Before I start I have searched and read many helpful posts about getting a sailboat on a trailer with that said I still have a couple of questions. I have a 1975 Oday 25 shoal draft keel sailboat. As other people have asked what is the easiest way to get the boat on the trailer? My trailer does not as yet have a winch on it but does have six bunks. The trailer when perfectly level is 18.25 inches to the top of the board that the keel rests on and the draft is according to specs 2'3". So when the front of the boat is as far forward as it can go and resting on the forward bunks the trailer from that location would need to be at least 46" deep to allow it to float on to the trailer. I have installed a (removable) depth guide at that location so that I know how deep the trailer should be so that the boat will float onto the trailer with out hitting the keel resting board. After securing the bow with a cable strap I then can pull the boat slightly out of the water and let it settle on the bunks. After it is out I am going to add a winch and guide boards to help guide the boat onto the trailer in the future. Thanks rbone for the recent specs of the width etc of the keel. Does anybody have any suggestions and am I thinking about this correctly? Thanks for any help.
Retrieving sailboat onto trailer
- Thread starter SteveSam
- Start date
- Status
Steve, I will reply with by experiences and suggestions on trailering sailboats and I am sure there will be many others that will as well.
First off the boat we currently have is much larger than yours but we have been loading and unloading sailboats of different lengths (26, 33 & 41) for years so the equipment and procedure is about the same.
The first item you already mentioned. You need a keel guide to bring it center. Second you need a keel stop to stop the boat when it is far enough onto the trailer. Lastly I strongly suggest you use what I call "goal posts" on the trailer so you know where the trailer is in relation to the boat. I have included pictures of the trailer I built for my current boat. The first one being the keel guide and the second one showing the goal posts and their location relative to the bow and stern of the boat. We use 1-1/4" pvc pipe. The aft set has a depth marked on it so you know when the trailer is deep enough.
The procedure is pretty simple. Back the trailer in until the water gets to the mark on the stern goal posts. You then know the keel of the boat will clear the trailer. Bring the boat onto the trailer by aligning the goal posts with the boat. For ours the front two will line up with the bow roller and the stern two will be parallel to the helm. Once the keel strikes the keel stop (the trailer will move a bit) have the driver pull forward slowly and this keep a little forward pressure on the keel stop since the boat will try to slide back. Once the boat is on the supports shut down the engine and have the driver take you up the ramp! No need for a depth finder.
Hope this helps and Good luck!
Attachments
The problem I've had was not so much the trailer but the ramp. It needs to be steep enough to submerge the trailer enough to float the boat on or off, and long enough so the trailer tires don't settle in the inevitable hole at the end of the ramp. If you have a 4WD or Front Wheel Drive vehicle that's a plus, otherwise you don't really want your rear vehicle tires in the water.
I've heard of attaching a rope to the tongue and using a rolling spare to allow for deeper submersion.
I asked around and found a ramp that others had used for sailboats, but even then it was a challenge.
Wow, Nodak7, that's a big boat for trailering! I see the rope/tongue thing going on too. I think with that setup you are the trailer authority.
I've heard of attaching a rope to the tongue and using a rolling spare to allow for deeper submersion.
I asked around and found a ramp that others had used for sailboats, but even then it was a challenge.
Wow, Nodak7, that's a big boat for trailering! I see the rope/tongue thing going on too. I think with that setup you are the trailer authority.
Sorry I did not give enough information. My trailer does have the ability to exend the tongue another 6 feet when getting ready to retrieve or launch the boat. My major concern is getting the trailer deep enough to allow it to float on and then to allow it to settle in the middle of the trailer supported by the bunks with out having to fiddle around to much especially when it is cold. I agree with you about the ramp. I just want to be able to get it in and out of the water with two people (one being the boss) if you get my drift.
Steve, the method we use really only requires two people. One in the truck and one on the boat. However, it if it is windy you may need more to keep her lined up with side lines while you bring it out. It took us about 8 minutes to load our boat and have it at the top of the ramp. If the ramp is shallow you may need an extension. Some are built into the trailer and some, like ours, are a separate attachment.
KP I only wish we did not have to do this. A boat lift would be wonderful but that is the "advantage" of living in a rural area with a lake that fluctuates 40-50' up and down per year. This was a "good" high year so the ramp was not to long. I have attached a picture looking up the ramp so you can see we have to travel.
