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Transom/Trim Issues from Trailering


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That was my question too, and so far I think the unspoken answer is "no".

I would almost buy the argument that ok, these products don't save your transom.. they save your trim rams. However, now we (finally) have outboards with 5 and 6 year warranties, and again, I've never heard of a trim failing from excessive force - rather they develop leaks over time, the motors burn out, or they corrode away.

If the manufacturers believe that your trim assembly will last for 6 years, and they don't stipulate anything unusual during towing....

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No Joe: I submit the answer is yes. :605_thumbs_up:

I have a small 16' Bayhole with a 1250 Merc on it that the guy I purchased it from broke the still solid transom, (BTW: that means it is NOT ROTTON), with a 200 mile tow from Lake Chelan to North Seattle, (on relitively smooth roads).

I now tow that same boat with a brace from the bottom of the skaag, (on the LU of the 1250), to the drain hole at the bottom of said now reinforced transom, (with a new 5/16" aluminum wrap).

The engine used to flopp all over the place and stress the cracked tranny and now it is solid in a geometrically stable format that doesn't cause further damage.

Bracing to the trailer seems problematic to me as well, so I guess you could argue that a poorly thought out transom brace could make matters even worse, that still doesn't void a proper OB brace increasing the life of a transom. ;)

Anybody can argue that gravity doesn't werk cause it takes a little time to harm said tranny and since a solid transom can stand some of the punishment you can kid yerself that it is not happening. FACT IS: it is happening, as simple high school geometry will tell ya that if ya think jus' a wee bit.

Me over priced $.02. JR

I don't know what a "Bayhole" is, so I'm not sure it applies. I'll assume from this discussion it's a boat. But you are the first person I've ever heard in 30+ years of boating say they have seen a transom "break" from trailering. I'm not saying it didn't happen or that you are lying; but knowing nothing of the particular boat, or even type of boat, and the fact this is the first one I have ever heard doing so, it makes me think something else was amiss rather than trailering. If it broke going down the road, it was going to break in rough water.

I didn't see anyone arguing about gravity; I certainly wasn't. But I'd agree with those above that said a wedge type device might save the hydraulics more than it does anything for the transom. The weight of the engine "bouncing around" doesn't change whether we are holding it from the hydraulic rams or just having it unsecured. By stiffening the engine's tilt hinge, (and if you'll "think jus' a wee bit"),"FACT IS" you'll see you have created a longer torque arm that forces the transom to flex rather than the flex at the tilt hinge.

All a wedge device really does is attempt to change the engine's pivot point and its moment of inertia in respect to the transom. Ever used a longer pry bar to open something where a shorter one wouldn't? It's called leverage. By creating a longer torque arm (by stiffening the pivot point) we increase that leverage.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out using those devices actually made a transom weaker or more prone to gel coat cracking from the engine rotating about the plane of the transom versus it's intended pivot point of the engine's tilt hinge.

Which would you rather tilt--the engine hinge, or the transom?

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I don't know what a "Bayhole" is, so I'm not sure it applies.

A Bayhole is a slang term for a Bayliner and is does apply I assure you; (now whether you accept my experience is another matter). A Bayliner is a very light weight hand laid glass boat (mine was built in Arlington, WA), a few miles north of where I live.

You can believe or not believe what you want; it doesn't bother me if ya choose to blow off the truthful second hand story that led to a lower aquisition price that I personally paid fer the boat as I relayed it. Believe what you wish.

I'll assume from this discussion it's a boat.

Thanks: that is big of you.

But you are the first person I've ever heard in 30+ years of boating say they have seen a transom "break" from trailering.

Now you are miss quoting what I said. I was told it cracked and I observed the crack and the wobble of the powerhead first hand so it made perfect sense since the transom was otherwise sound.

I'm not saying it didn't happen

Good because it did.

or that you are lying;

Good because I'm not.

but knowing nothing of the particular boat, or even type of boat, and the fact this is the first one I have ever heard doing so, it makes me think something else was amiss rather than trailering.

Well I guess you are an expert about things that you don't have a clue about then, eh?

If it broke going down the road, it was going to break in rough water.

BS. You don't know the boat or the situation AS YOU ADMITTED, you just can't accept anthing that doesn't fit yer precornceived notion. The world is full of people like you. You are the one who asked for the example of failure which I provided; accept it or don't: no big deal ta me.

I didn't see anyone arguing about gravity; I certainly wasn't.

