Should I remove my 9.9 before towing 13' boat?

[Wombat]

I have a 1980 gregor 13.4' boat, is it advised to remove the motor 9.9 nissan before towing on the freeway?

 

[earl60446]

I don't think you need to. I had a 14ft lund with a 15hp on it, never had a problem.
Tim

 

[ggoldy]

I'm not disputing Earl's post. I grew up in eastern Pa. The roads were horrible. Even the freeways around Trenton and Philly( smiling...I haven't heard that term in 40 years). Here, in northwest Fl., we don't get the freezing conditions that ruin roads, so I wouldn't hesitate to leave a motor on a boat being towed here. But I would not do it up north. You didn't tell us where you are so I din't know. It really depends on your road conditions. One note: A 9.9 is called a portable. It isn't hard to carry it elsewhere.

 

[TNtroller]

Could use a transom/motor support bracket to keep the bouncing and such down to a more manageable level.

 

[earl60446]

My reasoning gentleman is that if the transom holds up ok when in the water and that motor is pushing on it with 15 to 20 inches of leverage no less plus running in bumpy waves and hitting the occasional underwater structure then how can a simple ride down a road on a trailer with suspension and nice air filled tires cause a problem.
That being said, I use a bracket on mine because the motor hangs down too far, not much else I could do there.
Tim

 

[SumDumGuy]

I would leave it on the boat 'cause I'm lazy.

It depends on the condition of you transom.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Just make sure the clamps are tight.

 

[JMichael]

ggoldy » 02 Dec 2013, 19:49[/url]"]I'm not disputing Earl's post. I grew up in eastern Pa. The roads were horrible. Even the freeways around Trenton and Philly( smiling...I haven't heard that term in 40 years). Here, in northwest Fl., we don't get the freezing conditions that ruin roads, so I wouldn't hesitate to leave a motor on a boat being towed here. But I would not do it up north. You didn't tell us where you are so I din't know. It really depends on your road conditions. One note: A 9.9 is called a portable. It isn't hard to carry it elsewhere.

TNtroller » Yesterday, 09:25[/url]"]Could use a transom/motor support bracket to keep the bouncing and such down to a more manageable level.

I grew up in an area where the road conditions were pitiful. Small 2 lane back roads or gavel that had more pot holes than you could count. I couldn't even begin to guess at the number of times that I've seen a boat that had the welds cracked at the transom gussets because of that bouncing. Granted most of those were running 20-25 hp motors which weigh more, but why take the chance when something as simple as a transom saver will eliminate the possibility. But if you live in an area or only tow your boat on nice smooth surfaces, then you probably don't need to worry about it.

And a bumpy ride on a lake won't come close to matching the forces exerted on a transom that hitting potholes or towing a boat down a washboard gravel road does. When a trailer hits a pothole, the tire and spring compress. As they rebound from that compression, it launches the boat/trailer/motor into the air (assuming the pothole and your speed are sufficient). For whatever reason (physics), the boat and trailer begin to fall back to earth while the motors momentum causes it to try to continue going upward, and in doing so, the motor will rotate/tilt (extensively in some cases if the motor is not locked down). Now when the trailer contacts the road, that cushy tire and spring will start to compress to absorb the impact. About this time, that heavy motor is on it's way back down (rotating the opposite direction). When the tire and spring finish compressing, they're going to rebound and push that boat upward into a situation of opposing forces with that motor that is on it's way down. And that, is where the damage is done.

 

[PSG-1]

Provided that your boat sits high enough on the trailer, it is always preferable to tow with the engine down, not tilted up. This will reduce a lot of lateral force on the transom as you're bouncing down the road.

Consider the force of the engine trimmed up VS. trimmed down like trying to hold a 10 lb sledge hammer with one arm extended VS. having your hand closer to your body.

