Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

[umblecumbuz]

I’ve been looking at a few outboard installations here. <br /><br />On the bigger motors – say 50hp and upwards - it seems to me that the shock loads trasferred to the transom when a trailer outfit hits a bump are mostly directed downwards – in other words, the shock loads do not exert a huge leverage effect on the transom itself.<br /><br />The greater proportion of weight on these outboards seems to be the motor assembly, not the lower unit. When a motor is swung up for trailering, the pivot point is directly above the transom, and this weight swings inboard, leaving the lower unit counterbalancing it. If this is generally true, then the leverage acting on the transom while trailering when the motor is swung up is very small.<br /><br />Although I’ve always supported my motors with a home-made rig running from the AV plate to the base of the transom (shaped plywood), it seems to me that neither my home-made support nor a transom saver will have any effect on the vertical shock loads which the transom gets when trailering, and as long as my motor is not ‘floppy’ when trailering, I can’t see the huge advantage in a transom saver. On all the boats I’ve had, there has never been a transom problem without a transom saver.<br /><br />If a transom can't stand the strain of trailering with the motor counterbalanced on it, it makes you wonder how it is affected by the huge leverage forces generated when accelerating a heavy boat in the water.<br /><br />Any thoughts?

 

[Triton II]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

What a well constructed question. The reason I use a transom saver is not to save the transom (my alloy Quintrex has a transom built like a brick outhouse!) rather to stop the motor rocking on the trim/tilt mechanism and give the T'n'T an easier time when towing. I must admit that I don't use the transom saver on a day-to-day basis as the trip to the ramp is less than a mile, but I do use it on long journeys.<br />However, what I can add through observation is that even if the OB's weight is directly over the top of the transom when tilted fully up, the fore and aft rocking couple on bumpy roads when braking or accelerating will try to flex the transom backwards and forewards more than up and down. Boat: Quintrex 475 Spirit cuddy cabin weight 479kg, OB Yam FT60BETL weight 120kg. Hope this helps.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

very interesting,ive always used a transomesaver but i always thought it was take stress off the hydraulics and in case anything leak down it would keep your lowerunit save?

 

[Holdimhook]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

I learned an expensive lesson when my hydraulics leaked down and I left a chunk of my lower unit behind me on the road. I don't know about the transom, but it sure would've saved that lower unit if I'd had one that day. I've used one ever since.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

Gotta say it, Holdimhook -<br /><br />What's the tilt-lock on the motor for? <br /><br />It's supposed to take the strain off the hydraulics and keep the motor in the raised position. If you raise any outboard and just rely on the hydraulics to keep it there without engaging the lock, you'll end up learning the hard way.

 

[Guest]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

Well, this is a debate that will rage on forever. <br /><br />I use one because it just seems to keep the load off the transom and the hydraulics. Some folks think you should just lower the motor all the way and you're good to go. I really have no idea if that keeps the load off. But if I did that, my lower unit would be about three inches off the road!! <br /><br />My vote is to use the transom saver. <br /><br />Bill

 

[JRJ]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

I don't use one on my 15 year old 18.5' boat. The ram and the transom are plenty strong for the job, as they should be.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

My vote would be to use a transom saver...hence the name.<br />Your right about the pivot point, but if we throw physics in, ya still see'em bouncing and that ain't good, don't care how well-built the transom is.<br />The force applied in the water is much less due to the fact the boat is free to move with force and weight.<br />Anyone that has been in the marine industry long enough, knows trailering is twice as hard on a boat as actual use on the water.<br />For those that have the short-shaft engines or boats high enough they can leave the engine down, take a good look at the gearcase and the front of the prop.....

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

I've seeen transom savers CAUSE thousands of dollars in damage. Of course they were either totally inappropriate for the job, installed WAY wrong, or totally ignored and allowed to deteriorate. It all depends on the specific application.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

Originally posted by WillyBWright:<br /> I've seeen transom savers CAUSE thousands of dollars in damage.

OK, Would you care to tell use how a transom saver can cause damage? Especially if they are actually not holding anything. Just currious.<br /><br />I use one because of following some outboards on the highway, I see them bouncing all over the place, and it seems to me that they are bouncing in a way that doesnt look good for the transome.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

Walleyehed:The force applied in the water is much less due to the fact the boat is free to move with force and weight.

