nphilbro
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
- Messages
- 304
Re: should my outboard be tilted?
I was chuckling reading this thread! I've wrestled with myself and agree with all the posts. What QD5 said is straight on but is most important when the weight is kinetic- like when you're towing. When I was a kid I would stand on our mechanical bathroom scale and wonder why I could make it go way up for a moment when I jumped on it or how my 70lbs could register 160lbs if I stood on the very corner (and I'm sure my mom blamed my dad for breaking the scale).
To a point, the static weight of a motor in vertical position by itself is unlikely to damage in the short term. However, as QD5 pointed out, the lateral force on the transom of that 400lb outboard could actually hit the scale with many times the motor weight depending on how much surface area is sharing the load and location of mass and there is very real possibility of damage over time. The best example I can think of is the triangle wedge punch of a can opener. It's extremely difficult to just push it straight down into the lid - which is similar to the 1:1 ratio of the motor center balanced. However, you turn the opener into a simple lever with the side of the the can as the fulcrum and your lifting action functions as the mass. Now it takes very little effort (mass) to open it because you've sacrificed distance (more travel required on the handle side) to increase force on the resistance side of the fulcrum. Moreover, opening the can with a point is simple since there is barely any surface area to share the load. This is like that 70lb kid standing on the corner of the bathroom scale to see 160lb reading.
I differ somewhat on transom savers because I find they can eliminate play and when you are rolling down the road at 60mph or bouncing out of potholes in boat launch parking lot you're now dealing with kinetic energy and that little bit of motion will suddenly translate to short bursts of incredible force (mass) on the transom and motor brackets - just like a 70lb kid jumping on a bathroom scale. That transom saver bar works to spread the load similar to squaring off the point of your can opener.
Understanding levers and the effect of fulcrum position is quite fundamental to all of boating and plays a role in every aspect from trim adjustment, weight placement, trailering, etc.
Since I can't get my boat all the way into the garage either with the motor up I have some 3" rigid foam insulation on the floor topped with a 12"x12" piece of masonite (to spread the load and not crush the foam) in the back of the garage. After I lower the motor I jack up the trailer tongue until it presses down pretty hard on the board. This removes nearly all the lateral stress on the transom and also keeps my garage floor clean.
I was chuckling reading this thread! I've wrestled with myself and agree with all the posts. What QD5 said is straight on but is most important when the weight is kinetic- like when you're towing. When I was a kid I would stand on our mechanical bathroom scale and wonder why I could make it go way up for a moment when I jumped on it or how my 70lbs could register 160lbs if I stood on the very corner (and I'm sure my mom blamed my dad for breaking the scale).
To a point, the static weight of a motor in vertical position by itself is unlikely to damage in the short term. However, as QD5 pointed out, the lateral force on the transom of that 400lb outboard could actually hit the scale with many times the motor weight depending on how much surface area is sharing the load and location of mass and there is very real possibility of damage over time. The best example I can think of is the triangle wedge punch of a can opener. It's extremely difficult to just push it straight down into the lid - which is similar to the 1:1 ratio of the motor center balanced. However, you turn the opener into a simple lever with the side of the the can as the fulcrum and your lifting action functions as the mass. Now it takes very little effort (mass) to open it because you've sacrificed distance (more travel required on the handle side) to increase force on the resistance side of the fulcrum. Moreover, opening the can with a point is simple since there is barely any surface area to share the load. This is like that 70lb kid standing on the corner of the bathroom scale to see 160lb reading.
I differ somewhat on transom savers because I find they can eliminate play and when you are rolling down the road at 60mph or bouncing out of potholes in boat launch parking lot you're now dealing with kinetic energy and that little bit of motion will suddenly translate to short bursts of incredible force (mass) on the transom and motor brackets - just like a 70lb kid jumping on a bathroom scale. That transom saver bar works to spread the load similar to squaring off the point of your can opener.
Understanding levers and the effect of fulcrum position is quite fundamental to all of boating and plays a role in every aspect from trim adjustment, weight placement, trailering, etc.
Since I can't get my boat all the way into the garage either with the motor up I have some 3" rigid foam insulation on the floor topped with a 12"x12" piece of masonite (to spread the load and not crush the foam) in the back of the garage. After I lower the motor I jack up the trailer tongue until it presses down pretty hard on the board. This removes nearly all the lateral stress on the transom and also keeps my garage floor clean.
Different kind of force. The way I see it is if I'm wrong, no harm done. I'm already back there inspecting other things, so it's not like I'm making an extra trip to remove and install the saver. BUT if you are wrong.....Oh well.....Anyway, doesn't matter, I'm using mine regardless of it's ability to save stress on the transom. I don't like all the extra bouncing and vibration to the engine components that takes place without the saver. I've been in rough seas and have never seen my engine jumping up and down and all around independent of the boat like it does when being trailer-ed.