Trailer Set Up

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Alibertucci
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Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Tue Jul 19, 2022 2:52 pm

Bow.jpg
Fig. 1. A 2000 Montauk 17 Bow Stop located below the Bow Towing Eye
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Q1: is the trailer set up shown in Figure 1 incorrect?

BACKSTORY. For my 2000 Montauk 17 I bought a new trailer. I did the trailer setup myself. The Bow Stop above the [hull towing] eye does not fit as snugly to the hull as below the [towing] eye, as illustrated in Figure 1, above.

Of the boat trailers that I see, most have the bow stop above the eye; they have the [winch] strap [routed] through the roller bracket.

My 2007 MONTAUK 17 boat sits perfectly level on the trailer bunk.

If a change is is needed, I can easily make a change.
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Re: New Trailer Set Up Question

Postby Phil T » Tue Jul 19, 2022 3:23 pm

The roller should be touching the top of the bow eye.

The strap should be pulling straight. Unwind and have the hook feed from the bottom.

Slide the winch platform up.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby jimh » Tue Jul 19, 2022 4:57 pm

Raise the height of the winch and bow stop so that the towing eye on the boat hull ends up BELOW the stop.

I don't think you need to change the direction of the spooling of the strap onto the winch reel, but see how that works out after you raise the winch and the bow stop. My preference is the have the winch exert a slight upward pull onto the hull as it comes onto the trailer.

If the winch is trying to pull down the hull as it comes onto the trailer, loading the boat on the trailer will be harder.

Once the boat is on the trailer, and the bow towing eye is jammed against the bow stop, you can add a second strap to pull down on the bow eye to prevent the bow from bouncing up and down on the trailer. I have been using that method on all my trailers. I have towed my boats about 100,000 miles, based on my 1995 GMC truck mileage. The truck is used almost exclusively for towing the boat trailer. When I bought the truck it had 40,000-miles, Now it has 160,000-miles. The vast majority of those miles were put on while towing the boat. I have towed over 2,400-miles for my longest one-way tow. My 1995 GMC SUBURBAN is still on the road and is still towing my 24-foot Boston Whaler.

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Re: New Trailer Set Up Question

Postby Alibertucci » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:03 pm

PHIL T: The winch strap pull is dead straight so it appears you are suggesting that I move the winch up (and the assembly post forward) so that the bow stop/roller sits above the eye against the hull. I did have it that it way but I thought that the roller didn't quite snug up to the hull as well (as below it) because as the "V" fades up to the lip of the "smirk", it flattens slightly. I will do that, however. Thank you for your advice.
Last edited by Alibertucci on Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby jimh » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:09 pm

For an illustration of the proper relationship between the trailer winch, the trailer bow stop roller, and the hull towing eye, see this prior discussion on that topic at

https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4759

Also see the article on TRAILER RIGGING in the REFERENCE section at

Trailer Rigging For Boston Whaler Boats
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... ailer.html

Read the paragraphs under the heading "Winch Stand."

The concept of having the bow roller stop be above the hull stem towing eye is to inhibit the boat from moving forward and upward, jumping over the winch stand, if there should be a very rapid deceleration of the trailer.

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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:18 pm

jimh wrote:Raise the height of the winch and bow stop so that the towing on the boat hull ends up BELOW the stop.

I don't think you need to change the direction of the spooling of the strap onto the winch reel, but see how that works out after you raise the winch and the bow stop. My preference is the have the winch exert a slight upward pull onto the hull as it comes onto the trailer.

If the winch is trying to pull down the hull as it comes onto the trailer, loading the boat on the trailer will be harder.


Thanks Jim, very helpful. The strap currently feeds from the top and I will observe whether the winch pulls up or down next time I take the boat out of the water.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:25 pm

jimh wrote:The concept of having the bow roller stop be above the hull stem towing eye is to inhibit the boat from moving forward and upward, jumping over the winch stand, if there should be a very rapid deceleration of the trailer.


