Is my boat trailered correctly?

[Broater]

Hi all. First off, let me say this is a wonderful forum! I'm brand new to boating and am not sure if my boat is trailered properly. My keel is sitting hard on the bow cradle and I'm wondering if this is how it's supposed to be? There is some shaved material that looks like it came from the plastic bow cradle as I trailered my boat. This can't be right, can it? I'm afraid to tow it at all without knowing if there is undue stress being put upon my hull. Are my bunks too far back? Any help would be very appreciated!

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

It's hard to tell from the pictures that you've posted as it is hard to see how evrything fits. Though from the third picture it kind of looks like that trailer is bigger than needed for that boat. Are those rollers off to the side of that front bow support?

 

[roscoe]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

Trailer look too long, but is adjustable.

Currently, the winch stand is moved all the way forward.

You can move the winch stand back so the transom rests over the rear edge of the bunks.
This will also move weight back and lessen the tongue weight some.

 

[Broater]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

Thanks for the replies, guys. The boat dealer set me up with this trailer. It's a 17-19' trailer and the boat is 21'. I've considered moving the winch stand back, but would that possibly put me in danger of too little tongue weight? It doesn't have rollers, the bow support is 2 lengths of PVC pipe with a plastic center. The keel shaved some plastic off of the support when I loaded it. That's what's worrying me about too much weight on there. Might the bunks be too far back, or is it common for them to end where the frame begins to taper inward? Of course, I'm only concerned with this set-up if my hull is in danger of being damaged. Should I just leave well enough alone, or do I clearly need some adjustments? If so, should I consider the dealership to be responsible for making adjustments/changes? Sorry, Lots of questions I know, but it being Sunday the dealer's closed and I'm feeling pretty in the dark about the safety of this rig. I'll try to get some more pics that may represent the dimensions. Thanks.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

Thanks for the replies, guys. The boat dealer set me up with this trailer. It's a 17-19' trailer and the boat is 21'. I've considered moving the winch stand back, but would that possibly put me in danger of too little tongue weight? It doesn't have rollers, the bow support is 2 lengths of PVC pipe with a plastic center. The keel shaved some plastic off of the support when I loaded it. That's what's worrying me about too much weight on there. Might the bunks be too far back, or is it common for them to end where the frame begins to taper inward? Of course, I'm only concerned with this set-up if my hull is in danger of being damaged. Should I just leave well enough alone, or do I clearly need some adjustments? If so, should I consider the dealership to be responsible for making adjustments/changes? Sorry, Lots of questions I know, but it being Sunday the dealer's closed and I'm feeling pretty in the dark about the safety of this rig. I'll try to get some more pics that may represent the dimensions. Thanks.

I'm guessing you have those numbers wrong, or the boat would be longer than the trailer.

How much tongue weight do you have?

Lowering the rear of the bunks, or raising the front of the bunks, would eliminate the plastic rub problem.

Moving the boat back, would also reduce the mount of winching needed to load, and the amount of hull rubbing on that front support.

 

[the vision]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

The third pic to me looks like the bunks are too far back. Just my 2 cents. This is how mine is set up.

 

[zagger]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

The length of bunks is no concern as they should go past the transom. In picture 1 & 4 however it looks like the keel is resting on the glides and it should not. First adjust the bunks so there is couple inches of clearance to your keel. The boat should rest only on the bunks so in your case they need to be adjusted up a little. next you should locate the boat on the trailer so that it balances with proper tong weight, at that time tighten the winch stand so it locks the bow properly. If the bunks extend to far beyond the transom after all adjustments just trim them, make sure you leave them at least 2 or 3 inches long. Good luck.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

All of the posters have given sound advise though I am going to stick with my original comments and again state that this trailer does not look like a good fit for that hull. The whole trailer looks oversized for your hull.

The bunks are way out of size and placement. Those look like 2X10" and extend much farther aft than needed. Can they be repositioned more forward? Moving the boat back will change the balance of the whole package and may shift the weight too much. Agreed that the bow of the boat should not be sitting on that crossmember. The bunks should be more forward to support the bow better.

If this is a new purchase I think that you should return to the dealer/marina and talk to them about swapping trailers for one with a better fit, otherwise you may end up with headaches the whole time you own this rig and could easily end up causing damage to the hull the way it is.

In my mind the question now should be can this trailer be made to work? Sure. Work well??? At what expense?

 

[JordanFTW]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

I agree, that trailer is just too big for the boat and certainly was not designed for a 17-19' boat. Most trailers designed for 17-19'ers are only single axles anyway.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

The length of bunks is no concern as they should go past the transom. In picture 1 & 4 however it looks like the keel is resting on the glides and it should not. First adjust the bunks so there is couple inches of clearance to your keel. The boat should rest only on the bunks so in your case they need to be adjusted up a little. next you should locate the boat on the trailer so that it balances with proper tong weight, at that time tighten the winch stand so it locks the bow properly. If the bunks extend to far beyond the transom after all adjustments just trim them, make sure you leave them at least 2 or 3 inches long. Good luck.

