last week I (and many helpers looking on at the yacht club) pulled my boat from the water with the trailer. "let me do it, I gotta learn how anyway" I yelled! "OK" said they! 1st blunder. I didn't make sure the hitch was pinned in the receiver. A big kerplunk was heard when I pulled up the ramp! (was mortified) the guys helped me get it back where it belongs.. thank goodness for new safety chains! tide was rushing out. The boat did not go on the bunks anywhere near as easy as it came off! duh! So with all the help of at least 3 new friends we managed to get her on the bunks and pull her in with the winch. NOT FUN! My AWD gmc safari van has all the power it needs but is sprung too low and soft in the back. My mech says get springs done, not air shocks. I tend to agree. Also it seems the extendable part of the trailer is not all that long. I have seen receiver extenders up to 18" that I guess would help with that. I intend to refit the trailer with new brakes, wiring, hydr lines, etc. There seems to be plenty of height that the trailer axle could have a 4" drop axle. Which I'm sure would help in launch/retreiving the boat. The boat is a 85 hunter 23ft with wingkeel and drop keel, the trailer is the one that went with the boat. even though it looks like it was meant for a motor boat! the keel is about 20" above the ground when shes on the trailer! all input from other trailer sailors appreciated! thanks! Denise
- Status
experience is the best educater
It sounds like you are on the right path. Wanting to do it. I always listen to words of wisdom. Do I always follow what is told to me? No But I listen anyways.Now that you have experienced this part of boating you will learn and apply yourself and see to it that it wont happen again. Not to worry something else will rear its ugly head and you will have something else to "learn" about all over again. It's called the learning curve. That's one of the great parts of boating. Good luck and keep up the good work! Skip
It sounds like you are on the right path. Wanting to do it. I always listen to words of wisdom. Do I always follow what is told to me? No But I listen anyways.Now that you have experienced this part of boating you will learn and apply yourself and see to it that it wont happen again. Not to worry something else will rear its ugly head and you will have something else to "learn" about all over again. It's called the learning curve. That's one of the great parts of boating. Good luck and keep up the good work! Skip
Air Shocks and more
Denise: We have had our Catalina 22 for 25 years, so we have pulled it out of the water and onto the trailer many times. I think that we have it just about figured out. I don't know much about Hunters though. When you say that you had trouble getting your boat back onto the trailer, was it side-to- side, or front-to-back? I added a guide to ours made from plumbing plastic pipe, to help get it to the right side-to-side position many years ago, and that really helped with getting the boat back onto the trailer. We sail in the Chesapeake, and you can't see below the surface of the water more than a few inches. To help with the front-to-back, I usually have my wife or one of my sons stand right on the stern, which helps kick the bow up and make it easier to winch onto the trailer. On the subject of modifying your van, I suggest that you get more advice, or question your mechanic a little further. We currently use my wife's GMC Surban to tow our boat, but we always used GM station wagons before that. We had Air Shocks on the station wagons, and they did the job. When we had the trailer on the boat, we added some air, and the back of the car came right up, and everything was nice and straight. When you change the springs, your van will ride rough all the time, except when you are pulling the trailer. Since you won't be pulling the trailer 99.9% of the time, it doesn't make sense to me to change the springs and ruin the ride of your van. As I said, with air shocks, you just have to add a little air when you are pulling the trailer. I'm trying to think why your mechanic said to change the springs, and the only thought that I have is that the springs will last for the rest of the life of your van, and airshocks will probably last only about 7 to 10 years. I still think airshocks are better, but get additional opinions on this issue. On your comment about extending the reciever. This will greatly increase the load on the rear of your van. Were you planning on doing this just to recover the boat from the water? If yes, then that will probably be OK, but I don't recommend that you trailer your boat with the extension plugged into the reciever. This actually scares me. The increase in stress that you would be putting onto your reciever would be very great. I'm a Mechanical Engineer, and I worry about things all the time, and I just don't want you to have your van break or your boat or trailer get damaged. Skip gave you good advice about learning. I'm still learning plenty after 25 years of sailing, and just learned something from a different forum last Friday that I had been wondering about for 20 years. One more thing, you should write some notes on pulling your boat from the water. I did this a few years ago and it has been very helpful. Things like how far you backed into the water, (like "the rear wheels were almost in the water"), which ramp you used, how far you pulled the boat relative to the bow stop, etc. Since you don't do this every day, you will forget some of these details. If you have notes that you read just before you pull your boat out of the water, one little detail could really help. I also have many lists that have really helped me with the trailering aspects of using our boat. If you forget just one little piece of hardware, it could really ruin your day, or cost a bunch of money, so we have lists for taking our boat to the water in the spring, and lists for pulling it out in the fall. There are also lists of tools to keep on the boat, and checklists before leaving the boat when it is in the slip, and lists of things to do over the winter to have the boat ready in the spring. I wish you the best. We enjoy our boat more and more every year, and I wish the same for you. Aldo
