Portland Boat show

[trophyelk6x6]

I just got home from the Portland show. Seemed to be smaller this year but not sure. I talked with some guys at Siglers Marine where I bought my Thunder Jet Luxor Off Shore. I use a transom saver because I can not lift my Suzuki 150 up high enough to flip the towing locks down. My boat has an off shore bracket but the engine hood would hit the back of the boat before I could flip them down. So I use a transom saver which is no big deal and actually heard that if you only rely on those towing flip down locks (not sure what they are actually called) there is a lot of pressure on the engine bracket. Anyways I was told the m-y wedge is awesome? The website is not very informative but the device is pretty simple. Does anyone have information or experience about this? Seems easier,safer, and cleaner than using the transom savers? Thanks

[Nelly]

Welcome 6x6!
I've never been to the Portland Boat Show. I would definitely like to check it out some time.

Not to pick on Thunder Jet because I've seen this in other bracketed or "engine pod" boats but the powerhead clearing the transom at full tilt should be a fundamental parameter of hull design.
You can certainly understand the boat designers dilemma when you condsider that a larger bracket amounts to a longer lever arm which facilitates increased engine weight and torque stresses on the hull. However, partial tilt scenerios are an unnecessary complication, forcing the owner to rely upon aftermarket accessories to keep the engine's lower unit off the asphalt.

The outboard engine's built in "Tilt Locks" you refer to are designed to hold the engines weight in trailering position with a built-in safety factor that takes in account the bouncing and pounding that is part and parcel of a trailer boats life. Using the engine's hydraulic trim to tilt the engine down to rest fully upon the lock actually binds or jams the lock in place ensuring that the engine is not going to change position without some serious, damaging pressure.

When you consider the forces applied on a bracket or engine pod when boat has a heavy load and bucking a head sea, trailer bounce is a drop in a dry bucket.

You're wise to use your transom saver but boat builders would be wiser to craft engine mounting configurations that allow all of the engine's designed and guaranteed protection mechanisms to be fully utilized.

Hope that makes sense and thanks for your question!