I heard that's a wive's tale. But maybe I'm wrong. Please explain, mechanically, how the damage happens.the real problem of leaving it down and in neutral is it can damage the transmissions gears.
a well is designed for that...a well that allows for tilting up is even better....but does really look bad in my opinion...a mount on the transom of a small boat NO.We sailed a Coronado 25 in & out of San Francisco Bay for 10 years. It had a well that allowed the lower unit to be tipped up completely out of the water. When in close quarters and/or busy traffic conditions we left it in the water in neutral, which was a lot of the time. I wasn't aware of any stress on the mount as Christian mentioned, as the motor was basically still with no turbulence that I could notice
From a speed standpoint, we couldn't really tell much as it was before GPS & we didn't have a knot meter. In neutral, I don't think the drag was much.
On all the outboards we had the gears ran in oil & there were no clutches or cones, just dogs. About the only wear I could think of was in the seals, which are lubricated by water on the outside & oil on the inside. We never had any wear or other problems in the 10 years we left the motor down.
Paul T
The well in the Coronado was basically a slot in the bottom which went back to an opening in the transom, unlike some I have seen as just a hole in the bottom of the boat. Under sail, there appeared to be very little turbulence created by it, motor up or down. I have seen "plugs" made for some wells to be inserted to make the bottom "flat, instead of a bottom with a hole in it.a well is designed for that...a well that allows for tilting up is even better....but does really look bad in my opinion...a mount on the transom of a small boat NO.
I had a boat with a well and the amount of turbulence during sailing was a lot...most guys with an outboard in a well design a flapper of sorts that covers the big gaping hole with lower unit passing through... and lessens the amount of splash, turbulence and noise...
just sayin![]()
I have no experience with a transom bracket other than to watch many boats with them trying to beat back from Alcatraz with their props out of the water about half the time, & the engines screaming their guts out (before rev limiters). I can imagine with all the leverages involved that the stress on the transom could be considerable. Some brackets look to be more complex than others. No question that pulling or tipping up the motor is best.we agree...we are talking about the same things...many guys with standard wells make a slit to tilt up...of course there is less turbulence there, some boats came like that(cal, columbia etc)
mine had a plug...but then whats the use o the well unless you cruise long distances...I didnt take out the engine it was too much if a nuissance for short sails
and then if you do that then why even have a well? use a mount on the transom
the issues Im talking about and what the op is asking is leaving the motor DOWN on a transom mount, AND in gear will add a lot of unde STRESS, flex in the mount and DRAG making the transom weak and flex unless heavily backed up and even then you have the issue if drag and motor "damage"
if you have a mount on a transom that can be tilted up, or even if not at least tilt your engine up to minimize drag.
thats my cents
cheers