Denise: We have had our Catalina 22 for 25 years, so we have pulled it out of the water and onto the trailer many times. I think that we have it just about figured out. I don't know much about Hunters though. When you say that you had trouble getting your boat back onto the trailer, was it side-to- side, or front-to-back? I added a guide to ours made from plumbing plastic pipe, to help get it to the right side-to-side position many years ago, and that really helped with getting the boat back onto the trailer. We sail in the Chesapeake, and you can't see below the surface of the water more than a few inches. To help with the front-to-back, I usually have my wife or one of my sons stand right on the stern, which helps kick the bow up and make it easier to winch onto the trailer. On the subject of modifying your van, I suggest that you get more advice, or question your mechanic a little further. We currently use my wife's GMC Surban to tow our boat, but we always used GM station wagons before that. We had Air Shocks on the station wagons, and they did the job. When we had the trailer on the boat, we added some air, and the back of the car came right up, and everything was nice and straight. When you change the springs, your van will ride rough all the time, except when you are pulling the trailer. Since you won't be pulling the trailer 99.9% of the time, it doesn't make sense to me to change the springs and ruin the ride of your van. As I said, with air shocks, you just have to add a little air when you are pulling the trailer. I'm trying to think why your mechanic said to change the springs, and the only thought that I have is that the springs will last for the rest of the life of your van, and airshocks will probably last only about 7 to 10 years. I still think airshocks are better, but get additional opinions on this issue. On your comment about extending the reciever. This will greatly increase the load on the rear of your van. Were you planning on doing this just to recover the boat from the water? If yes, then that will probably be OK, but I don't recommend that you trailer your boat with the extension plugged into the reciever. This actually scares me. The increase in stress that you would be putting onto your reciever would be very great. I'm a Mechanical Engineer, and I worry about things all the time, and I just don't want you to have your van break or your boat or trailer get damaged. Skip gave you good advice about learning. I'm still learning plenty after 25 years of sailing, and just learned something from a different forum last Friday that I had been wondering about for 20 years. One more thing, you should write some notes on pulling your boat from the water. I did this a few years ago and it has been very helpful. Things like how far you backed into the water, (like "the rear wheels were almost in the water"), which ramp you used, how far you pulled the boat relative to the bow stop, etc. Since you don't do this every day, you will forget some of these details. If you have notes that you read just before you pull your boat out of the water, one little detail could really help. I also have many lists that have really helped me with the trailering aspects of using our boat. If you forget just one little piece of hardware, it could really ruin your day, or cost a bunch of money, so we have lists for taking our boat to the water in the spring, and lists for pulling it out in the fall. There are also lists of tools to keep on the boat, and checklists before leaving the boat when it is in the slip, and lists of things to do over the winter to have the boat ready in the spring. I wish you the best. We enjoy our boat more and more every year, and I wish the same for you. Aldo
re trailering 101
next time use silicone spray or Armor-all on teh bunks just before you back it in to retrieve the boat. this works great!! it allows the boat to slide easily up the bunks. I leaned of it on www.trailersailer.com you can search the archives under bunk glide slicks and it will give you a wealth of info.
next time use silicone spray or Armor-all on teh bunks just before you back it in to retrieve the boat. this works great!! it allows the boat to slide easily up the bunks. I leaned of it on www.trailersailer.com you can search the archives under bunk glide slicks and it will give you a wealth of info.
hey aldo , skip
Actually it lined right up. Just hard to get all the way up to the v block. (Grease the bunks?) The water drops fast around here too. I will be more aware of the tide in the future. A rising tide is so very much more helpful! The extender would be just for in and out the water. Or i may get a 6" rise hitch instead of the 4" one i have now. I just found out that the yoke can extend another 2 ft safely also. Drill a hole, get another hitch pin for the yoke. We now have the wheels off the ground with solvent soaking on all the hardware. Hope to get the wheels off soon to take a look. This trailer hasn't really been used on the road for close to 20 yrs. It's made of 3" galvanized channel I think and the yoke is 2" square. The V braces under the keel are really shallow. One of the guys in the club is a rigger/welder type and will help me on this if I need it. I just know that every inch lower can make it that much easier to launch/retrieve. Air shocks may be ok but my van is also used to carry AC and heating equipment, tools and materials. Add a leaf they say can add the capacity without affecting the ride allot. The tongue weight is supposedly 330 lbs. but I think its more. The boat dry is 22-2400 lbs. 2ft draft with the board up. Really feeling like it should still be in the water! you are right i just need to do this more often and take notes. I really want to get on the chesepeake in the spring !! maybe sooner! thanks for all help!