How about this, Kenny - The prop pours out power at the base of the leg trying to get a stationary boat out of the hole, and the fixing point of the outboard is at or near the top of the transom. It is producing a twisting moment, with maybe a couple of hundred horsepower trying to tear off the transom top. That's a lot of leverage, but the transom is built to take it.<br /><br />I wonder how many posters have damaged a transom by the rocking or shaking of the motor while trailering, that would have been lessened by using a transom saver.<br /><br /><br />Like Lubedude, i would be interested to hear WillyB's details on how transom savers have caused thousands of dollars worth of damage.

 

[BillP]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

I live on the east coast of Florida and see plenty of boats being trailered on I-95. It is rare to see transom savers on any of them. It is even rarer to see broken motors or transoms from trailering. From my viewpoint trailering is way easier on the rig than running 25 miles offshore to go fishing and jumping off ocean waves at 40mph ...I guarantee I will break your transom jumping waves long before trailering will do it. I think agressive marketing hype with transom savers has raised the scare factor a few notches above reality. That's my 02.<br /><br />I think WillyB is talking about boats moving on their trailers. Just follow trailerboats (I've followed plenty when traveling the fl keys) and watch them hit potholes, RR tracks, etc. Boats move and trailers flex, it doesn't take much to bounce a 20' ob an inch or two up or sideways. If the trailer flexes the straps can get slack and then the boat moves...about 99% of boat trailers on the road flex. If the transom saver is too tight and secured to the trailer, the motor takes the strain when the boat moves.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

I use a transom saver and would never trailer without it. The potholes here resemble sink holes and the roads are HORRIBLE. The cost of $30cdn for the transom saver just seemed like a good investment after re-building my transom, and modifying a T&T to fit my motor ('72 Johnson 100hp). <br /><br />When I had manual tilt on it, the motor jumped off the lock (to this day don't know how), and I lost my skeg. That $30 last year would have saved it for sure.<br /><br />Just have to be sure that the boat is secured really well to the trailer before supporting a motor with the transom saver, otherwise boat shift can cause lower unit damage.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

I have always enjoyed this debate. I can't honestly think of a single time I have seen one in use up in my neck of the woods, and my roads really suck. I personally don't use one, I share Billp's mindset on the forces involved in moving a boat through rough water vs a bit of the ol' up & down on a trailer. I also feel if someone wants to use one, they aren't really hurting anything, and if they feel better about it (despite the true placebo effect it has), then thats all that really matters.

 

[dtherrien]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

well look at it this way...on my motor you can acually apply alittle downward pressure to the transom saver.You are creating an "A" frame, which is a very strong form. I would use one.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

I agree, it is all a matter of whether or not someone feels better by using one. I don't see very many around here, if any at all, and no one seems to have a problem. For me personally I just feel better having one and the cost was never a problem when I bought it.<br /><br />There is one other reason why I do have one. It keeps the motor straight when tilted. When I built the rear deck onto my boat, I didn't leave enough room in the splashwell for the motor to have enough clearance when fully tilted, on the tilt lock, and turned to either side. It's close, and was a mis-calculation, but I would rather not risk having the cowling crack, or all my hard work on the deck ruined because of motor bounce. But for everyone else, it probably really isn't required (unless your transom is rotten, but then you shouldn't even be using the boat).

 

[sergioy]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

Small motor, why bother. Big motor, yes I will take the extra 60 seconds it takes to put one on. If I where to loose the hydraulics while trailering. My motor would hit the road emmediately, very low trailer. The motor is a 200 hp Suzuki. the boat I jsut got rid of was 70 hp Johnson. I could leave that motor down and it would not hit the road. <br /><br />As far as the force being applied during operation, it is silly to compare it with going down the road. Cuz no matter how rough that water gets the boat is basically moving freely. I double dog dare anyone to ride on their boat while it is being trailered down a bumpy road.

 

[Boilermaker]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

You can't just jump straight to DOUBLE DOG DARE!!!

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

He just did!<br /><br />I can't flex an aluminum prop with my hands, but they flex when power is applied in the water. That's a lot of power at the base of the leg trying to twist the top off the transom. I agree with BillP that the forces applied to the transom in the water are potentially greater than the jerks and bounces the transom gets while being trailered.<br /><br />The guys marketing transom savers have done a good PR job!

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Transom Savers Are A Waste Of Money - Yes or No?

We had a discussion about this around a year ago when I was on Texoma....I remember Trying to count the boats that used them, vs. the ones that didn't, and I do remember very few with, say 70HP-up, didn't have one.