Trailer with motor in mount.

[archimedes]

Hey all,
I was wondering if anyone trailers their boat with the motor on the motor mount.

I've got a 3.5 hp Tohatsu (about 41 pounds) and I always remove it when I'm trailering.  I was just wondering if it's really necessary.  I only trailer the boat 3 or 4 miles at 35mph max.

So is it really necessary to remove it from the mount?

[hoddinr]

Not at all.

I trailer my SunCat hundreds of miles with the 4 hp Yamaha on the mount.  I do run a line from the motor to the Boom Gallows to take stress off the mount.  Plus a rum a shock cord from the motor leg to the mount to keep it from bouncing.

Ron

[DanM]

I do the same as Ron, although I usually only trailer short distances. But just to share a lesson learned, I usually tie the motor up with a ratchet strap. The last time I did that, I happened to use a cheapo strap (like you'd get in a six pac from Harbor Freight.) In just a 40 minute drive, it parted where it ran across the motor. So use a good quality strap if you do this.

[Pacman]

I worry about the outboard out at the end of the boat bouncing along, not to mention the possibility that it might fall off or even be stolen.  That's why I always remove it from the transom mount before travel.

So, can you tow your boat with the motor on the mount?  Yes you can.  Lots of people do. 

It's your choice but my motor travels in the truck

[JBC]

I've trailered long distances with a motor on the mount. But in addition to other suggestions, I have two more. Make certain the motor is not in a tilt position. And don't travel with the motor in the lowest position if it is on an adjustable mount.

Traveling with the motor in the lowest position is not great because it is extended out in that position, making the mount weaker. But conversely, when traveling with motor and mount in an upright position, it is important to tie motor and/or mount so it won't bounce easily from the high position to the low one. I speak from experience!

Jett

[alsantini]

This is an interesting question that everyone has an opinion on - as we all should!  I think the question comes down to distance traveled, position of the motor, and how it is secured.  I followed a power boat once who had a kicker next to his "big" motor.  The big motor stayed put but the kicker bounced and moved around and had to put tremendous stress on the boat's mount.  It probably was not good for the motor either.  Leaving the motor to bounce around just does not make sense.  A previous post talked about leaving the motor down.  This really makes sense if you consider the forces on that little hunk of metal that is holding the motor in an up position.  With it down the forces are more up and down and I believe if we tie the motor either up or down we will help to control the forces of bounce where the strength of the mount is at risk.  Last point distance.  I believe any of the mounts being used on Com Pac boats will handle the correct size motor but to have a motor bounce around for hundreds of miles does not make sense to me.
Here is the personal part - what I do.  I travel from northern Illinois to SW Florida every fall and return in the spring.  1360 miles one way.  Where is the motor?  It is in the SUV in a contractor's garbage bag.  Once in Florida, I re-set the boat, putting sails, bimini, etc back on deck.  Now the motor is on the mount (locked) where it will stay.  Max distance I go before I sail is about 40 miles.  On the road the motor is down and a line loops around the bottom of the motor to control the bounce.  I have had a friend behind me and he claimed that the motor did little if any bouncing with the line double tied to the motor and the cleats.  I am pulling the motor down.
I have had 5 boats with outboard motors and have followed the same procedure.  Knock on wood (probably my head...) no problems to date.  My Eclipse has traveled extensively during the almost 5 years that I have had her especially since I trailer sail her all winter.  Sail On
Al

[NateD]

On my previous CP16 I had a 4hp 2 stroke, always trailered with motor on mount in up position with no other lines or supports attached. Normally towed about 30 miles round trip, but did a number of 400-600 mile trips with the motor like this.

My CP23 had a 9.9 4 stroke that weighed about 100 pounds. It always rode in the back of the truck (or in the cockpit for 1 cross-country trip).

My current CP16 has a 3.5hp 4 stroke. Motor typically rides in the bed of the truck because I'm not using the boat very much and the motor is nice and light and easy to take off/put on. Sometimes I do tow with the motor on the mount in the down position. There is a small piece of line attached to the motor and a u-bolt on the boat in case the mount were to break, the motor wouldn't end up on the highway (or at the bottom of the lake). The mount doesn't seem to have as much play (and therefore less bouncing) when it is in the down position.

I'm sure taking the motor off is better for the mount/transom, but these things are built strong enough that a sub-50 pound motor on a mount in good condition is probably fine whether it is up, down, tied off or not. But anything you can do to reduce the stress/bounce if you do leave it on will help with peace of mind.

[archimedes]

Thanks for the replies folks.

My motor is only 42 lbs (3.5 hp 4 stroke) and I only need to go a couple of miles at 30-35 mph so I'm feeling better about leaving it on the mount for short distances.  But if I take it on the highway for an extended trip I'll certainly take it off for the trip.

[JBC]

My caution about the mount being in the extended down position has to do with pot holes. That's when, even at a low highway speed, a 40+ lb motor can bounce pretty good. I didn't realize how deep one was once, less than a mile from my house, and the motor bounce was enough to unlock the mount. Now the motor was still down but no longer locked, so any more such bounces could get interesting as far as stress on the mount. In addition, I had the kind of mount that required me to push down on the motor top to trip the locking lever while raising the motor.

Once I discovered that a pothole could accomplish the same thing, I decided it was more secure to keep the motor/mount in the upright position and easier to tie it to hold that position. I traveled over 1000 miles with the motor secured that way way once, and it worked fine. And, yes, I hit a few bumps solid enough to make me pull over and check. I agree that mounts are pretty strong and can take a beating, so with a few extra precautions, I think the motor can travel on the stern ok.

Jett

[JBC]

A brief P.S. to my previous post. My last three or four motors have all been 4 strokes. Much as I liked them (except the weight!), one thing they do not do well is lie on their sides, or more precisely the wrong side. They leak. And as I don't have a truck, all the more reason to carry the motor on the mount.

Jett

[Jim in TC]

 "I think the question comes down to distance traveled, position of the motor, and how it is secured."

PLUS motor weight. I will soon take delivery of a Sun Cat bearing a 4 stroke 8hp Yamaha. Too big, I know and may even exceed the weight the motor mount was designed for. In any event, this motor will come off the boat for the 100+ mile trip to her new home (then sold off in favor of something way smaller and lighter, most likely a Torqeedo).

[captronr]

If a person doesn't want to leave it on the transom, nor put it in the SUV, it wouldn't take much to make/buy a motor mount that would go on the winch post.  It would be equally stealable on the post or transom, but the bouncing issue goes away.

Ron

[Bristol14]

Not sure if this is relevant  the but when I bought my 87 Com-Pac 23-2, I trailered it from Brunswick, Maine to Marion, MA. I left the 80 lb Evinrude 8 hp on the motor mount and had no problems.

[CayugaSailor]

On land and at sea, avoiding bad situations is usually better than trying to recover from bad situations.

If you trailer with your outboard on the transom, the outboard might damage the transom.

If you trailer without your outboard on the transom, the outboard will not damage the transom.