Actually it lined right up. Just hard to get all the way up to the v block. (Grease the bunks?) The water drops fast around here too. I will be more aware of the tide in the future. A rising tide is so very much more helpful! The extender would be just for in and out the water. Or i may get a 6" rise hitch instead of the 4" one i have now. I just found out that the yoke can extend another 2 ft safely also. Drill a hole, get another hitch pin for the yoke. We now have the wheels off the ground with solvent soaking on all the hardware. Hope to get the wheels off soon to take a look. This trailer hasn't really been used on the road for close to 20 yrs. It's made of 3" galvanized channel I think and the yoke is 2" square. The V braces under the keel are really shallow. One of the guys in the club is a rigger/welder type and will help me on this if I need it. I just know that every inch lower can make it that much easier to launch/retrieve. Air shocks may be ok but my van is also used to carry AC and heating equipment, tools and materials. Add a leaf they say can add the capacity without affecting the ride allot. The tongue weight is supposedly 330 lbs. but I think its more. The boat dry is 22-2400 lbs. 2ft draft with the board up. Really feeling like it should still be in the water! you are right i just need to do this more often and take notes. I really want to get on the chesepeake in the spring !! maybe sooner! thanks for all help!
Extender
I had a problem pulling my trailer out of the water with my van. No problem pulling the trailer around town (and out of town), but just couldn't get it out of the water. After listening to advice from several different people, I finally settled on extending the hitch. I bought 2 5" sections of box steel tube. One is the same size as the part of the hitch that goes in the receiver, the other is the same size as the receiver. The smaller piece goes in the receiver. The larger one connects to that. Finally, the hitch connects to the larger piece, just as if it were a receiver. (I drilled holes to put in pins to keep everything connected.) I hook that up to the van (now my GMC Envoy), and the hitch sticks out behind the van about 9'. I leave the trailer jack wheel down, and hook it up the hitch. Back it into the water, and put the boat in it (I make sure I'm going to pull straight out when I pull it). Now, the wheels stay dry, the van is more level (almost completely off the ramp by the time the trailer takes the weight of the boat), and I've not had a problem with it yet. I pull the trailer to a level area, chock the wheels, and remove the extender. Then I hook everything up normal, and drive away. BTW, I pull an O'Day 25.
I had a problem pulling my trailer out of the water with my van. No problem pulling the trailer around town (and out of town), but just couldn't get it out of the water. After listening to advice from several different people, I finally settled on extending the hitch. I bought 2 5" sections of box steel tube. One is the same size as the part of the hitch that goes in the receiver, the other is the same size as the receiver. The smaller piece goes in the receiver. The larger one connects to that. Finally, the hitch connects to the larger piece, just as if it were a receiver. (I drilled holes to put in pins to keep everything connected.) I hook that up to the van (now my GMC Envoy), and the hitch sticks out behind the van about 9'. I leave the trailer jack wheel down, and hook it up the hitch. Back it into the water, and put the boat in it (I make sure I'm going to pull straight out when I pull it). Now, the wheels stay dry, the van is more level (almost completely off the ramp by the time the trailer takes the weight of the boat), and I've not had a problem with it yet. I pull the trailer to a level area, chock the wheels, and remove the extender. Then I hook everything up normal, and drive away. BTW, I pull an O'Day 25.
Hey Herb
I was advised not to use or count on the trailer caster wheel. I most likely will use an extender made just for that reason. thanks!
I was advised not to use or count on the trailer caster wheel. I most likely will use an extender made just for that reason. thanks!
Caster Wheel Advice?
You said "I was advised not to use or count on the trailer caster wheel." Was that advice meant in general, or specific to your trailer? If in general, I find it courious. In the use I described, the wheel is getting very little "additonal use". Whether the trailer is being pulled or not, the wheel should be able to support the toungue weight of the trailer. If you pull it up the ramp, that is still all it's doing, supporting the toungue weight. You are putting some lateral stress on it as well, but at low speed for 30 or 40 feet, that shouldn't be an issue. The two guys that recommended it to me have been doing it for years with no trouble, and I haven't had any problems the half dozen times I've pulled my boat. I did; however, have an unfortunate incident where I loaned the trailer out, and it came back with the jack damaged. When I replaced it, I got one with a bigger wheel specifically because of this use.
