Resting outboard on wood

[rjbathgate]

Hey,

Different people say different things...

What position should I rest my outboard in

Fully Up on Support Ledge: The outboard (60hp 2stroke) has a solid metal ledge which, when engine is fully up, I can slide under the outboard to take the pressure off the hydraulics. But using this, lends the boat to getting bum heavy (say in heavy rain) and tipping back / up into the sky. Not pretty. (Note I used this support ledge thingie when transporting/towing as it keeps pressure off hydralyics during road bumps and ouf course keeps outboard up and away from road...)

Down, touching on Wood: Trim it right down so the bottom of outboard is gently resting on a piece of wood - resting so it's not taking any weight, but is there incase the above sky high scenario occurs.

Down, with pressure on wood: trimmed that little bit further down, so the outboard weight is on the wood. If I go far enough, it will actually start lifting some weight off the trailer/wheels as it pushes down on the wood. I figure this is too far?

Any thoughts/suggestions, appreciated.

Cheers

[9D280]

Am I unsderstanding this right that you have the boat stored ashore, and are asking about using the engine as a rear prop for the trailer? I;m a little confused as it partly sounds like tyou have weood in betwee nthe clamp & swivel (as most of us do for towing / storage), but it's the engine liftng the boat off the trrailer bit that I don't like the sound of.

If that is the senario, I would put a support under the back of the boat- otherwise the same storm that fills the boat with water will also shoogle it around, and probably break or weaken the skeg if that;s what;s holding the stern up.

Even if you have to build a small wooden "V" frame, why not park the support under the transom, then wind the jockey wheel up to rest the transom on the support. You can then park the engine at any angle you like clear of the ground.

[jyasaki]

Personally, I pull the bilge plug, leave the trunks down, and raise the trailer tongue as high as I can get it (some friends actually put the trailer jack on a stack of lumber to get it higher.) This allows any rainwater to run out of the boat, rather than collecting in the hull.

The primary danger of collected rainwater in the hull is, as I see it, not to the boat itself, but rather overloading the trailer.

As far as the motor goes, in warmer weather, anything that supports it will be fine. LU resting on lumber, lumber between the engine and bracket, engine trailer stand thingie; it all will work fine. If you expect freezing temps though, it should be stored in the down position to prevent water collecting in the prop hub and freezing (which may crack things due to expansion.)


jky

[rjbathgate]

Hey,

Thanks for your replies... sorry about the confusion...

Ok, I've used my magnificent photoshop skills, and produced the attached...!!!

ONE: Trailer sitting as normal (on jockey wheel and main wheels), with engine down, with a block of wood under the pointy bit at the bottom of engine. This is what I do at moment, but don't really like.

TWO: Trailer blocked up on wood at front and at rear, with engine up, resting on the locking/support bracket.

THREE: Trailer blocked up on wood at front and at rear, with engine down, nothing under engine.

And then the last, tipped one -- that's what I see happening if I don't support the back (underneath engine, or end of trailer)....

TWO and THREE have the front wood higher than than the back wood, so boat is at a lifted up a bit at front for rain water to pour out bilge plug.

I see how TWO and THREE will be better also taking load of the pathetically small jockey wheel.

I recently had it all jacked up to take the axle off, and had wood at front and two jack stands at rear, but I couldn't get on board when it was like this as the jackstands were quite narrow (wobbling of boat with me walking around would have probably knocked it off jack stands).

Also, jkasaki - what do you mean by 'leave the trunks down'?

Hope all that makes sense, and you appreciate the my time at art college...

[Poly]

Is your engine length unusually long or is that artistic license?

I wonder if the problem is the set up of your trailer to make your whole lot too "tippy" (i.e. boat too far back / axle too far forward?). Mine was like that when I got it. Easily fixed by moving the winch post forward so the weight was forward. I also stick the spare wheel and fuel tank up the front (along with the anchor etc) if I need to get in the boat for any reason and find that unless standing right at the transom it doesn't try to tip.

When jky says leave the trunks down - he means the "elephant trunk bailers" your boat may not have them - but should have some sort of big "plug" or "hole" at the back so that any rain water drains out. Leave that open when storing ashore.

[rjbathgate]

Ha yeah artistic licence.... although fully down, when trailer is level, it sits maybe 20cm off ground...

See, I don't know if the whole boat is too tippy on trailer... I don't want to try it thou! Thinking that the outboard weighs about as much as the RIB, it'll be pretty back heavy... I might be able to jump up and down at the back and it all be good... but I don't want to try it incase I go sky high...

Yup, I leave the but plug open when on shore

I'm thinking... raise front (jockey wheel) up a bit so boat is at slight angle to assist drainage (raise it with wood perhaps instead of just jockey wheel)

And then place some wood under the trailer cross member right at back (level with transom) - not lifting trailer, but just the right height so it's resting, to support it if indeed it does want to tip...

[Poly]

Originally Posted by rjbathgate

Ha yeah artistic licence.... although fully down, when trailer is level, it sits maybe 20cm off ground...

See, I don't know if the whole boat is too tippy on trailer... I don't want to try it thou! Thinking that the outboard weighs about as much as the RIB, it'll be pretty back heavy... I might be able to jump up and down at the back and it all be good... but I don't want to try it incase I go sky high...

Yup, I leave the but plug open when on shore

I'm thinking... raise front (jockey wheel) up a bit so boat is at slight angle to assist drainage (raise it with wood perhaps instead of just jockey wheel)

And then place some wood under the trailer cross member right at back (level with transom) - not lifting trailer, but just the right height so it's resting, to support it if indeed it does want to tip...

You should get a pretty good idea how "tippy" it will be when lifting the front. In a highly scientific sense: if you need both hands to lift it then there is plenty of weight at the front, and unless you intentionally load the stern its not going anywhere. If you can easily lift it one handed its OK - but not ideal. If you can do it with two fingers - its too light and something needs moving... ...but the same applies to towing it. My very rough estimates assume you are a normal male, not excessively strong nor weak, and that the axle is nearer the stern than the bow.

[rjbathgate]

Originally Posted by Polwart

You should get a pretty good idea how "tippy" it will be when lifting the front. In a highly scientific sense: if you need both hands to lift it then there is plenty of weight at the front, and unless you intentionally load the stern its not going anywhere. If you can easily lift it one handed its OK - but not ideal. If you can do it with two fingers - its too light and something needs moving... ...but the same applies to towing it. My very rough estimates assume you are a normal male, not excessively strong nor weak, and that the axle is nearer the stern than the bow.

Yup, your assumptions are right... will go and lift it up when it stops raining....

Cheers

[jyasaki]

Thanks for the assist, Polwart.

RJB: you should have 5 to 10 percent of the weight of the boat and trailer sitting on the jack. Unless your boat can get about twice that weight in water sitting behind the trailer axle, I doubt you'd have a whole lot to worry about.

jky

[rjbathgate]

Just lifted it up at front, and it's pretty heavy up front, so all good... have it mounted up at bow now, and no matter how much I stack on stern, doens't go anywhere

Cheers for the tips.