Outboard trailer towing question.

[ericlin0122]

Hi,
I am a newbie, got my 12' inflatable (aluminum floor) last year, and this year I got a trailer and a mercury 9.9 motor.
I have questions about towing boat with motor on highway.
1. transom saver?
I am not sure if I should keep the motor in vertical or tilt position when trailing. The manual said put the motor in vertical position when trailing. It suggests only tilting the motor if extra clearance is needed. what do most people do? I saw people also mentioned using transom saver for reduce dynamic load in rough road.

2. transom support bunk?
The trailer I got looks like this one. I did some search on the forum, it seems like some people put extra 2 short bunks under the transom. Do I need to do that for this motor? This is my first boat/motor, never thought the motor is that heavy. I am worry about the weight of the motor might damage the transom. Maybe the boat is not that fragile as I think?

3. engine bolt?
Saw on the manual, they suggest drill two holes and install the bolts to secure the motor. Do I need to do that? I searched this forum, some people just use a small rope and secure the clamp from vibrating. The last thing I want to see is a flying off outboard on highway.

Thanks alot!
happy boating soon... still winter in Canada...

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Outboard trailer towing question.

1-Personally don't use a transom saver, just lock my engine in a vertical position, trailer tube bunks shoud provide enough leg clearance with respect to road.

2-Your trailer seems is ideal for a hard hull small boat, jet ski, rib type, probably good for moving very short car, beach, or launching point distances. Not ideal for sib transport on long distances or bumpy roads as both parallel supports will only support lower deck fabric instead of side tubes. Much worst damage to lower fabric with attached engine.

3-If possible place a piece of rubber, pvc fabric under clamps, tight well clamps, if you can manage to make both clamps eye's match each other much better, secure both eyes with a lock or string. Bolting is for heavier engines which will remain living on transom or as perfect deterrents for passerby thieves who likes stealing portables.

Happy Boating

 

[ericlin0122]

Re: Outboard trailer towing question.

is there any modification you would suggest to increase better tube support?

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Outboard trailer towing question.

Have done the opposite, modified a bunk trailer for sib use into one for rib use, but that was easy, just chop both lateral bunks to stay with a perfect rectangle frame on to wich you add 2 long parallel wooden supports. To get the idea, need something similar like this :

Deep V keel support keeps keel inflated at all times, extended tube bunks, transom & engine full support. Have towed 1,000 kilometers my 380 sib with 18 HP engine at back with no issues whatsoever.

Probably could replace both standard lateral supports by wide ones to fully support lower tubes and strap down sib onto trailer, to tow with a bunk trailer with max engine at transom, tubes must be inflated to at least 2.5 PSI to achieve transom rigidity, if poorly inflated, engine will bump constantly while travelling. Many boaters here are very creative modifying trailers, wait for them to chime in.

Happy Boating

 

[suneshop]

Re: Outboard trailer towing question.

I have 3 inflatables, one is a fast DUX cat hull with a new 25 Hp 2 stroke I normally would bolt it to transom. This little thing did a little over 40 mph! I let someone use it and forgot to install the bolts. Now this is a very rough ride and lots of stress on motor and transom mount.My pride and joy 25 Hp is currently on the bottom of Lake Erie. The other 2 RIB's run with 15 Hp 2 strokes and I have safety chains on those and that works fine. I also trailer the RIB's and the bunks rest only on the hull. I travel with the motor vertical. Have fun with your new toy.

 

[CapeAnn]

Re: Outboard trailer towing question.

The 9.9 Mercury/Tohatsu isn't that big a motor and weighs some 80+ lbs. Why not just take it off, put it inside the trunk of the car?

It's easy enough to put it back on the transom + you don't have to worry about all the other doo-dads to keep it stable on the highway. The last thing I want is for something that heavy to come off at highway speed and go careening into someone's windshield at 70 mph.

I say this because we lost a wheel off a trailer at highway speeds on a bumpy road in Alaska. We were very lucky that the flying projectile did not kill someone. Luckily, it was a lonely road in Alaska and the only thing we scared up was perhaps a moose a mile away.