You said "I was advised not to use or count on the trailer caster wheel." Was that advice meant in general, or specific to your trailer? If in general, I find it courious. In the use I described, the wheel is getting very little "additonal use". Whether the trailer is being pulled or not, the wheel should be able to support the toungue weight of the trailer. If you pull it up the ramp, that is still all it's doing, supporting the toungue weight. You are putting some lateral stress on it as well, but at low speed for 30 or 40 feet, that shouldn't be an issue. The two guys that recommended it to me have been doing it for years with no trouble, and I haven't had any problems the half dozen times I've pulled my boat. I did; however, have an unfortunate incident where I loaned the trailer out, and it came back with the jack damaged. When I replaced it, I got one with a bigger wheel specifically because of this use.
Majic Tilt?
Denise - do you have the Majic Tilt trailer? I think that was standard on the early H23's. On mine, I can extend it a good 3 feet, although in my situation, I don't have to. Here's my point - lots of folks have had trouble getting the boat "all the way on" with this boat/trailer combo. Check the archives for trailer under H23 and you will get a robust discussion. Someone must have solved this by now (I'm thinking Peter Suah, in particular). - Mike
Denise - do you have the Majic Tilt trailer? I think that was standard on the early H23's. On mine, I can extend it a good 3 feet, although in my situation, I don't have to. Here's my point - lots of folks have had trouble getting the boat "all the way on" with this boat/trailer combo. Check the archives for trailer under H23 and you will get a robust discussion. Someone must have solved this by now (I'm thinking Peter Suah, in particular). - Mike
hey Mike, herb.
Mike No magic on my trailer! Just the yoke extends about 3ft. I just may make it a 4wheel trailer anyway. Just 2 wheels scare me at 2400 lbs. I know it's ok technically but... Herb. The caster wheels and jacks break too easy to count on them I was told. I does make sense get a stronger one and use it however. Thanks!
Mike No magic on my trailer! Just the yoke extends about 3ft. I just may make it a 4wheel trailer anyway. Just 2 wheels scare me at 2400 lbs. I know it's ok technically but... Herb. The caster wheels and jacks break too easy to count on them I was told. I does make sense get a stronger one and use it however. Thanks!
Sounds Like Your on the Right Track
Ivory Liquid on the Bunks helps to get the boat to slide up. I put it on the bunks before I drop the trailer in and then can cinch up the strap then get behind and push the boat up a bit cinch it up some more and push... takes about five cycles and it is right up to the stop. I used to just stomp on the brakes but the ramp I use now has an oyster shell surface and the truck would just slide rather than stop.
Ivory Liquid on the Bunks helps to get the boat to slide up. I put it on the bunks before I drop the trailer in and then can cinch up the strap then get behind and push the boat up a bit cinch it up some more and push... takes about five cycles and it is right up to the stop. I used to just stomp on the brakes but the ramp I use now has an oyster shell surface and the truck would just slide rather than stop.
raise axel
Although I have a different boat and trailer, I had similar problems, not being able to back far enough into the lake to float the boat. I lowered the trailer useing a combination of strategies. 1. My trailer had risers between the axel and trailer bed connected with U bolts. I placed the risers on top rather than under the trailer and lost 2 inches of height. 2. I reversed the axel so that instead of being slung under the springs it is above the springs. I lost another 2 inches. 3. I lowered all of the roller assemblies mounted on the trailer, and gained another inch of so. Total gain (or drop) almost 6 inches! As mentioned earlier, I kept track of when the boat almost floats off. For me this is when the water is just putting the fender awash. Usually my truck tires are just touching the edge of the water. I can see all of this in my side view mirrors. My ramp has a small dock alongside so I try to go down the ramp within a yard of the dock. I turn off the truck motor, put on the parking brake and from the dock walk onto the rear bumper, undo the hook, and push the boat off the trailer, hanging on to the painter. I also have a small catwalk on top of the trailer tongue. Getting it back on is easier said than done, but essentially I reverse the above procedure so that the truck and trailer are in the same relative position. When retrieving however, I pull the painter to bring the boat as best I can centered above the rear rollers and as high as I can onto the trailer. I then let out the winch and attach it to the boweye and crank it back on, encouraging it to one side or the other by push or pulling the winch strap to one side or the other, half way between the winch and boweye. This creates an amazing amount of leverage and will indeed realign the boat onto the rollers. With the truck wheels relatively dry, it pulls fairly easy out of the water. I also keep about 215 pounds of tongue weight because the back end of a 1/2 ton truck is light anyway, and the added weight adds to the traction. If you need to lower your trailer lower yet, I have heard of people using those spare donut tires as launching tires. (get a set from your local auto wrecker) They jack up their trailer and change them over to the smaller tires for launching and retrieving. This would only be time efficient, if you were doing this task once in the spring and again in the fall. I think it would be somewhat onerous if you had to do it each time you went sailing. The marina I slip me boat at has a launcher that is made up of an axel and two wheels with a 25 foot long tongue. Where the axel and tongue join at a T, is a ball onto which your trailer is attached. the forward end of the tongue has a hitch that attaches to the ball on your vehicle. It is a real trick to back this contraption up, but it sure helps with the bigger boats, as the trailer can go into the lake essentially 25 feet further than it can behind the vehicle. I have not had to use this launcher yet, but I suspect that there are some years that the lake is down low enough that it is handy to have around.
