Jon boat trailering

[kipper09]

I know it’s a way off normal conversation but I wanted to see if you guys have any experience or input. I went and picked up a jon boat for me and the boy to fish out of yesterday. I trailered it home about 100 miles. It’s a g3 1548 vbw with a 25 hp Yamaha. When I left the dealer I asked how to trailer it as far as motor goes up/down and all that. They said just tilt it up all the way and it’ll all be fine. So off we went and about 3/4 the way home things weren’t looking correct so I pulled over and we were about an inch from having a real issue.

So anyways I got it back on and tightened down and got to a parts store and got a lock for the tabs that tighten to the transom

We got home ok the rest of the way without issue. I went and got a transom saver and it doesn’t fit because it’s too long and the angle isn’t correct. I been researching hours and can’t find a good answer on how to trailer it. Anybody have any info, experience or pics of what they do. In my mind I think it set at the highest point and tilted just put enough stress on it to roll off the transom like it did. Some say trailer it down in run position but I live in WV so there’s some steeper things to deal with. I think tilted halfway up and bungeed tight to one side or the other may be the best bet. Love to hear some input thanks guys.


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[tt_johnsclist]

Dealer slacked and didn’t tighten it down for you, that sucks. On the backside of the transom mount there should be some holes if you wanted to drill the transom and through-bolt it. Most guys I know trailer it in the full-up position and don’t worry too much about a transit saver. You could rig up a homemade one if you really want to.


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[MTSasquatch]

I have a larger jon with a jet on it, so I trailer in the down and locked position. I don't need ground clearance for the prop with a jet. That said, I did ask my dealer what the scoop was with transom savers and what not. He said, as did the mechanics there with us, that if you ever trailer a jon with a motor in the up position it should be supported by a transom saver and not with the built in servicing lock. I too agree that the motor mount should be drilled into the transom. Check youtube for videos of guys motoring without the mounts screwed in and you'll come across a pile of unhappy boaters whose motors are now deep in the drink! Good luck fishing and enjoy your new boat!

 

[Team4LongGun]

Get a transom saver bracket-inexpensive and work great. No more motor bouncing around.

 

[robtattoo]

ALWAYS bolt your motor on!!

As above, if you're trailering with the motor lifted, you really need a transom saver. I take one of my gheenoes down to Florida every year (luckily, I can tow with the motor lowered) & making sure the motor had as little movement as possible is my first priority. I don't want to be able to make it move at all.
When you say there's no room for the transom saver, where are you positioning it on the motor/trailer? I've never seen one that wouldn't work.

 

[Wentworth6]

X 2 on bolting it on. I put a atlas micro jacker on ours, jack plate for better performance .but it’s all bolted on. Tell that dealer to drive to your house to do it since they did not bolt it on.

 

[Rich M]

Wow! Great save!

I had a 55 hp on a 17 ft and it popped off while running - thankfully the thrust pushed it up against the transom and I was able to wrestle it on board with help from another guy. So here we are sitting with an anchor on the bottom of the boat and USCG shows up and starts yelling at us for anchoring there - told them we'd move just as soon as we put the motor back on. LOL! He was really mad an expected us to just motor away.

Had another one shift up like yours while running it.

I like bolts holding my motors on these days.

I trailer with the motor in the down position. That's how they hang.

Tilt is for shallow water, not driving. If the motor hangs low enough to hit the ground, there is a trailer issue.

 

[Wallace]

Bolt that motor on and don't think twice about it.

I have a 15' Xpress jon boat that I've probably put at least 10,000 miles on a trailer with for duck hunting, likely much more. I've had trailer issues in the past, but I've never had a worry about the motor coming off. Bolt it on and leave it in the 'down' position as long as you have plenty of clearance between the skeg and the ground.

 

[kipper09]

I’m gonna get it bolted on. Pretty sure I’m gonna tackle that myself. Any key points I need to do while doing it? How high does it need to be for trailering? I don’t think I can leave it down. There maybe 8 inches of clearance from bottom of lower unit to ground on flat ground


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[AK Troutbum]

I have that same boat (G3), only a little bigger with a 50, and also have the motor bolted through the transom. You obviously won't have any more problems with it trying to come off if you bolt it on, but the same is true, if you just have it screwed down tight and locked like you have it now. Most people don't do through bolts on those smaller outboards and I don't think I would either, it's just not necessary. It is a good idea to lock them on like you have done, just to help prevent theft, and you could just use a regular sized pad lock if you just flip the black handles over to where they are almost touching. I've never trailered mine with the motor down, just because the prop/skeg rides too close to the ground, and I've also never used a transom saver, and never had any issues in 13 years. Anyway, just my experiences, for what it's worth. Great little boats by the way!

 

[SWOHTR]

Transom saver. It will prop the lower unit to a roller block on the trailer. Don’t worry about matching the saver to the max height the motor will incline. Worry about propping the lower unit to the trailer, ie the saver will likely be shorter than the max height the motor can be propped up. Then if you want, you can run a strap around the lower unit to the saver/trailer to ensure the motor doesn’t bounce out of the saver.

