Need extra wide goal posts on the trailer

woodster · Aug 18, 2013

DAVA390 said:
Ok, I give up, I`m tired of fighting with this boat to get it on the trailer!
My P18 had goal posts on the trailer. This P23 new to me this year does not. We only have 6 trips out so far due to repairs and schedule but each time reloading has been torture. I`ve been looking online and around the marina at other boats. Not really finding what I think I need. My trailer frame is 5` wide. The boat beam ins 8.5 ft wide on paper but when I put a tape measure against it it seems to me from field measurements I need about 2.5 ft` horizontal length on the pole brackets coming off the trailer to the point where the vertical post attaches. All of the kits I`m seeing have only about 18" long arms. Anyone know of a wide boat kit or am I on the way to my local welder? Thanks, Dave

any good welding shop can fab theses for you ....just ask if they have a pipe bender when you go in to inquire about having it done and if they don't ask them if they have the ability to fab the goal posts with the bend from horizontal to almost vertical...and have it made out of galvanized schedule 40 pipe about 1 and 1/2 inches ID......

good luck

regards

woody

31seahorse · Aug 18, 2013

Hello Dave,

Do like the opposing team would do when they beat you for the championship........tear down the goal posts!

That Precision has a lovely stub keel that will respond very nicely to a "V" shaped attachment between the bunks and the keel support. The front of the keel will slide into the "V" shape and (believe it or not) the rest of the boat will center itself on the trailer like magic. I'll try to post a picture of the contraption I put on the trailer for our P-18. I used a pressure treated 1 X 6, two strap hinges (so getting the angle correct was a no-brainer), and two "U" bolts that attached each 1 X 6 to the aft support for each bunk.

If you need more pictures or want a more complete explanation just email me.

Phil

OOPS, I did not add that there are white starboard pieces added to the keel board and to the bunks. Those made pulling the boat onto the trailer or sliding it off a simpler job too. I did need to use care when launching because I believe the boat could have slid off the trailer if the winch cable and the safety chain had been loosened too soon.

RE: the boards shown a few posts down from the Precision site.......I only used one board on each side of the trailer and that worked fine. I think the boards in the Precision site picture are added at several places along the bunks. That would only be better in situations where your trailer was submerged quite deeply at a steep ramp. I always submerged the wheels and fenders, but tried to limit how deeply the trailer went under. The starboard slides allowed the boat to be pulled onto the trailer with the winch. That would be more difficult with the weight of the 23. Do I see a power winch under the Christmas tree?????

centerline · Aug 18, 2013

31seahorse said:
Hello Dave,

Do like the opposing team would do when they beat you for the championship........tear down the goal posts!

That Precision has a lovely stub keel that will respond very nicely to a "V" shaped attachment between the bunks and the keel support. The front of the keel will slide into the "V" shape and (believe it or not) the rest of the boat will center itself on the trailer like magic. I'll try to post a picture of the contraption I put on the trailer for our P-18. I used a pressure treated 1 X 6, two strap hinges (so getting the angle correct was a no-brainer), and two "U" bolts that attached each 1 X 6 to the aft support for each bunk.

If you need more pictures or want a more complete explanation just email me.

Phil

I agree.... this is a much better method than the goal posts. it is also better looking, longer lasting and much more durable.....

Tom G P-21 · Aug 19, 2013

Here is a link to the boards going from the bunks to the keel guide from the Precision owners page. I believe this is what Phil is referring to.

http://precisionowners.com/pfund4.htm

fasttalker372 · Aug 19, 2013

this is what I did on my precision 23 trailer. We only used it at four or five different ramps so far but it has worked great.

watercolors II · Aug 19, 2013

HIGH keel guides

Keel guides is the way to go. Positioning the keel makes is much easier to use than hull guides and also looks much better than those post sticking up like the stink boats.

The only problem you have with keel guides is how deep you place the trailer into the water at the launch ramp.

If you have rollers on your trailer instead of bunks then placing your trailer in shallow will work to winch the hull up into place. Low guides will work fine such as fasttaker372 photo is showing.

If you have bunks, then placing your trailer deep into the water is a must. Floating your boat on to the trailer is the recommended way because of the friction caused by the bunks and trying to winch all that weight up out of the water is very hard on the hulls bow eye and the winch. Now, when you have the trailer deep in to the water the hull and keel float above the low keel guides until almost in it’s final resting place, because of the ANGLE of the ramp. The precision owners site listed by Tom G, P-21 shows higher guides to slide the keel down into the lower keel guides as the hull moves forward on the trailer.

The overall best system is high keel guides, almost high enough to act as another set of bunks next to the hull, see attached photo.

Doc_holiday · Aug 20, 2013

It wasn't mentioned, and may not be worth a lot, but my problem with the goal posts are sort of silly but I can't get my buffer between them and the boat so when I wax , I miss part of it. Especially up by the rail.

Tom G P-21 · Aug 20, 2013

Also, if you are concerned about the strain of winching the boat, think about changing the rollers. The polyurethane rollers, bright orange, made a big difference in getting the boat on and off the trailer, but they are expensive.

WayneH · Aug 21, 2013

My goal posts for my previous boat were two parters.

On the bottom of the vertical section, you can see the bolts that hold them together. All galvanized parts and were still in good shape when I sold the boat. The uprights are just angle iron with the flat sides facing aft and in. The top section was notched and laid over for the lights which never went underwater during launch operations. Plus you can see where the trailer is while approaching it.

But the goal posts were not there to hold the boat on her trailer. Just a visual guide. What centered the boat on the trailer was the two 2X12's on each side of the keel. The gap between the guide boards and the keel was about an inch and a half. So the boat was ALWAYS centered port to starboard on the trailer.

Hope this helps.

tkanzler · Aug 25, 2013

If you want visual guides in addition to the keel guide slot, as the previous poster showed, consider fiberglass driveway markers, which you can plug into small pockets attached to the trailer frame before you put it under water, and unplug and store once it's on land. They're small diameter, solid, very flexible, and yellow or orange for visibility. Should be easy enough to mount sockets to make a vee out of them, tall enough to just be seen above the water.

They may not be a common item down where you are, but they're everywhere around here in snow country.

Forrest15112 · Aug 26, 2013

Hunter put very heavy steel pipe goal posts on my H23.5 trailer and one day I noticed in the rearview mirror one cracked at a weld and was dragging. I picked up a kit from a local trailer parts store which was made from galvanized box tubing and was about 2 feet high on each side. It's designed to slip a piece of 2 inch PVC pipe over it and that can be as long as I want. I've used that for at least 10-15 years with no problems at all.

hewebb · Aug 26, 2013

I built goal post out of 1 - 1/2 pipe purchased at Home Depot. Makes loading the boat a lot easier. The pipe is covered with 2" PVC and a line around the PVC where the water depth heeds to be to load. As mentioned earlier my keel guides are below the keel on some ramps and the goal post guide the boat over them. I do not have any photos at this time but will be glad to take some if you would like to see the set up I have. I have a wing keel so the guides I built are somewhat different.

David S · Aug 26, 2013

31seahorse, I like your method as pictured there, good design. For my O'day 22 I am thinking the angled board could be little longer and the resulting angle would be slightly less and the other board higher and little longer also.
Come on guys comments please.

David S

Need extra wide goal posts on the trailer

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