Trailer Boat Launch

victorhoisington · Sep 5, 2016

Yes, that is one of the types of setups we have used. Believe it or not it's not that hard to "flip" the hitch bar one person can do it but of course it is easier with 2. One of my buddies with a Catalina 28 has a tire that cranks down with a hand screw but it takes much longer

You might be able to get a god welding shop to weld one up for you for less but of course getting that galvanized will add more to the cost.

Gene Neill · Sep 6, 2016

GGordonWoody said:
Victor - do any of those look like this? This is sorta steep (about $250), but might be worth it.

Hey, @GGordonWoody, where did you find that thing? That might be an alternative to the 6' ball hitch extension I've been thinking about.

Crazy Dave Condon · Sep 6, 2016

Here is one good suggestion. Often when blocking the wheels on a trailer on a ramp that of course is going down hill, I use to keep my safety chains attached to the tow vehicle when detaching the trailer tongue from the tow vehicle in the event that the blocks did not hold the trailer. I have seen some trailers go into the drink as a result of the above when the safety chains had been disconnected

GGordonWoody · Sep 6, 2016

Gene Neill said:
...where did you find that thing?

Ha! I saved the link!
http://www.pacifictrailers.com/pivoting-hub-spare-carrier/

I also just found this...

https://www.veveinc.com/shop/Boat-Lift-Wheel-Mount-Kit-IWP-65.html

Hey Gene - is the tube length 6' or is that the actual amount of extension? The H23.5 came with a 10' extension, which translates into only about 32" of actual slide out extension.

BTW - how did you fare in that hurricane? Was your ship in the lake at the time? This one looks like it was raked by a deck gun!

Gene Neill · Sep 6, 2016

Thanks Woody! I'm gonna save those links. I have used the strap-launch method using only my tongue-jack wheel, and it was SCARY - in addition to unsuccessful. The jack wheel must have gotten stuck on something, because the boat and trailer would not roll far enough down the ramp to float the boat off.

I'm not positive on the exact length of my planned ball hitch extension. I was hoping for 4-6 feet. Like you, my trailer has an extendable tongue also, but it's not long enough. I figured I'd buy eight feet or so of the appropriate square tubing, stick it in the hitch receiver, and see how far it can extend with 300 pounds on it before bending excessively. But, the pivoting-hub spare tire carrier might be just as cheap/easy in the long run.

We got very little of Hermine here at my house, where both of our boats are. No trees down, just a mess a small branches in the yard to pile up and burn. Cedar Key and Steinhatchee are both about an hour away, they got one helluva surge up there. But I guess the eye hit near Carrabelle, up in the Panhandle. Far enough away I heard very little about it firsthand.

Meriachee · Sep 6, 2016

Here's an alternative, the "spare" is also the dolly wheel. There's a collar that allows it to slide up and down the post, and there's two hitch pin holes that hold it either up or down. The winch is used to raise and lower it.
Quite simple and it works well.

GGordonWoody · Sep 6, 2016

Meriachee said:
Here's an alternative, the "spare" is also the dolly wheel

Thanks! Where do you find one of those?

Crazy Dave Condon · Sep 7, 2016

Gene and ggordonwoody. Send me a private message. Need to discuss launching of the 23 5.

Crazy Dave

Meriachee · Sep 7, 2016

GGordonWoody said:
Thanks! Where do you find one of those?

@GGordonWoody , designed and built at home. The trailer is actually at the house, if you're really interested I can get a couple of better shots.

BudGates · Sep 7, 2016

Meriachee said:
Here's an alternative, the "spare" is also the dolly wheel.

I like that idea.

BudGates · Sep 7, 2016

GGordonWoody said:

This brought tears to my eyes.

(

Crazy Dave Condon · Sep 9, 2016

timobrown;
where are you located before selling. maybe there is someone who is nearby that can come and show you the ropes

flynhi4u · Sep 9, 2016

Dave is right Tim. While boat launching can be a pain it is doable, especially with your boat. You may just need to find a more suitable ramp but you should be able to launch. If you don't have any experience launching a boat then I encourage you to get some one who does to show you how. After that it gets much easier.

Sam

Kermit · Sep 9, 2016

I third what Dave said. Learning how to load your boat is key. Having a good ramp helps, too. I went from how-the-hell-is-this-considered-an-easily-trailered-boat? to enjoying loading it by myself. (Thanks to Uncle Crazy Dave.)

Crazy Dave Condon · Sep 10, 2016

Kermie, although a thank you is appreciated, I am only hear to help others and pass on what I gained when in the marine industry from what I recall. Just remember, you croak and I am now in the old fartitis stage. My wife's kayak is now called the US MINNOW while my kayak is referred to the USS Titanic. That's all folks.

Seahorse24 · Sep 11, 2016

timobrown said:
Folks: A few days ago, I finally got a chance to try and launch the p-15. It was a failure on my part. I just came back to read the replies of my post. Perhaps I should have read the posts before I attempted the launch....maybe I would have went rowing. Thanks for all the info! I'm taking the boat to a flea market this weekend and try to sell it. That will probably be a failure also. If so, I will attempt the modifications before I try to launch it again. Thanks again from the old novice. Regards, Tim

I am sorry your first attempt did not work out like you hoped. My first time ever to launch a sailboat was on September 5th of this year. We found a steep ramp nearby to launch a Yankee Seahorse 24. My son was in the boat and I was in the Truck ( 95 Ford F-150 ). On our third attempt, I placed the rear tires in the water as much as I dared, almost up to the axle. The boat then floated off the trailer. We had an extension, but did not use it. We would need it for a ramp that was not steep enough.

An extension could be an easy solution for your setup. Might be less expensive than adding wheels to your trailer. Our extension is two trailer hitches welded to a piece of 2" X 2" square stock. One hitch is turned in the opposite position of the other. There is an additional hitch ball required as well connected to the trailer. I am not at our cabin now or I would send you a photo. I will be there Monday and can take some photos of our extension, if you are interested.

In your case, you may need only 1 and 1/4 square stock, depending on the existing ball size on your trailer. A 6 or 8 foot stick of square stock is fairly cheap at a metal yard. You can drill holes and bolt the parts on each end instead of welding.

Updated:

I looked up all the parts to make a trailer extension. If buying new, all the parts including tax will run around $93.00. If you don't have a drill and bits, you can buy those for less than $40.00. Worst-case, about $140.00, if you want to do the assembly yourself for a 4 foot extension. A six foot extension would be a few dollars more. The square stock needs to be two feet longer than the effective extension length.

flynhi4u · Sep 11, 2016

I have seen 4 foot long 2 inch ball hitch extensions that slide in your hitch reciever. Not sure what the tongue weight rating is but that is a quick easy way to add 4 feet to the length of your trailer tongue. Of course this would only be used to launch and not pull down the road with.

Sam

flynhi4u · Sep 12, 2016

Just curious, is it a swing keel? I am ashamed to admit this but the first two times we tried to launch we failed because the keel was not cranked up and locked. I finally shoved the boat off and then felt the keel dragging on the ramp. The light bulb went on over my head then. Has been much easier every since as I make sure the keel is up and locked. It just floats off and away now.

Sam