Trailering with the Engine Up, and No Transom Saver

Transom savers don’t fit every rig, but you can’t trailer with the engine tilted up if you don’t have one – can you? Generally speaking the answer is “no,” but there’s a new option now on the market: the Skegg Pro.

The Skegg Pro eliminates the need for a transom saver, allowing you to tow with the outboard tilted up.

The Skegg Pro is designed to slide over the engine’s tilt rams, and you tilt the engine down until it rests on the unit. It’s thoroughly rugged, made from fiber-filled engineering-grade resin. I like the concept behind the Skegg Pro because this unit will fit just about any engine from 70 to 300 horsepower, no matter what type of boat and trailer you have. Oh, and there’s one more thing: The Skegg Pro costs $20 bucks, which is about half of what you’ll pay for a standard-issue transom saver.

My own rig is a powercat, so the engines are farther outboard than usual and transom savers simply don’t fit – and for years I’ve been looking for a way to support the engines in the up-tilted position.  The standard item to use is a block of wood which you “pinch” down with the engine - hardly what you’d call a good alternative. The wood sometimes vibrates free and falls off on the road, soft wood gets mashed and smashed, and there’s always the worry of transom damage. Obviously, I’m psyched to check out the Skegg Pro. They’ve sent me a pair to test out, so keep your eyes peeled on the Texas Tested section in upcoming editions of Texas Fish & Game. When I’ve given the Skegg Pro a thorough trial, I’ll report back on just how well it worked out.