I see this point. Makes perfect sense.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Phil T » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:46 pm

You want the strap to come off the bottom of the spool so if the boat is forced forward, the strap is going against itself. If spooled from the bottom there is no slack created if/when it moves forward.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby jimh » Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:35 pm

Phil T wrote:You want the [winch] strap to come off the bottom of the spool so if the boat is forced forward, the strap is going against itself. If spooled from the bottom there is no slack created when [the boat] moves forward.
Good point. But that arrangement is only possible if the winch stand has a particular design so that the strap coming off the bottom of the spool can be led fair to the bow eye.

On my boat trailer that could not be done. If coming off the bottom of the spool. the winch strap would NOT be able to be led fair to the bow eye. I suspect that same situation could occur with other trailers, that is, I do not think that situation is unique to my boat trailer, winch, and winch post.

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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Wed Jul 20, 2022 4:09 pm

Thanks for this discussion . I would not have thought of the direction of the strap (which is currently from the top) would make much of a difference. I plan to move the assembly before my next road trip so the roller is fitted above the bow towing eye. I may re-spool the strap so it gathers from the bottom and see how that works.

Trailer Rigging For Boston Whaler Boats
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... ailer.html


As suggested by Jim. I read the article linked above. Now I see that installing keel rollers on a trailer for a Boston Whaler boat may be advisable.

My new trailer did not come equipped with keel rollers. When I purchased the trailer I mentioned how the boat's outboard engine seemed low [to the ground] when towing the trailer--even when the engine was trimmed up and secured. The the trailer shop raised the two bunks.

With the raised bunks, the boat sits level on the trailer and there is good clearance with the road at the transom. If I add the rollers, I may have to lower the bunks because I am pretty sure that the rollers on a standard bracket will not reach the boat's keel as the bunks sit right now.

I have trailered the boat from the water only twice since I purchased the trailer: once to switch from the old to new trailer; and one other time after a day out on the water. When loading the boat onto the trailer I have found that winching up the boat thw last two feet was a challenge. I had to crank hard to get the boat to slide those last two feet on the bunks. I am sure the boat will be easier to winch into the bow roller stop with keel rollers added to my trailer. I just have to figure out how to add them.

Q2; when adding keel rollers to a trailer that has none, what are the steps and in what order are they performed?

Q3: should I add the rollers, lower the bunks to the next lower bracket holes and see how the boat fits?

Q4: is there another procedure for adding keel rollers?
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Phil T » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:11 pm

For a bunk trailer, try backing the trailer in so the bunks are fully wet, then pull a little forward.

If it is hard to winch, try backing the trailer in the water a bit more.

While each ramp is different, you'll find there is a spot where the trailer is in the water just right. When the trailer is at the right depth, mark the waterline on the front face with black tape so you can see it in the side mirrors.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:23 am

Phil--I have fully wet the bunks and always have done that.

I agree: every ramp is different and that there is a sweet spot where the boat winches up more easily and sits correctly on the bunks.

I used an extremely shallow ramp on the upper Potomac for years with for my bass boat. To figure out the best position on the ramp for pulling the boat onto the trailer to a while

I infer you are suggesting that I stay with the bunk-only set-up for a while and see if I can determine that sweet spot--that makes sense.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Phil T » Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:37 am

For brevity sake, I suggested bunks.

An improvement would be to convert the trailer to a keel roller and bunk setup. What this does is set the hull weight on the keel and use the bunks for lateral support only.

When using keel rollers, the boat will launch and retrieve in less water and will be easier to winch. All three of my boats have this setup since I use many different ramps.

For adding keel rollers, I use and recommend double 12-ich wide keel rollers on the rear cross member and double 10-inch wide keek tollers on the forward cross members. You place one roller assembly on each side of the cross member and through bolt.

