Sir, the transom saver is the way to go, not the motor motor. I'll explain why. I purchased a brand new 2023 Phoenix 721 pro xp and was taking it home to lake ontario, in upstate n.y. I purchased the boat in pa and had a long trip to n.y. While on 81 north, I was passed by many boats headed north and noticed as I was behind these boats that each time the truck in front of me hit a hole or uneven part of the road, i saw the transom of each boat flex that had a motor totor. Keeping in mind that my new Phoenix that i was towing had a motor totor. After traveling 60 miles, I realized that every boat that had a motor totor it's transom was flexing when going over bumps. And, the older boats with a transom saver did not. Take notice next time your on the highway and you'll see what I'm talking about. I'm an attorney and contacted a friend of mine who is an engineer and described what i saw and he agreed with me that the transom saver absorbs the shock as it travels from the transom saver to the bottom of the trailer displacing the shock, thus no flex on your transom. Again, watch with your own eyes while on the highway and you will see that the transom saver is the better way to go when towing your boat.
Hi Mark, great video, and I appreciate the explanation! However, I’d like to respectfully challenge the idea that a motor totor and a transom saver provide the same level of protection for the transom. Here’s my reasoning: The key difference lies in force distribution. A transom saver transfers the motor's weight and any road-induced forces to the trailer, bypassing the transom almost entirely. This means the trailer's suspension absorbs most of the dynamic forces from bumps and vibrations during travel, reducing stress on the transom. In contrast, a motor totor braces the motor directly against the transom. While it may secure the motor to prevent excessive movement, it doesn’t change the fact that the transom is still absorbing both the static weight of the motor and the dynamic forces caused by road bumps. This can lead to concentrated stress at the mounting points over time, particularly with heavier motors or on rough roads. Modern transoms are certainly stronger and better designed to handle these stresses, but the fundamental physics of force distribution remain unchanged. The transom saver reduces these forces more effectively by using the trailer as a load-bearing structure, which is why I believe it’s a better option for preserving transom integrity in the long run. Thanks again for sparking this discussion-it’s a great topic, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!
It seems to me that the transom saver takes up some of the lower units weight or splits that load between the trailer & engine mounting points. Where as the motor toter 'secures' the lower unit in place, but all that weight is then transfered to the trim/tilt ram or where ever the contact point of the motor toter is. Since a lot of the outboards parts are 'cast' steel, aluminum, or an alloy . . . I prefer to not have all that weight in one small location / contatct point, but rather 'spread-out' over 2 contact points . . . hence I prefer the transom saver. All that being said, I beleive using either one is much better than nothing at all . . . but I don't beleive one is 'bad' and the other is 'good'. I'm sure the motor toter is more 'convenient' to use.
I respectfully disagree, the purpose of the “motor toter” is to take pressure off the tilt cylinder when traveling, the only device that actually protects the transom is the “transom saver” just look at the physics of it. Now with all that said, your transom is designed to take a lot of abuse, I mean think about it, when running trimmed out, the entire weight of the boat and contents plus motor thrust is being put on the transom, it can handle a lot, especially if you strike an object in the water, that’s a lot of pressure on the transom. Both of these devices keep the motor from bouncing and doing damage to the hydraulic tilt/trim cylinder/s but only the transom saver transfers part of the outboard weight to the trailer, the other still keeps all the weight on the boat.
In my earlier years I had a 16’ aluminum boat with 30 hp Johnson motor and motor toter lock, on a trailer with boat saver straps, driving down gravel road to lake I could see motor bouncing around, I could go to back to the motor and put my weight on lower unit and flex the transom, put a transom saver extending down to trailer on there and no more flexing transom with me pushing on lower unit, I agree fiberglass boat transoms are tougher than the aluminum transoms of old, but would think the same principle would apply, so I agree with you, depending on the boat type, cheap aluminum boat, better go with transom saver, I can see a new Wednesday video coming 😊
I use a Motor Mate which attaches to the motor. Over time transom tie downs can become slightly loose then all those trailer vibrations get sent to the motor through that motor toater rod. The older your transom tie downs get the more this is likely to happen. To avoid that happening in the future, I use the Motor Mate.
The boat is strapped to trailer the transom saver is riding on trailer roller it bounces in unison much better. Have had two fiberglass shops tell me use the transom saver not motor toter. I think I’ll take their advice.
I appreciate your willingness to disagree in a civil manner. From a common sense perspective I would have agreed with you. But the research I have done supports the info I conveyed in the video. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.
Totally disagree, with the motor toter the entire weight of the motor rests on the transom, with the transom saver , i think, the weight is somewhat supported, with alot of the weight and force while traveling being transferred to the trailer, my opinion.
I understand that my stance goes against what would seem like common sense but the research I have done shows that as long as the motor and transom move in unison, there is no additional strain put on the transom due to trailering. I do appreciate your civil comments and I thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.
Sir, the transom saver is the way to go, not the motor motor. I'll explain why.
