bow stop adjustment

[Proselect]

I bought a used boat recently with a shorelandr roller trailer. It has rollers in the back, a rubber pad in the middle(no roller), and obviously a bow stop. I replaced the bow roller with one of those yellow polly ones cuz the black one that was on there was worn and marking up the white boat really bad. The new roller is a little bigger. I also replaced the winch with a better more heavy duty one. My question is: Is there a specific procedure to adjust the front bow stop? I tried about 4 times now and can't get it right. First it was not lining up with the hook and loop on the bow and where the strap and hook meet was chewing up the roller. I moved some stuff to solve that and then the boat was too far forward on the trailer. This last time now I have the boat where I want it on the trailer and the hook looks pretty good, but the trailer clunks bad over bumps like its not sitting on the middle pad enough and the trailer is flexing too much. It also seems to bounce down the road now. How do you set this darn thing? It shouldn't be this hard. I am getting frustrated!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: bow stop adjustment

Start at the back and work forward. The last rollers on the trailer should be directly under the transom. With that set, move the bow stop toward the bow. Height of the bow stop should be such that the winch strap or cable passes under it and connects to the bow eye on the boat. Winch the boat so the bow eye snugs up under the bow stop. This process should not LIFT the bow. It should be a straight pull. Adjust the keel rollers if necessary so the boat sits on them. If you have bunks, they provide lateral support for the boat. Any bouncing of the boat while trailering means the boat is being lifted off the rollers or bunks and that will cause damage. I trust you are using stern tie downs. The middle pad is generally not a support point for the boat. It is merely a skid protector that prevents the keel from dragging on the frame/crossmember during launch and retrieval.

 

[Proselect]

Re: bow stop adjustment

That is kind of how I did it, but in order to get it to where the rollers were right at the back of the stern I had to keep adjusting. I ended up pushing up on the bow to set the front bow roller where I wanted it. Maybe by doing that it makes the boat sit goofy on the trailer, like you said you don't want to pull the boat up. I think that is what I did cuz now I get a big clunk like the trailer is flexing too much or something. That is with the stern tie downs tight. I guess I need to start from square one again and I was just over thinking it. I guess the roller is just going to get a little marred up from the eyelett of the hook cuz that is the way it is supposed to be. The bouncing I get now is not the boat on the trailer, but the whole trailer seems to bounce, like the tires on the road. When I got this boat the insides of the tires were worn out. I was told it could be a bent axle or the boat weighs too much for the trailer. I know for a fact the boat does not weigh too much for this trailer. My father in law has a similar boat of the same size with the same exact trailer and he has never had that issue, even when loading extra gear for a week long fishing trip in the boat for the ride up north. The other thing is that the guy I bought it from moved the whole front bow mount assembly forward on the trailer moving the whole boat forward cuz he said it didn't have enough tongue weight and it towed like crap. Now that it is moved forward it tows excellent. By doing this it takes weight off the rear tires and puts more on the tongue, so maybe that is how the tires got worn. I put new tires on now and the bearings are tight and I have been watching the tires. They look to be wearing good thus far. I just want to get this thing set up right once and for all, and then sandblast and paint the thing.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: bow stop adjustment

Double check you coupler and make sure the clunking you hear is not from too much play between the coupler and ball. Is there any up and down play when everything is connected? Are all the bolts between the coupler and frame tight? Any loose ar bound parts in the coupler? A little play there can transmit a pretty big clunking sound to the tow vehicle. I have moved trailers around the yard with a 2" ball in a 2 3/16" coupler and that can make some loud clunking sounds going over the bumps. A bad surge brake coupler can also be a little noisy but this is mostly noticed during stops or starts.

 

[Proselect]

Re: bow stop adjustment

The noise wasn't the hitch ball and coupler or the reciever in the hitch clunking. I know how they sound and you can usually hear them in the vehicle with the windows shut. The clunk I heard was a little higher pitched and could not hear it at all with the windows closed, so thats how I traveled This noise started only after I moved the front bow stop. I'll get it figured out eventually I guess.