Trailering, engines up or down?

C-Wolfe · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 1:03 pm Post subject: Trailering, engines up or down?

I’m a proud new owner of a C-Dory 22 with twin Honda 50. When hook up to my truck ( full size 3/4 T), the engines seem to have an ok amount of ground clearance but not as much as I’m use too. I had a couple trailerable sailboat that had a couple feet of clearance so I never worried about hiring ground with kicker. Ideally I would like to keep engines down as to not put undue stress on the transom but also don’t want to do any other damage. So, all that said, I would like to hear form others how they set their engine while on the road.
Thanks for any input.

I’m sure this as been discuss here but could not find any tread, If someone can send link to those I would appreciate it.

Peter & Judy · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 2:05 pm Post subject:

I use transom savers on both my 90hp and the 9.9hp kicker. Prevents a lot on the transom.

https://www.amazon.ca/Extreme-Max-3001-1068-Transom-Saver/dp/B001AXGT7O/ref=sr_1_2?crid=38NFSXRG5NKWP&dchild=1&keywords=transom+saver&qid=1603389828&sprefix=transom%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-2

thataway · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 2:37 pm Post subject:

On my 25 I tow with the engine down. On my 22's I had the engines up, and either a rubber block on the hydraulic cylinder or a piece of wood wedged under the articulating part of the engine mount. I also like to capture the engine's side to side movement with a method of limiting the hydraulic cream on the steering (PVC pipe or rubber blocks over the ram arm.

I have also used the "Transom Saver". I am not convinced it does all that much to protect the transom....There is a lot of load on the boat when in the water during acceleration and deceleration...probably more than on the road...[/i]

ssobol · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:12 pm Post subject:

My engine skeg has very little clearance from the ground in the down position, so I trailer it with a block of wood in the tilt mechanism. The engine travels in the almost full up position (because that happened to be the size of the piece of wood I found to use).

IMO, the amount of force put on the transom or the trim cylinders by the engine bouncing from roughness on the road is insignificant compared to the load placed on the transom in normal engine operation. If your transom is not waterlogged or otherwise damaged it should have no problem holding the engine when driving.

The only caveat to that is that the tilt cylinder may not be as robust as the trim cylinders. The Honda mount for my engine has 3 cylinders, two trim and one tilt. When the engine is tilted fully up, it is being held by just the tilt cylinder. I use the wood block in the tilt mechanism to spare the tilt cylinder, not the transom. Since I can't see the engine position when the boat is being towed, I would not know if the cylinder failed and the engine dropped until is was too late (probably after miles of dragging the skeg on the road).

hardee · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:33 pm Post subject:

Not convinced that a Transom saver really does what it says. The suggestion form my mechanic was to block the downward travel at about half way. I use a wooden block that fits into the space under the ram and holds the engine weight, plus a bit of downward pressure on the switch to hold it solid. With lowered bunks and skeg extensions, I would be dragging all the time. I also put some red reflective tape on the back of the OB's that is near vertical with the engines in towing position.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

C-Wolfe · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:54 pm Post subject:

Thanks for your responses. I do have a bracket on the engine to keep it in the up position and take some of the strain from the tilt cylinder. I’ll be using that for now and a block of wood. I just feel like I have good clearance for normal conditions but here we never know when the road turn from good to bad.

thataway · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:04 pm Post subject:

C-Wolfe · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:27 pm Post subject:

[quote="thataway"][quote="new user 22"]Thanks for your responses. I do have a bracket on the engine to keep it in the up position and take some of the strain from the tilt cylinder. I’ll be using that for now and a block of wood. I just feel like I have good clearance for normal conditions but here we never know when the road turn from good to bad.[/quote]

[b]The bracket on the engine mount is NOT made to hold the engine in trailering position.[/b] Do not trailer with this as the only means of support.

Fit a proper block or pipe to take the weight or block of wood.[/quote]

Ok thanks

PaulNBriannaLynn · Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:20 am Post subject:

Another vote for a block of wood. I cut a piece of 2x4 to the width of the engine mount, and lower the engine until its resting on it.

colbysmith · Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 10:15 am Post subject:

I’ve trailered both my past 22 and current 25 with the main and kicker down. About a foot of clearance. Colby

C-Green · Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:14 pm Post subject:

I trailer with engines down, plenty of clearance - CD-22 with twin Honda 40's on an EasyLoader with rollers. Seems best to tether a wood block if used - bad bump and wood flying at 60 mph seems like a bad story.

Jay

garyf · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:43 am Post subject:

Engine up with transom saver. The clearance might be OK, but I don't trust it.

ssobol · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:44 am Post subject:

hardee · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:51 am Post subject:

garyf · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:54 am Post subject: