Who makes the best Transcom Saver?

[luvmystratos]

I have the Swivel-Eze Transcom Saver but the damn rubber inserts fell out after one year of use. I have seen some of the other items advertised on WFN but have not seen any of them at any of the Boat Launches. I won't use the old one that connects to the Engine Lower unit and the Roller on the back end of the Trailer.

[Corey Fenske]

Hands down.... Moto Stop. The thing is built to stand up to anything you want to do with it. It is not the cheapest, but well worth the money.

[Brian D.]

Check out the Lock N Haul - They are a board sponsors. Look to the left side of this page for the logo. Good video showing usuage. The Moto stop is a tad overkill.

[mark poulson]

I'm confused. I know, I know, so what's new! Hahaha
I thought the idea of a transom saver was to take the weight of the engine off the transom while trailering, and transfer it to the trailer itself.
I don't see how these "transom savers" that simply lock the motor to it's mounting plate do that.
What am I missing?

[Citica12]

Thak you Mark.
+ 1

[Jim Smith]

I've been manufacturing a 'transom saver' replacement since 2006, and have been involved in this conversation literally hundreds of times. You'd think by now I'd have a standard answer to the question about motor support and I actually do, but I think it's better to talk about the mechanical issues involved. In the old days before the power tilt system, there wasn't any way to keep the skeg off the road so a pretty bright individual figured out that by putting a bar between the lower unit and the trailer, that problem was solved. That discovery evolved into a form of support that would keep the freely pivoting motor from 'pivoting/bouncing' up and down, and keeping the full free-falling downward energy force from impacting the transom with a thud when the downward pivot range was suddenly reached. In those days the 'transom saver' was typically strapped to both the trailer and the lower unit so that the free motor couldn't pivot upward and off the trailer roller and hit the road,'pole vaulting' the motor. Boats in the past also had a lot of wood in their construction, and particularly built up in the transom for obvious reasons, and there might have been some flex in some of those transoms. On some boats you could actually grab the lower unit and push or pull to witness the transom flex in and out, and so common thinking was that by supporting the flexing transom at the trailer, the transom was being 'saved'. Now fast forward to more modern times and advancments in every aspect of boat building have evolved to include structurally integrated wood free transoms, that are engineered to carry heavy motors that produce powerful forces to push the bigger boats up onto pad and through the water. Now days the power tilt piston is the equivelent of a solid support bar that holds the motor at any angle in its' range of motion, and hold it there solidly without movement. So now that we have transoms that can handle the rated motor size, and power tilt systems that can keep the motor tilted, the only thing left is the fact that all of the motors rigging connections, the mounting and pivot bushings/bearings are still free to move uncontrolled on our rough roads, which is different from the movements that occur when the motor is pushing the boat through water, and the forces are mostly uni-directional (unless your prop is out of the water alot like mine). A 'transom saver' is really only a unversal name for a motor support these days and doesn't actually share any load with the power tilt piston, and doesn't really save your transom. What you are seeing in your rear view mirror is not the motor 'bouncing' up and down, but shaking in all directions from the clearance in the bushings and bearings of the motors rigging. The more it shakes, the looser it gets and the looser it gets, the more it shakes. The modern 'transom saver' needs to keep the motor from shaking and there isn't anything available that does a better job than the Lock-n-Haul. This solution is the first and only one that fits about 90% of all of the models and sizes of all outboard motor brands, and on any boat/trailer combo, that completely eliminates all of the clearance in the steering and tilt pivots . With the Lock-n-Haul properly installed, the motor can't move independently at all in any direction.

[Tony Lain]

Phillip's Fishing Products has a great motor-totor and a bunch of other high quality items for bass boat guys. The custom battery boxes are also very cool.

[Brian D.]

Jim, thanks for coming over to the western world to answer a question.

[Jim Smith]

I'm happy to be here, thanks.

[mark poulson]

Jim, thanks for coming over to the western world to answer a question.

X2 Thank you very much for 'splainin it to me so clearly.
Is there an advantage or disadvantage to staying with the old transom saver pole that came with my boat?

[Jim Smith]

Is there an advantage or disadvantage to staying with the old transom saver pole that came with my boat?

There are plenty of boaters around the world that believe that trailer support is the best way to go. One consideration is the fact that by introducing a stressed connection between the weakest part of the outboard (lower unit), and an independent object (trailer) that can and does move independent of the boat no matter how well strapped down, you are allowing any sudden movement from potholes and such to directly hit the lower unit which can't move away from it because of the power tilt, and that thump goes straight through the motor to the transom. Another consideration is the fact that no matter how much down force you put on that style of support, you will not be able to eliminate all of the shaking. Even if you use a set of steering clips to keep your motor centered, it will still not be as solid as using a new style support that doesn't go to the trailer.

[GW]

Thanks Jim, I have learned alot from your posts, I too am currently looking at options for transom savers