To the trailer experts, how would you modify!

[48dodge]

Here's the trailer for my Oday 222

The boat on the trailer

When I got the boat the bunks were the only thing holding the boat up and one bunk was actually broken. They were also not adjustable. I'm not sure what boat this trailer was made for but it wasn't my 222. Anyway while I had the boat off the trailer I replaced the bunks and added adjustable uprights so the keel would at least be supported by the roller. The problem is it actually comes close to hitting the axle as well.
Other concerns with the trailer:
1 The winch strap is at a bad angle, it pulls down on the bow instead of up, much less now that I've made the adjustments that I could. Do I need to replace the whole front tower?

2 The bottom bow roller seems like it's going to be tough to hit right, maybe lose that altogether and replace the front bow support with a larger roller?

3. I feel like I need a keel board just not sure how to add it.

 

[Joe]

I think you're on the right track with items 1 and 2. I'd raise the strap angle by adding roller level with the bow eye... two triangular plates bolted to the existing tower should give adequate support with the least structural change.

That small bottom roller may be a problem... they make wider, vee shaped rollers that would be much more forgiving... say six to eight inches.. Or.....you could build a small cradle rather than a roller.... since you obvioulsly float the boat on, rather than roll it.

As far as the keel board..... I'm not seeing the need to support it that way... I think your bunks are more than adequate... however... I could see you adding a set of converging guide boards that would funnel the keel towards its desired position on the trailer (also centering the boat)... but not necessarily bearing the weight.

 

[48dodge]

I may need to switch the keel roller to one of these
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=5651&familyName=Guide+on+Rollers

I currently have the yellow PVC rubber rollers and they've developed flat spots. The flatter profile guide roller will probably buy me at least an inch over the axle. I know exactly what you're talking about with the wider bow rollers.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...lyName=Tie+Down+Trailer+Bow+Roller+Assemblies
Maybe one for the bow support and one for the front?

Good idea about adding the roller to the winch to change the angle. I've for some 3/8" aluminum plate that I can play with. Heck it may be strong enough for what I need it for.

I thought the goal was for the keel to be supported and the bunks to mainly just keep the boat steady or is that less important on a smaller trailer sailboat?

 

[48dodge]

Just noticed I fat-fingered the subject line. That was supposed to be a question mark. Didn't mean to come off sounding rude or demanding.

By looking at the picture it looks like I might be able to add some guide boards fairly easily for the keel as well. I'll see when I get the boat back on the trailer.

 

[dscribner]

Dodger,

I bought a power boat trailer and modified it my lifting the roller frames up to where they would support the hull. I also built a roller assembly as a keel support, just in case I actually has to roll her on to the trailer. I used steel angle and guide on rollers with stainless pivot rods. The whole thing works pretty well.

 

[Ron20324]

I'd go with the keel board. I had one on my 222 trailer, and the guide boards.

 

[Joe]

If you can find a wider, yellow one for the bow, that's what I'd get...

but I would concentrate on setting the boat up so it floats on easily. You may consider a tongue extension that would allow you to ease the trailer in deeper... with keel guide you can float the boat into position easily and not have to winch heavily. It also keeps the bunk boards from rubbing those beautiful new topsides.

I'm not that excited about the flat, black rollers.... if you're floating you don't really need that for the bottom.

As far as supporting the keel, it looks like your bunk boards are well supported... like a cradle really.. so creating another pressure point under the keel require too much structure near the axle that may not even be necessary.

I'll be interested how this evolves... I like the oday 222 alot. Perfect lake sailor.

 

[tkaser3210]

Off subject, but great looking boat - nice paint job !

 

[CaptDon01]

That's the prettiest O'Day 222 I've ever seen.....more photos PLEASE! Is that gell coat, or was she painter? Very nice!

Don

 

[Joe]

That's the prettiest O'Day 222 I've ever seen.....more photos PLEASE! Is that gell coat, or was she painter? Very nice!

Don

Where have you been? He's been posting progress on the restoration for quite some time. He's been posting pics of the new paint just recently. Check the archives for threads with his handle: "48dodge"

 

[48dodge]

for quite some time.

Understatement of the year. I did disappear for a while and just recently started working on it again.
I posted this in the Oday section
http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=129960

Here are some before and after shots
http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=130668

 

[48dodge]

Oh yeah, I do have a tongue extension.

 

[DJN51]

Trailer mod

Here's what I did to my trailer for my 23.5 Hunter .Added guides for swing keel.Centers boat on trailer every time.Added 6 in pipe to carry and store boom,mast raising pole .Save inside of boat from abuse.

 

[Joe]

Here's what I did to my trailer for my 23.5 Hunter .Added guides for swing keel.Centers boat on trailer every time.Added 6 in pipe to carry and store boom,mast raising pole .Save inside of boat from abuse.

That's the idea! Except 48 Dodge's keel is fixed and would be deeper.. but it doesn't have to completely support the boat, just guide it onto the cradle.

 

[48dodge]

Not sure what the Hunter 23.5 has but the O222 has a stub keel with a centerboard. Draws 1'8" with the centerboard up, 4'8" with it down

 

[soling42]

Here's a pic of our guide boards on a former power boat trailer converted to fit our 26' Hunter. No need for bothersome and tender upright guide tubes as the CB guide places the boat right on the money every time. Being a CB boat that shouldn't rest on it's CB I also use a carpeted bow V rest and always float it right up to the winch when I can. With the added length of 26' boat I also added a roller back a few feet from my bow rest. When needed I can use our power winch to pull it a few feet up on the the V rest if I wet it first.

