DSC01202 All I can say is, if someone knows where the machinery is to start manufacturing these extension brackets, they could make a mint just selling them on the market to the folks who want to convert powerboat trailer into sailboat trailer. "Nuf said" on that subject. As you can see in the pic though, all you need is a couple of jacks placed under these extension brackets and you can snug the bunks right up to the hull with the boat sitting on the trailer. It was as easy as that after I had got the proper tongue weight on the trailer. First I needed to get the boat out of the water. To do that I set the bunks just a shade higher. When I pulled the boat out of the water, the bottom of the keel was sitting about 1.5" off the keel board with the bunks taking the full weight of the boat. What you don't want is the keel sitting on the keel board and the bunks too low and have the boat leaning when you pull the trailer up the ramp. All I had to do is place two of my sailboat stands, one on each side of the stern to keep the boat straight and use a hydraulic jack under the bow of the boat and start lowering the boat so that the keel would sit squarely on the trailer's keel boat. I may have use four of my boat stands under the stern that day. I really don't remember. Four is always better than two especially under an O'Day 26 which I lifted for my friend Ray one day. After I was able to get the keel sitting on the keel board, I tightened the bunk brackets and unhooked the trailer from my truck and place a bathroom scale on some blocks under the trailer tongue. The trailer needs to be level when you get the weight reading. As it turned out, she was too tongue heavy so I had to back down the ramp and let the boat float back a little to lighten her up. A good rule of the is 5% to 10% for the tongue weight so you need to know what your boat weighs fully found to come up with a good tongue weight ratio. If there's too much weight at the end of the trailer, the trailer is going to fish tail as you're driving down the road. Too much weight up forward is not good either. After I got 110 lbs for my tongue weight, I placed two of my jacks under the center extension brackets under my main bunks and raise the bunks so that they would support the hull. I took measurements on these and came up with 18.5" from the top of the cross member to the top of each bunk on both sides and I tightened the bracket bolts up. Then I moved the jacks to the two front brackets and raise the ends of the bunks to get 21.5". This puts a bend in the bunk boards which conform to the hull nicely. The two back brackets came to 20.5". Just remember that these measurements are useless unless you have a similar make and model trailer as mine. As you can see, my cross members are straight. Some are curved. Also, the keel is sitting on two pressure treated planks which are secured to the top of the cross members. I didn't see a need to mess with the short bunks under the bow. They needed to be removed and repositioned to take on a V shape under my bow for good support and I could do that later after I got her home. All that was left was to move the winch stanchion back so that the bow is up against the pedestal's bow roller. I had to remove the stanchion and place it on the tongue, inside the trailer's A frame. It looks funny but that's where it needed to go after all, this trailer was built for a 23' boat don't sha' know. The boat floats on and off the trailer without swamping my truck and I have no need for an extension tongue. This is why I say, buy a longer trailer than needed for your boat and it can work for your boat, depending on the depth of your keel of course. My boat is an O'Day 222 Keel/centerboard sloop but I think that this rule of thumb will work for an O'Day 25 or 26. It may even work for an O'Day 272 wing keel sloop.

DSC01202 All I can say is, if someone knows where the machinery is to start manufacturing these extension brackets, they could make a mint just selling them on the market to the folks who want to convert powerboat trailer into sailboat trailer. "Nuf said" on that subject. As you can see in the pic though, all you need is a couple of jacks placed under these extension brackets and you can snug the bunks right up to the hull with the boat sitting on the trailer. It was as easy as that after I had got the proper tongue weight on the trailer. First I needed to get the boat out of the water. To do that I set the bunks just a shade higher. When I pulled the boat out of the water, the bottom of the keel was sitting about 1.5" off the keel board with the bunks taking the full weight of the boat. What you don't want is the keel sitting on the keel board and the bunks too low and have the boat leaning when you pull the trailer up the ramp. All I had to do is place two of my sailboat stands, one on each side of the stern to keep the boat straight and use a hydraulic jack under the bow of the boat and start lowering the boat so that the keel would sit squarely on the trailer's keel boat. I may have use four of my boat stands under the stern that day. I really don't remember. Four is always better than two especially under an O'Day 26 which I lifted for my friend Ray one day. After I was able to get the keel sitting on the keel board, I tightened the bunk brackets and unhooked the trailer from my truck and place a bathroom scale on some blocks under the trailer tongue. The trailer needs to be level when you get the weight reading. As it turned out, she was too tongue heavy so I had to back down the ramp and let the boat float back a little to lighten her up. A good rule of the is 5% to 10% for the tongue weight so you need to know what your boat weighs fully found to come up with a good tongue weight ratio. If there's too much weight at the end of the trailer, the trailer is going to fish tail as you're driving down the road. Too much weight up forward is not good either. After I got 110 lbs for my tongue weight, I placed two of my jacks under the center extension brackets under my main bunks and raise the bunks so that they would support the hull. I took measurements on these and came up with 18.5" from the top of the cross member to the top of each bunk on both sides and I tightened the bracket bolts up. Then I moved the jacks to the two front brackets and raise the ends of the bunks to get 21.5". This puts a bend in the bunk boards which conform to the hull nicely. The two back brackets came to 20.5". Just remember that these measurements are useless unless you have a similar make and model trailer as mine. As you can see, my cross members are straight. Some are curved. Also, the keel is sitting on two pressure treated planks which are secured to the top of the cross members. I didn't see a need to mess with the short bunks under the bow. They needed to be removed and repositioned to take on a V shape under my bow for good support and I could do that later after I got her home. All that was left was to move the winch stanchion back so that the bow is up against the pedestal's bow roller. I had to remove the stanchion and place it on the tongue, inside the trailer's A frame. It looks funny but that's where it needed to go after all, this trailer was built for a 23' boat don't sha' know. The boat floats on and off the trailer without swamping my truck and I have no need for an extension tongue. This is why I say, buy a longer trailer than needed for your boat and it can work for your boat, depending on the depth of your keel of course. My boat is an O'Day 222 Keel/centerboard sloop but I think that this rule of thumb will work for an O'Day 25 or 26. It may even work for an O'Day 272 wing keel sloop.