I purchased a brand new 2023 Phoenix 721 pro xp and was taking it home to lake ontario, in upstate n.y. I purchased the boat in pa and had a long trip to n.y. While on 81 north, I was passed by many boats headed north and noticed as I was behind these boats that each time the truck in front of me hit a hole or uneven part of the road, i saw the transom of each boat flex that had a motor totor. Keeping in mind that my new Phoenix that i was towing had a motor totor. After traveling 60 miles, I realized that every boat that had a motor totor it's transom was flexing when going over bumps. And, the older boats with a transom saver did not.
Take notice next time your on the highway and you'll see what I'm talking about.
I'm an attorney and contacted a friend of mine who is an engineer and described what i saw and he agreed with me that the transom saver absorbs the shock as it travels from the transom saver to the bottom of the trailer displacing the shock, thus no flex on your transom.
Again, watch with your own eyes while on the highway and you will see that the transom saver is the better way to go when towing your boat.
Great subject Mark👍
Thank you
Hi Mark, great video, and I appreciate the explanation! However, I’d like to respectfully challenge the idea that a motor totor and a transom saver provide the same level of protection for the transom. Here’s my reasoning:
The key difference lies in force distribution. A transom saver transfers the motor's weight and any road-induced forces to the trailer, bypassing the transom almost entirely. This means the trailer's suspension absorbs most of the dynamic forces from bumps and vibrations during travel, reducing stress on the transom.
In contrast, a motor totor braces the motor directly against the transom. While it may secure the motor to prevent excessive movement, it doesn’t change the fact that the transom is still absorbing both the static weight of the motor and the dynamic forces caused by road bumps. This can lead to concentrated stress at the mounting points over time, particularly with heavier motors or on rough roads.
Modern transoms are certainly stronger and better designed to handle these stresses, but the fundamental physics of force distribution remain unchanged. The transom saver reduces these forces more effectively by using the trailer as a load-bearing structure, which is why I believe it’s a better option for preserving transom integrity in the long run.
Thanks again for sparking this discussion-it’s a great topic, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!
It seems to me that the transom saver takes up some of the lower units weight or splits that load between the trailer & engine mounting points. Where as the motor toter 'secures' the lower unit in place, but all that weight is then transfered to the trim/tilt ram or where ever the contact point of the motor toter is.
Since a lot of the outboards parts are 'cast' steel, aluminum, or an alloy . . . I prefer to not have all that weight in one small location / contatct point, but rather 'spread-out' over 2 contact points . . . hence I prefer the transom saver.
All that being said, I beleive using either one is much better than nothing at all . . . but I don't beleive one is 'bad' and the other is 'good'. I'm sure the motor toter is more 'convenient' to use.
I respectfully disagree, the purpose of the “motor toter” is to take pressure off the tilt cylinder when traveling, the only device that actually protects the transom is the “transom saver” just look at the physics of it. Now with all that said, your transom is designed to take a lot of abuse, I mean think about it, when running trimmed out, the entire weight of the boat and contents plus motor thrust is being put on the transom, it can handle a lot, especially if you strike an object in the water, that’s a lot of pressure on the transom. Both of these devices keep the motor from bouncing and doing damage to the hydraulic tilt/trim cylinder/s but only the transom saver transfers part of the outboard weight to the trailer, the other still keeps all the weight on the boat.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and again I’m very grateful for you keeping the comments polite and civil.
I igree 👍👍
In my earlier years I had a 16’ aluminum boat with 30 hp Johnson motor and motor toter lock, on a trailer with boat saver straps, driving down gravel road to lake I could see motor bouncing around, I could go to back to the motor and put my weight on lower unit and flex the transom, put a transom saver extending down to trailer on there and no more flexing transom with me pushing on lower unit, I agree fiberglass boat transoms are tougher than the aluminum transoms of old, but would think the same principle would apply, so I agree with you, depending on the boat type, cheap aluminum boat, better go with transom saver, I can see a new Wednesday video coming 😊
We’re going to have to call it “On the Road Wednesday!” Thanks for watching and commenting.
I use a Motor Mate which attaches to the motor. Over time transom tie downs can become slightly loose then all those trailer vibrations get sent to the motor through that motor toater rod.
The older your transom tie downs get the more this is likely to happen. To avoid that happening in the future, I use the Motor Mate.
Ask an engineer. The transom saver reduces the bending moment on the transom, toter does not.
The boat is strapped to trailer the transom saver is riding on trailer roller it bounces in unison much better. Have had two fiberglass shops tell me use the transom saver not motor toter. I think I’ll take their advice.
I appreciate your willingness to disagree in a civil manner. From a common sense perspective I would have agreed with you. But the research I have done supports the info I conveyed in the video. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.
My transom saver attactes to the trailer. Always lefting weight off the transom. My system works better then both.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Totally disagree, with the motor toter the entire weight of the motor rests on the transom, with the transom saver , i think, the weight is somewhat supported, with alot of the weight and force while traveling being transferred to the trailer, my opinion.
I understand that my stance goes against what would seem like common sense but the research I have done shows that as long as the motor and transom move in unison, there is no additional strain put on the transom due to trailering. I do appreciate your civil comments and I thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.
You have a shockingly bad understanding of basic physics.