Excellent article. Thanks!

�Transom Saver� is a misnomer. �Motor Stabilizer� is way more accurate. The old style stick type �motor toters� are an antiquated dinosaur fix for the problem of STABILIZING your outboard motor when trailering. I remember my first outboards that did not have a motor mounted trim button. Putting on the old stick type �motor toter� by yourself was almost impossible. For those who think the transom takes less stress because you ran an extremely light weight aluminum rod from the motor to the trailer....well, as covered on here every month: you are not going to change those shade tree engineers� mind! That person believes boiling water freezes faster than cold water and every other �wives tale� out there! That aluminum rod takes stress off the transom? Stops energy from being transferred into the transom? THE BOAT IS ALREADY SITTING DIRECTLY ON BUNKS WHICH ARE ATTACHED TO THE TRAILER....PERIOD. No after market product is ever going to change that. I also use MotorMate to STABILIZE my motor from moving around during trailering because it is rock solid, quick, stupid simple and it does not scarf up my lower unit like the stick style did.

And my friends tell me bass fisherman are over opinionated and hard headed...�.

At the end of the day, who gives a rats @#$ what the other guys do with their boats. As far as me and my hard earned investment goes, I'll go with what I KNOW protects that investment. Everyone else can do the same.

'MERICA

I would think a composite transom would be a lot more stronger and durable than a tin or aluminum transom. I saw a Bass Cat boat with a 400 hp. Merc hung on the back of it and a Motor Mate holding it in place. That was proof enough for me. The transom held the weight of the motor and Motor Mate kept it in position while traveling down the road which is what it was designed to do. Like Todd said and showed, a block of wood will do the same.

For whats it worth I stopped using the motor mate type due to it wearing out the damper mounts on the side of my yamaha. At $120 each for the dampers it was a no brainer to go back to the transom saver type because that is what caused it. Had a friends boat do the same thing with the motor mate type and a yamaha. And i liked how much easier the motor mate was to use but never again. If you let it go to long its wearing into the housing also.

If you can pickup on your lower unit and hear a clunking and noticeable play then your dampers are whats worn.

I use the old style that goes to the trailer. It was one of the fiberglass repair shops on this site that recommended doing it this way and they should know.

�Job security�? JK!

I stopped using the motor mate style after talking to someone with basscat, I now use the old style that connects to the trailer.

Block of wood works best... lol Just seen a video of Castledine boat tour.. go to 2:00 min mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6W5uLlw4Sw

Umm science isn't a "wives tale"...
Hot water does freeze faster because hot water evaporates faster, so if you started with equal masses of hot and cold water, there would soon be less of the hot water to freeze, and hence it would overtake the cold water and freeze first, because the lesser the mass, the shorter the freezing time.

Try this... Disconnect your hydraulic lift to where your outboard can freely rotate up and down by lifting it by hand. Put it at the angle that it normally sits at while trailering. If it's heavy, all that weight is twisting on your transom multiplied by the force of bumps, if it's not heavy, then you are perfectly balanced and no need to worry..

Anyone ever seen what happens when you put a old style transom saver on a motor with a bad transom??? I mean a really soft, unusable transom. when you trim all the way down and put the weight on the trailer the transom moves forward toward the front of the boat (taking away the weight of the motor)

BassBucknBeer, Mpemba effect

I use the old style "stick" type , never used a motor mate .
I see the issue as " torgue " . If the motor has nothing to support it's back and forth , side to side torque ---your putting more pressure on the transom .The less the motor moves freely , the less torque . Whether it is secured via a "small aluminum " stick to the trailer or the method motor mate uses . The overall weight of the motor , add in the twisting /rocking motion = transom stress and eventually failure .
The least amount of movement of the motor while on the road is the best method .

Motor-Mate. Motor to the trailer would move around slightly on me.