Trailering with O/B motor mounted or not?

[Tom Kiernan]

Does anyone have any thoughts on trailering a C-22 with a 60 lb Merc 4 hp outboard motor hanging on the engine mount? Would the weight of the motor and road shocks cause stress damage to the hull mountings or other things? The Merc manual says to trailer their motor in the vertical position, but the Catalina manual says nothing. Tks.

 

[Sean Howe]

Motor

The mechanical engineer I bought my C22 from insisted on taking it off. Said it could easily fall off, or strain something, from the forces of going over the speed bumps out of the park, etc.

 

[Bob Finley]

It can't do the boat any good!

I have a 7-1/2hp air cooled Sears OB and I haul it in the pickup and mount it when we arrive at the lake. My motor mount is heavy aluminum with a single arm and I figure the motor would just sit there and beat on it and the transom throughout the trip. On motor boats (stinkpots) the motor is mounted on the transom and places a downward force on it tending to compress the transom material. Additionally, lots of them use a third leg if the motor is tilted up to relieve the torque on the transom. On ours, the motor is mounted on an external mount some 8 to 10 inches off the back and bolted through the transom. It puts a torque or twisting force on the transom. The transom is tough, but why put the extra strain on it you can avoid it?

 

[mg]

same engine

and i have a mounting bracket on the winch brace at the trailer tongue. that way its off the transom and still vertical plus putting a little extra wt. on the hitch. $20 at the hardware store will do it. mg

 

[Dave]

Save your Boat!

Hi There,Just another person with an additional 2 cents here.I purchased my 2000 MKII from the Chandlery in Santa Barbara, Ca. Then had to trailer over the coastal range and into the valley. The reccomendation from the factory is not trailer the boat with the motor on the bracket. So I don't. I carry it in my pickup on the bed floor. It's not worth the pain of number 1 causing unseen damage to the transom. #2 any damage that might occur from an accident, sudden shifting or having to change lanes in an instant on the freeway causes a shift of momentum, thus putting unmeasureable force on a bracket that could fail. In short, it's just not a safe practice.Dave