Protecting your boat when Towing?

Hi all,

So we planning on getting a 20′ Deep V next.. most likely a WX2190 or WX2060 after I build our shed (long story stupid by-laws I have to call it a shed) this summer. I got 1 of 3 required permits, this has been a 2 year process so FINGERS CROSSED!

1) How do you protect the windshield from damage when towing.
a) Do most people typically tow with a cover try to prevent damage from rocks etc?
b) Do covers prevent scratches when traveling?

2) With these big motors, is it recommended to use a transom support for the motor?

I have a WX 2060, I and tow mine with Skeeter cover on. I also have a Rock Tamer to help know down rocks kicked up by my tow vehicle.

My boat came with a my-wedge and that is all I used, I believe it came from the factory and not the dealer.

You didn’t mention where or how far you are towing to. Short trips I wouldn’t worry about a cover. Going to Canada, down dirt roads, then yes a cover is nice.

In 1998 I was told by a very wise old man to “take your shiny new fiberglass boat and put a scratch in it. Once that first scratch is there you will remember that you bought the boat to use and fish from and not to look at.” His words seemed crazy at the time but he was right. Boats are to use. That said we should take care of our toys and not abuse them.

Greg L wrote:

2) With these big motors, is it recommended to use a transom support for the motor?

My motor has a lock that relieves pressure on the tilt hydraulics. I only use that for trailering. The transoms are well built and should handle a lifetime of trailering. The amount of torque and shock it sees from riding in big waves will provide more stress than any road trip.

I don’t believe the wedge does anything for a transom. It does absorb shock on the tilt hydraulics though.

The transom saver that connects to the trailer I don’t believe provides much benefit either. I will reduce motor bounce but it also transfers all the energy from the trailer back to your motor and transom. Although, this does absorb shock the tilt hydraulics.

I recommend that a motor is trailered in the lowest position safely possible.

If you’re towing any kind of distance, I would use the cover. Once you get in the routine of using one all the time, its not bad at all. Obviously if you’re just going 10 miles down the road it’s not really needed.

In my experience the part of the boat that takes the most punishment from rocks behind the vehicle is the bow.

These boats usually come with a wedge, which is all that’s needed.

Thanks!

We typically tow from 1 hour to 6 hours, man I wish I had fishable water 20 mins from my house! cover it is…thanks

I have always used transom savers since our 1989 Ranger 680T Fisherman with a 60hp came with one.

On my second trip with it, I got rear ended, the impact pushed me from a full stop at a red light 1/2 into the intersection.

Took of 2 blades and 3/4 of my skeg off, folded my transom saver.. The repair guy told me that it was the transom saver that saved my boat it transferred the force onto the trailer and not the transom.

I didn’t have a single pressure crack, even around the mounting bolts which shocked me!..

With that said that model had a wooden transom, now most glass boats don’t have wood in there so maybe they are stronger. Which why I asked the question

Do you think bouncing in water has more force that say a “free” bounce when a boat is on the trailer?

I would think there is more force when there is no drag from the water.. but I don’t know that’s why I’m asking.. man those 300hp 4 strokes are big motors not to support LOL!..is it typical to not use a transom saver?

I have used a transom saver on 60 hp, 115 hp, 135 hp, 200 hp motors. Do they work? I don’t care. I sleep better using one and thats all I care about. Whats the price of a $30 transom saver when compared to the cost of todays motors?

Good advice from the guys anove. I would also recommend a Towtector or Rock Tamers to help with rocks from your tow vehicles tires.

Great input thanks everybody!

I think I will stick to a transom saver on the new boat, like you said Dutchboy..piece of mind.

NOW!… How about a model that doesn’t scratch the hell out of your lower unit..

The one I put on my current boat, has scratched the hell out of my 75 hp outboard. What a BUMMER!

I too use a cover and I’m 30 second from the water. Keeps the bird poop out and when getting fuel, the stuff in the boat. Dang life jackets like to fly out.

Skeeters come with a wedge or something similar. I only use it when going on the highway. in other words not very often.

Bows would be my first concern. Towtector has been around a long time.

The wedge I use goes over the two rams for the tilt but you’ll get the idea with this

http://www.m-ywedge.com/

Here is a picture of the new Pro Rule transom saver.

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Greg L wrote:

Great input thanks everybody!

I think I will stick to a transom saver on the new boat, like you said Dutchboy..piece of mind.

NOW!… How about a model that doesn’t scratch the hell out of your lower unit..

The one I put on my current boat, has scratched the hell out of my 75 hp outboard. What a BUMMER!

the “new” transom savers are the same as the “old” transom savers, they wear the paint off of the lower unit and transfer all the shock from the trailer to the lower unit. A my-wedge or something similar is all that is needed.

The Truxedo windshield cover is awesome and goes on and off with no problem at all. Just got one and love it!

This is a great idea “Truxedo windshield cover” ! I’m totally using this product.

I’m still torn on the transom saver, but I do see the point of all the transferring all the shock from the trailer to the motor, i guess the transfer goes both ways LOL!

Thank you everybody… it’s going to be long year waiting to order this boat!

I can’t believe it’s taking over 2 years to get a permit for just darn garage.. *cough* *cough* I should say “SHED” ugh!

