Marine engine and outboard crating

Outboards stand on a bracket, not on a skid

An outboard hangs from a transom in service, so we crate it the same way. A heavy timber stand with a transom-clamp bracket holds the engine upright, with the cowl above and the lower unit hanging in a notch cut into the base. The stand is bolted down with lag bolts to the skid under it.

Without a stand, the lower unit has nothing to rest on and the propeller shaft bears the load. We never let the propeller or the skeg carry weight. The gearcase is supported on a bearer and the propeller is either removed and boxed, or wrapped in foam and secured.

Inboards, sterndrives and diesel marine engines

These are crated like a heavy engine, with bearers under the engine beds and lag bolts through the bed brackets. The transmission or drive leg is supported so the bell housing carries no sag. Exhaust manifolds and risers are drained of seawater, flushed with fresh water and dried, then plugged.

Seawater-cooled engines are the corrosion risk. Raw-water pumps, heat exchangers and coolers hold brine, which is flushed out and replaced with a rust-inhibiting fluid before the engine is closed up in VCI film.

Fuel, oil and battery

Marine engines with fuel or batteries are regulated as hazardous materials under 49 CFR and the IATA rules, so we drain fuel tanks and lines, cap the fittings, and disconnect any battery before packing. Portable fuel tanks are shipped separately, empty, and under the carrier's own rules.

Gearcase oil is checked for water. If it is milky, tell us, because water in the lower unit corrodes bearings during transit. We label anything that remains, and the paperwork says what was drained and when.

• Carburettor bowls and fuel filters drained
• Fuel hose ends capped, not left open
• Kill switch lanyard and key boxed with the manual
• Tiller handle folded or removed and tied to the stand

Fighting salt and humidity

Marine engines have usually seen salt, so corrosion starts before the engine reaches the crate. Exposed aluminium and steel are cleaned, then given a protective film. Cylinders are fogged and spark-plug holes capped.

The engine goes in a barrier bag with VCI emitters and desiccant, sealed with tape, then sits in the crate on a skid vented only at the top. A humidity indicator is visible through a clear window. Our rust-prevention guide explains how VCI film and desiccant work together.

Marks, lifting and long shafts

Long-shaft outboards and tall stern drives make a tall box. The crate is built to the full height with the stand bolted low, so the centre of gravity stays near the base. A centre-of-gravity mark is painted on two faces and sling points are marked on the stand, not the cowl.

Standard ISO 780 symbols go on the sides: this way up, fragile, keep dry. A tip indicator is fixed to the front. Handlers who see an engine crate lying down should reject it, and the indicator makes that obvious.

Parts that travel in their own box

A marine engine arrives with a long list of loose parts: throttle and shift cables, control box, trim and tilt hardware, wiring harness, remote steering kit, the propeller and its hardware. Each is tagged against the engine serial number and packed in a cleated box bolted to the skid beside the engine, so nothing rides loose in the main compartment.

Cowls and covers are the parts that scratch. We wrap them in soft film and fit a foam collar between the cowl and the crate wall. Sacrificial anodes are left in place or boxed and listed, so the receiver can see they were not removed and lost.

We ask for the engine's data plate and a photograph of the mounting area before drawing the stand, since models differ in clamp spread and in how the lower unit tucks in. If you ship a mix of models, tell us, and we build one stand pattern per model.

Export and repeat shipments

For export, the skid and framing are heat-treated lumber with the IPPC stamp, and the panel sheathing is plywood, which is exempt. We write the crate spec down against the engine model so a dealer shipping the same outboard every month gets the same crate each time.

Inspection before closing

Before the lid is fixed, the engine is looked over against a list. Are the fuel ports capped, is the battery clear, is the anode intact, does the gearcase plug hold. The list stays with the crate spec on file, so a dealer or boat builder can see exactly what was done for a given serial number.

If the engine is going to a boat yard, a short note on the lid says which side opens. A door on one side of the crate, hinged with straps, lets a technician check it without lifting the whole box.