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DSC01201 These brackets are the best I've seen on the market today. As I mentioned previously, Long is out of business. They were located in Tarboro NC. Although there is another trailer company with that same name in NC, they are not and never have been affiliated with with the company that built my trailer. It' too bad because I'd love to see a company start manufacturing this long extension brackets for guys who own keel/centerboard sloops and want to trailer them. These brackets could fit any trailer cross member. They are really the only thing that makes converting an ordinary powerboat trailer into a sailboat trailer.

DSC01201 These brackets are the best I've seen on the market today. As I mentioned previously, Long is out of business. They were located in Tarboro NC. Although there is another trailer company with that same name in NC, they are not and never have been affiliated with with the company that built my trailer. It' too bad because I'd love to see a company start manufacturing this long extension brackets for guys who own keel/centerboard sloops and want to trailer them. These brackets could fit any trailer cross member. They are really the only thing that makes converting an ordinary powerboat trailer into a sailboat trailer.

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DSC00740 My trailer is 23' long and 8' wide at the fenders. I'm pretty sure that my bunks are 4' apart at the stern as you're looking at it now. There are two long main bunks being held up by six 24" bunk extension brackets, three on each side. The two shorter bunks under the bow are held up by four of these brackets. The bracket are set approximately in the range of 20" to 22" from the top of the A frame to the top of the bunks.

DSC00740 My trailer is 23' long and 8' wide at the fenders. I'm pretty sure that my bunks are 4' apart at the stern as you're looking at it now. There are two long main bunks being held up by six 24" bunk extension brackets, three on each side. The two shorter bunks under the bow are held up by four of these brackets. The bracket are set approximately in the range of 20" to 22" from the top of the A frame to the top of the bunks.

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DSC00742 Like a dumbbell, I left those two two schedule 80 2" PVC pipes on those guides while trailer the boat and the 2" cap on the one on this side broke. If you buy these guides, remove the pipe when you trailer the boat on the road. You only need them when your at the ramp.

DSC00742 Like a dumbbell, I left those two two schedule 80 2" PVC pipes on those guides while trailer the boat and the 2" cap on the one on this side broke. If you buy these guides, remove the pipe when you trailer the boat on the road. You only need them when your at the ramp.

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DSC00741 Here's what she looks like sitting on the trailer. I think the tongue weight is about 110 lbs. When I first bought the boat trailer, I brought it home and installed the sandwiched planks. Then I took two of my SB-3 Brownell's Boatyard stands with me, along with my bathroom scale. I had two jacks in my pickup truck to uses also. I don't think I even bothered messing with the two short bunks under the bow until I got my boat home on this trailer. The main bunks are the important ones that need to be set up. The bunks under the bow could be set up later on after I had the boat on the trailer.

DSC00741 Here's what she looks like sitting on the trailer. I think the tongue weight is about 110 lbs. When I first bought the boat trailer, I brought it home and installed the sandwiched planks. Then I took two of my SB-3 Brownell's Boatyard stands with me, along with my bathroom scale. I had two jacks in my pickup truck to uses also. I don't think I even bothered messing with the two short bunks under the bow until I got my boat home on this trailer. The main bunks are the important ones that need to be set up. The bunks under the bow could be set up later on after I had the boat on the trailer.

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DSC00402 As you can see. These brackets are strong square stock galvy tube and they are completely adjustable. If you can't find brackets like these you may have to have them made up special or have a welder make up something like poppets for boat stands that you can adjust. I really don't know what to tell you on that.

