Bow Safety Chain

[redone4x4]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

26' 7200# rig, Chain, Safety Strap and Transom Straps.
I leave my winch strap a little slack, to extend the life of the strap.
You want your boat and trailer to be "one" unit going down the road.

thats my same setup, and 2 heavy duty transom straps. the wide, expensive ones. I see guys with motorcycle tiedown straps holding a $30,000 boat to the trailer and it makes me cringe. I always hear stories, but they are hard to believe. then, one day my dads neighbor did a panic stop and didnt have a bow chain...put the boat right thru the back doors of his suburban. after that, im going to buy BIGGER chain to put on the bow.

 

[special_kaye]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

May seem like over kill but with big $$$$$$ on the line.........

Put a copy of this picture in my "Things to Get" folder. I think I have Bow Post Envy....

 

[special_kaye]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

That looks fairly stout. LOL

Reminds me of my father's old adage... if some is good... more is better... and too much is juuuuuuussst right!

Love it! That's how I usually build too. I replace a toilet paper holder and you can do pull-ups from it.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

strap & chain, stern straps are the law in Monroe County.

 

[special_kaye]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

Do you use a safety chain or aparatus to secure your boat beside the winch strap or winch cable?

Finally got some pictures on the server.

This is what I started with.

This is what I have now. Just until I redo the trailer.

REALLY like the turnbuckle/tie-down strap idea. Going to have to do something like that.

 

[AZSenza]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

My last boat only had a winch strap but I added a ratchet to it for safety, my boat now has a chain, I use it ALL the time making sure its tight. Better to be safe then sorry!

 

[axeslinger1957]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

May seem like over kill but with big $$$$$$ on the line.........

Dingbat:

First off, I like the way you think. My primary obsession is playing lead guitar in the church praise band. I am obsessive about having backup systems for everything. Your two turnbuckle system appears to eliminate any possible failure of winch strap/rope and/or safety chain.

Where is the left-side attachment point of the horizontal turnbuckle in your picture?

Second, you have both turnbuckles anchored to the same bow eye. Is that safe and redundant enough?

Third, judging from the tongue weight of my trailer with my "drained" boat on it, I estimate that the combined weight of trailer and boat is no more than 1350 pounds (which was the weight of our old pop-up camper -- I could lift its tongue easily). Do you see any issues using your system with my boat?

 

[Bowser4x4]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

Galvanized Cable as the safety "chain" for the front bow eye.... Although may have to look at the turnbuckle idea.

Woof
Bowser

 

[David Greer]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

I posted the longer version elsewhere, but you all have one common weak link--the bow eye itself. I had one pull loose while trailering, just from normal driving. Thankfully not while power-winching (I launch and retrieve w/ a dry axle). So if you're really concerned, tie your painter (bow line) from a boat cleat to the winch post. Wiht your rigs, your eye is safe but is the boat?

 

[axeslinger1957]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

I posted the longer version elsewhere, but you all have one common weak link--the bow eye itself. I had one pull loose while trailering, just from normal driving. Thankfully not while power-winching (I launch and retrieve w/ a dry axle). So if you're really concerned, tie your painter (bow line) from a boat cleat to the winch post. Wiht your rigs, your eye is safe but is the boat?

Dave, I don't want to sound like a PITA, but is a cleat mounted as firmly as the bow eye? I would think there is at least as much chance of pulling a cleat out if push came to shove with the mechanism you indicated.

 

[David Greer]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

Use both. You may be right; it's for redundancy. Like a winch and a chain and a turnbuckle and a rope.

 

[cbavier]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

I really posted this thread just to make everyone aware of the necessity and safety of using another means besides the winch strap to secure the Bow on trailered boats. If I helped convince one Newbie then I have accomplished my objective. Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

Dave, I don't want to sound like a PITA, but is a cleat mounted as firmly as the bow eye? I would think there is at least as much chance of pulling a cleat out if push came to shove with the mechanism you indicated.

I had my winch strap break while pulling the boat in, and i had to tie a rope from the cleat on the bow to the trailer. I just wrapped the rope around the frame a whole bunch, it held the boat down pretty good for a 5 mile trip home.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

i just made a really simple bow saftey chain, I wrapped the chain around the post on the trailer, and bolted it tight around the post, by putting a bolt thru the chain links, then ran the execss chain from the one end up the to bow hook, and put a hook on the end of the chain. whole thing cost less than 10 bucks.

all you need is a chain, bolt that will fit thru the links, prob about 2 inches long, a nut, and a hook.

 

[dave11]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

Just the strap and chain

 

[KurtG]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

I'm putting a chain on mine right now. I didn't like that it didn't have one when I bought it in the fall, but didn't get to it with all the work I did over the winter. Seven blocks to the community ramp and no hills so I didn't worry too much with having transom straps (that was a mistake). I've had problems launching (poor trailer, shallow ramp) in the past and put new rollers and bunks and re-adjusted both. Well needless to say, I backed down the ramp to the water's edge and unstrapped the boat; except for the winch strap. I hopped back in the vehicle to back further in and the winch let loose and the boat shot off into the water. I guess I solved the trailer/launch problems with new rollers and bunk slides, lol, but was counting my blessing that I was backed in deep enough before it shot off the trailer.:redface:

Needless to say I improvised with an extra line to the bow when I retrieved the boat and before strapping the transom.

 

[special_kaye]

Re: Bow Safety Chain

i just made a really simple bow saftey chain, I wrapped the chain around the post on the trailer, and bolted it tight around the post, by putting a bolt thru the chain links, then ran the execss chain from the one end up the to bow hook, and put a hook on the end of the chain. whole thing cost less than 10 bucks.

all you need is a chain, bolt that will fit thru the links, prob about 2 inches long, a nut, and a hook.

Sounds like what I did, see pictures above. The only reason I didn't bolt it down was I would have to take the bow post off the trailer to get to the place I could put a safety bolt. I'm not ready to take the trailer apart so, I did what you did so I could get some other things done first yet still keep the boat on the trailer. It's a Doofer. It'll Do Fer Now.