Trailering with outboard

[Elk River]

Hi All:

     I have an OMC outboard bracket mounted on the stern of my19II.  I am wondering if those of you with similar set-ups trailer with the engine mounted on the bracket.  It is only 1/2 mile from my house to the launch ramp where I live (the community I live in has slips), so am not worried about that distance.  I am really wondering about trailering farther afield (NJ, New England, [Carlyle Lake perhaps...]).  Others new to the Com-Pac may also be interested.

     Thanks in advance,

     Elk River

[Salty19]

I've towed about 3200 miles over 5 years with a 60lb outboard on a CP19 with stainless motor mount.
No problems at all.  I do use a ratchet strap from motor handle to the stern rail to take some load off..this I think is important for those unavoidable potholes/dips on the highway when more force is applied.

[Elk River]

Thank you, Salty.  The engine that came with the boat probably weighs the same ('06 Honda 5 H.P. four-stroke), so I will put it on, lock it on with a padlock or one of those covering locks, and go.

Elk River

[BruceW]

Agree with Salty; ratchet strap is something to keep the shaking down, and a fail safe as well. Don't forget to look at the line in the ratchet from time to time.

[Elk River]

Thanks Bruce for your input.  I have some work to accomplish prior to trailering, but the first long distance will probably be up to Wellfleet on Cape Cod at the end of May for a week.

Elk River

[capt_nemo]

Elk River,

I will use my trusty ratchet strap from stern cleat, under outboard motor (up against bracket pad), and back up to the other stern cleat when I go on a several hundred mile trailer trip this weekend.

The most important task is to PREVENT the motor, and hence the bracket to which attached, from experiencing what are referred to as "Dynamic Loads". These occur when the weight of the motor is allowed to float free unrestrained bouncing around and places POTENTIALLY HEAVY LOADS ON THE TRANSOM to which attached.

P.S. Lived in Bel Air, MD for nearly 20 years and sailed extensively on the northern Chesapeake.

capt. nemo

[deisher6]

I always took the motor off and mounted it on a 2X10 bolted onto the trailer tongue.  The ramp was about 90 miles away and the last 8 was really badly washboarded gravel.  

There is a good story on the someplace on the blog where the sailer observed the second bounce of his outboard into a vehicle behind him in his rear view mirror.

regards charlie

[brackish]

mine lays on the trailer spare tire in the bed of my pickup truck as close to the cab as possible and is strapped to not slide or move. The tire gives it some angle to avoid any oil loss. I made the decision not to tow with it on the mount based on two things.  The manufacture of the mount says not to and an old thread on this forum where a 23 owner was asking how to repair and reinforce his transom that was full of cracks as a result of towing long distances with it on.  I'm sure, as others have stated, it is possible to restrain movement and take the weight off the mount, I just chose to go another route.

[MacGyver]

on long tows I would have mine  in the bed.
I am young yet and the engine isnt bad to take on and off for me, also it helps that it is above me so i lift straight up easier on my back.

I have a big plate reinforcing my transom but I am not sure I want it bouncing on that a whole lot......

Mac

[Elk River]

Wowza! Thanks everyone for all the good input.  On long hauls, my truck bed will have my truck camper in it (see truckcampermagazine.com to find out more about those, sometimes called slide-in campers), so the engine will either have to be on the boat or I will have to fashion a mount on the trailer.  In Good Old Boat #95, March/April 2014, there is a Review Boat article on a Montgomery 17 with a photo showing the owner's engine mounted on the front of his trailer.  He also uses the boom mounted to the forward side of the mast as a gin pole while using the mainsheet tackle to raise the mast.  My boat has backing plates on the inside of the transom for the outboard mount, but it appears to be shoddy installation, so will be removed and made more robust.  The square post my trailer winch is mounted on is 6 ft. long (the trailer was for a deeper draft sailboat, so I didn't cut it down), so I should be able to put a mount on that with square U-bolts if I don't trailer the engine on the boat.  Options, options...   Anyway, thanks again everyone for your valuable input.   

Elk River