Trailering pontoon with or without motor tilted

[Wet Willy]

I'm new to pontoons (use to have runabout w/inboard) so I'm not sure if my new pontoon outboard should be tilted for travel. Looks like enough clearance with motor level, but rather not find out the hard way when the prop hits something! Yamaha manual say NO to tilt while under way, but what if there is not "enough" clearance. Any recommendations/hints?

[Wreck Tangle]

I thought it was common practice to ALWAYS trailer with trim up.
What about those transom savers poles? They're for taking the stress off the transom while trailering correct?

[civilizedgrit]

Reading the manual on my Mercury 150, it says to tow with the motor in the down position; the prop rods are not meant for towing. I have tilted up when encountering a steep incline/decline, but otherwise tow in the down postion.

[mpilot]

Yamaha makes a rubber block that you can trim up, put it in, then trim back down until its tight if you want to trailer trimmed up. If you have the clearance I'd go trimmed down though.

[Bamaman]

If your pontoon trailer has 13" or 14" tires, the motor sits up high enough where you don't need to lift it when trailering.

Our lake's boat ramps are relatively steep and the water in front of them is 10' deep or so. I don't even trim my engine up when powerloading my boat onto the trailer.

[curtiscapk]

personal preference I keep mine on unless it's wet.

[ROLAND]

i always tow my boat with the motor all the way down. I got this from page 67 of my yamaha owners manual:

The outboard motor should be transported
and stored in the normal running position. If
there is insufficient road clearance in this position,
then trailer the outboard motor in the tilt
position using a motor support device such as
a transom saver bar.

[vlxerdon]

Been towing mine full down since day one,never a problem. Towed it from Pa. to Ga. that way as well.

[guy48065]

What are you supposed to brace a transom saver strut to on a pontoon trailer that has no back rail?

[Rick McC.]

[quote="guy48065"]What are you supposed to brace a transom saver strut to on a pontoon trailer that has no back rail?[/quote]

I suppose you'd have to cobble together a setup to attach a cross brace (2X6, pipe, etc.) across the rear of the bunks.

It wouldn't be that hard, really.

[mpilot]

[quote="guy48065"]What are you supposed to brace a transom saver strut to on a pontoon trailer that has no back rail?[/quote]

They make rubber shock absorbers that go on the trim shaft that do the job of the transom saver too.

[guy48065]

[quote="Rick McC."][quote="guy48065"]What are you supposed to brace a transom saver strut to on a pontoon trailer that has no back rail?[/quote]

I suppose you'd have to cobble together a setup to attach a cross brace (2X6, pipe, etc.) across the rear of the bunks.
It wouldn't be that hard, really.[/quote]


I suppose so...but I'm wondering why I've never seen any rigged this way.

[Rick McC.]

[quote="guy48065"][quote="Rick McC."][quote="guy48065"]What are you supposed to brace a transom saver strut to on a pontoon trailer that has no back rail?[/quote]

I suppose you'd have to cobble together a setup to attach a cross brace (2X6, pipe, etc.) across the rear of the bunks.
It wouldn't be that hard, really.[/quote]


I suppose so...but I'm wondering why I've never seen any rigged this way.[/quote]

Probably because most 'toons (as the folks noted above) sit high enough on the trailer that having the motor in the down position isn't an issue.

[Bryden24shp]

I think we go through a transom saver discussion every year with new pontooners. See this post for more reasons to install a transom saver. All 3 of my trailers have the rear brace to install them, and I use them on all my boats. But, I was trailering 5000 miles per season back and forth to LotO and back. This post has some pics of mine to show why to use a TS.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18797

[taylorjm]

Wow, in that thread there are pics of the broken welds on a transom that weren't supported. I don't think I have ever seen a weld crack right down the center like that. That's the strongest part of the weld. It's more common to crack along the side because that's the weakest part. I can't believe there were 3 broken welds right down the center. I use a bracket and see it as cheap insurance.