You just made the decision of your life and bought a new outboard motor or a boat motor for your boat so that you can enjoy your next trip out on the water smoothly with that new motor. But after you used the new boat motor or even an older boat motor and you are now done with your trip, you’d have to remove the motor from the boat and transport it. Still, there might be some problems you would be facing because you need to position it correctly during transit. So, can a boat motor be laid on its side?
It is not advisable for you to lay a boat motor on its side for an extended period of time except when you are transporting it or when you need to drain excess water from it. But, if you are talking about storage, you should never lay it on its side.
When it comes to storing, you have to make sure that the motor is upright all the time because of how laying it on its side or on its back can possibly damage it. In that regard, let us talk more about proper boat motor storage.
Can a boat motor be laid on its side?
When you are storing a boat motor, you can never lay it on its side because you can possibly damage it or because of how fuel may end up leaking all over the place if you leave it lying on its side for prolonged periods of time.
This is especially true during the winter season because you need to make sure that the motor has been fully drained of excess water that can freeze and damage the boat motor in extreme temperatures. Hence, you need to make sure that you do not lay the motor on its side when you are storing it.
However, there are some instances where laying a boat motor on its side can be okay. This includes the time when you are still transporting it in your car or when you have to drain it of any excess water after using it.
Meanwhile, a Mercury Marine motor will tell you that it is okay for you to lay the boat motor on its side if you have already completely drained it of all of the excess water in it. Brands such as Yamaha and Mariner also use the same recommendation that Mercury Marine gives its owners.
In that sense, you may be able to lay a boat motor on its side even when you are storing it but you have to make sure that it has been completely drained of water before you do so, or else you will end up damaging the entire motor. Still, for safety purposes, we recommend that you don’t lie it on its side at all even after draining it just to be sure.
Can a 2-stroke boat motor be laid on its side?
A 2-stroke boat motor might be a bit different in terms of whether it can be laid on its side. If you have a 2-stroke motor, you should make sure to drain all of the fuel from it before you lay it on its side, or else you will end up having fuel all over the place.
After you have done so, it shouldn’t matter how you store the 2-stroke boat motor but we would still recommend that you don’t keep it laid on its side for safety purposes and just to be sure. But it’s really okay for you to do so as long as you have completely drained it of both fuel and excess water.
Can a 4-stroke boat motor be laid on its side?
Meanwhile, newer 4-stroke boat motors, despite being more advanced, are actually more difficult to handle. You really have to make sure that you completely follow the instructions in the manual of the 4-stroke boat motor because of how there is a chance that the fuel will run into the cylinders to damage the entire motor or to leak fuel all over the place.
As such, it is never advisable for you to lay a 4-stroke boat motor on its side no matter what the case may be. Always make sure that, when transporting or storing your 4-stroke boat motor, you don’t lay it on its side.
What side do you lay a boat motor on?
So, as we have mentioned, it is not a good idea to lay a boat motor on its side especially when you have a 4-stroke outboard motor. It may be okay with a 2-stroke outboard motor but, for safety purposes, it is best to keep your boat motor upright when storing it.
For 2-stroke outboard motors, you may be able to keep it lying on its side while in transit but make sure to store it upright once you store it. Meanwhile, for 4-stroke boat motors, it is best to keep them upright at all times. However, please refer to the manual to check which side you should lay it on because there are some 4-stroke boat motor brands that have specific sides on which to lay the motors when transporting or storing them.
How long can a boat motor lay on its side?
For 2-stroke outboard motors that are laid on their side, you can probably leave them in that position for extended periods of time so long as they have been properly drained of fuel and excess water. If left undrained, you can leave them on their side for maybe a few hours during transit but never for more than maybe half a day.
Meanwhile, for 4-stroke motors, you may be able to lay them on their side for a while during transit but it is never advisable for you to do so because they have to be laid on specific sides or, most probably, upright.
Best way to transport an outboard motor
If you are looking for the best way for you to transport an outboard motor while keeping it in its ideal upright position, you can use a sack barrow that will allow the motor to stay in an upright position while you are holding it with ropes. Then you can place the entire sack barrow at the back of your truck while keeping them in place with ropes.
But if you have the money, you can also use an engine stand because this allows the outboard motor to stay in an upright position the entire time without you having to use ropes just to make sure that it stays in place.
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