If your hull is thick material, like .100", and it has good corner bracing and a knee brace, it should be strong enough under either condition. But if your hull is thin, and your boat sits low on the trailer where you have to trim the motor up, then, you should consider using a transom saver bracket to support the engine while towing.

 

[SumDumGuy]

Is that the motor that weighs about 60 pounds?

 

[Riflehunter]

Not sure if your still debating removing the engine. I have a 2013 merc 9.9 foustroke on the back of mine which weighs 80+ lbs. I bought a cheap transom saver and almost regretted it heading to the lake. Since my motor wasn't cheap by any means I ended up buying an all aluminum Atwood saver to hold it up while trailering. I'd suggest that because taking a motor off all the time gets old. At least with my old boat.

 

[flatboat]

I am of the opinion that the boat maker assumed you would put a motor on it so he made the transom strong enuf to handle the weight of a motor and being moved down the road . Not sure why its called a transom saver, its more like a motor saver . It stops the motor from bouncing and doesn't take any weight off the transom ......it does however tilt the motor up to prevent dragging on the ground .I think that's a good idea, the main concern would be if the boards on the trailer went a little past the transom to support it there to prevent hooking . Sure would be a lot more pleasant to leave it on there instead of fighting it every time . 2 chances to screw the skeg up every time you go out , putting it on and taking it off ,...as always just my opinion

 

[BigTerp]

I have a 50/35 jet on my 16' MV. Obviously dosen't need titled up since it's a jet but I have stick steer which needs to be locked in full forward position. I use a ratchet strap around the jet pump and attached to my trailer to keep my motor from spinning back and forth, which would damamge my stick steer. This also eliminates any bouncing of the motor while trailering.

 

[JMichael]

flatboat » 18 Feb 2014, 06:48[/url]"]I am of the opinion that the boat maker assumed you would put a motor on it so he made the transom strong enuf to handle the weight of a motor and being moved down the road . Not sure why its called a transom saver, its more like a motor saver . It stops the motor from bouncing and doesn't take any weight off the transom ......it does however tilt the motor up to prevent dragging on the ground .I think that's a good idea, the main concern would be if the boards on the trailer went a little past the transom to support it there to prevent hooking . Sure would be a lot more pleasant to leave it on there instead of fighting it every time . 2 chances to screw the skeg up every time you go out , putting it on and taking it off ,...as always just my opinion

The next time you're around a boat and motor, reach down and grab the motor near the cav plate and lift/tilt the motor up to the approx angle it's held at by the transom saver. Now figure out how many pounds of force it takes you to hold the motor right there and that's how much weight the transom saver is supporting. And that's just static weight. Imagine how much force is required to hold it there when it bottoms out after the trailer hits a big bump.

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

IMO it depends on how beefy your rig is. Only you know that.

I have tore a transom with a 7.5hp but it was a light sears jon boat.

 

[flatboat]

I tilt my motor so the lower unit is above the bottom of the boat when trailering . I've seen lower units that were beat all to hell from stones picked up from the 6 wheels in front of it , one trip and that nice new lower unit is pocked with rock chips, god forgive ya run over something . At the angle mine is when towing ,it seems almost balanced.....didn't seem like it was holding a lot of weight . I can see at a lesser angle that may be different . I guess I never thought about like that . you could be right

 

[Jonboat Jerry]

I don't think so either, if driving on a reasonably smooth road.
But make absolutely sure the bunks stick out beyond the transom of your boat so the transom is supported.
Consider that the trailer and boat are one unit connected by the hitch to the vehicle.
When the tires encounter a pothole, the hitch connected to the bumper isn't going to move.
The tires, axle, and spring are going to launch the whole thing in the air, and way out on the end of the fulcrum
sits an 80lb motor that is going to jump 1 to 2 feet.
As kids, we experienced this riding the school bus when the rear wheels hit a pothole. The front didn't move, but
if you were sitting in the back you were launched into the roof. (before seat belts)
I may have over analyzed this, but I think you get the pic. Jerry