single handed launch and retrieval

[salty87]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

have you finished the trailer? if so, let's see a pic to see what you're working with.

guides inboard of the 2 'pontoons' would keep you centered real well. add some like TD posted above and it should be more stable than most.

not sure what grabber mymako was talking about. here's one that has some mixed reviews but i've been on a boat where it worked great. doesn't replace your strap or chain though, just holds you in place to get those setup...http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0001975011046a.shtml

couldn't find it at iboats

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

the trailer has to be set up 100% perfect. different slopped ramps, throw off the alignment.

 

[dave11]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

"How do you keep directional control of the stern? If I did that the stern would probably wander off the wrong way."

On my boats, which are admittedly all under 16' /light, the boat will pivot on the guide-on and bring the transom in line as I load it. i.e. Just get the bow between the posts and crank. She comes in like a dog on a leash perfectly aligned every time.
hth

My question refers to launching not retrieving.

 

[oops!]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

I always launch and retrieve by myself even when I have someone along. The best advice is above. Go during the week and practice. As Raghauler says, "Practice makes semiperfect." Don't agonize over it. You will learn very quickly.

i cant imagine having a helper !
i float off and winch on........very rarely power load.

i pride myself on the fact i can launch in deep or shallow launches, with out the need to take off my shoes and socks...
(19 footers).....and no....i don't get my feet wet.
the whole process can take as little as 90 seconds from when the launch is clear. till the truck is out of the water again.

knowing your rig is very important. i have two boats with different setups....each different tounge legnths. it takes a lot to get used to each set up.

all of the above are really great ways......but i must re-confirm, practice, practice, and more practice.

note the location of the trailer wheels in the water and how far your rig is in relation to the shore line when you are backing up for consistant depth of trailer .

i also back my rig as close to the dock as i can....(inches) so if need be i can manipulate the stern by hopping on to the dock and reach the back of the boat.

find a quiet night at your favrouite launch.....and practice launch and retrival for a few hours.......this includes, launching....tying to the dock......pulling the rig out of the water and driving around the parking lot....then backing down the ramp anew each time.......after ten times....it will be easyer.......and a lot easyer the next night when you come to practice again.

cheers
oops

 

[dr.livingston]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

Salty87, from the user's reviews it looks like the Boat Buddy is tricky to use. Apparently it needs to be made stronger and more foolproof. From the photos it looks like the tolerance to get the bow eye into the mechanism is about an inch. I don't think I can drive my boat with that kind of precision. That kind of accuracy is what the space shuttle drivers practice when docking with the international space station.

The trailer rebuilding project is basically done. I'll post photos soon along with a report on how well the deck boat loaded the first time I tried it. In preparation for the big day I've taken many close up photos and measurements. The inboard guide-ons will clear everything very nicely.

My big question to ponder now is where the center of balance is on this boat. The overall length is 22 feet so the longitudinal center is at 11 feet, but I know that the boat sits a few inches lower in the water at the stern so the center of balance is probably about 9-10 feet forward of the transom. The construction of this trailer allows me to slide the whole axle assembly forward and aft about a foot. Sliding the axles forward on the trailer would put more weight on the wheels and take some off the tongue. If the whole thing weighs 4000 pounds I suppose 10% of that ought to rest on the tongue. For now I think I'll leave the axle position unchanged until I get to a truck scale somewhere and check it out.

I'll describe the whole rebuilding project in the next post.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

the trailer has to be set up 100% perfect. different slopped ramps, throw off the alignment.

I concur. Also, what Wee Hooker (I think) said about floating rope is good.

In a nutshell, I have my bunks set up at a slight angle to the keel rollers, so that the keel rollers allow the natural sweep of the hull to basically be off the bunks only a couple of feet (or less) from the winch tower rubber. I have "running boards" and the trailer center to walk on, so at most launches, I merely back into the water enough to float the stern if a shallow launch, or plunk the stern a little in the water at a steep launch. I can either release the winch with a few feet of slack and tag the brakes to get it off the bunks, or often, I can bull and jam a little and simply roll the boat off.

A bigger boat will probably not be THAT simple (as someone above indicated as well), but with all the advice here, I think you will be good. I hope my comments help a little.

BTW- when I rebuilt my trailer, I set it up for guide-ons, and have the 1-1/4" steel pipe and rollers, but I never have welded them on. But in wind or weird-angle gravel launches they sure would be handy! I should do that...

In conclusion, if you make slip-resistant planks to walk down your trailer, use the 30' rope tether, set up your trailer to easy release, and learn the sweet spot to load and unload your boat, you will be all set. If your hull and trailer are matched well and most of your launch sites have docks, the drive-on loading can work well, but I would still try to get the boat and trailer set up for good hand launching as well.