LoadRiteTrailer.jpg
Fig 2. My current trailer.
LoadRiteTrailer.jpg (76.2 KiB) Viewed 7808 times


My go-to vendors for trailer parts:

http://www.sturdybuiltonline.com

and

http://www.easternmarine.com
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Jefecinco » Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:47 am

We lived and boated on the Upper Potomac for ten years. Our residence was about 150 yards from the Fort Belvoir Marina on Dogue Creek. All the area ramps at the time were shallow, probably because the Potomac is a tidal river. We found it necessary to back into the water until only the first few inches of the bunks were out of the water. It was such a problem we had the trailer tongue replaced with a longer one and added a narrow walkway on the tongue to allow access to the winch without wading. Ultimately we added an electric winch which made recovering the boat much easier.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby dtmackey » Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:09 am

Jefecinco wrote:We lived and boated on the Upper Potomac for ten years. Our residence was about 150 yards from the Fort Belvoir Marina on Dogue Creek. All the area ramps at the time were shallow, probably because the Potomac is a tidal river. We found it necessary to back into the water until only the first few inches of the bunks were out of the water. It was such a problem we had the trailer tongue replaced with a longer one and added a narrow walkway on the tongue to allow access to the winch without wading. Ultimately we added an electric winch which made recovering the boat much easier.


The addition of bunk slick strips can make all the difference in the world on a ramp as you described.

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Re: New Trailer Set Up Question

Postby dtmackey » Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:17 am

Phil T wrote:The roller should be touching the top of the bow eye.

The strap should be pulling straight. Unwind and have the hook feed from the bottom.

Slide the winch platform up.


I agree with Phil, with the bow eye under the roller, it locks the boat in place in the even of a sudden stop. Every trailer I've ever owned has been setup that way. Here's a pic of my current Whaler trailer.

Image

An additional safety chain is also recommented to prevent forward movement in the even of an accident or if the winch ratchet pawl somehow doesn't hold.

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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Jefecinco » Fri Jul 22, 2022 11:08 am

Unfortunately bunk slicks were not well known in the late 1970s. They are certainly a super alternative for electric winches, and much cheaper, too. They also save on the winch power wiring from the tow vehicle to the winch as well as the relay required. An electric winch and a longer than usual tongue required a fair bit of heavy gauge wire which then had to be stored in the vehicle when not in use.

The winch provided on the OEM Karavan trailer under our 190 Montauk was a two speed winch which also help this old guy get his boat on the trailer.
Last edited by Jefecinco on Fri Jul 22, 2022 11:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby jimh » Fri Jul 22, 2022 12:04 pm

Regarding the proper amount of immersion of the trailer at a ramp, and how ramps often have different angles of descent: many years ago I added tall white PVC fixed guide posts at the very rear of my boat trailer. Some time later, i discovered that I could place a mark (black vinyl electrical tape) on the guide posts to mark a waterline.

My memory is not perfect but I think to place the mark, I first temporarily marked the hull sides at the point where the guides would be located when the boat was on the trailer. Then put the mark on the hull at the waterline when the boat was afloat and off the trailer. Next I loaded the boat on the trailer. Then I transferred the waterline mark to the guides.

I now use this mark as the guide for how far I must back down the ramp to get the proper immersion for the trailer. For launching, I put the guide marks just submerged an inch. This depth makes the boat certain to be clear of the trailer once it begins to slide back. The stern will be buoyant and off the bunk.

For loading, I put the guide marks about an inch above the water line. This means the stern won't quite be buoyant, which keeps the stern from floating around and getting out of line. I start winching the boat forward, and, as described, the last two feet the tension on the winch strap becomes too high for easy cranking in the fast-retrieve winch speed setting. That is when I go back to the truck and back further down the ramp a foot or two so the guide marks are now at the water line or just below. Then back to the winch, switch to slow-retrieve speed, and the boat comes the last 18 to 24-inches onto the trailer.

This system works very well on any ramp. On some ramps that are really steep, the boat is harder to winch, of course.

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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Jefecinco » Sat Jul 23, 2022 9:50 am

We often see boat trailers with the white PVC poles. I've had trailers with and without them. I use them primarily as guides to indicate where best to guide our boats when recovering. I most often use the tops of the trailer fenders for a depth gauge.

