Trailer Position

isaksp00 · Dec 7, 2010

Keel should bear some of the weight, sitting on that plywood base. Prob has a set of stops that the front of the keel should more or less be up against. Bunks on side should keep the boat vertical. What do you mean "1 foot back" - from what? Do you mean the bow is not up against the trailer bow roller, with a 1 ft gap? I'd be sure the keel is well supported and the bunks are flush on the hull. My bow ends up about 4 inches from the trailer bow roller, however I think the position of that roller can be adjusted, so that may not be a valid "test".

Don12364 · Dec 7, 2010

Nose weight for towing? On a two wheel trailer this needs to be "Not too much and not too little" and the boat's position is the means of achieving this.
Will also be influenced by whether an outboard motor is present.

bill beyler · Dec 7, 2010

boat sits back from stop on trailer.

I just bought a Hunter 23.5 last summer and can't get the boat up to what I'll call the stop. It's not a roller just a v that the bow should go into. Last time we pulled it out of the water it was tight until the boat was out completely and then it's back a few inches. We drained the ballast, shut the valve and put it back iin. We snugged it up pulled it out and it settles back a few inches again. Whats the secret? Mine is the factory trailer and doesn't have any adjustments to bring it forward.

peptobysmol · Dec 7, 2010

From what I've read there should be about 200 lbs of tongue weight on the hitch. Try lifting the trailer at horizontal. You can also actually weigh it with a scale. I have read many posts that say people put their outboards and other equipment/supplies in the v-berth to increase the tongue weight of the H23.

So, if the tongue weight is around 200 lbs then the boat is where it should be on the trailer.

edit: I might also add that if the boat ramp is steep then it is Very difficult to get the boat up to the wench on the stock trailer due to its short tongue.

Benny17441 · Dec 7, 2010

The boat sits on the bunks and not on the trailer rails so these do not need to extend all the way back. The weight of the boat needs to balanced so that the trailer sits horizontally leveled and proper tongue weight is applied to the hitch. This weight adjustment is performed by moving the trailer axle back or forward until proper balance is attained. The bunks should be adjusted forward or aft so that the hull seats comfortably while maintaining the weight distribution. They can be raised or lowered to distribute the weight between the bunks and the keel. The bow stop should then be adjusted to the bow of the boat in that position. Remember a sailboat is floated on to its trailer and not winched up like flat bottomed powerboats. Sometimes due to tides or the stepness of the ramp it is not possible to bring the bow tight to its stop so don't despair just tighten the winch strap and the transom ties. A couple of inches will not make a big difference.

Rick Webb · Dec 8, 2010

Getting the Bow up to the Trailer With a 23.5

It can be kind of a pain but not too difficult. It is important to do so as it stops much of the trailer flexing you get if you do not and it make the boat much more stable on top of the trailer make sure you tie down the stern as well. There are a number of comments in the archives on this subject. I have two favorites and have used a third:

1. I put some Ivory Liquid dish soap on the bunks before I put it in the water then it will slide much easier up to the stop.

2. Get some significant tension on the winch strap then go back and push the stern back and forth sideways. It takes a few iterations and a bit of beef but it is certainly doable.

3. Stomp it, get going about 10 MPH and jump on the brakes and slide the boat up on the trailer.

I've done all of these and now do a combination of 1 and 2. The third is maybe a little risky and where I am now we have a gravel lot so it will not work at all.

Check the archives and holler back if you have more questions.

RLW · Dec 8, 2010

Re Trailer Position

I've had the same thing happen when I retrieve my boat at a shallow boat ramp. What I do is I pull the boat up the ramp to level ground, put tension on the winch then do a couple of start and stops and it moves the boat forward to the bow stops. The keel is sitting on plywood, but there is a hefty piece of channel underneath. Most of the weight is on the keel.

teacher63 · Dec 18, 2010

you are correct plywood is the material. I bought my boat last May and after looking more closely at things the bottom of the trailer was rotten under the carpet that covered it. Also, sitting back on the trailer is an issue mine has a front V bunk on the trailer the bow sits in. The problem is low tide. I can not get it to sit properly on low tide. I had another extension for the trailer made that is 9 foot. I have 2 couplers one on the existing tongue and one on the new 9 ft one. The new one slides in like the old one you just swap them. Unfortunately I have not tried it as after I had it made, my mast broke in two. I think it may have been my stupidity as I think hit a low branch at the marina. It is a long story.

njmedic3306 said:
I am picking up a Hunter 23 today and when I looked at it yesterday I noticed it was about 1 foot back on the trailer. I just thought the owner was lazy or didnt know what he was doing but I have see other web pics of Hunters sitting the same way. Its the same trailer I am 98% sure its original but is there a reason they are sitting so far back? Are they difficult to load or do they need the weight back on the trailer?

