King trailer side guides

SeaSpray · Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 11:44 pm Post subject: King trailer side guides

When I last retrieved my boat I had an unexpected problem. The side guides on the King trailer are lower than some of the others that I have seen. Loading my boat recently it was a little windy as usual.

I was working alone. I drove the boat on the trailer, climbed off and winched it up tight. Everything looked good. I got in the truck and started pulling up the ramp. I heard a noise and looked in the mirror to see that the boat had been pushed to the port side by the wind before I pulled up. This caused the chine of the hull to catch on the top of the guide board. The noise I heard was the guide board adjustment being moved and the lag-screw pulling out of the guide board as the weight of the boat settled on it.

I quickly backed into the water and repositioned the boat and pulled out.

I was surprised that the chine could catch the guide board. If I had the trailer a little less deep in the water the boat may not have been high enough to do this, but I did not want to do a lot a winching to get the boat up tight.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Steve

Big Mac · Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:25 am Post subject: Trailer guides

I looked at a picture of your guides and they appear to be about the same height as my EasyLoader. When I first got the boat I had a heck of a time getting it center with the same gap on each side after loading. I built a set of carpeted guides that I slip over the factory guides for loading. This has helped a bunch and I have also settled on backing the trailer in so the wheel is about half covered. This seems to work the best. after I have it winched up tight, I back in a little deeper and when the boat is floating free I pull her out. I have a couple of pics posted showing the detail of the guides. Hope this helps, Big Mac.

Mighty Bite · Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:39 am Post subject:

Steve, good point on the King side guides. My King's (4600#, tandem, w/rollers) side guides is right at the height that the guide board will wedge tight under the top strake. The channel that is used is 1 1/4" sq x 1/16". which is pretty light stuff. I'm going to upgrade the side guides by raising them so they'll catch the middle of the top strake and go with heavier material, probably 1/8".

That will give me a comfort zone in use and elevate the sideguide board
above the Wallas exhaust. Right now it's perfect for torching rug.