I need some advice please --   just purchased my first ever outboard.   9.9 HP, on a 16-foot jonboat.   I got a transom saver, even though the boat's rated for a 45 HP.    My question is ---   while driving down the road, the outboard wants to kind of roll to one side rather than staying centered / aligned with the boat.   The tiller friction lever is as far to the right as it will go, but still the motor eventually wants to roll to one side.   Is that going to cause any problems?  Is there any need to have the motor stay in the centered position while driving?   Thanks for whatever info NAFC members can provide.

Hello 88, I allways but a tie down strap on mine while im going to and from the lake . A ten dollar tie strap could save you alot of money down the road. When you going down the road the motor will flex up and down when you hit bumps in the road..I hope this helps ....... JOHN

I use a transom saver, never had that problem. Silly question, but are you using the the transom saver properly? One end goes into or wedged into the lower unit, the other end to the trailer. Then secure the lower unit with a strap to the transom saver. If your out board has a manual tilt lock, lock it so it doesnt bounce up and down while traveling. If its secured properly, it shouldn't roll to one side, it should stay centered.

This is a common problem with transom savers. Even with hydraulic steering my motor will shift slightly to the left or right, but it's no bad enough for me to worry about. There is a way to stop it. Center your motor and secure it to the boat with a strap around the tiller handle or you could use a bungee cord. Make sure you have the transom saver tight aginst the trailor and the motor and secure it with the strap supplied with it.

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes, I had the transom saver attached correctly, and had the manual tilt lock in place to prevent bouncing up and down. The outboard just kept slowly working its way over onto its side. I may try a different bungee next time to hold the motor more tightly to the transom saver.

Strapping the tiller handle in place sounds like the simplest solution, I will definitely give that a try too. Thanks.

I have a 15hp Mec kicker on my starcraft , I ran that with the motor up the locking bar can be adjusted with the thru bolt so it holds better............but what I was getting at is the my 15 hp was NOT made to travel with the motor up on the highway. It cost me over $600.00 in repairs with the strain I put on it ( the motor). I didn't not use a transom saver and not sure if that would have saved the repair bill or not...........BUT I would check the manual for that motor and see it they give you any advice about the postion the motor should be over the road............Good Luck and tight lines..........

If you had steering cables you could use these.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modpe...rchID=4006