beachbum1A - 8-16-2010 at 02:31 PM
My amigo & I have a difference of opinion so we need some advice!
1. We will be driving down Baja on a camping/fishing trip both on MX 1 and dirt roads of undetermined condition.
2. We're taking (2) tow vehicles - both Suzuki's. One will be towing a 4' X 4' enclosed utility trailer. The other will be towing a 12' tin boat with
a 15 hp engine that weighs 75 lbs.
3. The boat will have lighter camping gear in it, ie; sleeping gear, tent, clothing, etc..
4. Should we tow it with the engine mounted on the transom (blocked) in a slightly upraised position?
+++++ OR ++++++++++++
5. With the engine removed and placed inside one of the tow vehicles? Ummmmm?
Bob and Susan - 8-16-2010 at 02:44 PM
take the engine off and put it in the boat
for around town leave it on
bigboy - 8-16-2010 at 02:55 PM
A friend towed a tin boat 400 miles on paved roads and the transom developed a crack in the transom support. Store the motor in in the vehicle!
Barry A. - 8-16-2010 at 03:08 PM
Been there, done that. I'm with BIGBOY.
Barry
Skipjack Joe - 8-16-2010 at 03:13 PM
Agree with the B&B&B:
Bob,
BigBoy,
Barry
bajabass - 8-16-2010 at 08:34 PM
X 5 or 6!
Motor inside a tin Boat
Skipjack Joe - 8-16-2010 at 09:25 PM
The problem with transporting the outboard inside the boat on a washboard road is that it can do some real damage to your boat unless it's secured
really well.
So here's my solution:
The 4 ropes, each one a single ring away from the corner, are drawn through the drain grooves under the seat and then back over the top of the seat
and tied to the metal brackets that attach the seat to the side of the boat. By tightening those ropes the pallete can't rise off the bottom of the
boat more than a few millimeters. No matter how high the trailer bounces.
The motor is then laid on the pallete wrapped in a mover's blanket and secured to the pallete with the remaining ropes. A small 2X6 goes under the
keel just above the prop to keep it from cutting into the wood.
mulegemichael - 8-16-2010 at 09:32 PM
i go with all the answers above...do not transport it on the boat...our 14' duroboat developed a crank along the transom as a result of the motor
bouncing...we had it shored up with a skookum heliarched aluminum bracing that will never break...but a standard, factory transom just wont hold up to
the beating.
BajaBruno - 8-16-2010 at 10:59 PM
A 15HP is not very big--I'd put it inside the tow vehicle. If you must tow it on the transom, I'd put it all the way up (stabilized as best possible)
or all the way down. My motor (much larger and unremovable) seems to put far more stress on the transom when blocked up at one-half full tilt, than
when fully up. It seems counter intuitive, but that's been my experience.
GrOUper-GAr - 8-16-2010 at 11:33 PM
re: packing the boat with stufff,
Tons of dirt miles on my Shoreline Trailer/12ft Aluminum. (Kayaks on truck)
I lie the 15hp Johnson upright(more or less) in the truck shell, and it drives smooth as you. DONT leave it on the Boat, even some speed bumps on mex1
can break your fun. 2 spares
----BEwaRe----
With the slightest rattle mixed with washboard, Anything sharp (corners of beach chairs/cotts/table/shovel etc) can easily wear a hole in the tin
boat.
-heavy duty trashbags can come in handy to keep sensitive clothing and bedding stuff 'less' dusty.
...and nobody wants their bedding, clothes, and tent smelling of Gasolina.
So No liquids(or batteries) riding in the boat.
-Ratchet the boat solid to the trailer, Keep the load light weight(& tied dOwN) in the boat, pressure tires down, and you should be Aces...
Sh!T,
I have only been passed by a wheel off my trailer ONCE.
monoloco - 8-17-2010 at 05:31 AM
I use a motor support that braces the lower end of the motor to the rear roller on the trailer, I have been towing the boat on a very bumpy road from
my house to the beach about 50 times a year for 12 years and the transom is as good as the day I bought the boat. I have even towed it in to San
Evaristo a few times with no problems. Make sure the bunk boards on your trailer are in good shape, the ones that come with most trailers are made
with crappy wood that will break at the hole where the bracket mounts. I made some replacements for mine out of mahogany and have had no more
problems.
beachbum1A - 8-18-2010 at 06:38 AM
Thanks all - 10 to 1 for NOT leaving the motor mounted on the transom. After reading all the replies it definately makes sense.