Transom savers

Condundrum: I have always used a basic "transom saver". From back roller of trailer to motor type brackets. It seems to me those support the motor and mainly the transom better. Just bought a 2014 Legend Alpha 191 with a 200 ProXS with hydraulic steering. First time for me with hydraulic. Previous owner had one single white Yamaha sleeve style bracket (8" long and 2" diameter) that slides over the tilt/trim shaft, and two brackets that snap onto your hydraulic arms to prevent the motor from swinging side to side. I didn't like the single sleeve so when I took my boat to a local shop to get some minor work done I asked the mechanic. He said the snap on brackets were very bad for the motor and did not like the single sleeve. He recommended the motor mate. I bought one, took off the little snap on brackets and it seems very stable, but to me still doesn't prevent pressure/tension on the transom itself. Called Pete at Legend and he recommended the old style I used to use. Anyone had issues with the motor mate and transom/motor problems?

Beat me to it, I use a Motormate, and I'm happy with it, that's all I got

No problems for me and I used motormate when they first came out and now use a prorule. I don’t think your motor will bounce around any more on the road that it does in rough water.

I’ve never used a transom saver once in my life. My boat is 18 years old

Transom savers are horribly misnamed.

I use the pro rule transom saver that came with the boat.
whats the difference between the beating your transom takes in rough water or other boat wake while underway compared to it sitting on the trailer going down the highway.

Why Mark? I would think for those of you who say it takes the same beating on the lake as on the highway I humbly disagree. I'm not engineer, so take these with a huge grain of salt. I don't run my boat with the motor on the lake at the same angle it has when lifted when towing. Also, possibly the water helps buoy the motor to a very small degree. Just looking for a definitive answer (if there is one) since I got two very different answers...one from boat manufacturer, one from a guy who repairs boat manufacturers stuff. Do boat manufacturers require one for warranty?

Been using the old style for 30 years, never a problem.

My own opinion is that small little piece of aluminum tubing on old style transom saversis not holding up the weight of the motor off the transom. In addition when you place it on the trailer and attach it to your lower unit you are now transferring all the bumps and such from the road up to your motor.

You can trim your motor up a bit and pretty well place all your weight on it and its not going down. I'm not convinced they take any weight off of the transom whatsoever nor do they keep the motor from bouncing up.

I would think that the leverage the engine imposes on the transom while going down the HWY is completely different than compared to Take Off or Rough water, your engine is resting at roughly a 45* angle from the transom while going down the HWY, with the lower unit being approx. 2 - 2.5' away from the transom, where as your engine is pretty much vertical with the transom, and the lower unit is directly below, imposing completely different forces. Hell I don't know! LOL!

I always see transom savers on the highways leading to and from lakes.. I have seen 3 this year alone... funny.

Never knew this was such a hotly debated topic on here. I use the Motormate just because it made me feel good having something brace the motor. No idea if it does a damn thing but I use it every time I put my boat on the trailer. Maybe transom savers are the Hydrowave of the back of the boat.

exactly I don't know either lol and don't lose sleep over it but i'm surprised there has not been a study done on it.

Surely there has been some kind of study on it. More than likely the people who designed and marketing them! Ok, you smart guys and engineers (def not me!), what's the story? Boat dealers/manufacturers? Let's hear it. Pete at Legend says use the old school. For you guys that are buying brand new boats, any suggestions/demands from the dealers re warranty ect?

https://www.boatus.com/magazine/trailering/2012/march/transom-saver.asp

This was interesting.

from what I have seen all new skeeters are coming with the pro rule style transom saver that's got to say something I would think. but who knows.

Motormate. Feel like it stopped any side to side motion.

It doesn’t save your transom. It saves your tilt and trim unit. Your transom would be fone without one. As far as someone’s comparison to it in water and the angle, etc. in the water you have the force of 250HP pushing and pulling a 2000 lb plus boat connected in what 2 sq ft area of the transom? Think about that a wh
Probably the worst one you could use is the old style because all the pressure would be applied to the lower unit. Fact is they have been used forever and i have never heard of one breaking a motor, just hypothetical guesses of what it could do to one. The fact that there have been boats out there with it in use for 30 plus years should dispel that theory but it lives on.

This!

So y’alls motors never get side to side motion running across the lake at 70 bouncing on waves?

On boats today, the transom should be the absolute strongest part of your boat. All you need to do is stabilize your motor as much as possible when trailering. I used a Swivil-Eze for years until the MotorMate came out. If your transom fails because of the type “transom saver” you were using, it most likely was going to fail anyway.

Have one, no problems. I will however challenge you to think about this a little... on a choppy day and you're traveling 60mph plus with your boat, how steady do you think that motor is? Are we overthinking this topic a little? One would think these boats were built to be able to handle this. Just saying.

Your going to get both sides to tell one is better than the other, motor mate style or old saver style. FWIW I agree with Pete, get the one that connects to the trailer roller.

So the trailer doesn’t flex either?

The Pro Rule that Pete is using does not connect to trailer.

The owner of Johnson Fiberglass told me to go back to the old style. He said you cannot usually see the damage the new style toters do to transons until it is too late. Just like OP guessed the new style ones do nothing to take the pressure off the transom and the old style ones put the weight on the trailer.
After he showed me how it loosened the metal stringers( which or molded into the bottom) on a Ranger just like mine I was a believer.
But like he said people that don’t do it make him a lot of money!