Boaters in this area most often recover their boats using the "power loading" method. In effect the method involves driving the boats right up to the winch post stop or to get as close to it as the engines and operator confidence allows. Power loading requires trailers to be backed into the water a bit more. This leaves winch cranking from between none and a couple of feet. I understand power loading is not permitted in some jurisdictions.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Phil T » Sat Jul 23, 2022 2:15 pm

Speaking of power loading, see below:

RampType.jpg
Fig. 4. Aerial view of two ramps of different styles.
RampType.jpg (154.53 KiB) Viewed 7700 times


In my home waters of Maine almost all launching facilities have a line of courtesy floats for each ramp lane. Power loading is prohibited. This is show in the left photo, marked "Ramp Type A"

In my current locale (Kentucky), this is not the case. The "ramp" is a large concrete pad with multiple "lanes" marked by painted lines or orange safety cones. The courtesy float is some distance away. This setup necessitates power loading. This is shown in the right photo, marked "Ramp Type B"

Having avoided power loading in the past, my level of skill to do it successfully without effort is, to say the least, poor. After four launch and retrievals, I am now of the mind to submerge the trailer as far as possible so that i do not have to drive the boat up onto the trailer and forward to the bow stop.

Depending on the slope of the ramp, the trailer tongue may not be long enough to allow the trailer to be sufficiently submerged to allow floating the boat to the bow stop without the tow vehicle making contact with the water. In the ocean, this is something to be avoided.

If the tongue length is not sufficient to allow the above described scenario, modifying the tongue by adding a hinged addition may be appropriate.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby jimh » Sat Jul 23, 2022 6:33 pm

The "Kentucky Ramp" is never found in the Great Lakes. Apparently in Kentucky, no one ever goes boating by themselves, as a Kentucky Ramp really needs two people to work properly. Someone must be on the boat when the truck backs the trailer into the water for either launching or loading.

Most ramps in the Great Lakes prohibit power loading,

I believe the difference in ramp type has to do with the existence of fluctuation in water levels. In tidal areas, boat ramps tend to be made rather long to account for the difference in water levels on a daily basis. For this reason, the ramp usually extends far beyond the stern of the boat when in the loading position.

In areas with more steady water levels, the ramps tend to not be carried so deeply into the water. The result is that boats that are trying to use power loading my be producing their thrust over the sea bed and not over the concrete ramp. The thrust from power loading tends to cut away or erode the sea bed. This eventually compromises the structure of the ramp at the very end of the ramp, and it oven becomes undercut and unsupported.

Here on Lake Michigan there is a steady change in Lake Levels, but it occurs over weeks or months or years, so the ramps are often not made with concrete as deeply into the water as might be done at a tidal ramp with a daily tide range of six feet.

For a look at how a proper launch ramp is constructed, visit this article

https://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001279.html

ASIDE: we encountered our first Kentucky ramp in Kentucky. We were staying on Kentucky lake at a nice resort with a marina next door. We had picked this spot because there was a boat launch ramp there. But when we arrived we were a bit taken aback. There indeed was a ramp, but that was all, just a ramp into the marina area, and no courtesy dock at the ramp. There was a courtesy dock about 100-feet away. We were not accustomed to having someone sitting in the boat at launching to start the engine and drive the boat off the trailer.

We improvised. Among our gear we had a 100-foot length of rope. We tied the rope to the boat's bow, backed the boat down the ramp, gave it a big shove off the trailer, and paid out the rope. We let the boat drift out away from the ramp. Then we walked along the shore, paying out more rope, and went over to the other dock. Then we reeled in the boat. A week later when it came time to load the boat, we used the same procedure, just in reverse.

I have seen a many bass boaters operating single handed drive their boat onto their trailer, then walk to the bow, and using some crafty arrangement of steps, get off the boat at the bow and onto the trailer, where they attach the winch strap. Then they winch the boat the last few inches into the bow stop, get off the trailer, and drive away. It is quite a slick operation, but it would not work at all with my boat, due to the very high bow.

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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:27 am

Phil T wrote:Having avoided power loading in the past, my level of skill to do it successfully without effort, to say the least, is poor. After four launches and retrievals, I am now of the mind to submerge the trailer as far as possible so that iI do not have to drive the boat up onto the trailer....
I am not the only one who finds it difficult to drive the boat onto a trailer. I actually hate to do this.