Same deal. Sorry that one was over yer head.

But I'd agree with those above that said a wedge type device might save the hydraulics more than it does anything for the transom.

Well you jus' go ahead and agree with what you want to agree with, and disagree with what you want to disagree with, I'm sure not gonna change that.

The weight of the engine "bouncing around" doesn't change whether we are holding it from the hydraulic rams or just having it unsecured.

As I said you can argue with gravity and geometry all ya want. I don't accept yer argument, as it is incornsistent with me own first hand experience and me personal knowledge of geometry, road vibration, and gravity. A loose weight on a unsecured fulcrum is much more damaging to the bearing transom them a secure fixed weight all other things bein' equal.

By stiffening the engine's tilt hinge, (and if you'll "think jus' a wee bit"),"FACT IS" you'll see you have created a longer torque arm that forces the transom to flex rather than the flex at the tilt hinge.

Nope I think gravity werks and I think I also understand geometry jus' fine, so you jus' think what ya want ta think. It is fine by me.

All a wedge device really does is attempt to change the engine's pivot point and its moment of inertia in respect to the transom.

The transom brace fixes the engine in a set position and locks it there so it doesn't flex up and down back and forth with road vibration. You can think what ya want and how ya want to think and make up anything ya want too. Fine with me.

Ever used a longer pry bar to open something where a shorter one wouldn't? It's called leverage. By creating a longer torque arm (by stiffening the pivot point) we increase that leverage.

Proves nothing. Just bloviation.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out using those devices actually made a transom weaker or more prone to gel coat cracking from the engine rotating about the plane of the transom versus it's intended pivot point of the engine's tilt hinge.

You wouldn't be surprised by too many things I take it.

Which would you rather tilt--the engine hinge, or the transom?

I would rather have my engine fixed in a stable locked postion, (with a brace) so road vibration did not further stress an already stressed part of any hull that has a lot of weight and horsepower wracking on it. That is me: you do what ya want.

I have been boating fer as long as you have and I try to keep an open mind.

My experinece and my single functional brain cell leads me to a different cornclusion then you have reached based on my own experiences that you discount.

To each his own: what ever floats yer boat is fine with me. Carry on now ya hear. JR

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So, a simple yet costly answer to this question is to affix a motor to a transom of any particular boat and either simulate or actually road test it for, oh, I don't know, a million miles or so, with periodic and prolonged dunkings in salt and fresh water, along with offshore high speed running (to simulate real world conditions), same test performed with O/Bs of various weights and HPs, on many different boats...

So where do I apply for this job? :605_thumbs_up:

Good solid transom =no worries :605_thumbs_up:

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So, a simple yet costly answer to this question is to affix a motor to a transom of any particular boat and either simulate or actually road test it for, oh, I don't know, a million miles or so, with periodic and prolonged dunkings in salt and fresh water, along with offshore high speed running (to simulate real world conditions), same test performed with O/Bs of various weights and HPs, on many different boats...

So where do I apply for this job? :605_thumbs_up:

Good solid transom =no worries :605_thumbs_up:

Or you ask anyone that trailers a boat over a couple years and doesn't use any transom wedges or sticks to hold it up, and see what their results are.

Most importantly, apparently, the boat shouldn't be a Bayliner.

And there is the first "Bashing of the brands" on reelboating.com

First!

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I have to point this out. That means that instead of having a 500 lb outboard bouncing around on the transom, you now have a 4000 lb boat bouncing around on the outboard.

So every time the boat moves up and down on the trailer, you are transferring that force to the outboard??

I just don't buy it, I think these products are nonsense. Has anyone actually seen a transom fail that WASN'T due to good old fashioned rot?

The boat is strapped to the trailer, how can it bounce up and down?

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The boat is strapped to the trailer, how can it bounce up and down?

Although it's certainly possible to have a perfect trailer setup, seems to me like most boats still bounce around pretty well on the trailer. I also learned the hard way that overtightening the rear strap isn't always good - at least not on an aluminum trailer. The aluminum actually flexes quite a bit during normal driving.

I once strapped the boat down so well that it caused the trailer to flex (and apparently the wheels to go out of alignment) every time I went over a bump. Damndest thing - I couldn't figure out why the setup was towing so bad. After a couple of miles I pulled over, loosened the strap to "snug" as opposed to "superhumanly tight" and everything was golden.

To the guy whose transom broke off - huh - never heard of that before but now I have! :)

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