Very nice refurb. Have a great season, mike

 

[watercolors II]

Looking at your trailer photo it appear the bunk supports start at the rear main frame and then run inboard to a point of more than 18 inches from the main part of the frame or the rear end of the bunks is about 6 feet wide and the front of the bunks is 4 feet or less.

This allows the narrower stern to sink down in-between the bunks at the rear. Your photo of boat and trailer looks like the waterline of the hull is not level with the mainframe of the trailer, high in the front and low in the back?

I also see the construction of the trailer at the rear has NO cross members higher than the axle right in the center of the boat allowing for an unobstructed opening for the submerged keel to enter the trailer. This looks great but is it needed to be constructed this way? Think of your launch ramp, it’s not level, the water is. The back end of your trailer submerged at the launch ramp is 2 feet or more below the bottom of the keel. The mid section of the hull and stern is still floating above the bunks even when the bow is the whole way forward on the trailer. That's why it’s hard to get the stern to line up at the back of the trailer. Do you notice that the hull is up tight against the trailer bow chock in the water but is pulled away when the boat and trailer is hauled out of the water?


Here’s what I would do from what I can see from your photos and if the above statements seams to describe everything somewhat;

Remove the keel roller and add a cross member behind the axle to support a 2 x 8 keel bunk, extending up to the main cross member where the front of your present bunks are attached. I would make this keel bunk level with the outside mainframe and no lower than the bottom of this mainframe. Being no lower than the mainframe would allow the same clearance as the axle has to the mainframe and also allows the hull to be as low as possible on the trailer. Your present keel roller looks like it may be 4 inches lower than the bottom of the mainframes and very close to the axle height as you have stated. Stretch a string across the bottom of the trailer at the location of the keel roller to see how low it is, what ever this distance is plus the thickness of a 2x8 is the height you need to raise each hull bunk.

Now the small bow roller, great aid when retrieving the boat. Present location is too far forward should be less than 1/2 the distance from the end of bunks and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the hull when hull is in it’s final resting position. This clearance allows for the flexing of the trailer on rough roads, as stated this roller is only an aid in loading the boat, not support the hull! Think of this, the boat is floating level on the water the trailer’s at an angle on the launch ramp, as you pull the hull forward the hull has to ride up over the front of the bunks. Roller is further up the ramp than the ends of the bunks so it is not as deep in the water, the front bottom of the bow now hits this roller before the ends of the bunks and helps lift the front of the hull up out of the water and help clear the front edge of the bunks. At the same time the bow is lifting the stern is sinking to start mirroring the angle of the trailer on the ramp.

The bow winch must be level or slightly higher than the bow eye, this helps to continue lifting the bow to match the trailer angle, if it is lower, then your pulling the bow down and lifting the stern so when the boat is hauled from the water the stern settles down on the back of the bunks and the bow lifts up and away from the bow chock.

Keel guides are a must but they will only work if they are high enough, remember the hull and keel is floating above the trailer because of the angled launch ramp so guides must be almost as high as the hull bunks to come in contact with the keel as it’s floating above the trailer.

I’ve provided illustrations of the mods I would perform on your trailer.

I’ve been working on a launch ramp illustration showing what is possibly going on with the hull and trailer and also the keel. The bow roller really works great if it is placed properly.

I included a photo of my bow roller and the gap between it and the trailer, been using this bow roller for about 12 years.

 

[Joe11688]

You could use two pressure treated planks and sandwich them together for a keel board. Two galvanized brackets with carriage bolts through the planks could be used to hold them to the trailer's cross members. The top plank can be counter sunk for the bolt heads so that the keel won't come in contact with them. These brackets can be purchased at your power company.
The brackets are used for bolting lightning arresters, URD Terminals (pot heads), and fused cut-outs to cross arms. On poles without cross arms, they bolt these devices to the pole with a 10" or 12"X 5/8" bolt and they throw the back plates and carriage bolts in the junk pile. I've found that these bracket are great to use because you can attach the planks to the trailer's cross members without drilling any holes in the cross members.
If you're only going a short distance twice a season with that trailer though, you could forgo the keel planks.
What you really need on that trailer though is two guides with PVC pipes over them. They will insure that the boat is centered on the trailer when you're loading it on at the ramp.

 

[48dodge]

Lots of great information to absorb here. I finally pulled my boat out of the water. I did it single-handed and won't do that again with the trailer in it's present state. I dropped the trailer in a little deeper than I should have so that didn't help. I know where it needs to be now. Anyway, yes it looks like I need to raise the rear of the bunks a few inches. The front hull roller was pretty much useless. I came pretty straight onto the trailer, current was a little stronger than I expected. I ended up barely missing the roller and it scraped down the side of the boat. The placement is pretty much locked in because of the crossmember placement. I made a few adjustments last night and the bow strap is about 2" from horizontal. I may be able to adjust and/or cut a few things and get the bow strap pretty level or pulling up. If the axle wasn't in the way, it definitely wouldn't be a problem. Maybe I'll just cut the axle in half . When I got the boat on the trailer it was about 4-6" off on one side. I eased it home (in the neighborhood) and luckily I know how to use my floor jack on the keel to inch it over. Got it centered again. I really need to get something to help with centering. Guides and a board or roller. Wider front roller is a must. Also, I need to switch out the front "V" pad for something more forgiving.

 

[Joe11688]

Sometimes the keel board can screw things up when you're loading the boat on the trailer. With the trailer in the water at a downward angle, and the boat floating, the keel has a tendency to dig into the keel board causing the bow of the boat to come up an inch or two short of the winch stanchion bow roller as you're pulling the trailer up the ramp. So if you don't have to travel too far, you may be better off without the keel board. However, the guides mounted on the back of the trailer are a must unless you're able to Mickey Mouse some kind of a guide for your keel.