DSC00402 As you can see. These brackets are strong square stock galvy tube and they are completely adjustable. If you can't find brackets like these you may have to have them made up special or have a welder make up something like poppets for boat stands that you can adjust. I really don't know what to tell you on that.

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DSC00401 So what we have is a trailer that's about 23' long and 8' wide at the fenders. It's has four 14" wheels on tandem axles. The frame is Aluminum and the cross members are galvinized steel. There are six 24" galvy extension brackets that support the main section of the hull with two long bunks and four more 24" brackets with two short bunks for the bow support. I had to re-position the two short bow bunks and get them close together where the bow comes to a point. It was just a matter of taking the brackets off the bottom of the bunks, repositon them and drill and lag them into the desired position.

DSC00401 So what we have is a trailer that's about 23' long and 8' wide at the fenders. It's has four 14" wheels on tandem axles. The frame is Aluminum and the cross members are galvinized steel. There are six 24" galvy extension brackets that support the main section of the hull with two long bunks and four more 24" brackets with two short bunks for the bow support. I had to re-position the two short bow bunks and get them close together where the bow comes to a point. It was just a matter of taking the brackets off the bottom of the bunks, repositon them and drill and lag them into the desired position.

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DSC00403 This is my 23' Long Trailer when I first brought it home. Unfortunately Long went out of business shortly after I bought this trailer. Such a shame. It too bad that some company somewhere can't manufacture the extension brackets for those bunks because they are the best I've seen on the market so far and they easy to adjust with the aid of a couple of jacks with the boat sitting on the trailer. That's how I adjusted all my brackets after I got the proper tongue weight, but that's another story. This trailer came with a thick rug covered keel board and I told the dealer to keep it. What you see in the pic is a couple of pressure treated sandwiched 2x10" planks held to the cross members with a couple of galvanized brackets that were given to me by the city power company. I picked up two brackets which are nothing more than a back strap, two 5/8" X 6.5" carriage bolts with washers and nuts. I have the carriage bolt heads counter sunk below the surface of the top plank where the keel sits. This insures that the keel won't hit the bolt heads. The plates bolt up against the bottom of each cross member. The only holes I have bored are through the wood planks and not the cross members. This works out great because I can loosen the carriage bolt nuts to loosen the back plates and be able to slide the keel board to one side or the other. I do this when I take my boat off the trailer in my yard and place her on boat stands, but that's another story. Those two guide that came with my trailer are great for centering my boat when I'm loading her on the trailer at the YC boat ramp. Some guys install keel guides but these guide are all you need, really.

DSC00403 This is my 23' Long Trailer when I first brought it home. Unfortunately Long went out of business shortly after I bought this trailer. Such a shame. It too bad that some company somewhere can't manufacture the extension brackets for those bunks because they are the best I've seen on the market so far and they easy to adjust with the aid of a couple of jacks with the boat sitting on the trailer. That's how I adjusted all my brackets after I got the proper tongue weight, but that's another story. This trailer came with a thick rug covered keel board and I told the dealer to keep it. What you see in the pic is a couple of pressure treated sandwiched 2x10" planks held to the cross members with a couple of galvanized brackets that were given to me by the city power company. I picked up two brackets which are nothing more than a back strap, two 5/8" X 6.5" carriage bolts with washers and nuts. I have the carriage bolt heads counter sunk below the surface of the top plank where the keel sits. This insures that the keel won't hit the bolt heads. The plates bolt up against the bottom of each cross member. The only holes I have bored are through the wood planks and not the cross members. This works out great because I can loosen the carriage bolt nuts to loosen the back plates and be able to slide the keel board to one side or the other. I do this when I take my boat off the trailer in my yard and place her on boat stands, but that's another story. Those two guide that came with my trailer are great for centering my boat when I'm loading her on the trailer at the YC boat ramp. Some guys install keel guides but these guide are all you need, really.

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Joe11688

Setting up the trailer for this boat:

If you don't plan on doing any trailer sailing and just plan on having a trailer that will take her to the ramp once a year for her to be placed on a mooring or slip, I suggest that you buy a 23' tandem axle powerboat trailer that will take the weight of your boat fully found. My Long Mfg Trailer is Aluminum and can take 4600 Lbs. At any rate, you want a trailer that is built for a boat 1' longer than your boat. My boat is 21' 9" and my Long was built for a 23' boat.
It doesn't have to be a sailboat trailer. It can be a powerboat trailer. You'll need to raise the bunks high enough to accommodate the depth of the keel. So the extension brackets under the bunks need to be at least 24" high and preferably adjustable. The reason for the longer trailer is to be able to float the boat on or off the trailer with no need of tongue extension brackets for fear of swamping your towing vehicle.
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