avoiding damage to transom from engine weight during trailering

[gato chateau]

I'm a newbie to this boat and community and would appreciate some feedback on how others handle travel with outboard.  I purchased a Sun Cat at the Atlantic City Boat show (with standard motor bracket) and plan on having a 6 HP Tohatsu Sail Pro on the boat.  I've read about possible damage to the transom over time if one leaves motor on the boat while in transit.  As my tow vehicle is an Audi A-3 (diesel so hopefully enough torque to tow load) I won't have space for the outboard in my vehicle.  I'd rather not have to store the outboard in the cockpit as it would probably not be easy to secure.  So the other option I've heard about is securing the outboard on a bar on the trailer or a some sort of angled outboard motor support bracket that would be connected somehow to the rear bottom of the trailer frame.  As the factory trailer for the Sun Cat has a small profile I'm not sure of my options.  Would be interested in hearing how others travel with outboard.  Leave outboard on the boat's motor mount without additional support and don't worry as it's only 60 lbs?  Or, if another approach is necessary, what do folks without space in their vehicle do?  Thanks in advance for counsel!

[capt_nemo]

Welcome gato chateau,

To get you started on learning what others have done, go up to the Forum "Sailing your Com-Pac -Tips and Tricks" and find the post titled "Do you trailer with the motor on the outboard motor mount or not.".

Having remembered reading something about this topic somewhere I used the SEARCH function on this site for "outboard motor" and found it for you. Since there are a number of Forums which may be of help in answering any question you might have, the SEARCH function is not only a powerful tool but also a time saver as well.

Often, a post which could rightly fit appropriately in several Forums is posted only in one so it could very well be missed if members don't regularly check or get notified of NEW Posts.

capt_nemo

[gato chateau]

Thanks for tip on search feature.  The tongue mount shown appears to be a good option if it fits a Sun Cat Trailer (believe it was on a 19). 

[Bob23]

Gato:
   Did you purchase the Suncat that was at the show? Black hull, I believe. It was nice to see some sailboats at the show. I assume you might be a NJ sailor... where are your home waters?
Bob23

[Tom Ray]

First, the engine is unlikely to damage a transom that does not already have some rot in it. It's a plywood and fiberglass sandwich, and they are incredibly tough. Powerboats use the same basic transom and hang MUCH bigger motors. Eventually, it becomes a problem for them, usually after water finds a way inside. My 90 hp outboard weighs about 240 lbs and hangs on a transom that I think is only slightly stronger than a Sun Cat transom.

That said, I do secure my motor when trailering the boat. I put it on the bracket, attach a low-stretch dock line to the starboard side stern cleat, loop it under a smooth part of the back of the engine, then lift the engine as I tighten the line onto the other cleat. Mine is long enough that it then goes back around to the other cleat again, then goes up and holds the mast on the gallows.

The doubled dock line cradles the engine, relieving some of the stress on the transom and reducing the tendency to bounce around. That tendency to bounce around can cause an engine to come loose and fall off, so my tying it up is as much to secure it against loss as to protect the transom, which really does not need it.

[Salty19]

For very short trips, I've left the motor on (CP16 and CP19) but was nervous about it.
For long trips, the motor rides in the back of the truck.

A real nice solution to your storage issue is to built a platform on the hitch to hold the motor.  Storage problem solved and no worries about stressing the transom. I have a pic somewhere, let me find it.

[Stray Cat]

Welcome Gato
I too am a newbie here. I bought my Suncat last year from Winters and also purchased a 6 hp Tohatsu from Tides End Marina. Al at Tides End was very helpful. Sorry I can't help with your question as I have a truck and just lay the motor in the bed while trailering (twice a year). My boat stays in the water for the season on the Metedaconk River in Brick.
Tim

[skip1930]

The glass transom with the plywood hard points will not flex nor crack.
If you look~see the scissors outboard engine [engine not motor. Motors are electric. Engines are gas.] mount in the West Marine catalog it will say that the mount is designed and made for 20 hp. Additionally it may say 20 hp max, embossed in the phenolic. Mine does from 1998 or so and supports a 5 hp Mercury 2 cycle short shaft just fine on my CP-19. From time to time the nyloc-nuts holding the mount together needs to be tightened to take some of the slop out and everything that moves lubed up.

skip.    "the motor vibrating loose." I have a long key/padlock that goes through both holes on each of two 'thumb' screws that tighten the motor to the motor mount.
The other thing a motor mounts does is to spread out the weight over a greater surface of the transom. That's the saving grace.



