Keel and trailer clearance

[Jim Hughes]

When my boats on the trailer,I've got about 1 in. of clearance between the keel and rubber keel support on the trailer.If the boat's not centered exactly on the trailer,when taking it out of the water,the keel can wind up next to the rubber support,instead of being on it,and you can't push it to center it,since the rubber support now sticks up further than the keel.This is with the keel fully raised in it's trunk. Is this a common problem? The boat's level on the trailer.It seems like the boat needs to be raised on the trailer or the keel support needs to be cut and lowered on the trailer.

 

[Mike]

Keel & trailer

When trailering, your boat should be centered on the trailer and the keel lowered to rest on the keel roller. If your trailer does not have them you might weld on a set of "goalposts", padded vertical bars at the rear of the trailer that lines the boat up with the center of the trailer. If you have a very narrow keel roller, you might install a wider one but you still need to have the boat centered and the keel resting on the roller when towing. A small speed bump or pothole can place great strain on the keel winch and cable if not supported by the roller.Happy sailing,Mike