Outboard options

[LODI QUACKER]

So maybe some of yall can help, What happens when you are running WOT with an outboard with electric tilt and trim and you hit something that doesnt move?

What products are out there to prevent or minimize damage?

Thanks, I am building a boat and I am trying to make it as idiot proof as possible.

[DeltaCotton12]

From my experience of hitting a submerged. Log at wot usually results in the foot of your motor being violently ripped off as well as possible transome damage.

Not trying to be a smart ass but at wot I don't know of anything on the market that will help here.

Of course wot on a 9 horse and a 90 are 2 different scenarios.

[LODI QUACKER]

Maybe that wasnt the best scenario. But what products are out there to help minimize damage to an outboard when hitting submerged objects. I know CMC makes a product but are there others that may work better.

[swamprooter]

jackplate

[teul2]

Lets see if this makes sense. My 89 evenrude has a "lock" thing on it so the motor will pop/tilt up when it hits something when unlocked. You have to unlock it to pull it up and get the foot out of the water.
I have to lock it for reverse, or it will pop up.

I run with this unlocked all the time. Have hit several things while on plane and the motor just pops up. Then I have to let the boat slow / stop so the motor goes back down in the water. Then keep going.

[LODI QUACKER]

Yep familiar with those Joel but my motor has trim and tilt so its on a hydraulic cylinder no pop up mechanism on a 50 with T&T.

[MudHog]

The only option I think you have would be to mount a fin directly to the bottom of the boat. This would contact the obstruction first before the motor. Here's the bad news, you would need tall bunks on the trailer as this would need to be as far away from the boat as the bottom of the skeg is. Not to mention it would act as a fin and likely give you some very bad steering dynamics.

[Jeff]

There is NO option for this. You unfortunatley have to accept the fact that if you run in an area with the possibility of submerged logs etc you WILL loose a lower unit every few years. I went 20 years without doing so, then in a period of two years nocked two off down here.

[deltadukman]

This is what is on mine. It helps a little from stumps and shallow water, and hit toward the bottom of the foot, but a submerged log or a rock dike above the "prop line" would shear the foot smooth off. I also think it hinders speed and fuel mileage. I dont know wether it's helped me much, but in the timber at a low speeds I do know it helps me roll over logs pretty good.

[quack fiend]

I'm running a tilt-trim yamaha 115 four-stroke on a 2072. I hit a 18"+ log at about 30 mph the other day and split it in half, nearly threw us out. Motor came all the way out of water, didnt damage motor or trim at all, but left two small cracks at transom that I'll get rewelded.

[BR549]

Your trim valves have a popoff valve inside just for this. Not saying it will absorb a direct hard lick but it is designed to take the pressure off the unit. On a Merc it is in the right port tilt rod. On the older omc it is under the pump. If you do hit something hard enough to actually kick your motor up it usually damages the valve. When the valve is damaged the trim will ususally start leaking down slowly. Maybe while sittin on the trailer or while running down the lake you steadily have to hit the trim button.
But like Jeff said earlier, you get on up in HP speed and weight it usually results in a shear! Hopefully clean shear at that! It's a wild ride with a lower unit partialy hanging on at 70 mph!

[DanP]

Tunnel hull and hydraulic jack plate if you having started building the boat yet.

[MudHog]

you could build you a catamaran or even a jet drive boat. Atleast the jet drive would have a smooth bottom.

[Denduke]

There used to be one for small outboards that had a hydralic lever that pushed the OB up and let it down while the outboard was in the unlocked position. But I can't find it ....ah ah didn't look too hard though. Cabelas's got one that has shear pins built in to protect the trim tilt. $.02
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true
Oh shucks, giant cabelas links. Anyway you can look at it for yourself.

Years ago had a bud from Grnwd crawling/jumping logs in a break in Ar. one day, until when the motor came down, the jar engaged the lock and all he had on the next log was a hold of the tiller as the motor popped off and started moving away then dropped. Gas hose held on... Broke the lil Merky off at the mount... We had to paddle back across all the logs he had crossed...

[Faithful Retrievers]

I was running the same set up as delta until I knocked the skeg off on a dike. I haven't noticed any difference in performance without it, but my prop gets more wear. Plan to add it back on the new skeg once I can find one.