I have to ask what the point is of having the bunks extend beyond the transom (2-3") ? I've got mine set to support the transom but they're flush with the end of the boat. Unfortunately, my speedometer pitot sits in the same general area and having the bunk flush with the end of the boat guarantees I won't knock the pitot off by hitting the bunk with it.

But even if my pitot weren't a factor, what is the point of having any extra length to a bunk board? The portion that extends beyond the transom does nothing.

View attachment 96827

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

Bonz is correct.
Take it back to the dealer, and make things right.
Why should you have to deal with there bad set up.

 

[Broater]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

Thanks for all the replies, guys. So, the model of the trailer is 17-19 TB and I just assumed it was 17-19 ft, but upon measurement, it's 21', as is the boat. The thing is, the bunks extend a good 2 1/2' past the back of the trailer. Talked to the dealer today and he informed me that this trailer was set up specifically for this boat by the Road King trailer manufacturer. He also said It didn't sit on the guide while in the showroom, so it "must be something I've done". I can't imagine what that would be. The boat is squarely on center, and the bow eye is an inch or two below the winch roller. Should I try to winch it even more up? Is this something I can try with it out of the water, or would I be putting too much stress on the winch/bow eye? Also, I can't imagine why a trailer manufacturer would design a setup with the bunks 2-3 feet past the end of a trailer. I don't think they can go up any farther, because they end right where the frame begins the taper in. Does this matter? Or can they come up anyway? I'm taking it to the local dealer in the morning (same company, but different location cause where I bought the boat is 2 hours away) to see what they come up with. I'll keep you guys posted. thanks for all the input.

 

[dozerII]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

First question is how much tongue weight do you have now? It looks to me like it could be exccesive. If possible weigh the boat and trailer at a comercial scale then see if you have the proper 7 to 12% weight on the tongue. If it is heavy on the tongue you can move the boat back to get the correct weight and a better fit.
Glen

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

Maybe I'm slow but other than the bunks being long, that trailer looks like a good fit to me for that boat.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

The end of the boat (Transom) should be even with end of the bunks. Move the winch stand back. The problem with to much bunk sticking out is you might turn outdrive when getting on trailer and the props will shorten the bunk for you.Costly. The trailer was not set up for your boat. It is made to fit a bigger boat.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

The end of the boat (Transom) should be even with end of the bunks. Move the winch stand back. The problem with to much bunk sticking out is you might turn outdrive when getting on trailer and the props will shorten the bunk for you.Costly. The trailer was not set up for your boat. It is made to fit a bigger boat.

You could cut the bunk excess off, but don't leave them that long.

 

[vindicator101]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

Let me start by saying that the way your boat is sitting on the trailer in general is perfectly fine. It does need to be adjusted slightly to keep it off the front center guide. The way you do this is to "raise" the rear bunks which will lift the boat higher off the trailer slightly away from the center guide that the boat is hitting. It would be eiser to lower the front guide but from the pictures it looks like it's adjusted all the way down already. As for the lenth of the rear bunk, yes they are long, and yes they can be shortended but like someone has already said leave a couple of inches past the transom of the boat for support if you shorted them. On this type of trailer (float on not a drive on) the bunks are left intentionally long. They do this so they can shorten the actual trailer frame but still support the boat properly and save money. The trailer if labeled 17 -19TB is for a boat between 17 and 19ft long but the boat is measured from the keel to the back side of the bow hook. The trailer you have is on the small side but not too small for your boat. You probably bought the boat and trailer as a package deal and the smaller trailer kept the total cost down.

 

[rbh]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

with the exception of the bunks being alittle long, and thats not a big deal, "looks" good.

If I was to start from scratch I would ensure I have the 10% tounge weight rule covered and work from there.
As well I would make sure that 90% of the weight was on the bunks not on the center of the frame.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Is my boat trailered correctly?

Talked to the dealer today and he informed me that this trailer was set up specifically for this boat by the Road King trailer manufacturer.

He also said It didn't sit on the guide while in the showroom, so it "must be something I've done".

If this setup was done by the trailer manf. for this boat I would seriously have to question their product. Evidenced by the "It didn't sit like that in the showroon!". "Must have been something you've done". Like what? Use their product?

My point of view is this. Overall the trailer does not look to be too large for the hull. I do not like the design or layout of the bunks though.
Fisrt of all they appear to be 2X8" or 2X10". Why? Second there appears to be only 2 bunks of which they are too long and do not seem to extend forward enough to properly support the hull for the length.
Next, from what I see in the third picture the end of the bunk is already raised as high as it will go. Being as the bolt apears to be located in the top hole! Which also doesn't look to be centered onto the middle of the bunk where it would provide the better strength. Meaning, if they are going to use 2x8" for the bunk then why bolt it 2-3" from the load bearing side?

So my take on this would be, if this trailer was designed for this boat then the manfufacturer didn't do a very good job of it or they just really don't know what they are doing, or it is a generic design for that type of boat and the boat dealer sets it up. Either way I do not like it.

Now my neighbor has a very simular boat and trailer sitting right outside the front of my house right now and I can state there is a world of difference in the "Fit". That trailer also has 4 bunks, dual axles and the bunks are extended mire inches past the transom.

Different designs, different manufacturer, different results.