Trailer tongue weight.....

[Igor19187]

Hello.I am new to sailing...Just purchased 1980 O'day 19.According to all the information I found the tongue weight of the trailer with this boat on it should not be greater than 150 - 200lbs. However, I could not pick up the front end of the trailer. Not sure if the trailer is original to the boat. I added a picture of the boat and trailer. It looks like the boats center of gravity is too far forward. Can anything be done to balance the load..ie. moving the axel.. or the winch support???Thank you in advance for your imputs.Igor.

 

[Steve]

Proper tongue weight?

I trailer a 19 O'day Mariner over 1,000 miles each summer. By the looks of the picture, it does appear you could be a little tongue heavy. Most folks that trailer to more than just spring launch and fall storage do use some kind of auxilary motor that they hang off a bracket. Even 50 lbs. that far back makes a big difference because of the leverage of the motor hanging off the back. I suspect that if you do add a motor it would make a difference. If not, I would say that the boat appears to be well centered on the framework so you could move the axle forward. Go in very little increments because in my opnion, you are much safer with a little too much tongue weight then too little. To little (especially on single axle trailers) causes too much wandering and sensitivity to winds at highway speeds. Good Luck

 

[Roger1250]

easy adjustment

I had the same problem. I moved my winch mast back 4 inches, and it made all the difference in the world. I wanted my tougue weight at 225 which was 15% of my combined boat and trailer weight.Initially, I had move it back too far, even though that was only a couble of inches, and it was so light that my truck tires would spin at the ramp trying to pull it out.Get your bathroom scale and place the tongue jack down on it (with a piece of plywood to protect your scale) and push your boat back on its rollers if you have them (impossible to do with bunks) until the weight on the scale registers the 150 to 200 pounds you would like it at. Then loosen the bolts on your winch mast and move it into proper position against the bow. Make sure your boat is loaded like it usually is for highway travel, motor, gas, battery, cooler, spare tire etc., otherwise your toungue weight will change if these are loaded after your adjustment.If you cannot achieve the ideal tongue weight with the above, then your next strategy is to move the axle forward, but it is much easier to move the winch mast first to try to get resolution.

 

[Igor19187]

Tongue weight.

Thank for the reply guys.I do have a 6hp motor, however I don't like leaving it on the mount while I am towing.I guess the first thing to try would be a few inches back with a winch...Again, thanks.Igor.

 

[Bob]

outboard weight

Igor;I can appreciate not wanting the outboard on the bracket on the road, but maybe you can make a cradle for it so you can stow at/on or near the stern so you have the advantage of the weight without the wear and tear on the bracket.