Generally, you should tow your boat with the motor down, especially if your trailer offers good ground clearance. Additionally, most manufacturers recommend that you should pull your boat down.
How do you secure an outboard motor while trailering?
If you do not have hydraulics, the transom saver must be securely fastened at both ends with a strap or bungee cord to ensure that it doesn’t pop out as the motor bounces around. A traditional transom saver attaches to the trailer frame and outboard.
Should outboard be stored up or down?
Should I leave my engine up or down? Simply put, if you are leaving the boat in the water, leave it in the up position to avoid growth. If you are leaving it out of the water, trim it down to drain the water and protect the Power Tilt and Trim seals from the sun.
How far do you back a boat, trailer into the water?
When it’s your turn to retrieve your boat, back your trailer into the water until two-thirds of its bunks or rollers are submerged. Like launching your boat, you should keep your towing vehicle’s wheels out of the water unless absolutely necessary.
What position should I store my outboard motor?
upright position
The best way is to either leave the motor on the boat or on an engine stand in an upright position, not tilted. If neither of these are an option, try to make sure that the engine is in an upright, self-draining position. If you can’t do this, be sure that the cooling system is drained completely.
What do you tow a boat with?
Generally speaking, you can simply match the trailer hitch with the ball hitch you buy for your tow vehicle; trailer boaters with multiple boats usually choose a “receiver” hitch, which allows you to quickly and easily swap out different size hitches for different trailers.
Should you tow a boat with the cover on?
The quick answer is Yes… you can definitely tow your pontoon boat (or any boat) with the cover on.This includes making sure it’s the correct size cover, you have enough straps to keep it secure, and also that you have a cover that’s specifically made for towing.
What do I need to know about towing a boat?
Basic Boat Trailering Tips
- Always allow extra following distances and braking times.
- Never start like a jackrabbit.
- Swing wide around turns, to avoid clipping the curb with a trailer tire.
- If you sense any swaying in the rig, pull over and redistribute weight.
- Change lanes very slowly.
Are transom savers necessary?
the correct answer is,yes,you need a transom saver. even though boats are designed to flex and move in the water,they are not designed to be rigidly mounted to a trailer with a motor bouncing on the back that is flexing and stressing the transom with every bounce.
Does Mercury Marine recommend a transom saver?
A lot of boaters advocate using your engine’s service or engine lock. While there is a lot of debate on the transom savers or motor support issue, we do not recommend trailering using your service/engine lock for engine support when trailering. Both Yamaha and Mercury recommend against it as well.
What is the best way to dock with no wind?
Docking With No Wind or Current
- Approach the dock slowly at a narrow angle (about 20 degrees).
- When close enough, have a passenger step on shore and secure the bow line.
- Swing the stern in with a line or boat hook, and secure it.
Can you lay an outboard motor down?
It’s almost never a good idea to lay an outboard motor down on its side or back. This is doubly true in the winter, when moisture from condensation needs to drain from the motor. Evinrude/Johnson emphatically states that four-stroke motors must be stored upright and recommends this for all other motors.
Can you lay a 4 stroke boat motor down?
As such, it is never advisable for you to lay a 4-stroke boat motor on its side no matter what the case may be. Always make sure that, when transporting or storing your 4-stroke boat motor, you don’t lay it on its side.
Can you transport a 2-stroke outboard on its side?
“Stowing a motor vertical is just fine for a 2-stroke motor, because a 2-stroke outboard has its oil mixed in the gas, so there isn’t an issue.”This causes excessive smoking when an engine is started, and over time may cause motor damage.
Is it OK to store boat with motor down?
Don’t Store the Motor Tilted Up
When you park the boat for the winter keep the motor trimmed or tilted down, especially if it’s outdoors. This will allow all of the water to drain out of the motor’s cooling system.
Can I leave my outboard in the water in the winter?
A boat can be left in the water during the winter or year-round if you take necessary precautions to tackle the challenges of a boat being in the waters for long periods. However, you need to keep in mind that there is always a risk correlated with storing the boat in the water than dry storing.
Why should a boat’s gas tank never be completely filled?
It’s important to never fill the tank of your boat beyond 90% full. This leaves room for gas to expand and avoids the potential for overflow. Ensure that all air vents and valves to the gas tank are open.
What is the most important thing to check before launching your boat?
Make any equipment adjustments necessary and check the drain plug. Connect the fuel tank, check fluid levels and check the drain plug. Drive to the ramp and back the boat and trailer down the ramp, keeping the tow vehicle’s wheels out of the water. Set the emergency brake, shift into Park, and block the wheels.
How much of the bunks or rollers are submerged?
Back the trailer into the water so that approximately two-thirds of the rollers or bunks are submerged in the water.
Should you store your outdrive up or down?
Should my sterndrive be stored in the up or the down position? Answer: If you store your sterndrive installed on your boat, you should keep it in the down position. Otherwise, the rubber bellows in the transom assembly can become permanently deformed and fail.
Is it necessary to winterize an outboard motor?
If you want your engine to start in the spring and last you many years and plan on not using your engine all winter, you do have to winterize an outboard motor. Winterizing the engine helps to prevent damage during disuse, which is the chief cause for engine failure. Failing to winterize may lead to complications.
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