Boat Bouncing on Trailer

[gibbywmu2000]

Hello,

I've recently noticed some boat bouncing on my trailer. Good news is I don't have to trailer it around much, it sits in the driveway at my cottage most of the time.......but, I'd like to get this resolved in case I want to take a trip. I've been struggling trying to get the bow snugged right up on the bow rollers. Right when I am loading the boat onto the trailer, it would appear I'm cranking it all the way, but in reality I get it out of the water and its sitting back from the roller about 1"-2". I'm thinking this is the cause of some of the bouncing? (It's mainly when hitting bumps, bad concrete, etc, but it still seems excessive). Not sure how to make sure I'm cranking this all the way up. My bow eyelet is below the bow roller. I've also read about taking a tie down and securing the bow eyelet to the trailer to get more downward force and hold it. I can attach a pic here also, but this is not my current tow vehicle as I use a 2014 4WD Ford Explorer w/ tow package. This is a double axle trailer, with rear drum brakes (new surge coupler and new drum assemblies also). I just redid the brake system/bearings, etc. last weekend. 22' PowerQuest weighing in around 3200 lbs dry weight.

Any suggestions would be helpful, although not sure if there is an extra hole/area where I can secure the tie down to......

 

[JASinIL2006]

You don't mention transom straps, but you do have the transom strapped down to the back of the trailer, yes? Is the bouncing only in the front? If you're not on the bow stop after you pull out, you may be backing your trailer in too deep and the boat is floating back as you pull out. My boat will do that, and it is very hard to pull it that last couple of inches toward the bow roller when the boat is completely out of the water. I always make sure I'm right snug up to the bow stop before I leave the ramp. If not, I'll back in, just enough to get a bit of weight off the bunk, then crank the boat up tight to the bow stop.

I have seen ratcheting bow straps that pull the boat down onto the trailer, but if you're not hitting the bow stop, I don't think that will help much.

 

[gibbywmu2000]

Jasin,

Sorry, I am not using transom straps, as mentioned when trailering I'm only going a few miles down the road to get gas......but if I take a trip I want to make sure this doesnt keep doing this. I'm pretty certain the bouncing is only in the front. There must be a sweet spot like u mentioned to get it cranked up all the way, because that sounds right. Its probably floating back a few inches and settling when I pull it completely out of the water. Problem is, if I don't float it back deep enough, I can only crank it up so far then it becomes physically impossible to crank it any further. I have to end up dipping the trailer in deeper and cranking the rest of the way to reduce the friction on the bunks. I just can'' seem to get it right :/

 

[jkust]

I had boat bouncing one time when I had a highway towing near-disaster and ultimately had to tow home on the spare tire rim which got slightly bent out of round in the incident while it was hanging on the spare tire holder. Just thought I toss out a slightly out of round tire or similar as a possibility.

 

[Starcraft5834]

after pulling out of water, it's common for boat to creep back a few inches requiring cranking to seat bow on Y guard tightly, with that tight and transom straps snug, you should not bounce much.....

 

[Silvertip]

Trailers are not rigid structures in that they flex a great deal. Besides being backed into the water too far, there are other issues you need to consider. On dry land with the boat loaded so it is against the bow stop, check if the keel is raised off the forward most keel roller. If it is, you have the bow stop and winch too high and the winch strap/cable is raising the bow of the boat. Next, ensure the winch strap or cable passes UNDER the bow stop, not over it. If this is a roller trailer you really need to get the adjustments right or you will be beating the boat severely. If it's a bunk trailer the keel must sit on the keel rollers with some of the load being taken by the bunks. The bunks also provide lateral stability. As for the bow safety chain and stern tie downs I can only repeat what others have said. "Use them". In high school physics you should have learned that an object in motion tends to stay in motion. Whether you travel 5 miles or 500 miles, a boat can be pitched off its trailer if stern ties downs are not used. I won't bother posting the picture "again" of the go fast boat sitting in the back of the pickup after a sudden stop. There are also a bunch of pictures, one posted recently, where a boat slid off the trailer even though the winch strap remained secured. Don't mess with "physics" as you will lose.

 

[JimS123]

Jasin,

Sorry, I am not using transom straps, as mentioned when trailering I'm only going a few miles down the road to get gas......but if I take a trip I want to make sure this doesnt keep doing this. I'm pretty certain the bouncing is only in the front. There must be a sweet spot like u mentioned to get it cranked up all the way, because that sounds right. Its probably floating back a few inches and settling when I pull it completely out of the water. Problem is, if I don't float it back deep enough, I can only crank it up so far then it becomes physically impossible to crank it any further. I have to end up dipping the trailer in deeper and cranking the rest of the way to reduce the friction on the bunks. I just can'' seem to get it right :/

Transom straps are not only a matter of common sense, but they are required by law in most every state. It doesn't matter if you only drive around the block. Get a steel turnbuckle bow tie down as well. If it bounces off the trailer you won't wonder why.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Sometimes it just takes a partial re-dip of the boat to get it on the trailer correctly. I put in at a number of boat ramps of varying slopes, and it is sometimes hard to find just the right depth to back the trailer in. For example, on steep ramps, it seems to work best if I leave about one inch of my trailer fenders out of the water. On shallow ramps, I need to submerge the fenders completely to be able to winch the bow tightly to the stop. I don't think it's a very good idea to trailer a boat without transom straps, especially if you know it's got bouncing problems. You want the boat and the trailer to move as one unit. Right now you have a large weight on a leash resting on a trailer. Hitting a bump or cornering over a curb without transom straps could ruin your day. Not to mention the whole legal thing. I'd try some simple, cheap transom straps and see how that helps. After that I'd be experimenting with how deep is optimal for your trailer when recovering the boat. Treating bunks with spray silicone can also help the boat slide the last inch or two. Good luck!

 

[Stumpalump]

Silver tip mentioned the trailer flex. The winch needs to pull horizontal to the bow eye or you will bow and flex the trailer. As it bounces down the road the trailer flexes back and you wind up with slop. Adjust your winch height.

 

[ssobol]

Towing with just a bow strap on is asking for trouble. If the strap breaks (been know to happen) the next bounce could put the boat on the road. In this situation I hope you don't have a roller trailer. Hopefully you also have a safety chain from the bow eye to the trailer.

On my trailer even with the bow eye up to the winch, there is still some bouncing of the bow of the boat. This is fixed by using an additional strap vertically from the bow eye to the trailer frame. There is a ring welded to the trailer for this purpose.