trailer an boat question?

[weekender1]

Well i am trying to figure out how to do this but when i got my boat there was no motor in her and i noticed that the hull was only being held on the trailer from the bunk boards or runners there wasnt a single part of the boat on the wheels i lowered both bunk boards down one side at a time till i got the boat on the center wheels then raised the bords back up but how do i know if i have the boat on the trailer right?? since i have placed a new motor in her.. and also she is a tri-hull and right now i do not have any way to get the boat off the trailer completily as of right now so all this have to be done with on the trailer and i also plan on painting the boat so i will have to adjust the boat to trailer again so some help would be nice please.

 

[64osby]

Re: trailer an boat question?

Pictures would be great.

The gang here will let you know if it's set right.

They will also give ideas on getting it so you can paint it. Helps to know what going on.

 

[Bondo]

Re: trailer an boat question?

Well i am trying to figure out how to do this but when i got my boat there was no motor in her and i noticed that the hull was only being held on the trailer from the bunk boards or runners there wasnt a single part of the boat on the wheels i lowered both bunk boards down one side at a time till i got the boat on the center wheels then raised the bords back up but how do i know if i have the boat on the trailer right?? since i have placed a new motor in her.. and also she is a tri-hull and right now i do not have any way to get the boat off the trailer completily as of right now so all this have to be done with on the trailer and i also plan on painting the boat so i will have to adjust the boat to trailer again so some help would be nice please.

Ayuh,... The center rollers are for guidin' the boat onto the wagon,...

Most of the weight should be restin' evenly on the bunks...

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: trailer an boat question?

unless you have a roller trailer, where the weight is on the keel rollers and the bunks are just to stabilize. that set-up will have short bunks at the stern.

There are so many ways to set up a trailer and so much depends on hull design, too. Sounds like the previous owner "converted" a roller trailer for an all-bunk float-on set up, where the bunks are longer and just the bow sits on a roller.

 

[JB]

Re: trailer an boat question?

Some boats want the weight on the keel rollers and the bunks merely stabilizing it. My Boston Whalers were like that. I put one on a EZ Loader roller trailer and they told me that I had to have keel rollers to take the weight.

Might be a good idea to check with the boat maker to get recommendations.

 

[weekender1]

Re: trailer an boat question?

the only problem with asking the boat maker is well there not around any more my boat is a 1980 arrowglass tri-hull she is 17'5" with a gm 250 inline 6. when i got her the boat was only sitting on the bunks and nothing on the center rollers and that was when i noticed that there was some spider cracks in the gel-coat so i lowered both bunks to get the boat down on the rollers and to make things worse i didnt notice how the boat was sitting on the trailer till after i finished rebuilding her.. so hope that wont hurt anything.. i am hoping to get some pictures tomarrow the temp here should be around 35%F so a little warmer..

 

[weekender1]

Re: trailer an boat question?

i was thinking about replacing the bunks with rollers to make it a complete roller trailer but was not sure that could be done since the boat is a tri-hull

 

[JB]

Re: trailer an boat question?

Sounds like one that wants to be supported by the bunks, as Bond-o suggests, weekender.

 

[weekender1]

Re: trailer an boat question?

so dont really have muxh on the rollers or maybe just a little?

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: trailer an boat question?

As you come into load your boat, the trailer will be tail down in the water. The rollers are just guide wheels to keep your pointed bow and keel from hitting the trailer frame and doing damage. Some keel wheels are to keep the boat straight--V shaped.

The weight of your boat should be on the bolster boards. But it doesn't hurt if the keep rollers relatively close.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: trailer an boat question?

On the assumption that all the tri-hulls from that era were built the same, why not go poke around some marinas or other boat parknig lots, used boat lots, etc, and see how they are rigged? It's not too conmplicated except, as noted, there are some hulls that don't do well on certain set-ups, due to too much pressure concentrated against the glass. That's why Whaler wants the weight concentrated on the keel--even keel rollers with high sides are bad on whalers. The perfectly flat bottom skiff says no rollers.

Another factor is whether the bunks are wide or narrow.

You've seen some possible (but not certain) damage from sitting on a bunk, suggesting you have brittle glass and therefore want the weight on the keel, or spread out. Me, I'd have keel rollers and 3-4' bunks in the stern to stabilize. They also make bunk rollers.

 

[weekender1]

Re: trailer an boat question?

so if i was to use bunk rollers are there some for tri-hulls so to the arch ? i looked at the trailer today since it was warmer (37%F) and noticed there are 2 bunks per side? and sad to say on 1 side both bunks are with in 1" from each other the bunks are 2x4`s 8' long and set flat where 4" is covering the bottum of the boat. when i can i might figure out how to re-adjust them to some how even out there placement and then get all the center rollers to where they just touch the bottum of the hull. and then how do you know when you have the bunks set right?

 

[Jonnybbad]

Re: trailer an boat question?

Just my .02, but if you believe that you have gelcoat cracking due to lack of support on your trailer, I wouldn't think you would want to concentrate the weight of your boat on the much smaller surface area of rollers compared to bunks. Sorry, I can't comment on adjustment.