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Old 06-22-10, 09:18 AM   #51
Bender
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I have a My Wedge and use it when towing locally. I know some dealers are supplying these with new boat purchases and not the standard transom saver. I've heard that many bass boat manufacturers have said that modern transoms are strong enough that they don't need to have the weight of the motor taken away for towing, just stop the bounce to save the hydraulic system.

Last year I saw a newer boat made by one of these manufacturers (Ranger) where the transom ripped off and the motor fell off in the water. I can't say it was from towing but I know the guy had not recently hit anything with the boat and he towed without a traditional transom saver.

At the end of the day you have to ask the convenience is worth the risk. It's normally not for me especially since I have a jackplate adding to the effective force on the transom.
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Old 06-22-10, 10:21 AM   #52
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Originally Posted by walkeraviator View Post

As for teh loading unloading.. its a drive on trailer for a reason... i just goose the throttle til the nose eye is against the roller... havent hit it hard enough to break anything so dont worry about that... same for takin it off... simply back it up til teh boat floats free and put it in reverse... so teh winch has zero to do with loading and unloading...
well it looks like you got it down to a science. Even the people I know and/or have seen power loading use the winch for the last couple inches or so.

I agree, the winch really doesn't come into play when launching.

BTW - some of the ramps I launch at prohibit power loading.
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Old 06-22-10, 01:44 PM   #53
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Originally Posted by MississippiBoy View Post
I've seen some boats, not necessarily bass boats, that have a strap or chain running straight down from the bow eye to the main center beam of the trailer, like this. Does anybody here do that, or no? I never have, just curious about other people's thoughts. I'm sure it'll help keeping the bow snugged down to the front roller, but I'm thinking it's kinda overkill. Might be a good idea on a long trip, but for towing just a few minutes to the lake, I don't see the need...
Murphy's Law provides the need (if it CAN happen, it WILL happen). Most vehicle accidents happen within a few miles of home. You actually have a better chance of having an accident on that short trip than you do the long one. Use the backup bow strap/chain. It's cheap insurance. Mine is a short length of chain with an "S" hook that takes about 2 seconds to hook & unhook.
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Old 06-22-10, 01:50 PM   #54
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You actually have a better chance of having an accident on that short trip than you do the long one.
I don't actually agree with this, but the point is well taken regardless.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to hop to a different pit. It was only about half a mile away, so I decided not to put my transom saver on. Only a couple hundred yards down the road, it was worrying me so bad, I had to stop and put it on. I had to laugh at myself for that.
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Old 06-22-10, 02:14 PM   #55
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Listen with an open mind to what this fella has to say about old style transom savers (makes sense to me):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlX1ovPjPNg
Abbeysdad...I'm not an engineer, but I've been towing boats around for over 40 years. I remember when the Transom Saver came out. We had a lot of big motors (most having power trim/tilt) tearing up transoms while bouncing down the road. Mine was one of them. What the transom saver did was not only relieve the transom of stress weight, it did it by tying the motor to the trailer. When the trailer bounced, so did the boat & trailer, in unison. That removed the "bounce stress". The product this fellow is selling removes that unison from the equation & the stress is entirely back on the transom. Yes, the transoms today are not the old wooden ones of yore, but they still have welds & glassed corners. They are not indestructible. The engineers here can explain this a lot better than I can, but in a nutshell, that's how I see it.
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Old 06-22-10, 02:21 PM   #56
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Originally Posted by nofearengineer View Post
I don't actually agree with this, but the point is well taken regardless.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to hop to a different pit. It was only about half a mile away, so I decided not to put my transom saver on. Only a couple hundred yards down the road, it was worrying me so bad, I had to stop and put it on. I had to laugh at myself for that.
It actually is true. But, it's because most miles driven are in close proximity & we tend to better prepare for longer trips.
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Old 06-22-10, 03:55 PM   #57
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I believe that with an outboard motor with hydraulic trim, the 'transom saver' that hooks to the trailer is not supporting any appreciable weight (beyond the force applied to keep it snug) or preventing any motor bounce at all - the setting of the hydraulic trim is doing that alone by keeping the motor in a stationary position relative to the boat.

The transom saver hooked to the trailer ~would~ support weight and prevent bounce (and act as a transom saver) IF the motor freely moved.

All do respect, but I gotta go with the advice of my local (Stratos, Glasstron, Starcraft) dealer who has sold and serviced thousands of boats over the years.
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Old 06-22-10, 04:10 PM   #58
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Originally Posted by Abbeysdad View Post
I believe that with an outboard motor with hydraulic trim, the 'transom saver' that hooks to the trailer is not supporting any appreciable weight (beyond the force applied to keep it snug) or preventing any motor bounce at all - the setting of the hydraulic trim is doing that alone by keeping the motor in a stationary position relative to the boat.

The transom saver hooked to the trailer ~would~ support weight and prevent bounce (and act as a transom saver) IF the motor freely moved.

All do respect, but I gotta go with the advice of my local (Stratos, Glasstron, Starcraft) dealer who has sold and serviced thousands of boats over the years.
Absolutely.
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Old 06-22-10, 04:33 PM   #59
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Originally Posted by geezer1 View Post
Mine is a short length of chain with an "S" hook that takes about 2 seconds to hook & unhook.
Same here..... just a little added precaution. Just like the safety chains on the trailer.
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