Although I have a different boat and trailer, I had similar problems, not being able to back far enough into the lake to float the boat. I lowered the trailer useing a combination of strategies. 1. My trailer had risers between the axel and trailer bed connected with U bolts. I placed the risers on top rather than under the trailer and lost 2 inches of height. 2. I reversed the axel so that instead of being slung under the springs it is above the springs. I lost another 2 inches. 3. I lowered all of the roller assemblies mounted on the trailer, and gained another inch of so. Total gain (or drop) almost 6 inches! As mentioned earlier, I kept track of when the boat almost floats off. For me this is when the water is just putting the fender awash. Usually my truck tires are just touching the edge of the water. I can see all of this in my side view mirrors. My ramp has a small dock alongside so I try to go down the ramp within a yard of the dock. I turn off the truck motor, put on the parking brake and from the dock walk onto the rear bumper, undo the hook, and push the boat off the trailer, hanging on to the painter. I also have a small catwalk on top of the trailer tongue. Getting it back on is easier said than done, but essentially I reverse the above procedure so that the truck and trailer are in the same relative position. When retrieving however, I pull the painter to bring the boat as best I can centered above the rear rollers and as high as I can onto the trailer. I then let out the winch and attach it to the boweye and crank it back on, encouraging it to one side or the other by push or pulling the winch strap to one side or the other, half way between the winch and boweye. This creates an amazing amount of leverage and will indeed realign the boat onto the rollers. With the truck wheels relatively dry, it pulls fairly easy out of the water. I also keep about 215 pounds of tongue weight because the back end of a 1/2 ton truck is light anyway, and the added weight adds to the traction. If you need to lower your trailer lower yet, I have heard of people using those spare donut tires as launching tires. (get a set from your local auto wrecker) They jack up their trailer and change them over to the smaller tires for launching and retrieving. This would only be time efficient, if you were doing this task once in the spring and again in the fall. I think it would be somewhat onerous if you had to do it each time you went sailing. The marina I slip me boat at has a launcher that is made up of an axel and two wheels with a 25 foot long tongue. Where the axel and tongue join at a T, is a ball onto which your trailer is attached. the forward end of the tongue has a hitch that attaches to the ball on your vehicle. It is a real trick to back this contraption up, but it sure helps with the bigger boats, as the trailer can go into the lake essentially 25 feet further than it can behind the vehicle. I have not had to use this launcher yet, but I suspect that there are some years that the lake is down low enough that it is handy to have around.
just gotta share this
The Launch Garry Hebert How difficult could it be to launch a boat from a trailer? The instructions from the previous owner seemed clear enough; 1. Park trailer at top of ramp and block wheels 2. Lower dolly wheel and extend trailer tongue. 3. Raise dolly wheel and unblock wheels. 4. Back trailer down ramp until boat floats free. With the assistance of our friends, Howard and Sue who volunteered the use of their truck, we hooked onto my just purchased Tanzer 7.5 Meter, and towed her out to the Boundary Creek Yacht Club at Winnipeg Beach. I had never launched a boat anywhere near this size and had never raised or rigged a mast on anything bigger than a laser. Some hard lessons were about to be learned. We positioned the trailer at the launching ramp and prepared to extend the tongue. First, we would have to find something to block the trailer’s wheels to prevent it from rolling down the ramp on it’s own. We looked around but couldn’t find any rocks of a suitable size. Luckily, I had brought along all the trailer blocking from the storage lot and there were a couple of pieces of 2X6 which seemed suitable to the purpose. We placed these under the wheels and lowered the dolly wheel into position. Now we were ready to extend the trailer tongue. While we were busy with the trailer, my son Christopher climbed aboard to start sorting through the rigging and other bits and pieces. Debbie and Sue sat on the hillside watching the proceedings and having a quiet chat. I also noticed that we had begun to draw a small audience of curious bystanders. Extending the tongue should have been a simple enough process; pull the pin, slowly move the truck forward, re-insert the pin and you’re done. However, when we removed the pin and moved the truck forward, the extension would not budge and the trailer went forward with the truck. Maybe things were just rusted together and if we rocked back and forth, they would break free. After rocking back and forth a few times, the tongue did indeed break free and the truck shot forward like a scalded cat dragging the extension with it. Oh well, all we had to do was re-insert the extension into the tongue, back up the truck until the pin could be reinserted and we would be okay. Hindsight being 20/20, this would have been a good time to apply a liberal coating of lubricant to the extension but at the time we had other things on our minds. I must admit that this would also have been a good time to double check the wheel stops but I was too absorbed with getting the extension back into place. I signaled Howard to back up slowly as I held the extension in place and made ready to push home the