boat sitting to high??

[gostephen]

i think the front of my boat is to high. when i let the winch strap out the front of the boat raises up to ware the bow is about 3-4in above the roller. when i tighten the winch it pulls the bow down and really loads the front set of rollers.

i can easily drop the front set of rollers about an inch or raise the rear about an inch. or both. trailer height is more than enough to drop the front without a problem

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: boat sitting to high??

please edit your post and resize your picture.

 

[Casco Bay Outrage]

Re: boat sitting to high??

Go back outside and stand in front of that bush and re-shoot the photo. Would like to see the winch post in better detail.

Take another photo showing the bow and 1st set of rollers.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: boat sitting to high??

If you lower the front you need to pay close attention to the clearance between the boat and the fenders. But your description does point to the front rollers being too high or the rears too low.

 

[gostephen]

Re: boat sitting to high??

i loosend the winch strap so u can see what im talking about
i also noticed that the front half of the trailer seems to flex when i tighten the boat

boat to fender clearance looks ok

 

[Casco Bay Outrage]

Re: boat sitting to high??

Thanks for the photos. Great work.

Don't think you can lower the rollers. The brackets are in the lowest hole and there is no more adjustment.

The winch post is short and needs to be taller. This will allow you to raise the winch and get the strap level. The bow stop roller should touch the top of the bow eye. This keeps the bow from riding up if you stop short.

Take a look at this:
http://picasaweb.google.com/CascoBayOutrage/OutrageTrailer#5077894037428785842

Note the strap has been changed after I took the photo to wind so it comes out below the drum and is straight.

 

[gostephen]

Re: boat sitting to high??

then rear is in the lower set of holes but the front set is in the top set of holes

 

[Casco Bay Outrage]

Re: boat sitting to high??

You are correct.

In looking at your first photo, the boat appears to sit level overall on the trailer.

Given the age of the trailer, it may be a bit expensive to buy different arm brackets which may force you to buy other parts to lower the bow. In looking again at your fender clearance, it appears good as it is.

Overall, I think a taller winch post will solve your issue.

Here is one decent source for trailer parts. Good to research and then seek local retailer to compare prices.

Link to Eastern Marine Winch Post page

Measure tongue tube size and the angled height you need. Remember to include room for the winch bracket stand. Note angled posts length measurement is not vertical.

From Eastern's site, I think one of these -

With this bracket

Bow roller brackets

and a good roller

 

[clarkbre]

Re: boat sitting to high??

From the 1st pic by the OP and the 2nd pic in the 2nd post by the OP, it looks like the trailer isn't adjusted correctly for the boat. The rear rollers are mounted at the low point and the front rollers are adjusted at the high point.

The boat has a deep front and then goes a little higher or levels off in the back. To get the bow to sit closer to the winch, you could try 1 of 2 things.

1. Lower the front rollers to the lower holes and see where the bow sits.

2. If 1 doesn't bring the bow down to the winch, keep the fronts in the lower holes and raise the back rollers to the higher holes. Doing so should help bring the bow of the boat down an inch or two and still keep the contour of the boat's bottom.

I would start with 1 and see how it works. Either way you do it, I don't think you should notice your trailer flexing as you tighten the strap.

Also, please keep safety in mind when you're working under anything heavy and adjusting or removing it's supports.