Trailer access

Rick from Maine · Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:10 pm Post subject: Single Handed trailering

I usually trailer single handed, even if there is someone with me. I frequently know what I'm gonna do, but often don't know what a friend will do. So, Do it yourself is best.

The Fulton Pole guides at the back of the trailer are strong enough to keep the boat almost centered, even in strong cross winds. After pulling the boat out, I can center the boat on the trailer using a 3 foot long wrecking bar against a wood block at the hull. Then I'm perfectly centered, so the hull won't hit fenders or bolts. All it takes is a 3 ft bar to wedge the hull on wet bunks.

Rick from Maine

starcrafttom · Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 9:32 pm Post subject:

c-bill the wife dont miss the californa life at all , execpt the weekends at cables lake over on highway 88 and vahalla fair at camp richerson. the macks at the lake are great in the spring.

Sea Wolf · Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 10:25 pm Post subject:

How do you folks who power launch and retrieve by yourselves* get up or down from the trailer to the bow and vis-a-vis? Do you step onto the spare tire as an intermediary step? Does anyone have a ladder built into the trailer tongue?

*With two people, there'so problem, one in the boat, one in the tow vehicle.

Does anyone have a hinged ladder built onto or into the bow pulpit that can be used to get down to the trailer or onto shore when beaching?

If I were 18 again, I could jump up onto the boat easily. At 25-45 , it would be no problem to swing up throwing a hip onto the boat and using the bow pulpit as a leverage point to go up or down as needed. From 45-60 or so, two hips and two hands between the first and second bow pulpit struts now allow me to struggle up. Looking forward, (I guess that's the term), at 70, I'm maybe going to need an elevator! (Yet another reason to find a place for a 2 kw generator onboard!)

I seem to remember talking to Yellowstone John at Shasta Lake in 2001 when he said he had devised a muli-purpose ramp for similar purposes. Anyone familiar with this concept? Where do you store such a ramp conveniently?

I know I can always get on and off the boat at docks, marinas, etc., but don't really want to be limited to boarding and deboarding at such locations. There are too many good places to visit out there where those kind of facilities don't exist. Anyone have a solution?

DaveS · Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 2:29 am Post subject:

DaveS · Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 2:49 am Post subject:

Joe,
If you look in the Far West II photo album, there is one picture that shows his gangplank. If you look closely, you can see the gangplank with gray colored non-slip material on the plank that forms a bench seat in the "storage" position. Behind it you can see the wooden back rest that he constructed as well.

Sea Wolf · Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 9:19 am Post subject:

Dave- Thanks for the reply. I should have looked in the album myself.

The plank would be very easy to build, probably from marine plywood with stiffening rails and proper waterproofing. Would require some engineering to make it fit as a bench and some fittings to serve both in the back of the boat and then attach to the bow securely for landing. Not all that difficult overall, I suspect.

While we're at it, have we heard from John at all lately? Hope all is well with he and Edna.

Thanks again. Joe.