Make it from PVC Pipe and Fittings
Dave: When my boys were young, we kept our boat on the trailer at a marina on the Susquehanna River. The marina had tractors and a 4 wheeler that they used to take the boat to the ramp and launch it. We were launching every week, so recovery was important. I always want the center board to be in the uretane "V" on the trailer. I made a guide for only the port side from PVC Pipe and fittings. I think it was about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter pipe. I can check for you if you are intrested. The way it works, is we immerse the trailer into the water and guide the boat over it. We then lightly pull the boat against the guide with a dockline, and then winch the bow onto the trailer. We keep pulling lightly on the dockline and pull the boat out of the water. We only use it once a year now, because we keep the boat in a slip in on Middle River on the Chesapeake Bay. It has worked fine each fall for years. (I keep notes on my computer and review them each fall, so I remember exactly how I did it the year before. If you want me to take digital photos of what I made for you, send me an e-mail message at acamacci@tycoelectronics.com. The cost of the plastic pipe and fittings and "U" bolts from the hardware store make this very worthwhile. I wouldn't be without it. I have seen people struggle, the way we used to, by putting their boats in and out several times before they get it into the "V" and am glad I built the guide. Aldo