Note the bronze bushings, shoulder to shoulder in the rudder casting at both the top and botton [4 required]. The casting has been removed and has been powder coated hammer tone grey. Casting needed to be drilled for 1/2 inch bushings. Also the O/B is 2 inched down and 2 inches back. Made a new aluminum mounting plate with 2" rubber vibration snubbers.

[tmorgan]

I am glad to see the consensus is that the motor will not hurt the transom.  In reading several strands about this, I was always wondering if the problem was damage to the transom or the motor vibrating loose.  When I picked my boat up at the factory, the dealer just put the motor on the bracket.  I have trailed it to Virginia from Florida and for the past four years back and forth from my house to the Chesapeake Bay (4-5 hour) several times a year with no problem.  I have a 4 HP Yamaha long shaft locked on to the mount.  I like the suggestion of tying it to the boat to add a layer of security and to reduce bouncing.  Thanks everyone for the information.

[capt_nemo]

Coincidentally, since I purchased my Sun Cat just over a year ago I too have used a line from aft cleat under motor to opposite aft cleat just as Tom Ray described.
It is a SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE, yet EFFECTIVE safeguard against excessive vibration, shock loads on the transom, and motor loss! And, that same line of appropriate length is already cleated and ready to serve as a temporary dock line when launching. Furthermore, not having to mess with the motor at the launch ramp means one less time-consuming task to perform, which gets us out on the water more quickly and back home faster after sailing.

[Tom Ray]

tmorgan,

Any small skiff driver knows that engines like to jump off transoms. In particular, they like to do it when turning, and especially when turning in reverse.

Those little clamps vibrate loose and compress the mounts over time. The engine may shake its way into a previous groove, creating "slack" in the clamps that were previously tight.

This is why motors of about 25 hp and up should be bolted to the transom. People do clamp motors that large, but they're prone to going swimming if the clamps are not checked/retightened frequently.

BOTTOM LINE: DO NOT trust those little clamps to stay tight. It's not a bad idea to make checking clamp tightness part of your pre-start checklist. Last time you ran it (or trailered it over some bumps) could be the time it got a little loose, meaning next time you turn it in gear it will leap off the bracket. I frequently turn my engine independently of the rudder when I'm near a dock, so I'm asking for it! I check!

[westlund]

I am in the process of fixing my motor mount system. The mount is a heavy duty mount for 4stroke motors. My long shaft 6hp Yamaha weighs in at about 80 lbs. When I got home from the winter Florida trip (about 3500 miles of towing with motor on mount) I found the bottom two bolts of the 8 holding the mount to the transom were LOOSE. The motor was tied up so it would not bounce with a tight strapping. I think the 3/8 three strand nylon would be better because it "gives" as it is loaded. The strap would not do that.
  When my neighbor and God bless him and his family, crawled into the locker to help remove the motor mount it was discovered that the backing board was cheap old pine, cracked and too short for the application. In the end we got it off in spite of one rusted nut (darn that previous owner anyway) and I'm about to mix up some thickened epoxy and fill the damaged areas from previous mount holes, etc. The holes will get redrilled before putting the mount back on. It has turned into a project and it made me mad to find how poorly the mount had been put onto the boat. I have a 7ply piece of tight plywood, AA, holes drilled already, to install as backing board now which will coat with clear epoxy. When all done should be okay. I plan to put the motor in my Jeep though and not tow with the motor on the mount in the future. The problem then will be finding someone to pick up the thing and help me get it on the motor mount before I launch. Meantime I am hoping for some warmer weather before going to North Channel in a couple of weeks.

[motscg]

I have a 6HP long shaft Tohatsu on my Sunday Cat.  I use a 'Transom Saver' (got mine at West Marine) which is an adjustable rod that connects the lower end of the OB shaft to the frame of the boat trailer.  Seems to keep the OB steady and is easy to connect and disconnect at the boat ramp.  For a very long trip (i.e. Long Island to upper Adirondacks), I removed the OB and transported it in the cockpit.  I may not have had to do that but considering the distance I didn't want to take the chance.