 

[dr.livingston]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

I have not yet had the opportunity to load my deck boat on this re-configured trailer but I thought I would post a couple of photos of the project. The original owner of the trailer said he use it for his 24 foot Carolina Skiff. I'm not sure how he did it because the trailer was basically to short for my 22 footer. Whatever...

First I removed the 4 bunks that were set up for the previous boat. Then I hauled it down to a local welding shop and had them lengthen the tongue by 3 feet. I also had them add an additional cross-brace at the front where my new bunks would end.

The new bunks are 4X6 pressure treated pine covered with slick plastic and stapled with T-50 Monel rust proof staples. Wow are they expensive! $40 per box at West Marine. Lowes had them cheaper but they were too short for this job. The guide-ons are 2X4 pressure treated pine that fit between the pontoons.

The undercarriage was completely shot. I replaced all four springs, shackles, hardware, and tires. I also replaced all the wiring and lights. Basically the only thing that was saved on this used trailer was the frame and the winch post. I still have a little rust remediation to do as you can see in the photos.

 

[fondafj]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

Sounds like a good project you have going on --- some of my experiences as I always launch and retrieve solo ----

- Boat Buddy works great if it is set up properly - I used on an 18' go fast for a few years and is perfect for power loading as well as supplying something to hold the boat until you get aboard.

- On my current boat/trailer (27' twin OB) I use a dock line from the bow cleats to a loop installed on the winch post -- this line holds the boat in place once the winch is backed off and then is easily released while aboard the boat.

- As stated before ---- practice launch and retrieval some weekday when there are no crowds. It may take a few tries to find the trailer depth sweet spot -- mine is pretty small, too deep and it loads offset to one side, too shallow and it does not climb the trailer straight and is offset on the winch post---- oh, BTW I always power load.

- Use the power to your advantage --- wind/tide will prevent perfect approaches to the trailer. Learn how to reposition the boat with the throttle and/or steering to recover from a crooked start. Sometimes it helps to add a bow visual point as well as the load guides at the stern. I use the 3rd brake light on my truck cap for a visial, others have added an indicatior to the winch post.

- Tongue wt should be 7-10% on a boat trailer, use a bathroom scale and a fulcrum to measure before your 1st tow... too light and you may loose the whole thing in sway induced accident. If you want to trailer to a scale to measure -- keep the speed way down ---30-40mph max until you get it set up.

Good luck --- I just finished a full rebuild of my trailer and converted to disc brakes while it was apart ---- what a difference!!!!

 

[sschefer]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

I launch by myself all the time, the guide on side bunks are my saviors. I also wear water socks and have no fear of getting wet. What I've always wanted to try but have never done is drop the Minn Kota Terrova down after the boats floating and then drive it over to the dock with the remote. I can be a good 150 feet away and it still works. Now wouldn't that be a kick in the pants.

There is a serious side to that, Minn Kota does make stern mount twin trolling motors that have forward and reverse and can be operated independently with a remote. I bet they would put a twist on that boat of yours just like twin screws. I think they're rated for 80lbs of thrust and they mount to your trim plates.

 

[dr.livingston]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

Regarding the sweet spot depth for the trailer, you can see two orange stripes that I added to the guideon posts at the back of the trailer. Currently the boat is on an electric lift. Last week I lowered it into the water and raised it again to measure the depth of the wetted portion of the hull. It was 14.5 inches at the transom. At the bow it was a few inches less. Knowing that, I set the orange stripes at 18 inches above the bunks for a starting point on the first loading. I figure as the bow of the boat comes up the slope of the bunks the stern will sit down lower than 14.5 but still have enough bouyancy to take some weight off the bunks until I winch the boat fully forward.

Due to the way the welding shop reinforced the trailer tongue I was not able to set the winch post quite as far back as I would have liked. This will make the tongue fairly heavy on the first loading. Depending on how bad it is I can still move the axles forward about 6 inches. If that isn't enough I'll have to grind down the reinforcement plate on the tongue to move the winch post farther back.

 

[fondafj]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

Due to the way the welding shop reinforced the trailer tongue I was not able to set the winch post quite as far back as I would have liked. This will make the tongue fairly heavy on the first loading. Depending on how bad it is I can still move the axles forward about 6 inches. If that isn't enough I'll have to grind down the reinforcement plate on the tongue to move the winch post farther back.

The boat should rest with the bunks ending at the transom -- you have made quite a few changes in your project, make the boat "comfortable" then move the axles for proper tongue loading.