retaining pin. Instead of sliding into the channel, the extension jammed and pushed the trailer over the wheel stops. The trailer then began to gently roll down the launch ramp. I attempted to prevent this by grabbing the trailer and planting my feet firmly in the gravel of the ramp. Apparently some 200 lbs of human, no matter how determined, cannot provide sufficient braking effort to prevent 5000 lbs of boat and trailer from responding to the laws of gravity. There went my prize possession rolling merrily down the ramp with my son, the heir to the family fortune, hanging on for dear life. My mind was full of dark and frightening images of disaster as I frantically held on and tried to impede the trailer’s progress. As it reached the water, the trailer slowed and eventually came to a stop with two wheels off the side of the ramp. The boat floated free leaving the trailer and I still locked in our desperate embrace. As I turned and waded back to shore, I was greeted by the sight of Howard and our two spouses rolling on the ground laughing. There must have been a shortage of good entertainment in Winnipeg Beach because the crowd of spectators also seemed to greatly enjoy the show. To this day, Sue claims that if she had only brought her video camera, she could have won the prize on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Fortunately the boat was tied to the trailer so it did not drift away and there was nothing damaged other than my pride. I found this while surfing the net i'm still LOLing! thanks for the input Roger!
The Launch Garry Hebert How difficult could it be to launch a boat from a trailer? The instructions from the previous owner seemed clear enough; 1. Park trailer at top of ramp and block wheels 2. Lower dolly wheel and extend trailer tongue. 3. Raise dolly wheel and unblock wheels. 4. Back trailer down ramp until boat floats free. With the assistance of our friends, Howard and Sue who volunteered the use of their truck, we hooked onto my just purchased Tanzer 7.5 Meter, and towed her out to the Boundary Creek Yacht Club at Winnipeg Beach. I had never launched a boat anywhere near this size and had never raised or rigged a mast on anything bigger than a laser. Some hard lessons were about to be learned. We positioned the trailer at the launching ramp and prepared to extend the tongue. First, we would have to find something to block the trailer’s wheels to prevent it from rolling down the ramp on it’s own. We looked around but couldn’t find any rocks of a suitable size. Luckily, I had brought along all the trailer blocking from the storage lot and there were a couple of pieces of 2X6 which seemed suitable to the purpose. We placed these under the wheels and lowered the dolly wheel into position. Now we were ready to extend the trailer tongue. While we were busy with the trailer, my son Christopher climbed aboard to start sorting through the rigging and other bits and pieces. Debbie and Sue sat on the hillside watching the proceedings and having a quiet chat. I also noticed that we had begun to draw a small audience of curious bystanders. Extending the tongue should have been a simple enough process; pull the pin, slowly move the truck forward, re-insert the pin and you’re done. However, when we removed the pin and moved the truck forward, the extension would not budge and the trailer went forward with the truck. Maybe things were just rusted together and if we rocked back and forth, they would break free. After rocking back and forth a few times, the tongue did indeed break free and the truck shot forward like a scalded cat dragging the extension with it. Oh well, all we had to do was re-insert the extension into the tongue, back up the truck until the pin could be reinserted and we would be okay. Hindsight being 20/20, this would have been a good time to apply a liberal coating of lubricant to the extension but at the time we had other things on our minds. I must admit that this would also have been a good time to double check the wheel stops but I was too absorbed with getting the extension back into place. I signaled Howard to back up slowly as I held the extension in place and made ready to push home the retaining pin. Instead of sliding into the channel, the extension jammed and pushed the trailer over the wheel stops. The trailer then began to gently roll down the launch ramp. I attempted to prevent this by grabbing the trailer and planting my feet firmly in the gravel of the ramp. Apparently some 200 lbs of human, no matter how determined, cannot provide sufficient braking effort to prevent 5000 lbs of boat and trailer from responding to the laws of gravity. There went my prize possession rolling merrily down the ramp with my son, the heir to the family fortune, hanging on for dear life. My mind was full of dark and frightening images of disaster as I frantically held on and tried to impede the trailer’s progress. As it reached the water, the trailer slowed and eventually came to a stop with two wheels off the side of the ramp. The boat floated free leaving the trailer and I still locked in our desperate embrace. As I turned and waded back to shore, I was greeted by the sight of Howard and our two spouses rolling on the ground laughing. There must have been a shortage of good entertainment in Winnipeg Beach because the crowd of spectators also seemed to greatly enjoy the show. To this day, Sue claims that if she had only brought her video camera, she could have won the prize on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Fortunately the boat was tied to the trailer so it did not drift away and there was nothing damaged other than my pride. I found this while surfing the net i'm still LOLing! thanks for the input Roger!