When I am by myself without help, I have to climb off the bow of my Boston Whaler boat by ducking under the front rail, standing on the top of the winch and then using the railing to support myself so I can step down to the tongue and then down to the pavement of the ramp. Only then can I winch the boat into the bow stop the last foot or so. At 75 years of age, this is becoming increasingly difficult. Finding and using a ramp such as in Figure 1 has become a priority for me when boating in a new location.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Phil T » Sun Jul 24, 2022 11:38 am

I plan to fabricate or purchase steps for the winch post. When I step off the bow of my boat, the first step is the top of the winch. After that it is a big step down to the tongue. If I do install something, I will do a write-up with photos.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby jimh » Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:29 am

I have noticed that boat trailers designed to carry pontoon boats often have steps built onto the trailer near the winch post to get onto or off the boat when its on the trailer. With large float pontoons, the pontoon boats seem to ride very high on their trailers, and access to or from the boat when on the trailer would need a 6-foot step ladder, were it not for the steps on the trailer.

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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby jimh » Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:49 am

Regarding the relative locations of the winch and the bow stop: on most trailers, the position of the winch relative to the bow stop roller or rollers is fixed by the design of the winch platform. A suggestion to move the location of the winch will also mean moving the location of the bow stop roller or rollers.

The winch post should be position so the bow stop roller or rollers or V-stop are properly position in relationship to the boat's bow stem towing eye. Exactly where the winch ends up after that will depend on how the winch platform was designed. About the only height adjustment that can occur with the winch is the orientation of the strap on the winch reel, either to unwind from the top of the reel or from the bottom of the reel. Which orientation will be best again depends on how the trailer manufacturer built the winch platform.

There may be some ability to alter the bow stop rollers on some trailers relative to the winch, but not every trailer will have that adjustment. For example, my trailer uses two bow stop rollers, and the winch strap runs between them. There are two sets of holes in the frame that holds the bow stop roller pair, so there is about 1.5-inches of adjustment possible in the orientation.

My preference is for the winch strap to be exerting a relatively neutral pull on the boat's bow stem eye, that is, mostly straight. However, because the trailer is going to be on the downslope of the ramp, this means the winch strap is pulling the bow of the boat upward, even if a straight pull relative to the trailer frame.

My preference is to avoid having the winch strap pull downward on the boat's bow stem eye relative to the trailer frame because a force in this direction is going to make the effort of winching the boat forward and upward more difficult due to the added friction between the boat and the bunks or rollers.

Also, when the stern of the boat is still in the water, the buoyancy of the hull is trying to lift the stern. During loading this means the bow is being pushed downward by the stern trying to raise the bow. A slight overall upward pull from the winch strap can help overcome the downward force on the bow during loading.

Once the boat is on the trailer and totally out of the water, I prefer to add a second strap to the boat's bow stem eye to exert a downward force on the bow stem eye. This prevents the bow from bouncing up and down on the trailer, which can otherwise occur with that added strap. On most outboard engine boats, the distribution of weight is generally toward the stern, and the bow weight on the trailer will be much less than the weight at the transom on the trailer. This is why the bow can bounce while towing and a bump in the highway creates upward acceleration.

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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Tue Jul 26, 2022 1:40 pm

This morning I re-positioned the winch and bow stop roller as suggested. I also decided to reverse the strap so it gathers from the bottom. After the post and bow stop adjustment, it appeared to me that the strap was pulling up so I flipped the lever and reversed the strap. It should pull more in a straight line from underneath.
Attachments
IMG_2190.jpg
Re-positioned bow stop above the bow eye
IMG_2190.jpg (157.28 KiB) Viewed 7571 times
IMG_2194.jpg
Straight in view with safety chain
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Sun Aug 14, 2022 3:15 pm

For adding keel rollers, I use and recommend double 12-ich wide keel rollers on the rear cross member and double 10-inch wide keek tollers on the forward cross members. You place one roller assembly on each side of the cross member and through bolt.


