Winch tower build - opinions welcomed

[RECESS]

I have not started drilling yet, I have just loosely bolted it together to get my placement. What do you guys think? The base plate is 1/4" steel mounted on an aluminum trailer. I will be putting rubber between the two different metals. The trailer tongue jack will be replaced and not in the location it is right now.

 

[som1335]

Even with the rubber between the different metals I would use cold galvanize (comes in a spray can at a welding supply store) on all parts because of the exposure to water. Also remember when you choose the final location bear in mind that the steepness of the ramp will determine how far away from the winch the boat will be when you haul it out of the water. Mac boat instructions acknowledge this and recommend a little braking action once on the level to snug the bow to the front roller. No big deal, just something to think about when choosing bolt pattern.
Mike

 

[Mike8245]

Recess, I had a Macgregor with a simliar mount. The better set up will be to have the strap running horizontal to the bow eye, otherwise as you winch it in you pulling down rather than forward. What ends up happening is when you pull the trailer out of the water the boat will be a foot or so off the v chock for the bow. The Macgregor one was all welded so I could not move it easily, hated using it. Winching in tight was just pulling the bow down, not forward enough. Just me 2 cents. Good luck, Mike

 

[RECESS]

I think I may have to add a roller that sits on top of a thick square tube mounted to the bracket to get the winch level with the bow eye and have it winch straight on. The better solution would be to have a larger tower.

 

[RECESS]

I could run cross members over the A-Frame of the trailer that would elevate the base plate and the tower 4 to 6 inches.

 

[John C]

Watch out for eye

When your stern floats up the bow goes down and eye will hang on the rubber chock. Better to have eye a long way below chock or some other system to accomadate up and down movement. Just my opinion and problem at the ramp.

 

[48dodge]

The biggest problem I see is along the same line as everyone else. When the boat is off the trailer, not only will the eye want to dig into the chock, but the strap is going to grind pretty hard on it as well. I think that setup is made so the strap goes under the chock. What does everyone think about lowering the boweye so that it matches up to the location of the strap? Maybe a little low in this instance? I have a similar situation, but no problems with interference with the strap, but I may try to lower the boweye a smidge.

 

[sand sailor]

i agree i have a similar problem cause the chock is too high and i end up pulling the eye over it with some undue stress
but my winch is even with the eye so it doesnt pull down

 

[kloudie1]

Yup, In line pull would be lots better.. You are probably going to need a brace from the top of the vertical post,aft to the trailer rails. The 1/4" plate is going to bend from the moment load.. One each side (1" square tube is fine) to just aft of where ya have the back edge of the plate or one down to the little transverse brace between the rails just forward of the wood upright.

 

[Brian M H23]

I'd say.. definitly not tall enough. When trying to retireve the boat, you need your winch to pull UP on the bow, to make the boat float parallel with the trailer instead of the water. If you pull it down, it might look OK on the water, but when you pull out of the water there will be HUGE strain on the cable, post, and bow eye as the boat tries to bow-up

How bout get a small piece fo square tubing and slide it into the current tower to extend it? The stresses are less up at the top, it can be thinner.

also, maybe mount it on an I-beam that rests on the crossmember of the trailer, and make a new crosmember up front near the wheel.

 

[RECESS]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

The route I think I am going to go is to get some 4" to 6" square tube 5/16" thick and use it as cross members under the plate. It will raise the entire tower.

 

[Joe11688]

A friend of mine came up with a pretty good idea for keeping the bow in the right position against the V chock. He took a regular hydraulic bottle jack and threaded the top for a bolt in which he attached a boat roller bracket. He has it rigged so that he can mount the jack on his trailer under the bow and when he retrieves his boat and gets the bow up against the V chock, he jacks up the bow a little while the boat is still in the water, until he gets it in the proper place. Then he pulls the boat out. It works great. I've seen him do it with success.

 

[sailingdog]

I'd flip the bow v-chock supports over... so that the chock is below the winch and the winch strap won't be chafing on it when trying to pull the boat up to the chock.

Also, I would use a heavier base plate or two pieces of angle iron facing each other rather than the thin plate you've got on there. The winch has a fairly long lever arm and is going to put a lot of force on the flat plate, and probably deform it. Having the winch base mounted to two pieces of angle iron with the edges up, bracketing the base is going to be a lot stronger.

 

[rockp2]

Eye punches thru

I bought a used H22 that the bottom of the eye has actually punched thru the first layer of fiberglass of the boat. One of things I have to fix before the boat travels. The angle of attack from the winch to the eye is pretty close to being exactly what you have pictured.

I know everyone has said it, and you are going to raise your tower 4-6", but I will have mine at the exact height of the eye when I am completed so that punch-thru from downward pulling force doesn't happen. From the pics you have, I don't know if 6" will be enough.

 

[RECESS]

An update. I have flipped the V block. Purchased an I-beam that will be cut to fit on the front and rear of the plate lifting the entire rig by 8" which will have the strap even or just slightly above the eye on the boat. Both I-Beams will cross the A-Frame of the trailer. The I-Beams will take up almost half of the plate surface underneath. The tower will be welded to the plate and the plate will be welded to the I-Beams all around the I-Beam edges. I will land 4 bolts on each end of both I-Beams for a total of 16 bolts to the trailer.

I also got two cans of cold galvanize and a thick piece of shower lining PVC roll to separate the steel from the aluminum. I plan to use the plasma cutter and weld the rig on Tuesday night with a friend.

Thanks for all the replies, great stuff!

 

[RECESS]

Finished the cutting and welding.

We finished the cutting and the welding today, which means I was a gopher for a friend while he used his plasma cutter and welder on the measurements I brought. This rig is stout, very tough. Welded all the way around the I-Beams and winch tower foot. I still need to drill the I-beam and trailer and bolt it down.

 

[Mike8245]

Re: Finished the cutting and welding.

looks good recess, go float her and see how you like it. Mike in nc

 

[RECESS]

Thanks Mike, I am looking to put her in this weekend.

 

[sailingdog]

Looking good, but I'd recommend cutting the corners on the top platform... or you're probably going to rip your leg open on them one of these days.

 

[Joe]

Or....... you could have just bought one of these:

http://www.precisionboattrailers.com/winch.html