trailer extender
During the interum, while you posted your 'very funny' vignette, I hunted down a picture that had that trailer extender in it. Unfortunately it was in the background and only the tires show up well, so I enlarged, cut, and repasted the picture then enhanced the picture with a graphics program to more clearly show the 2 x 2 box steel tongue and axel. You can see where the ball is placed on the axel. The close end of course attaches to your vehicle. So just out of curiosity, how many 200 pound men does it take to tame a runaway trailer and boat weighing 5000 pounds?
During the interum, while you posted your 'very funny' vignette, I hunted down a picture that had that trailer extender in it. Unfortunately it was in the background and only the tires show up well, so I enlarged, cut, and repasted the picture then enhanced the picture with a graphics program to more clearly show the 2 x 2 box steel tongue and axel. You can see where the ball is placed on the axel. The close end of course attaches to your vehicle. So just out of curiosity, how many 200 pound men does it take to tame a runaway trailer and boat weighing 5000 pounds?
Launching
We experience similar issues with launching and retreiving our 23'O'day. We added an 8' extension to get the trailer deep in the water. Two points to remember. Secure the boat to the trailer. Seems obvious but a 3000 lb. boat is governed by the laws of gravity. Make sure winches and straps meet or exceed the boats weight rating. We also attach a safety chain from the hitch to the trailer. I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law. I failed to check the backup strap I secured to the bow eye once the boat is loaded. It was worn and it failed. The winch cable kept the boat on the trailer but it was enough to cause the boat to slide back 4 inches. Since the previous owner had modified the trailer I decided to check the winch. It was rated at 900 lbs. Needless to say some upgrades were in order. Steve
We experience similar issues with launching and retreiving our 23'O'day. We added an 8' extension to get the trailer deep in the water. Two points to remember. Secure the boat to the trailer. Seems obvious but a 3000 lb. boat is governed by the laws of gravity. Make sure winches and straps meet or exceed the boats weight rating. We also attach a safety chain from the hitch to the trailer. I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law. I failed to check the backup strap I secured to the bow eye once the boat is loaded. It was worn and it failed. The winch cable kept the boat on the trailer but it was enough to cause the boat to slide back 4 inches. Since the previous owner had modified the trailer I decided to check the winch. It was rated at 900 lbs. Needless to say some upgrades were in order. Steve
OK I'll Fess Up My Story
Denise, Your story got me laughing, but it also brought back an almost as funny (and slightly painful) memory. This was our first time to trailer our O'Day 25 after we bought it. We took it down to Corpus, and I had to have someone else pull it out of our lake. I hoped for a ramp in Corpus that gave us better traction (I didn't have the extension I mentioned below yet). Unfortunately, I couldn't pull it out with our van. I begged help from a guy and he agreed to help. We put the trailer on his truck, a 4x4 Ford 350. It pulled it right out. unfortunately, I had done two things wrong. 1) Since we were going to take it off his truck and put it on my van, I didn't hook up the safety chains and 2) I didn't clamp down the hitch lock. The former was deliberate, the latter was just me being forgetful. Both were stupid mistakes. The boat pulled out of the water with no trouble. I went to my van to get the chocks we keep in it for the trailer, getting ready to change the trailer from his truck to my van. Did I mention we still had the outboard on the back? Did I mention the 3 5 gallon containers of gas that we never had to use were also in the back? Did I mention that this changed the dynamics of the balance of the trailer? As I walked back, I watched as the trailer lifted off the hitch and slowly backed itself back into the water. Fortunately, we weren't very far up the ramp, so it didn't have far to go. It was also fortunate that there weren't very many sight seers. I now make it a point that chains are put on, even if it's being towed 5 feet. I also double check the hitch clamp. That was also when I decided I had to do something to make it where I could pull the boat myself. BTW, it takes more than 1 240 lb guy to stop a 5000 boat.