Boats on the water have a pretty good amount of shock absorbing. When’s boat is sitting on a trailer it has zero shock abosorbing. Plus you don’t run across the lake with your motor tilted at a 30 degree angle

I'm not sure there is a catch all answer that fits for everyone. Skeeter for example sends their new boats out with the Pro Rule on them. They engineered their hulls and have to warranty them yet they provide a new style saver. Other brands suggest other types pop es etc. I run a Skeeter and trust their knowledge so I use the new type.

Crazy there haven't been studies done on this... As many of you may know Skeeter has the absolute worst design for the "shim" or "grommet" they use on their lower motor mounts. Dont know if they've fixed that design in their new stuff as I can only speak from experience with a 2003 and 2005 model. They are notorious for "slop" due to a plastic piece deteriorating over time. The factory replacement is the same material, just doesnt last. Anyway, it was brought to my attention by a certified Yamaha technician that the old style transom saver to the roller on the bottom of the trailer supports and stabilizes those lower motor mount brackets and increases longevity of the flawed design by Skeeter. I'm still running the pro rule that was on my boat when I bought it, but as soon as I replace that piece in the lower mounts I'm going back to the old style.

So when is the last time you read or heard of anyone having a transom issue on a boat? Seems kind of a non issue to me. If one of these caused problems the internet would be full of stories

Mark Perry makes a valid point. They are not "savers of your transom". They do however take out the movement, shaking, turning...while trailering your boat. Also ensures the motor doesn't lower if your trim/tilt leaks by or fails while trailering. I use a MoterMate because it's rock solid, stupid easy/fast to hook up and does not scarf up my lower unit like the old stick style. I scratch up that lower unit enough without help from my "motor toter"! Not rocket science. My transom is already engineered to carry my motor.

I think it is funny that people get so stressed out thinking that the transom savers that do not go down to the trailer cause too much stress on the transom but never think about the added stress of power poles and and brackets to the transom. The old style unit that goes to the trailer will allow the motor to move but the new style ones keep it solid, no movement. Use what you want, but I got rid of the old style many years ago and don't have any problems.

Motor Mate is a game changer.

Wow I have never seen one on the road. Had several boats never lost one or wound up with a busted transom. I’ll stick with what works.
J D

Good point

Last time I was at Johnson’s there were boats with transom issues. All were newer boats. 2 skeeter,2 Triton and 1ranger.All had the internal stringers lose but little to no visible fiberglass cracks outside. Just a little spider webbing.

We had this discussion on the ramp yesterday. Forgot what boat it was but the owner said the dealer said if he used the motor to trailer toater his warranty would be voided. Just what he said...all I know

I’d like to know if the old style contribute to a higher failure rate of the lower swivel bushings/bearings, all that pressure from the bouncing is hitting those bearings directly. I know mine are gone and I’m not looking forward to the replacement cost.

Considering I see 90% using the wedge style, i dont think there is an issue. I understand the physics of it all and i would agree a motor to trailer should be better in some situations. The real issue is motor movement on the highway. Specially up and down, many say it doesnt happen but it does.

I've used the old style bar from motor to trailer roller, but I recently got a new to me 2015 Ranger Z118C from Glen, here on the TFF. Thanks again Glen, lovin' my new Ranger!!!

It has an Evinrude ETEC 150 HO (not the G2, the one before that) with a folding bracket to use as a transom saver. Glen told me that's all he ever used, but I'm going to get a MotorMate for it as soon as I can spring the $100 for one.

I have a 200hp Etec and the Motormate completely took out the side to side action I used to have. Plus it stays up high enough I don't bang the skeg on the driveway when I back in at home. I hated the old bar style.

Father's day money from kids got me my new MotorMate in Yellow/Chartruese. Was $112.95 with USPS shipping and it got here in 4 days. Very small compared to other transom savers and works GREAT!!! Highly recommend the MotorMate if they make one that fits your engine!

all of them keep your lower unit from dragging on the pavement in case of a trim/tilt failure.....that's about it

My old style saver is sitting on the ramp at lake Fork Marina. I forgot to take it off when I backed in and that was that.

I got a motor mate a few years ago and to me it's night and day better for stopping the side to side shaking on the big motors going down highway
That's the action that hydraulic steering does NOT like. I have helped replace a couple hydraulic seal sets for my buddies with newer boats than mine that are still using the old stick style that connects to trailer.

I don't know, just put one of each on your motor and try to move from side to side or bounce on the lower unit and decide which you think is best for your set up

That’s why I snug mine up with the flip tab and roll.

Had an old style that attached to the trailer with a bolt. Now you are down on you hands and knees along with gravel and whatever. Fairly painful deal. Motormate took care of that. Could give a rats butt about all of the other.

Motor mate. It's for your hydraulics not the transom (at this point in the game). But my first gen motor mate bent all to heck after a while. The second one is much better designed

Not to change the subject but how far do your let your trim down after you install the motor to trailer saver. I let off all of the motor trim weight to the trailer and have not issues of side to side motion.