Got a brand new motor!

[zeroready]

My old '76 Mercury 4.5 finally bit the dust. The wiring was all corroded to goo and it just wouldn't start anymore. Pulled the trigger on a brand new Tohatsu 3.5. Man this thing is nice. Probably about 20 pounds lighter than the Mercury, and it's a 4 stroke with an internal tank so no more mixing gas and lugging a gas can aboard.

So with the old 2 stroke, when done for the day and putting the boat on the trailer, I would disconnect the fuel line at the dock and run the fuel out of the carb, get the boat on the trailer and out of the water, then take the motor off the transom and lay it down on a carpet in the cockpit for the short (1.5 mile) drive home. That worked fine for a 2 stroke.

Now my new 4 stroke the manual says to drain the fuel before laying the motor on it's side. I'm assuming they mean from the carb and the tank but it isn't clear. There's a screw on the carb to drain it, but I don't know how I would drain the tank and I wouldn't want to anyway every time I trailer the boat. So I'm wondering if it's a really terrible idea to trailer the boat home on the transom? There would be a couple speed bumps going into and out of the marina. I have a 1/2 piece of white oak screwed on the outside of the transom where the motor mounts to give it a bit more strength. But I just don't know if it's kosher or not to trailer a daysailer with the motor mounted.

If I do need to take it off still, does anyone have a similar motor? How do you lay it down? I really don't want to be draining it every time, but I really don't want fluids leaking everywhere either.

[jalmeida51]

I have a 2.5 H.P. Yamaha long shaft 4 stroke. It doesn't have a warning about laying the motor on its side concerning fuel but it has a warning about laying the motor on its side about the engine oil. You can lay the motor on its side but it has to lay on the side of the tiller. Also if you lay your engine on the other side you can damage the shifting lever.

I have trailered my Daysailer 1 with the motor attached to the transom for a real short distance and no harm done. On my the boat it has the motor well, part of the transom. I would not tow the boat with the motor attached if it had a adjustable motor mount. On longer trips I stand the outboard up in the rear seat. The lower unit resting on the rear floor. This way the motor is almost standing up right. Lay a old sheet to protect the seat from grease or dirt. I run the engine with the fuel shut off closed this will get most of the fuel out of the carb.

If you don't want the motor in your back seat You can make a bracket attached to your trailer to secure your motor to it in the up right position. I saw these brackets for sale but can't remember where.

I had a Honda 5H.P. on a Rhodes19 and the warning was about the oil if you laid it on the wrong side nothing about fuel. It seems like a real pain if you have to drain the fuel. I would check with a dealer and ask him about draining the fuel.

John

[zeroready]

Hey thanks a lot. I actually called Tohatsu and spoke with their motor guru. He said to just burn out the gas in the carb and the motor will be fine to lay on its side, both oil and gas wise. So I'll just keep taking it off the transom and laying it down in the cockpit. Don't want to risk damaging anything by leaving it attached and driving with it.

[GreenLake]

That "motor transport bracket" on the trailer is still a clever idea, if your trailer has a spot where you can fit one. Motor would be more secure there than loose in the cockpit.