Denise, Your story got me laughing, but it also brought back an almost as funny (and slightly painful) memory. This was our first time to trailer our O'Day 25 after we bought it. We took it down to Corpus, and I had to have someone else pull it out of our lake. I hoped for a ramp in Corpus that gave us better traction (I didn't have the extension I mentioned below yet). Unfortunately, I couldn't pull it out with our van. I begged help from a guy and he agreed to help. We put the trailer on his truck, a 4x4 Ford 350. It pulled it right out. unfortunately, I had done two things wrong. 1) Since we were going to take it off his truck and put it on my van, I didn't hook up the safety chains and 2) I didn't clamp down the hitch lock. The former was deliberate, the latter was just me being forgetful. Both were stupid mistakes. The boat pulled out of the water with no trouble. I went to my van to get the chocks we keep in it for the trailer, getting ready to change the trailer from his truck to my van. Did I mention we still had the outboard on the back? Did I mention the 3 5 gallon containers of gas that we never had to use were also in the back? Did I mention that this changed the dynamics of the balance of the trailer? As I walked back, I watched as the trailer lifted off the hitch and slowly backed itself back into the water. Fortunately, we weren't very far up the ramp, so it didn't have far to go. It was also fortunate that there weren't very many sight seers. I now make it a point that chains are put on, even if it's being towed 5 feet. I also double check the hitch clamp. That was also when I decided I had to do something to make it where I could pull the boat myself. BTW, it takes more than 1 240 lb guy to stop a 5000 boat.
My two cents.
Denise, If your safety chains are still connected by a piece of metal that is welded to the trailer, I suggest you through-bolt 'em instead. The weld snapped on my trailer under very little load in my driveway in June. Would hate for that to happen on the highway. Also, as you probably know, it's very important to get the boat all the way forward on the trailer. A few inches makes a big difference in how it handles on the highway. Mac
Denise, If your safety chains are still connected by a piece of metal that is welded to the trailer, I suggest you through-bolt 'em instead. The weld snapped on my trailer under very little load in my driveway in June. Would hate for that to happen on the highway. Also, as you probably know, it's very important to get the boat all the way forward on the trailer. A few inches makes a big difference in how it handles on the highway. Mac
Extending Tongure
Easiest way for me to extend trailer tongue is to: 1)park where reasonably level, 2)block trailer wheels both sides so it can't move forward or back, 3) disconnect trailer from tow vehicle and move vehicle forward beyond ln. of extended tongue, 4)extend tongue by hand, 5)reconnect vehicle including safety chains, remove wheel blocks, launch. By extending the tongue by hand, I avoid binding and problems of lining up the bolt with the hole that hold the tongue in its extended position, both problems that I have when trailer is attached to vehicle. Dick
Easiest way for me to extend trailer tongue is to: 1)park where reasonably level, 2)block trailer wheels both sides so it can't move forward or back, 3) disconnect trailer from tow vehicle and move vehicle forward beyond ln. of extended tongue, 4)extend tongue by hand, 5)reconnect vehicle including safety chains, remove wheel blocks, launch. By extending the tongue by hand, I avoid binding and problems of lining up the bolt with the hole that hold the tongue in its extended position, both problems that I have when trailer is attached to vehicle. Dick
shudder.
Glad to know I'm not the only one with misgivings about trailering a sailboat! I really like the rope launch D! Roger, can that cart be made from one of those trailer dollies that are used to manuver trailers by hand? I think one came with my boat and is stored in the shed at the boat club. I'll ck with the former owner. Most of the guys there weld allot too. I think a 7ft extension would work. with the wheels.. should save me allot of greif. The cost of a new sailboat trailer is pretty high. I think the old one will suffice for now. My trips will most likely only be about 2-3 hrs to the chesepeake. As of today, a new surge brake assembly, 2 new brake setups for the existing wheels are on order. need to get lines too (water in there even!) wasn't any brake fluid in the wheel cylinders! I'm really enjoying this thread! And to think 2 months ago i didn't even know the term "trailer sailor"
Glad to know I'm not the only one with misgivings about trailering a sailboat! I really like the rope launch D! Roger, can that cart be made from one of those trailer dollies that are used to manuver trailers by hand? I think one came with my boat and is stored in the shed at the boat club. I'll ck with the former owner. Most of the guys there weld allot too. I think a 7ft extension would work. with the wheels.. should save me allot of greif. The cost of a new sailboat trailer is pretty high. I think the old one will suffice for now. My trips will most likely only be about 2-3 hrs to the chesepeake. As of today, a new surge brake assembly, 2 new brake setups for the existing wheels are on order. need to get lines too (water in there even!) wasn't any brake fluid in the wheel cylinders! I'm really enjoying this thread! And to think 2 months ago i didn't even know the term "trailer sailor"
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