How Best to Stow Outboard When Trailering

[gmerrill]

Soon to be owner of a new Eclipse I have a question about how best both safest and convient way to
stow motor.  I thought I read somewhere that Gerry said it was okay to leave it mounted.  I don't favor that
if that's the case.  I currently drive a 2016 SUV which has room to stow but gas smell etc.  Is the option of leaving it in the cockpit feasible.  Maybe covered and secured to keep it from damaging the boat.  I sound like I'm trying to answer my own question, but would like to hear others take and way of doing this.

Greg

[captronr]

Hi Greg,

Bet ya can't wait to get your boat/motor!

I have the 3.5 HP now, which might weigh a pound or three less than yours.  Mine has the internal tank and if it's full of fuel, it can seep out the filler cap when it's laid down.  When pulling it off and putting it in my pickup bed, I've taken the cap off and dumped part of the fuel. If you have a separate tank, that should not be an issue.

When you say convenient, to me it's not very convenient to remove the motor, carry it to the tow vehicle, load it in, then reverse at the other end.  I've done that a half dozen times and the past several trips, I've left it on the transom.  What I've read is not to tilt it up and to secure it so it can't flop.  I used tarp straps.

The chances to scratch/ding the brand new motor seem higher the more times you lay it down and carry it.  Plus, the easiest way to secure it to the boat is on the transom with a lock.

Ron

[gmerrill]

Thanks Ron for the input.
Greg

[Floridagent]

I concur.  Leave it on and strap it tight to something other than the motor mount (e.g., rail, cleat, etc.).  And watch where you go to avoid the potholes and bumps.  Inspect your motor mount a little more often.

[lkm]

I did it both ways, but you might want to review prior threads on the motor issues, and in particular look for pictures of my motor mount broken in half.

The key is 'inspect your mount often.'
There are several caveats.
- If the motor is heavy (mine was about 90#), and there are lots of bumps in the road each bump is a little bit of flexing at that bit of plastic.
- After 10 years the flexing +/- ?UV exposure and age add up.
- It's not fun when the mount breaks and your motor drops in the drink as your coming into dock.

On the other hand its a chore to move the motor on/off especially if it is heavy.  So my recommendations would be:
1) lighter is better.
2) long trips its probably worth taking it off.  Short trips don't sweat if you check regularly and especially in first couple years.
3) consider a better mount bracket if you do this a lot.  My replacement was a 2x12 cut to the same shape size as the original, then glassed over several times.  It took a few days to build, but the benefit is that if/when it begins to fail, its more visible.  The plastic cracks in places where its very hard to see unless you take the mount completely off and look closely.

[deisher6]

Hey Greg:  Here is what worked for me on our C-16.  Where we used the boat included some pretty washboarded dirt roads.  The fenders vibrated loose and it would not have been safe to leave the motor on the boat.  This worked like a champ and kept the motor out of the truck.
regards charlie

[alsantini]

Hi Greg.  New boat must be in production now.  Do you visit and watch it being built?  I do two different things based on the distance to the launch ramp.  When I trailer to Florida in the Fall and back in the Spring, the outboard is in a contractor's heavy duty bag in my SUV.  There is no gas in the motor - I even remove the carburetor bowl drain and blow through all lines to clear them of fuel.  The 6 trips have not resulted in any smell or spillage in the vehicle.  For any trips to and from launch ramps (as much as 75 miles in Florida), the motor remains on the mount.  I take a mooring line connected to the starboard aft cleat, and run it around twice tightly even with the prop just below the fin like casting.  The line goes to the port aft cleat and gets tied.  It then goes back just under the motor housing and back to the SB cleat - tied off.  If the travel is a bit long it will loosen up once.  Re-tie and good to go.  I had a friend follow me out of a boat ramp in Charlotte Harbor. He said that even with some construction bumps, the motor stayed put. did not move up or down or bounce.  I think the goal has to be to prevent as much movement as possible.  It is the up and down bounce that no doubt stresses the mount.  I know of one Eclipse owner who uses a ratcheting strap under the motor to the boom gallows.  Personally I do not like this method because I do not think the boom gallows can stand much pressure, but it works for him.  Good luck and we are all awaiting pics of the new boat.

[captronr]

For those that might worry a lot about things, might even be good to put the Motor in F.  I've passed tailered boats where the prop is spinning in the slipstream.......

Most likely not an issue, but....................

Have fun.
Ron

[gmerrill]

In looking at the pictures of the eclipse trailers there doesn't seem to be enough room between the winch and the tongue of the trailer to configure a mount of some sort.  I did find a picture of one where I could barely see a motor mount made on the trailer but it was impossible to tell.  I've seen those on P23's.  Al I think yours is a good alternative also.  Are you talking about a bag made out of burlap or heavy cloth material or just a contractors garbage bag.  It is easy enough to drain the carb bowl.

[alsantini]

I use the heavy duty contractors plastic bag.  One bag usually gets me to Florida and back.  With the motor upright, there is a small screw at the base of the carburetor bowl.  If you remove it any fuel in the bowl will drain out.  I use a small butter container to catch the fuel.  With the screw out, I remove the inlet line and blow out the remaining fuel, also into the butter container.  Put the screw back in and re-attach the inlet line and you are good to go.

[Bilge Rat]

I don't know what's more impressive, the motor mount or the 16 balancing on it's stub keel behind the trailer?

I like your motor mount deisher6. I've thought of doing something like that on my Sun Cat trailer as I think there is ample room between the winch post and the tongue. Are those 2 X 12's with a piece of plywood in between?

[kickingbug1]

     i have to say that there is no way that i would trailer my catalina 18 with 60 lbs hanging from the stern. at this point my "87" has zero stress cracks. i would like to keep it that way. the merc goes in the bed of the truck long trip or short. only takes about 15 seconds to put it on when i get to the lake. and since i wait until the boat is fully rigged the backstay never can get hung up on it. my opinion.

[deisher6]

I don't know what's more impressive, the motor mount or the 16 balancing on it's stub keel behind the trailer?

I like your motor mount deisher6. I've thought of doing something like that on my Sun Cat trailer as I think there is ample room between the winch post and the tongue. Are those 2 X 12's with a piece of plywood in between?

Hey BilgeRat:
There was a retired Navy Chief down the road that had a fork lift.  He was happy to lift the C-16 on and off the trailer using slings made from towing straps.  It sat nicely on the keel which made it very easy to paint.

Yes, the mount is made from two 2X12's with plywood sandwiched between them.  I used liquid nail and deck screws to hold it together.  I wanted the mount to be the same width as the trailer tongue plus 1.75, so one 2X12 would not be notched.  That 2X12 extended by itself at the top where the motor was clamped.

There is two or three years between the photos.  The one with the boat on the trailer is the latest, note the improved mast support on the bow pulpit as well as the ida rudder mast support/roller aft.

It all worked well together.

regards charlie

[Eagleye]

Hi Greg,
This is a much discussed topic with several different opinions.
Check out this old thread.

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=7063.msg51522#msg51522

-Allen