posted 12-20-2002 02:05 AM ET (US)         

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I've trailered my 25 Outrage about 100,000 miles in the last 13 years. See photos of boat on trailer in Cetacea pages 1 and 11. On the right KEEL roller trailer, it's a dream to trail and launch. Don't even think about getting a float-on timber bunk trailer for a boat this heavy. It needs support under the keel, to keep the hull sides from abnormal deflection (waviness), that those trailers don't offer, and launching/retrieving would be very difficult.

You might want to get in touch with Eagleman who just purchased, at my recommendation, the same all welded, galvanized Continental trailer that I have, for his 25 Revenge WT. He traveled to FL to pick it up. 4 wheel SS disc brakes are mandatory for a rig this size, with a Dico Model 10 actuator hitch. You can also get a good aluminum frame trailer configured with five cross members, to handle this boat. If so, consider torsion axles, which can serve as cross members for the keel rollers. You're going to spend between 3 & 4000 for a trailer for this boat.

posted 12-20-2002 02:46 AM ET (US)            

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thanks lhg

I already have the trailer. it has keel rollers down center and bunks each side. I'm just trying to get the adjustments close so I can save time when i get the trailer to the boat. I'm keeping the boat on a mooring so the trailer is primarily for seasonal haulouts.

posted 12-20-2002 03:06 PM ET (US)         

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Doobee - I think JimH has some close-up photos of my trailer on this site. The side lateral support bunks are best adjusted so the little outside chine line lip drops over them. This will help automatically center the boat on the rollers. The keel rollers should be pre-aligned by stretching a string across them. The keel of the boat is a straight line until it begins to curve up at the bow. Any rollers under the curving bow have to be done last, after all of the other steps are first done. First tighten them loosely with the boat on the trailer. Since you will not be able to adequately load them this way, the boat again has to come off the trailer, then raise them about another 1/4". This way they will carry their share of the keel load. (adjust bow area rollers last- this information is out of order)

So begin with a straight and true bed of keel rollers and winch/float the boat on, keeping the boat keel in the the little v-notch of the rollers. The bunks don't even have to be touching the hull, maybe just eyeballed to be an inch or two down. Be sure the transom does not hang more than 1" past the support place on the aft roller. I stongly recommend 2 rollers on each trailer cross member considering the transom weight of the boat. Then adjust the bow stop and winch platform as needed, being sure the boat's bow eye is snugged up under the bow stop 3 or 4" roller (this is better than one of those V pad stops). Lastly, snug up the bunk boards on each side to level the boat on the trailer. After you get one side done, firmly tighten down the transom strap, or have someone stand on that side of the boat. With that in place, then snug up the other side. I do this by tightening the bunk bolts fairly tight, then hit the brackets up with a hammer. This way they won't drop back down before you can fully tighten.

With my trailer, I have to re-adjust bunks about once a year, as they do seem to drop a bit with usage and mileage. Each set of keel rollers is fastened with 4 SS 1/2" bolts, done so that the top set go through the top of the slots on the roller holders, and then across the top of the trailer cross frame. This makes them impossible to slide down.