Attachments
Thanks for the info. I was born in NW Iowa but not aware of your lake. It is huge and quite beautiful I wondered why you needed so large a boat. I just want to be able to launch and retrive the boat with a minimum of fuss. Once it is out of the water I will be able to determine exactly where the guides go. We have a lot of strange wind because of the topography and I have installed long bike flags with telltales to allow for some wind correction. I just need to be able to get it centered of the trailer with the least fuss. Would love to sail on your lake.
It certainly is a beautiful and pristine lake. We are fortunate! You can sail up into the badlands and see no one for days. Very little development. Just two real marinas in 150 mile stretch. Average depth is about 90' but it does get to 160'. There are about 25 sailboats on it of 30'+ and about the same number of power boaters in that range. The one real detriment is the season is only about 6 months at the max.
Here is a picture of one of the bays about 50 miles from the marina in the Little Missouri. Notice there are no buildings in sight...
Of course my wife and I dream of being on the Gulf or Coast and doing some "real" sailing. LOL
Attachments
Well I guess that you do not have to worry about running into anybody if you camp out. I have sailed on the Choctawhatchee Bay in Destin 26 miles lond and 6 miles at the widest. I am only about 6 hours away and that is why I want to get the trailer situation straightened out. Real sailing is where ever you are at least in my Humble opinion. I still am slightly jealous of your lake. We are lucky that we can sail all year long even though many people do not. There is something about a cold wind in your face that...wakes you up and makes feel alive.
Now "THAT'S" a Trailer Sailor...
How often do you pull/launch that rig...? Do you have a place to park it with the mast/rigging up...?
That's what I plan on doing with my 26 footer, I like the pvc "guides" in the back...I'll have to add that to my rig...
How often do you pull/launch that rig...? Do you have a place to park it with the mast/rigging up...?
That's what I plan on doing with my 26 footer, I like the pvc "guides" in the back...I'll have to add that to my rig...
Squidd, we launch and retrieve once per season. We have a storage area at the top of the ramp where we store our boats with the masts up. All boats in the Marina use trailers to Launch and Retrieve. There is a 70' motor boat that uses the same method as we do. Just have to make sure the ramp is not to wet.
LOL you got good eyes! Yup backing it down is much more nerve racking than pulling it out. 4 Wheel low low and very very slow. Fortunately the water is normally much higher in the spring so it does not have to go very far.
I added this to my trailer for my 23.5.Helps center boat.works great.Wider at back helps move to center.
Attachments
Some of what we did ....
....might give you some ideas. With the side bunks we have no problems launching and retrieving and the boat always lines right up and settles onto the bunks.
One problem, and I think this isn't just Macs, is that you can pull the bow up into the ....
..."V" on the trailer, but when you get out and up on flatter land it settles back away from the "V" since it rotates back on the bunks due to the fact that down in the water the trailer is angled down away from the boats bottom.
One method Mac guys use is the "mac-bump' which means you pull ahead in the parking lot and put the brakes on and try and slide the boat forward into the "V". Lots of people do it, but I don't like it myself, so I made the ......
..."V"....
...movable and move it back to the boat once the boat/trailer are out of the water.
There is lots more here....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/trailer-mods-index.html
Sum
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Our Endeavour 37[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Our MacGregor S Pages[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Mac-Venture Links[/FONT]
Steve -- I used to have an O'Day 23, same basic configuration as yours, and it wasn't bad at all to put onto a trailer. I believe the 25 has the bow eye? If not, it might be worth installing if you are going to trailer a lot.
I just bought a trailer for my S2 27 and it is 4'9 draft so I had the builder add a 'launching wheel' to the front (an 8 inch rubber tire that is removable) and will use a tow strap to back the boat down the ramp. No, I haven't tried it yet.
I just bought a trailer for my S2 27 and it is 4'9 draft so I had the builder add a 'launching wheel' to the front (an 8 inch rubber tire that is removable) and will use a tow strap to back the boat down the ramp. No, I haven't tried it yet.
I did something similar....
... but have also never tried it yet. It is suppose to steer if if works right. The local lake was built over an existing highway and they use the old highway as the ramp and you have to go out a long ways to get into deeper water.
We decided the lake is just too small to put the Mac in so have never used the wheel. One nice thing is that it is....
.... the spare also. More here....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/trailer-mods-2.html
Sum
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Our Endeavour 37[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Our MacGregor S Pages[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Mac-Venture Links[/FONT]
- Status