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cemiii
Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 419 City/Region: Alamo
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 1987
C-Dory Model: 22 Angler
Vessel Name: The Last One........ III
Photos: The Last One, III
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:32 pm Post subject: Scary trailer incident |
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My 22 angler sits on a roller EZ loader. There is a double roller bow stop, an electric winch, a short safety chain, 4' side centering guides, a 2" rear ratcheting hold down strap that goes over the rear end and two rear tow eye ratchet straps that hold the boat forward on the trailer.
Wednesday on the way down from a mountain lake I hit a pothole and the boat bounced and almost felt as if the trailer was swaying out of control. I regained control and continued on slowly, it still felt awkward so I pulled over at the first safe pull out. The first thing I noticed is that the 2 inch over strap had snapped. I tied it off and proceeded back to the truck. It was only the big black stripes on the side of the boat that alerted me to the fact the front end had jumped up off the bow stop and the entire boat had moved forward almost 30". Going back to the rear, sure enough, the rear rollers were completely off the boat and up under the motors and in the front the safety chain clamp had broken, though the winch cable was in tact.
With a couple shackles and chain I was able to secure it enough to limp back slowly to the lake, refloat the boat and straighten things out enough to be able to get home. Except for a couple fairly significant (but repairable) gel coat gouges and a broken strap and clamp there was not any significant property damage, only aging of the heart.
I think the electric winch wire gave enough slippage in the cable to allow the front to jump off the bow stop.
But the lessons learned from what could have been really ugly are:
1.) If it doesn't feel right, stop as soon as you safely can and do a detailed observation and re-examination until you know the cause.
2.)Have plenty of emergency stuff with you, chain, chocks, cable ties, flares, etc.
Though I dearly love the ease of launching from a roller trailer, I think my next trailer may very well have bunks and maybe a manual winch. In the interim, I will certainly shorten my safety chain , beef up the connectors and put another ratchet strap hold down from the bow eye to the trailer to stop any jumping.
Other suggestions appreciated.
Chris |
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K7MXE
Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 151 City/Region: Eatonville
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: R-21 EC Tug
Vessel Name: Lois H
Photos: Lois H
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:46 pm Post subject: Safety ideas |
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Just one thought, Every so often pitch the ratchet tie downs as
they get dry rot and die. Don't know if its sun, water or weather but
they do die. I usually use them for a lesser role. Quality ratchets
are the way to go, spend more get more. The Air Force has real good
ones but oh so ugly... Bob Heselberg Eatonville Wa |
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jkidd
Joined: 23 Oct 2006 Posts: 1616 City/Region: Northern, Utah
State or Province: UT
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Voyager
Photos: Voyager (JK)
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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Most of the electric winch makers put a disclaimer in there manual saying it is not to be used as the primary tie down device. That got to be a scarry feeling having your pride and joy come lose. Have seen a couple boats that have come off and gone skidding down the freeway. _________________ Jody Kidd
KE7WNG
Northern, Utah
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AstoriaDave
Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 994 City/Region: Astoria
State or Province: OR
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:23 am Post subject: Re: Scary trailer incident |
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cemiii wrote: | My 22 angler sits on a roller EZ loader. There is a double roller bow stop, an electric winch, a short safety chain, 4' side centering guides, a 2" rear ratcheting hold down strap that goes over the rear end and two rear tow eye ratchet straps that hold the boat forward on the trailer. | Chris, without seeing it, I'm guessing, but it may be that those rear ratchet straps should be set over the sides of the boat, not the end.
I am not clear on what caused the safety chain failure. Mine would have to pull through some quarter inch steel plate, which captures the chain links.
I agree ratchet straps are a compromise. Most boat shops sell serious two-inch-wide cross-straps with hooks on the ends to index with the tie-down holes on the trailer, having a cam-action center lever which in one operation tightens the strap across the entire rear of the boat. You might want two of these, depending.
Scary incident! _________________ Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR |
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416rigby
Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1208 City/Region: Port Angeles
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2001
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Foggy Dew
Photos: Foggy Dew
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:49 am Post subject: |
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Scarey stuff! I have three words for roller trailers..."Just say no." I had a bad experience with one.
We tie down the boat by hooking straps through the stern eyes to the corners of the trailer...one per side... instead of one big strap over the gunwales. We have a manual winch and also have eight foot side guides with I really like. They really help get on the trailer when the wind is blowing and I like the extra lateral support they provide.
Funny that I am most concerned about a boat accident while on the trailer, not on the water. You got lucky...glad you did! Lessons we can all benefit from.
Rick _________________ "Life's too short to hunt with an ugly gun"
At last...home for good in the Great Northwest!
2001 22 Cruiser "Foggy Dew" 2006-2013 |
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hardee
Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 12632 City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:40 am Post subject: |
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Wow, Scary. Sure glad no one was hurt. I'm with you on the roller VS bunk trailer. I've never seen a boat slide of a bunk system. I've seen three and have a friend who has had it happen to him on the rollers. No rollers for me, thanks. Fortunately I rarely tow more than about 3 miles at 35mph or less, but for the longer trips I am adding an "over bow deck 4" heavy duty web strap like I use on the stern now.
