trailer bunk height

[doug miller]

with the keel in the upmost position, fully retracted, should the keel be resting on the trailer's center bunk? from an earlier thread, i got the impression the boat's weight should be carried only by the hull bunks. so i raised the bunks about 1 1/2 inches all around, only to find that the next time i pulled the boat out of the water, the keel is still on the center bunk. i guess the hull bunks just deflected more, allowing the boat to settle lower until some of the weight is carried by the center bunk.do i need to raise the hull bunks some more, or leave it alone?thanksdoug

 

[Jeff Prideaux]

weight distribution

I think that you want the weight shared between the bunks and the keel. Either extreme is bad. You don't want he keel supporting all the weight (of boat plus keel)... and you don't want the bunks supporting all the weight (because then the keel cable might break when you hit bumps while driving). As long as the boat isn't wobbling on the keel (where both bunks aren't supporting enough weight), then you are probably OK. Just make sure that you have released the pressure in the hydraulic lift to protect the cable...

 

[doug]

thank you

good explanation, thank you.doug

 

[Ranger Paul18580]

H-216 Trailer Bunk Height

Doug, I'm the one that had a major problem with trailer bunk height. Here's the deal: With the boat on the trailer and the keel released, you should be able to reach down and wiggle the keel sideways port and starboard. If you can wiggle the keel, you know that a) the keel rest on the trailer is supporting the weight or the keel, b) the keel is not supporting the weight of the boat and c) the bunks are supporting the weight of the boat only without the weight of the keel.I have an older H-216 and trailer. I finally had to fabricate my own rear bunk supports to get enough height to adjust everything properly. The trick is being able to wiggle the keel back and forth when the keel is released and resting on the keel rest.

 

[wayne]

trailer bunks

only reason i raised mine was it was almost impossing to get the boat on the trailer unless you totally floated it on. Now with mine raised 1.5", there still seems enough weight distribution on all three points and now i can use the winch to get it on the trailer. (H240). So that is how i gauged the bunk height.