For you the guys that tow your boat late in the year! In Ontario we use a ton of road salt!

Will the road salt damage the gel coat? Should I be looking at spraying it down after each trip?

It will be stored in a heated shed.

Personally, I think the best advice I ever got as far as keeping my fishing boat in new-looking condition is to minimize risk to the boat by using it absolutely as little as possible. I’ll tell you, nothing wrecks a fishing boat as fast as taking that thing out once a week and using it for fishing. That thing will be trashed in no time. Keep it inside where it’s safe unless you want it wrecked.

Also, I have strict rules. Wanna save your interior, then forget live bait. Nothing creepy, dirty, crawly, smelly is ever coming on board my flagship. And I have a strict rule about lure weight, nothing bigger than 3/8. You see it all the time, the fish does the “at the net” headshake and WANK, that freaking car bumper lure you’re using gets shot at my pristine gelcoat like a bullet or the hooks go ripping into my seats Game over for the no-chip record. Single hooks, no live bait, etc.

I hear about a lot of guys abusing boats by keeping them only in heated sheds. WTF guys? So you’re all worried about heat but you leave your boat BAKING in a 100+ degree hot shed for the other half of the year? Hope you like your interior well done and cracking because that’s what will happen. Show some freaking respect to the machine and get some A/C put in like I did.

Grouse

That’s funny Grouse! Wear and tear from use is one thing. Was just wondering if anybody had any tricks to deal with road salt.

60,000+ for a boat ..you bet I’m gonna do what I can to protect the “new” boat look as long as possible

Greg L wrote:

That’s funny Grouse!

Not sure what you mean. The new 28 foot walleye boat I’m currently testing (I’m a factory test pilot) would set me back about $130k (plus outboards, of course) if I had to actually buy it, so you can be damn sure I’d take care of it if I had to pay retail money for it. I’m with you, once you get up into the serious walleye boats, these things aren’t cheap.

I don’t know how anyone short of a serial boat abuser would ever risk taking a 60k boat/trailer out on salted roads. Might as well get out a shotgun and use your paint and gelcoat for target practice.

The good news is that most of the serious road salt has been washed off by July. So after then, you’re probably safe to use your boat, but keep it limited. You don’t want to take chances.

You’re putting A/C in your shed, right?

Grouse

Grouse LMAO.

I use my boat cover on long trips mostly to keep the windshield and motor clean, and the interior dry if it’s raining. It’s also a deterrent to any sticky fingers from a snatch-and-run of gear when I’m stopped for gas or whatnot.
Man, there’s nothing worse than scraping a layer of dead bugs off your boat’s windshield after a late dusk drive through the Big Bog north of Red Lake…the cover pays for itself right there.

I have a few chips in the gel-coat on my bow due to rock strikes while driving. I’ve got pretty aggressive treads on my truck, so I’m pretty sure it’s stuff that I’m kicking up even though I’ve got mudflaps. I need to get the spots repaired and then add a bow protector. Wish I’d put the bow protector on initially with the money I’ll now spend on the gel-coat fix. I know that the “Bow Buddy” brand will fit around the Skeeter winch post ladder, so I’m going to look into that one.

I guess I don’t see how a transom saver transfers the force TO the lower unit. That would only make sense if the trailer support moves.
The my-wedge is like a rubber shock absorber, but it still isn’t supporting any of the weight of the motor or relieving that stress on the transom at all. I cannot say Ive heard of any failures related to its use, but in my head it just doesn’t seem to make as much sense.
Some would argue “what do the pros use”? Well, how long do they keep their boats? They don’t care about what happens 5 years, 10 years, 15 years down the line since it wont be their problem anymore.

Well, most major boat manufacturers offer long-term, fully transferable warranties on the structure of the boat – including the transom. Most of these are at least 10 years, and the good ones are for the lifetime of the boat.

So, when they ship those boats with a tilt/trim relief device instead of a traditional transom-saver…

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

I’ll tell you, nothing wrecks a fishing boat as fast as taking that thing out once a week and using it for fishing. That thing will be trashed in no time

Yeah, but… Once it IS trashed, then you might as well go fishing!

I would contact the manufacture or dealer and ask about a transom saver, let them decide. For instance, AlumaCraft doesn’t recommend a transom saver for any motor size. I agree, doesn’t hurt to have for peace of mind though.

http://www.trailer-rockguard.com/

This is what I use- love it! Guys in Canada and Dakotas use stuff like this and run gravel all the time.

The rockstar mud flaps are built really well and do a good job of protecting the bow from chips. I will say that the carriage bolts they supply for the receiver mount are the cheapest metal around and will stretch when you tighten them. If you do buy one do yourself a favor him go and buy new carriage bolts.

http://www.agricover.com/mud-flaps/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkN3KBRCuARIsADT_flo61RN8tZoDF8GK4Is62SS11l_iePfPjDWawH_meOiVjHvWoXkouFYaAlnBEALw_wcB

Came with the boat from Skeeter Boat center. That’s what I use when I tow the boat, whether its down the block or 500 miles.

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I like my 12 year old Warrior boat way too much not to use a transom saver. I will never tow mine without one.

I use this one, but have modified it to have thick rubber pads to keep it from scratching the motor lower unit.

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