Phil, I am wondering why you recommend double keel rollers? My old trailer had keel rollers but they were singles.

I am considering adding the keel rollers to my new two-bunk EZ Loader trailer. I am having difficulty winching the boat up that last foot or so despite the bunks being completely wet. With my old trailer I did not have this problem at all. On that trailer I had three single rollers, with one being a small roller at the very front of the trailer where the side frame members meet near the winch post. The boat did not rest on that roller, just the two 12 inch rollers, one under the transom and the other forward of the axle.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Phil T » Sun Aug 14, 2022 5:37 pm

Having visited many ramps of various designs, I found the double rollers help in two ways.

Protects the mid cross member when trailer is in shallow water and boat is subject to waves.
Allows boat to be pushed off, winched on easily.

The key to the ease of launch/retrieve is setup. The boat weight needs to be on the rollers with the bunks only supporting lateral direction. Too much weight on the bunks undermines the ease of launch/retrieve.

After setting the rollers, I placed the boat on the trailer and blocked the hull level. Drop the bunks and then pressed them back up to the hull, tighten the U bolt nuts most of the way then gave each bracket a small hit then finished tightening the nuts fully.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:48 pm

After setting the rollers, I placed the boat on the trailer and blocked the hull level. Drop the bunks and then pressed them back up to the hull, tighten the U bolt nuts most of the way then gave each bracket a small hit then finished tightening the nuts fully.


Thank you for this. My bunks are currently set on the top set of holes on their brackets. I think I will have to install the rollers with the boat off the trailer, retrieve the boat and measure how much further they need to be dropped, launch the boat and adjust the bunks. I was hoping to avoid this but I think I will have to make this change.

You already provided the link to the rollers. I will probably go with the Stoltz 12" assembly.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Phil T » Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:37 pm

I went with Yates brand. So much cheaper. Stolz are silly expensive.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:25 am

Phil--the photo of your trailer shows red double keel rollers so I assumed they were Stoltz. The Yates rollers at Sturdybuilt are only in black rubber.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Phil T » Mon Aug 15, 2022 1:36 pm

A--in looking at their current selection, a lot has changed. It appears they don't offer the Yates brand in that color and now have blue instead. I also note prices have increased 30-percent since 2019.
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Re: Trailer Set Up

Postby Alibertucci » Sun Aug 21, 2022 3:09 pm

Phil--In preparing to take the boat and trailer to the ramp to install the keel rollers I crawled under the trailer this morning to take some measurements. I will have about an hour drive to the ramp with traffic so I need to make sure I have the tools and parts i need to complete this job.

I "dry fitted" the rollers and brackets and found that the rollers for the forward cross member of the trailer will touch the keel of the boat with enough room in the bracket slots to mount the rollers a little higher. This will allow the rollers to support the keel. I marked the brackets with a pencil so I can install the rollers slightly higher at that cross member. However, when I did the same for the rear cross member of the trailer I found that I will have to lower the bunks in order to bolt the roller frames to the cross member. The rear bunk brackets are set so each bunk is at its highest position so there will be no problem resetting the bunk brackets at the back at a lower position.

The rear brackets can be lowered one inch by moving to the next set of holes in the bracket which I think will allow the keel rollers to be mounted with their brackets in the highest position. What I mean here is that the keel brackets will be secured with the bolts at the very bottom of the slots in the brackets underneath the cross member with the second set of bolts above the cross members about halfway up the slots.

My questions are:

Q5: is it unusual that the current spaces between the keel and the front and rear cross members are unequal? The front brackets for the bunks appear to also be set at their highest position.

Q6: do you see a problem with the keel rollers at the rear cross member being mounted with the bolts all the way at the bottom position in the slots (with the rollers mounted as high as possible in their bracket slots)?

Q7: If I lower the rear bunk brackets, should I also lower the front bunk brackets?

Thanks in advance for your insight.
Smooth Whalin
2000 Montauk 17
90 HP Mercury Two Stroke Saltwater