Also there is what appears to be plywood under the keel. Is there suppose to be any weight on the keel when trailering?

teacher63 · Dec 18, 2010

Mine has a BRACKETS that is about a foot long at the top of the trailer post. If I remember it is one piece that swivels. It looks like that entire assembly is missing. Attached to it are two V shaped rubber bunks, each about 3 0r 4 inches long. The bow of the boat sits in the mounts that stabilizes so it does not move port or starboard. :neutral:

njmedic3306 said:
Looking at it again it does appear its closer to 4-6" from where it should be but the bunks are flush with the hull. If you look close you may be able to see that the keel is not far up enough to the bumper.

I also sent you a private message. I may need advice come spring when I go to rig the boat.

teacher63 · Dec 18, 2010

After a closer the one bracket is there but the pieces that attach the rubber bunks are missing.

siskind@md.metrocast.net said:
Mine has a BRACKETS that is about a foot long at the top of the trailer post. If I remember it is one piece that swivels. It looks like that entire assembly is missing. Attached to it are two V shaped rubber bunks, each about 3 0r 4 inches long. The bow of the boat sits in the mounts that stabilizes so it does not move port or starboard. :neutral:

owner23.5 · Dec 20, 2010

Ive had that problem with my 23.5 my only trick was to pull the boat out enough to draiin the tank then tighten the plate when empty and back it in the water again this alllowed the boat to sit higher in the water and was able to get the bow snug on the rubber v in front of the winch.

isaksp00 · Dec 20, 2010

Agree with siskind. Mine has 2 of those V-notched rubber bumpers attached to the vertical bar on the trailer tongue post.

Now, when it is on the hull bunks and the keel is on the platform up against the forward wooden stop the bow doesn't quite touch those bumpers - misses by about 2 inches or so. I keep my boat on the trailer in the winter, in the yard across the street from the marina - it only moves about 1/8 mile each way, at about 5 mph behind a tractor. So I am not too concerned with solid support. If I had to really haul it, I'd probably try to float it a bit further forward to engage those bumpers.

Medic, I think yours is already in your yard? If so, and it worked, nuff said.

By the way, to help positioning, I built a pair of trailer guides to bracket the hull at its widest point, using about 1 inch PVC vertical pipes to form the bracketing guides. You can buy these kits for maybe about $70, but I'm cheap. I got some scrap aluminum square tubing that exactly slides inside the square galvanized tubing on the trailer, just behind the wheels, going across the trailer. Found some scrap aluminum strips in the yard, and used these to bolt a pair of the alum square tubes to form a right angle. One leg slides into the trailer tube and is held by one bolt vertically through both tubes. PVC slides into other (vertical) leg, sticking up about 1 to 2 ft above deck. One 10 ft piece of PVC worked perfectly, two 5 ft lengths.

When I launched, I marked the waterline on one PVC pipe just as she started to float off the trailer. I had to encourage the yard guy at the wheel of the tractor to be patient while backing in. When I hauled, it was easy to 1) get her pretty well centered, as the PVC just barely misses the hull on either side 2) get the trailer backed in to the right depth, using the depth mark.

wetsocks · Dec 27, 2010

Sort of on the same subject, I was looking at a Hunter 260 on a new trailer, and saw that they had jacked it way up on the bunks so that the centerboard wasn't supporting any weight. Is that a problem, with the bunks taking all the weight?

MrUnix · Dec 27, 2010

The 260 is a water ballast design.. completely different animal.

Cheers,
Brad

LDM · Dec 31, 2010

strap use

Our marina ramp is steep and causes the bow of my H22 to seat in to the winch post until I pull up the ramp and it settles back too far on the trailer. At the end of the season -the only time I tow on the road- I place the rear tiedown strap (2" wide) loosely over the cockpit and hooked in to each side of the trailer. This prevents the trailer from rolling down the steep ramp so that the boat is actually floating the twin axle aluminum trailer on the same plane as the boat. Tighten up the winch, pull out of the water and the boat is loaded correctly. It is the quickest solution I have found.

Trailer Position

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