One point on trailer setup and assembly --- the spring to axle connection is pretty sloppy, take careful measurements and move these within the "slop" to get proper axle alignment. When moving the axles for tongue wt, make sure the end up parallel to each other and perpendicular to the direction of travel. After trailering a short distance, retighted all fasteners as there is quite a bit of component and frame flex in a trailer.

 

[dr.livingston]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

Fondafj, yes that was my intent to have the transom sit at the very end of the bunks. All my measurements were based upon doing that. Then I found that the reinforcement plates that the welder installed on the tongue interfere with moving the winch post to the exact location I had intended. It lacks only a few inches so the transom will probably be a few inches forward of the end of the bunks.

Interesting that you should mention the alignment of the axles. I noticed that the original tires were not wearing evenly so I measured the axle alignment to the frame and found that the right side was 1/2 inch farther back than the left side. I did correct that as part of replacing those very rusty u-bolts.

I used an impact wrench to tighten all the new hardware but I will check everything again after the first road trip.

 

[fondafj]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

It lacks only a few inches so the transom will probably be a few inches forward of the end of the bunks.

The only time this will be a problem is if you have a transducer or trim tabs hanging off the transom.

 

[sschefer]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

You might already know how to do this but I thought I'd throw it in the mix -

In order to get your axle alignment perfect you first must find dead center of the trailer and run a taught string line from the tounge to the furthest back point of the trailer that you can attach to.

Next measure the distance from the string line to each side, they should be fairly close but it is not critical unless they are way out of whack.

Now find the point where you think the first axle should be and string a line from frame rail to frame rail.

Use the 3x4x5 method to determine a perfect 90 deg angle from the centerline stringline to either side of the trailer frame at the point where both lines intersect. The horizontal should be 4 the vertical 3 and the diagonal distance exactly 5.

You'll notice that I didn't say feet or inches just 3x4x5. You can adjust the distance by mulitplying each number by an equal amount, (ie 3x2 = 6 so 4 and 5 = 8 and 10 respectfully). The longer the distances the more accurate your final angle will be.

Once you have your pefect 90 degree angle off dead center of the trailer the rest is just a matter of using an accurate square. A framing square will work but you need to tune it with a machinist square. DON'T TRUST AN OFF THE SHELF FRAMING SQUARE. You don't know how many times its been dropped.

Take your time because being dead on will save you money on fuel, tires and bearings and make the boat tow and backup much better.

 

[dr.livingston]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

Hmmmm! I didn't consider the transducer. This boat doesn't have trim tabs but I should flip up the transducer before loading the boat. Thanks for the tip.

Ah yes, the Pythagorean Theorem. A perfect right angle is formed by a triangle having the proportions of 3X4X5. The ancient Egyptian pyramid builders must have used something similar to lay out their most famous landmarks. Pythagoras of Samos himself lived much later than the building of the pyramids so he might be credited with formalizing something that was already known for quite a while.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

...drive it over to the dock with the remote. I can be a good 150 feet away and it still works. Now wouldn't that be a kick in the pants.

I almost want one just for the entertainment value as my unpiloted boat pulls up to a busy dock... LOL

 

[dr.livingston]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

That would be a new interpretation for the acronym UAV. Instead of "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle" yours would be an Unmanned Aquatic Vehicle.

That WOULD be quite a show wouldn't it? You back your trailer into the water and then, without ever leaving the cab, you command your boat to drive itself onto the trailer where the Boat Buddy automatically captures the bow eye. Then you drive off and never look back. Cool!

 

[dr.livingston]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

We finally loaded the boat on the trailer for the first time. Everything was nearly perfect on the first try. The winch was mounted too high. That was one thing I had no way to measure beforehand. A few minutes with a wrench lowered it to the correct position.

Another thing I couldn't measure beforehand was the location of the keel roller. Turns out it was perfect fore and aft, but needs to be raised about 6 inches. No problem doing that now.

Intentionally I left the guideons with more clearance than necessary for the first trial. I'll adjust them about an inch the next time the boat is off the trailer.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

i have found a floor jack comes in really handy, when adjusting rollers and bunks, when the boat is loaded. a block of wood on top of the jack, loosen the bolts, snug up what you are adjusting, the jack holds it in place so you can tighted thing down where you want them.

 

[sschefer]

Re: single handed launch and retrieval

That would be a new interpretation for the acronym UAV. Instead of "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle" yours would be an Unmanned Aquatic Vehicle.

My boats are named FIV I and FIV II .. Fish Intercept Vessel I and II. My 08 Tahoe that takes me and/or the boats fishing all the time is FITV. Fish Interceptor Transport Vehicle. OK, you had to be there..LOL