Trailering with Outboard

[Project_Mayhem]

I have a 9.9 on the back of my O'Day 25. The transom has 1.5" of wood plus some glass covering an area roughly 18x18". If I use a ratchet strap from the base of the stern rail to somewhere on the motor or mount could I leave it on there while trailering?

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Yes. Leave it upright, not tilted, while your tow vehicle is driving at speed. Secure it so the motor does not swing side to side.

 

[Timm R Oday25]

I also have an Oday 25 . My transom is seriously reinforced . The outboard ,an 8 horse 25" weighs somewhere around 60 plus pounds . It's a pain to put on and off .
I found out that the weight of it that far back throws the trailer tongue weight off considerably . I thought about going from winch to winch and taking the load off the mounting plate .I'd be concerned the whole time I'm trailering that the strap or rope was there doing it's job.
For myself ,I'd be concerned that anytime ,I'd stopped it's an open invitation to thieves .Those motors aren't getting any cheaper you know !

 

[rgranger]

I've done exactly that for year. I put the strap on the winches and then around the back of the motor. A nylon dock line works well also and you can snug it with the winches and then to a cleat.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I found out that the weight of it that far back throws the trailer tongue weight off considerably . I thought about going from winch to winch and taking the load off the mounting plate .I'd be concerned the whole time I'm trailering that the strap or rope was there doing it's job.

Good Call! I didn't think about it affecting the tongue weight. I use ratchet straps a few times a week and have become familiar with potential issues. Two things I've discovered - Check your straps after a few miles as things like to shift and the hook will usually break before the strap

Good to know! Thanks @rgranger !

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I tie mine off with a line around the motor just under the power head, and snubbed tight. Several round trips Texas to Florida with zero troubles

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Thanks everybody! I'll give it a try!

 

[Benny17441]

An outboard's buoyancy is nil; so the weight load on the transom is the same whether the boat is in the water or sitting on the trailer. It is likely that the engine suffers more torsion and vertical acceleration forces in the water that on the trailer in the road. To offset any effects on the trailer tongue weight the load should be adjusted on the trailer by moving either the load forward or the axle rearward. Removing and installing a heavy engine with controls is not a practical option. For protection against thievery, insurance is the best alternative. If you can find an old cowling that will fit the engine and distress it pretty bad and just put it on when trailering it may not be readily appealing to thieves.

 

[DrJudyB]

It is likely that the engine suffers more torsion and vertical acceleration forces in the water [than] on the trailer in the road.

I think the rapid deceleration that happens when you hit a pothole in the road generates greater force than rough water.
F = ma
The mass is the same, but the deceleration is greater on the road than in the water.

 

[JoeWhite]

Yes, definitely remove the engine and place it flat on the bed of your truck. I broke my engine bracket by not removing it. I was lucky I just made the 40 mile trip home. Scary experience.

 

[Hayden Watson]

I had a C25 that was a terror to trailer when I got it. The tongue weight was too low and one time my brother in law was following me that told me that he was scared by how much the motor bounced around. I built a mount board onto the trailer winch tower and moved to motor to the front of the trailer. It made a huge difference in how it handled.

 

[Benny17441]

I think the rapid deceleration that happens when you hit a pothole in the road generates greater force than rough water.
F = ma
The mass is the same, but the deceleration is greater in the road than in the water.

Agreed, it is just that we do not find many potholes when trailering at speed on the interstate. You also have the suspension on the trailer to dampen some of the force. Have had the occasion of briefly dipping the power head under the water a few times in very rough seas and have it come almost instantaneously without skipping a beat; but it was the torsion forces on the motor mount that became of most concern. I have trailered thousands of miles with the outboard in the transom with no apparent effects whatsoever.

 

[Captain Bucknut]

I leave mine on with a ratchet strap to two eyes secured with backing plates. once the motor is secured from bouncing around, there is no impact force from the motor in the instance of hitting a pothole. As for the tongue weight, trailer with most stowables in the salon and then put our anchors, tools, rudder and boom up in the vberth. I'll take her around the block or down the road for a couple miles to get a feel for things and adjust weight from there. I use torsion bars on the hitch and tongue and that gives me a more seamless and secure ride.

 

[OS2Dude]

When I had my O'Day 23 with a Tohatsu 8.8 outboard, I always removed it before trailering. As previously mentioned, the weight that far back messed with the balance and tongue weight and I did not want to stress the lift bracket bouncing down the pavement. I put it in the cabin on a tarp. (External fuel tank, so no worries about spilling a tank of fuel.)

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I pulled my boat out of the water yesterday (Yay! My tongue extension worked!). My new mast stepping system extends the bow support straight up about 11' so I couldnt pull the boat all the way onto the trailer. No surprise the boat tipped backwards when I tried to unhitch it. I towed it around the yard and it's definitely a lot of weight for my Xterra. Kind of reminds me of the days of towing without air bag suspension.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Agreed, it is just that we do not find many potholes when trailering at speed on the interstate.

Oh boy you must have been on far different interstates than I was!! In July I did a 5800 mile 29 day trip in the vehicle (with out a boat) Texas to Wisc, to Maine, to Wash DC, to Georgetown SC, to Beaufort SC, to Jacksonville Fla, to Pasagoula Miss and then back to Texas. I paid over $90 in tolls on thhe various toll roads, and many miles on interstates- I saw pot holes you could hide a body In!!! And most highways were pretty rough. In the far Northeastern states, I was amazed at how poor the tollways were- worse than Texas highways and that's saying a lot

 

[DrJudyB]

the owners manuals for all my Outboard’s all caution against trailering with the OB in the tilted up position. You can trailer it in the full down position as long as you have sufficient road clearance. But If you need to tilt it for sufficient road clearance, the manual to use a strut on the lower unit to support it, to prevent damage to the tilting transom bracket.

What does the manual for *your* Outboard say?

On edit: editing to clarify that I’m talking about the integrated bracket on the Outboard, not an outboat motor mount that’s fastened to the transom

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

What does the manual for *your* Outboard say?

I ALWAYS trailer with the OB in the down position. Makes so much more sense anyway . I have no idea what the bracket itself recommends- been there since I got the boat (used) in 1985

 

[GSBNY]

Pot holes will destroy your motor mount if the outboard is on while towing. I live in New York and I’ve seen pot holes take a trailer tire right off and bend a rim. The motor mount was never designed to take a shock load like that. Heck even normal cars and trucks get some severe damage from these potholes, it’s not uncommon to see a line of cars on the shoulder all with flat tires and bent rims after a bad patch of pot holes.

For the ultimate in safety and security, I remove the motor from the mount. It’s a pain, but so is dealing with a broken motor mount and a potentially damaged transom.

 

[DrJudyB]

An outboard's buoyancy is nil; so the weight load on the transom is the same whether the boat is in the water or sitting on the trailer.

Ummm, that’s not correct. While it is true that an Outboard has a density > water and doesn’t float,the water displacement of a partially submerged object still exerts a buoyancy force, which reduces the apparent (aka suspended) weight of of a partially submerged object.

The apparent weight is what the Transom is supporting, where “apparent weight” = ((Mass of Outboard) * gravity) - ((mass of water displaced) * gravity)