Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

[E_Man]

Hey,

Thanks for looking. I'm just done my winterizing and I must conquer this last obstacle before I am done. I have some water still stuck in my bilge even though I removed the drain plug and used the trailer jack to lift the bow to the highest position possible.

I tried to lift the hull higher using the winch so that the bow eye goes somewhat close to the rollers but the winch doesn't have enough power to push it closer than it is. In the picture the hull is away from the rollers but I have managed to get closer so that both rollers are touching the hull and the bow eye is about 4 inches BELOW the bottom one. Unfortunately this is not enough as water doesn't come out of the bilge. I know that the best practice is to have the bow eye between the bottom roller and the bow stop roller but I just don't see how to do that in my situation as the winch is attached under the bow rollers on the same fixture.

Does anyone have any suggestions to get my hull higher so that the water exits and doesn't cause damage from freezing? I really need to get this done, who knows how much water is under the top floor!

 

[jfalco]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

put a block under tongue jack to raise boat higher, i put blocks under trailer tongue until i get the height i want then i take pressure off tongue jack and let the blocks hold weight all winter, also this makes boat more stable when working inside it, goodluck, also put a string in drain hole and let it hang out boat it acts as a wick and usually gets water out, i cut a strip off a shamwow!!! and its working great

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

I have a stainless steel beer keg leftover from some party years ago, I use a 6" wood block under the jack post in a two step process to get it high enough to stick the keg under the tongue, the jack post alone does not get it high enough.
I end up having to trim the drive up a little and trailer rear crossmember almost touches ground.

 

[cpubud]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

either use a wetvac or a rag on a stick to get the last bit.

 

[ThePartsMan]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

Blocks or a hill are the excepted methods.

Thanks jfalco for the string tip. I will be trying that.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

I hope you don't plan on trailering the boat that way!

Blocks are the way to go. Without something wider to distribute the load, the jack is going to sink into the ground, making the situation even worse.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

A bucket and a sponge are std. equipment in my boathouse. At the end of the day there is never any water in my bilge. Doesn't matter whether its winter or summer. A dry boat is a happy boat.

 

[Fed]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

I think your winch mounting bracket is way too high, upside down and your roller bracket is upside down on your winch bracket.

 

[superpop]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

If your boat is sitting flat and level and evenly distributed on the bunks or rollers then your winch stand is not installed properly. The bow eye should sit just below the upper roller on that winch. You may need to remove and reinstall the winch stand so it properly holds the boat. It should not be lifting the boat up or pulling it down either but rather just holding in position.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

I'm a big believer in the easy way if I can find one. I vote for either a boat ramp or a steep hill, seconded by a wet vac if I can't do that.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

Sometimes I lower the tongue onto blocks and bring the jack stand up to fit a block and jack chock underneath. I then run the jack back up with the block and chock underneath. I had to clear ground underneath the drive, but she was definitely nose high.

 

[Cannondale]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

If your boat is sitting flat and level and evenly distributed on the bunks or rollers then your winch stand is not installed properly. The bow eye should sit just below the upper roller on that winch. You may need to remove and reinstall the winch stand so it properly holds the boat. It should not be lifting the boat up or pulling it down either but rather just holding in position.

Admittedly, I'm no expert at all in this, but is the winch mounted upside down? Or is the whole winch seat mounted upside down?

I'd have thought the winch stand would look something like this (your uses rollers, but the concept is the same...winch pulls cable/strap through the gap between the top and bottom roller, putting bow eye in between them, too.)

 

[Fed]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

I think the whole winch bracket (seat) is upside down Cannondale.
If he fixes it then he'd have to flip the roller bracket too.
The way it is now all the angles are just plain wrong.

 

[E_Man]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

UPLOADED LABELLED PICTURE:
Thanks for all who replied! I was going to use an object to lift the tongue higher but I was afraid that the boat would suddenly take off and fall backwards. This is what happened with my other lighter boat with a one axle trailer and I could control its weight distribution; however, this is a two axle trailer so its probably less likely to happen. How high can I safely lift it? I'd like to get it as high as possible to make sure ALL the water comes out...

Jim, assuming you are talking about the bracket the rollers are mounted on (A) when you say "winch bracket" I definitely agree with you. I tried to move it downwards but when I removed one of the nuts with a socket wrench the nut broke along with the bracket so I left it alone just for now. Now even if I lower it it wouldn't solve my problem in regards to trapped water in the bilge so I need to find a way to get the boat much higher than it is as well. I don't see how it is upside down though, can you explain?


Superpop, when you say "winch stand" are you referring to (A) in the picture? Also, where would I install the winch stand such that the line would go BETWEEN the two rollers?


As a side-note, someone in the past suggested that I move the entire bar (B) towards the hull, but again I don't see how that would either keep the hull high enough so that all the water in the bilge would drain, or get the bow eye between the two rollers...

Thanks again.

I think your winch mounting bracket is way too high, upside down and your roller bracket is upside down on your winch bracket.

If your boat is sitting flat and level and evenly distributed on the bunks or rollers then your winch stand is not installed properly. The bow eye should sit just below the upper roller on that winch. You may need to remove and reinstall the winch stand so it properly holds the boat. It should not be lifting the boat up or pulling it down either but rather just holding in position.

 

[Fed]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

I think (A) is upside down but if you turn around then (C) would become upside down so then you would have to turn it around too.
Does that make sense? LOL

None of this has anything to do with raising the front to get the water out, it's just a passing observation.

Is that a safety chain hanging there that won't reach the boat?
I think setting it up the right way around will then allow that to reach with a bit of luck.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

The A-C-E assembly is mounted upside down. It is attached with 2 u-bolts. Take it off and reverse it. The bow eye on the boat should be between the two bow rollers on the winch stand, and the winch cable should be threaded between the 2 rollers. Adjust that entire assembly up and down so that the winch has a slight upward pull.

BTW, your safety chain (if you want to call it that - it looks like a rope) is a hazard. Replace it with a bow tie down (chain, turnbuckle). Google that term on IBoats and buy a good one.

This all started because someone commented that your setup is unsafe. But, it has nothing to do with the topic at hand. You can move it all you want to make it road worthy and you'll still have water in the boat.

If you remove the transom drain, "most" of the water will darin out by itself. You can pump it out, suck it out, drive to a ramp, drive to a hilly road, raise the trailer or whatever. Each procedure will either cost you money (i.e., buy a shopvac), or take time. A 99 cent sponge and an old tin can takes little thought or effort.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

I think your winch mounting bracket is way too high, upside down and your roller bracket is upside down on your winch bracket.

I agree with Fed. There was a thread several months ago about a similar setup but I can't find the one I want. Did find this one, though. 3rd post down has a picture of what the douber bow roller setup should look like.

double bow roller

{Edit} Holy cow! I was off searching forums and serving trick or treaters for the last hour or two and everybody else is busy with solutions. Good work.

 

[Fisherball]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

With the winch turned back the way it's supposed to be the boat will travel further onto the trailer raising the bow & lowering the stern, helping to drain the bilge water. It will also be safer when driving.

 

[stic88]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

take "a" and flip it over and the "C" with the rollers looks like it would be at the correct angle. With the winch on top, feed the line through the rollers.

 

[Beefer]

Re: Water stuck in bilge - Boat too low on trailer? Please help, PIC INSIDE.

I agree with JimS & Stic. The A-C-E assembly is upside-down. B & D are fine. Remove the U-bolts, flip assembly as one piece, reinstall, and all should be well. With that on properly, you 'should' be able to get the bow high enough to drain the rest of the water, or at least by tilting the trailer.