If you don’t put a saver on, expect transom fatigue issues due to a heavy weight flopping around on a piece of sheet metal. If you want an example, take a pliers/clamp and clamp it on to a piece of sheet metal and move it around. You’ll notice it will be very easy to deflect the metal due to the torque you’re able to place on the pliers. Now multiply that by several hundred pounds and several thousand more times bouncing down the road. The saver will minimize that torque and help keep your transom un-fatigued.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Transom saver. It will prop the lower unit to a roller block on the trailer. Don’t worry about matching the saver to the max height the motor will incline. Worry about propping the lower unit to the trailer, ie the saver will likely be shorter than the max height the motor can be propped up. Then if you want, you can run a strap around the lower unit to the saver/trailer to ensure the motor doesn’t bounce out of the saver.

If you don’t put a saver on, expect transom fatigue issues due to a heavy weight flopping around on a piece of sheet metal. If you want an example, take a pliers/clamp and clamp it on to a piece of sheet metal and move it around. You’ll notice it will be very easy to deflect the metal due to the torque you’re able to place on the pliers. Now multiply that by several hundred pounds and several thousand more times bouncing down the road. The saver will minimize that torque and help keep your transom un-fatigued.

His motor weighs about 140 lbs. (assuming it's a long shaft), with about 75% of the wt. being in the powerhead sitting right on top of the transom. Although a transom saver is for sure not a bad idea, it's probably a bit overkill based on the size/wt. of this motor, and the construction of the transom on this particular hull. By way of comparison, my motor weighs over 100 lbs. more, is on basically the same hull and has been trailered around our wonderful Alaskan roads for over 13 years now, without a transom saver and without any compromise to the transom whatsoever. I really don't think a pair of pliers clamped to a piece of sheet metal is a viable comparison.

 

[SWOHTR]

His motor weighs about 140 lbs. (assuming it's a long shaft), with about 75% of the wt. being in the powerhead sitting right on top of the transom. Although a transom saver is for sure not a bad idea, it's probably a bit overkill based on the size/wt. of this motor, and the construction of the transom on this particular hull. By way of comparison, my motor weighs over 100 lbs. more, is on basically the same hull and has been trailered around our wonderful Alaskan roads for over 13 years now, without a transom saver and without any compromise to the transom whatsoever. I really don't think a pair of pliers clamped to a piece of sheet metal is a viable comparison.

Ok. For reference I had a 25hp merc about come off the back of a Jon boat doing the same thing, hence transom saver.

And pliers on metal is just for illustration...sometimes things are difficult to comprehend without some kind of example.

 

[dutch_henry]

Dang. Good save on seeing that before it got worse. I run a mud motor and still thru-bolt it, even though it's ~140 pounds wet. Trailering is part of it, but it's also a fail-safe on the water. They're little torque-monsters and a buddy almost had one rotate off on the water. Totally his fault--the mounting bolts loosed up over 300 miles of bad road

 

[myalias789]

I’ve owned a number of boats through the years and was a diehard fisherman. Here are some thoughts:

Please find a way to utilize a transom saver.

You may need to look into an angled transom saver or chop something down and create a custom one.

I’ve seen enough transoms with cracks in it from years of not using a transom saver.

Before bolting it down I would experiment with how deep you want to prop to run. Too shallow and you get prop blow out at hard turns. Too deep and it’s just not as efficient or shallow running.

Just cut down a block of wood on a table saw and use that as a temporary spacer to figure things out.

There is a bunch of videos and articles on the web that talk about how to get the most out of your prop height.

As a temporary measure I would blue loktite those existing bolts and keep a crescent wrench handy.

Find a way to ratchet strap the back of the boat to the trailer. Also utilize a keeper chain on the front of the boat. Guess what can come off the trailer during an accident or a panic brake.

If you have a tach you can also figure out right prop pitch for max performance. I would wait a full season to do this though as the gear you haul won’t be finalized and weight and it’s distribution has a lot to do with it.

The crank strap will eventually sun rot if the rig is kept outside. Get a cheap spare from academy and keep it in the truck.

Have more than a few spare boat plugs in your truck.

I like those PVC vertical trailer bunk guides for small aluminum boats. Makes life easier getting the boat back on and gives you a visual reference to quickly whip that trailer around like a pro. The taller the better.

If you have seats and seat posts that go into a base plate hole, take them out every trip when you get home. They will seize and are almost impossible to get out when they do seize. Use a wine bottle cork in the hole when not in use.

Always keep a pair of mini 8” bolt cutters in your boat. They are pretty cheap nowadays. A pair of dykes ain’t gonna cut as easily and you don’t wanna be fighting it when you get a hook in yourself.

Get a spare bearing cover and go to the hardware store to find a pvc cap that can be used to beat your bearing cover back into place without mangling it.

 

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

Congrats on the boat!


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