Problems launching boat and trailering ?

[BensonWdby]

Brian,
Obviously I missed the 'truck' part of that whole thing. That would certainly make a difference. We do have a variety of ramps around MN. All kinds of surfaces and all kinds of angles. We could try going deeper.

As long as we don't go as far as one guy I saw a couple years ago. The front of his truck was 12 feet off shore and the water was up around his windows.

Thanks for pointing out the oversight.
Dave

[Catdog1]

Brian,

Do you load with the trailer deep?

If so, do you need to do anything to center the back of the boat between the poles as you pull the rig forward?

[waterboy]

I load at the same depth, standing in knee deep water at the winch. My wife snaps on a bow line while I'm fetching the truck and tosses it to me when I get back there. Pulling the boat in it stays pretty straight. After tightening it up with the winch I just pull out slowly, with the tailgate down so I can watch the hull and make sure it stays centered. It usually centers itself, every once in a while it doesn't, so I just roll back in the water and pull out again.


Sorry Dave, I just had to pull your chain on that one!

Brian

[BensonWdby]

I always have someone in the boat on one side with a spacer between the rubrail and the boat guide. In most cases that is a clenched fist, sideways. Obviously pull out slowly so you don't crush someones hand. I am working on coming up with a non-human device that will give a consistent space. This is not perfect as landings vary and things jossle around even when someone is holdingthe spacer. I figure as long as the main bunks are under a flat part of the hull and the bow hook is up tight against the roller, I should be good to go.

We are looking at a 7AM excursion this morning so one more chance to try launch techniques.

Dave

[rrmuf]

Very timely discussion! I am fairly new with this boat and I had an argument with launch owner this last w/e and this discussion might prove me 100% wrong!

I have a couple questions on loading technique:

1. Is it considered ok to winch the boat up into place once the boat is at fender depth? I always worry about the stress on the eyelet. Is my concern unfounded? or is it best to sink the trailer enough to just float the boat on?

2. Any techniques / warnings on driving the boat onto the trailer?

My prefered method is to sink the trailer (truck rear wheels six inches deep in water) and pretty much drive on, requiring a slight manual lift to get the nose over the roller.

But for this one ramp, gaining this kind of trailer depth is not practical. Am I best to keep the trailer at top of fender depth and drive part way up & winch the remainder of way?

The argument my fellow French-Canadian was making was that I was too deep and that if I went shallower, I should be able to drive it all the way up.

[Catdog1]

Yes, seems like a whole lot of stress on eyelet and on the winch person.

Thats one reason why I've settled on a two person load. Winch person carefully cranks while driver engages boat in forward at low throttle. Watch fingers.

When driving on with trailer shallow, you can use moderate throttle and achieve the front roller with the eyelet, but when you cut the throttle the boat will probably slide backward.

I'd rather drive on until a foot or 18 inches short, disengage drive, then clip the winch first and then crank the winch with the boat in drive as a power assist --- versus the alternative, drive to the eyelet and have to clip the winch while using throttle to hold the eyelet against the roller ( a little too risky to fingers for me ).

Very deep load can always work.

Two other cautions. Be aware that if boat wheels drop off of the end of the ramp, or drop into a hole, you run the risk of ripping the axle assembly off when extracting the boat and trailer.

And on unloading, too much reverse throttle can cause the stern to walk to the right real far... the prop could conceivably contact the trailer..

[rrmuf]

You start off with "Yes. Alot of stress on the eyelet & wincher": Do you mean I have nothing to worry about in terms of eyelet stress by winching the boat up?

Thanks for the advice and caution. In normal operating circumstances, I am doing a 2 person load as well, it is just this one ramp (with the opinionated fellow French-Canadian owner that has me wondering.

[BensonWdby]

I sent an email to Owen at Boatmates and when I asked him about how to avoid ripping up the V-Bunk he suggested:
You may be too deep when you load. Having the trailer further out of the water when you load will result in raising the bow of the boat on the
trailer earlier in the process. You may have to apply quite a bit of power to get the boat to the bow stop. When I load an inboard boat, I back the
trailer into the water far enough to completely wet the bunk boards. Then I pull the trailer pretty far out and typically really have to apply a lot of
power to force the boat up to the bow stop.

I am guessing that if you are in a shallow landing you should splash water on the bunks and get them good and wet if you can not submerge them.

WARNING: Cranking stress will most likely damage the winch before the boat eye. I know from experience. I tried to winch the boat about 2 inches when completely out of the water (first tripp to launch with this boat).
I shattered the small locking gear on the winch. Half the gear went right past my head. My old Easy Loader trailer with rollers could pull my outboard up from dry ground (about 1000 pounds lighter also). Definitely use boat power to assist with the loading process, but watch for hands.

Good luck
Dave

[Catdog1]

Good ideas, Dave. I'll try wetting the bunk pads.

rmuf, I simply have no idea how much force or how many winching cycles the eye can stand before the fiberglas fails or gelcoat cracks. But, like you, I'm finding ways to avoid stressing the eye because in my judgement there is potential for damage. It seems like an awful lot of force.

By the way, a one person load is possible. Drive-on as close to the front roller as possible. Leave the boat in gear, under power. Walk to the bow, reach down and clip the winch to the eye and, while still in the boat hanging over the bow, crank the boat to the max using prop thrust as power assist. Clip the safety chain from the trailer to the eye. Return to driver seat and disengage the transmission.

Dealer taught me that. Its a little scary, but it works.

One more caution ---- we should all have a safety chain from the eye to the trailer. We never move the rig without a safety chain to augment the winch strap. Some of the trailers I've seen don't have such a chain.

[waterboy]

I wonder if trailer design has changed since 2001? Our boat just floats up to the bow, with the trailer submerged of course. There's no strain on the bow eye or winch, it snugs up with minimal force.
At the boat ramps in my county there are signs forbidding powerloading, as it leads to erosion of the ramp.

Brian