the trailor

[tom]

i've noticed that in some pictures i've received that some of the trailors look like they have an extended tongue on them.. i figure it's to help get the boat down in the water,,, my boat, a c22 has a trailor that looks like it had, at one time, that type of setup. but now the tongue is only about five ft long. should i try to get a longer piece so that i can extend it. i believe the trailor is the original when purchased back in 74...i havent put it in the water yet due to a little remod of the boat,, but soon,, soon...

 

[Bob]

Tongue Depression

The reason for having a tongue extension is to allow the trailer to be backed DEEP enough in the water to float the boat on or off. This is very much a function of ramp angle - on a steep ramp it's easier to get the trailer in deeper without flooding the rear of the tow vehicle. If you use a shallow ramp, it might be necessary to make an extension so that your vehicle will remain dry when launching or retrieving. A cornfield alternative that worked for me was to tie a stout rope to the hitch and the trailer, with appropriate slack in between, and when I had backed the trailer most of the way into the water I'd crank down the swivel jack, unlatch the ball, and let the trailer roll backwards into the water. This always worked well. Retrieving was the reverse, making sure there was sufficient weight on the tongue to keep the rig from lifting. I'd tow it up the ramp until it was level, chock the wheels just in case, hitch back up, and be ready to go. However, my boat was a 1200 lb 18 footer, so you should factor that in.

 

[David Walters]

Get extended

Bob, I hate it when my tongue gets depressed too. Get's kinda dry hangin' out there all lonesome, you know.Seriously, If the trailer does not have brakes go for the extension. This can either be a permanently longer tongue tube, which will add to your tongue wieght, or one that can telescope out to the length desired. Easy to do if don't have brakes to contend with.If you have brakes, the easiest way to go (if you don't do a perm extension) is to have a separate bar that will slide out under the perm setup to give you the length you need without having to worry about brake lines and such. This will mean some time for disconnect and re-connect at both ends of the trip, but will get the job done.Go to the link below and search the forum archives. There's some really great info there.

 

[Leo]

Tilt trailer

Why not a tilt-trailer rather then an extension type?Leo