HMD19 Transom Saver or not ?

[blueflood]

Hi all,

Penny HMD19 is nearing completion with the outboard break-in period coming up at end of summer hopefully. The Mercury 9.9 Pro Kicker XL shaft, electric trim / tilt is rigged but it is a long outboard and weighing 110 lbs. The trim tab is almost touching the ground at motor full down position. Obviously it will have to be tilted up during transporting. I looked at transom savers to install in order to reduce shock and stresses but the last trailer cross beam is so far forward of the transom which makes it very difficult to attach on the cross beam to the lower unit.

I only plan to travel from home to marina a few times (30 kms back roads) but a longer trip is required where I will permanently moor her in Montreal (120 kms highway)

So..is a transom saver required for a few short trips ? The boat / transom is solidly built which can no doubt take some abuse but safety is also important and of course unseen transom damage which can be a problem down the road. I do not want to damage the outboard otherwise.

Anyone know of other methods to secure the outboard in the up position ?

Marc

[TomW1]

blueflood I think this is what you are looking for. It can extend almost 5'(59") under the boat and tilts the motor up. This one is from Overton's but most marine supply companies have them. https://www.overtons.com/adjustable-fra ... ccessories

Tom

[fallguy1000]

You don't need a transom saver for a 9.9. The transom bears all the load almost straight down. I have a Merc 50 4 stroke, 240 pounds and that thing always rides in the up on tang position. The only issue is the tang has fatigued over 16 years of sometimes Canadian logging roads. A well built and reinforced with a splashwell transom doesn't need that nuisance.

If you head down a Canadian logging road with a 150hp 400 pound engine; it is always a good idea to stop the movements.

[OrangeQuest]

Even if the transom is over built, the contact points that hold the motor tilted or trimmed will wear quickly. Our canoe uses just a 5.0HP motor that weights in at 57 pounds we still secure the motor so it doesn't have a chance to bounce. The longer it gets to bounce around the more those areas will become weaker and wallow out causing even more play.

[Cowbro]

Marc,

I do not use a transom saver on my Tohatsu9.8 on my HMD19. Yoda had bought one, and started to install it. However the trailer that i have is a super goofy "sailboat" trailer where the two main cross members pivot to allow the bunks to conform to the curved hull. This means that as the trailer goes down the road and hits bumps the area that would support the transom saver moves and would then bounce the outboard continuously as a result.

My alternative that seems to be working well, (over 1000 miles of towing so far this year over shitty california roads) is to run a ratchet strap from the rear cleats at the top of the transom wrapping it under the cav plate and cranking it down just enough to pull the weight off the support pins in the outboard. I have never seen anyone else do it quite like this, but there aren't a lot of other boats just like an HMD19.

On the flip side, i think you'll be fine without it. I'll try to get a picture up later of my setup. Most folks with small kicker motors on their powerboats don't run transom savers, they also generally are able to trailer with the kicker in the down position though.

Phil

[blueflood]

Great, thanks for the feedback guys. No transom saver then. I will post latest build photos soon.

Marc

[TomW1]

Great, thanks for the feedback guys. No transom saver then. I will post latest build photos soon.

Marc

Okay just make sure you have about 3-4" between the motor and the road so you don't bounce the motor off it.

Tom

[fallguy1000]

Great, thanks for the feedback guys. No transom saver then. I will post latest build photos soon.

Marc

Okay just make sure you have about 3-4" between the motor and the road so you don't bounce the motor off it.

Tom

More than 4". If you go off a hilly drive or curb; 3" is trouble. Keep the motor tilted. Backing into the sea, a dropped motor can also catch in shalllow waters. I swped a boat once when a 25hp caught bottom and sent the boat up and filled the back in horrid rough incoming sea.

8" minimum off the flat road I'd say

Apologies to Tom here. Always easier to correct than speak.

[Jaysen]

Someone smacked a motor that was 24” off the ground at the marina. Know your surroundings or you buy lower units.

[TomW1]

Fallguy and Jaysen make excellent points that you need to take into account. I said 3-4" but should have said 4-6". I trailer my 75HP with and it is 9" above the road. My ramp is pretty steep so I tilt it up when I get to the marina. With your XL shaft I do not know how high you will be above the road.

Tom