Harvey
SleepyC _________________ Though in our sleep we are not conscious of our activity or surroundings, we should not, in our wakefulness, be unconscious of our sleep. |
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Sneaks
Joined: 06 Jun 2004 Posts: 2020 City/Region: San Diego (Encinitas)
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 1993
C-Dory Model: 16 Angler
Vessel Name: C-Brat
Photos: Jenny B and C-Brat
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:47 am Post subject: |
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416rigby wrote: |
Funny that I am most concerned about a boat accident while on the trailer, not on the water. You got lucky...glad you did! Lessons we can all benefit from. Rick |
Me too, Rick. One of the many "Aggressive Drivers" out there could ruin your day far and away faster than a speeding clueless ski boat helmsman. I prefer fishtails at sea not on the highway....
We have almost the same setup as yours except I switched to a two speed manual winch. Also added Sea Wolf's "boarding ladder" up forward for launch safety. I find the sideboards handy for the same reasons though lateral support is minimal here.
By the way, the Coasties have their RIB type boats just down the pier from me and I've got an E6 who never fails to stop and admire the Jenny B on his way to work. Heh heh, you guys do have an eye for solid little boats.
Don _________________ Mary & Don Anderson
Brat #483
"Jenny B" 2005 C-22/F75 sold, Oct. 2008
"C-Brat" 1993 C-16 angler/50 hp |
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cemiii
Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 419 City/Region: Alamo
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 1987
C-Dory Model: 22 Angler
Vessel Name: The Last One........ III
Photos: The Last One, III
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for the feedback.
The safety clip on the chain was a pretty heavy SS model but it sprang enough to break out the spring closure part and jump off. The rear ratchet ties do go around the rear corners. While it seems the system is ok to protect the boat from backward roll-off, their is very little to stop the boat from going forward except the very narrow 4" bow stop. I'm going to switch the stop rollers to the Y type, but I'm not very confident in some rubber Y keeping thing in place much better. I'm switching over from a fast clip safety latch to the kind you screw together to make a complete circle (not as convenient but probably worth the extra time). I'm hoping the ratchet tie holding the bow tightly down will keep the boat secure in the bow stop. I'm thinking about keeping the electric for the convenience, but maybe adding a manual on the upright as I've lost some confidence in the electric.
Chris |
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commander bill
Joined: 05 Nov 2006 Posts: 50 City/Region: Centre
State or Province: AL
C-Dory Model: R-25 Tug
Vessel Name: LenaBell
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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Everyone's analsis of what went wrong is well & good. However, sometimes we forget to focus on certain things done correctly. Here we see a clear case of a bad accident avoided because the driver trusted his sixth sence & stoped to check. I hate to say it but I know a lot of people that would have just waited til the next gas stop to look at the boat.
By the way I have never trusted trailers without bunks |
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rogerbum
Joined: 21 Nov 2004 Posts: 5922 City/Region: Kenmore
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 255 Tomcat
Vessel Name: Meant to be
Photos: SeaDNA
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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I had an electric winch on my trailer for awhile but the clutch mechanism would never keep the boat tight against the bow stop. For awhile, I used an additional ratcheting strap to pull the bow forward and down (wrapped it around the trailer and hooked into the bow eye). Others have suggested a turnbuckle that is attached to the trailer and used to tighten up the bow eye after loading.
However, for me the best thing I did was to get rid of the electric winch and replace it with a 2-speed Fulton mechanical winch. With a 22' boat, the mechanical winch is easy to use, faster than the electric and and there's no slippage once it's tight. _________________ Roger on Meant to be |
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cemiii
Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 419 City/Region: Alamo
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 1987
C-Dory Model: 22 Angler
Vessel Name: The Last One........ III
Photos: The Last One, III
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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I also suspect that the flat bottom nature of the C-Dory may not be as well conducive to roller bunks as a Deep V which would tend to stay much better laterally centered due to the pivoting of the roller blocks.
Chris |
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cemiii
Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 419 City/Region: Alamo
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 1987
C-Dory Model: 22 Angler
Vessel Name: The Last One........ III
Photos: The Last One, III
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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Roger, what model is your Fulton?
Chris |
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rogerbum
Joined: 21 Nov 2004 Posts: 5922 City/Region: Kenmore
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 255 Tomcat
Vessel Name: Meant to be
Photos: SeaDNA
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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cemiii wrote: | Roger, what model is your Fulton?
Chris |
I bought the T-3205. That's probably overkill for a 22' CD but I'd rather have too much than too little capacity. It works like a charm and I've never regretted getting rid of the electric. In addition to the problem mentioned above, other downsides to the electric include another set of electric connections to maintain (both the cable and the connector at the tow vehicle) AND the inability to tow with another vehicle that is not equipped with the same connector to power the winch (unless you carry a spare cable with a female connector on the end and battery clips on the other). If your tow vehicle is ever in the shop or if you left the lights on or it won't start for some other reason, it's nice to be able to get the boat on the trailer manually and to tow it away with a friend's vehicle |
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Da Nag
Joined: 24 Oct 2003 Posts: 2819 City/Region: Port Angeles
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 16 Angler
Vessel Name: Taco
Photos: <a>Da Boats</a>
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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cemiii wrote: | Roger, what model is your Fulton? |
Here's a thread discussing two-speed winches, and here's a post with links to the model many of us have. _________________ Will, C-Brat Nerd |
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416rigby
Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1208 City/Region: Port Angeles
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2001
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Foggy Dew
Photos: Foggy Dew
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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Good point on stopping to check if you get that bad feeling!
I wonder about the cost and practicality of converting from rollers to bunks? It may be more cost effective to just move up to a tandem axle with bunks. Also, I've seen side guides for the bow...wonder how effective they'd be in preventing lots of forward movement like you experienced. |
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