented by the transom saver. I have always used one since that incident!

[gregg52]

i use one on my new boat cuz it came with one and its a 150

but i also was at the factory and saw what goes into my trannsom

and it aint breaking anytime soon..i use it though specially on long trips

someone said pounding water on big waves is probably just as hard i believe that to be true

my old boat of 20 yrs with a 60 on it never used one and the transom is fine on there

i think the statement bout 40 hp to 200 is true to big deiffence there

[CraigM]

Seriously, has anyone ever seen a 200hp motor lying in the street because the transom came apart. For everyone that says you must use a transom saver that goes from the trailer to the lower unit, there is somebody else saying that style does more harm than good. If "it's called physics", I'm assuming you've done the testing and have data to back this up? Or are you just pulling this out of thin air. We all have opinions. That doesn't mean we should state them as fact and wish for new laws based solely on opinions.

I personally don't know which style is better, I've used both, but have heard some pretty compelling arguments against this style. Wish the manufacturers would get together on this.

[gregg52]

good post Craig

I agree lots of experts on here with no creditalbility

and we diffently dont need no more silly laws without proof

I've never seen a motor on the road or even heard of one on the road

[marine_man]

Here is some information from Steve Bakken, which does extensive transom repair work from just over two years ago (from this thread: Transmom Savers)

We replace dozens of transoms every year at our shop and the two main causes are decay of the wood and prolonged flexing. Soft wood allows more flex, and too much flex loosens up the seams allowing water to create soft wood. Kind of a vicious circle. After 25 years in business we've never put a transom in a boat that had used a transom saver throughout it's life. Reason being that it locks the bottom of the motor to the trailor, eliminating any rotation on that pivot point on the transom.

As you said, everyone has their own opinion; which your entitled to. I have a transom saver and will continue to use it. What you do is completely up to you.

marine_man

[gregg52]

ya i'm by no means telling anybody to use it or not

i'm just saying i dont think we need laws about it

again thats one advantage of a Yar Craft boat 100% fiberglass

no wood to rot !!!!!!!!!!

[JimBuck]

I use a transom saver after having to replace a rotten transom on my 1st boat. The previous owner never used one and the engine bounced from gravel roads eventually causing the transom to leak and rot. I'd much rather spend 30 bucks on the peace of mind of knowing I won't have my transom fall off on the road/water and having to repair that again. Engines are HEAVY. Well worth the investment.

[Supercrew]

Use one they are cheap.

And only take a few seconds to put on before you head out, and I look at them as an extension of my trailer to add support to my $$$$$$$ investment.

Your call. But I won't go down the road without it, I actually park in the garage with it on so I can keep the cowl from hitting the tool crib. A good cheap insurance and piece of mind tool.

[BobT]

I don't like using the transom savers they have available. Without one, my motor might bounce a little when I hit bumps, this is true. But I can't help but wonder what happens if the motor is pinned rigid to the trailer while the boat is still allowed to bounce on the trail as it goes over bumps. Now, as the boat lifts up and down, the motor is being held rigid and what effect does that have? Is that any better or worse?

What I'd like to see is a transom saver that included a built-in shock absorber of sorts to allow some movement but cushion the blow.

Edit: One of the problems for me is that I use an EZ Loader trailer and the rear-most cross member of my trailer is too far under the boat to use a transom saver. What do I do?

[LoonASea]

BobT You dont use a strap to secure your boat to the trailer to keep it from bouncing??? I cant say that my transom saver holds my motor rigid to the trailer it just holds it straight and cushions the bouncing ,,,,I wont go down the road without it

LAS

[Fishing Junky]

Edit: One of the problems for me is that I use an EZ Loader trailer and the rear-most cross member of my trailer is too far under the boat to use a transom saver. What do I do?

That is part of the problem with some trailers. Especially on the smaller ones, when the only thing to mount to is the axle itself, which shouldn't even be considered. Junky......

[BobT]

BobT You dont use a strap to secure your boat to the trailer to keep it from bouncing??? I cant say that my transom saver holds my motor rigid to the trailer it just holds it straight and cushions the bouncing ,,,,I wont go down the road without it

LAS

Because the trailer doesn't extend to the rear of my boat, I use a strap that runs across the top of the boat. About the only way to lock the boat to the trailer would be to run a strap from the trailer to the gunwales and I don't think that would be a good thing to do.