Centering boat on trailer

B

B~C

New member
when I pulled the boat out of the drink the other day there was a nasty breeze that kept the boat pinned against the port side bunk board guide,,,,,,arrg. Years ago I made an over engineered, clunky gadget that slipped over the side boards to help center the boat on the trailer. They got lost somewhere and that was fine but it got me thinking about engineering up a new gadget that could be slipped onto the side board to center the boat when loading and then be removed for transit and cleaning.

After completing two pages of calculations plus three pages of detailed drawings I have come up with the perfect solution which I'm now selling for a low introductory price of only $49.95-

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Black-G ... /203593390

maybe I'm finicky but I don't want the boat to be in contact with the guide bunks, these beauties will hold the boat off the bunks so the guides wont be rubbing on the boat
 
Ken, Did you get the gloves and hand shovel too. What do you use that trowel for :?:

OK, for real. I looked at the pads but not being privy to the 3 pages of calculations, drawings and cogitation, how do you use the knee pads. I'm pretty sure you are using them in an off label version.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

9_Sept_Seq_2019_Cal.thumb.jpg
 
i figure to strap them on the guide bunks to act kind of like a fender to hold the boat off of the guide. I'll take them off once the boat is loaded and I should have an inch or so gap between the guides and the boat . Right now my boat is right up to the guide on the port side with about a 3" gap between guide and boat on the starboard side.
I was just thinking these things may not work, they'll be submerged and as i pull out,the boat may be set on the trailer before the pads contact the boat
 
I use about an 8” long 2X4 screw to a piece of 1/2” plywood with carpet on it. I tie it to one of the side boards just above the rear axle. The boat always moves to one side of the trailer. When I pull out the boat will shift to the right and up against the 2X4 pad stops the boat dead center. Then remove it when I’m out of the water.
 
Well....if you already have side bunks, a chunk of 4" x 1.5 " c-channel aluminum and a 2x4 screwed to it works really well. And what even works better, is not really caring....lol.....
 
jkidd":tsesjmus said:
I use about an 8” long 2X4 screw to a piece of 1/2” plywood with carpet on it. I tie it to one of the side boards just above the rear axle. The boat always moves to one side of the trailer. When I pull out the boat will shift to the right and up against the 2X4 pad stops the boat dead center. Then remove it when I’m out of the water.
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Just the idea I needed -- have the same problem -- the boat always rests against the starboard guide rail.

Found this plastic board in the scrap pile -- was just the right 1 in width.

Today, retrieving from Bayfield, WI ramp:
TrailerSpacer1.sized.jpg
 
Centering a CD25 on rollers with any breeze or current at all is a nightmare. Our worst ever experience was at Bullfrog at Lake Powell, the lone dock there was occupied a houseboat so we had to drive the boat on to the trailer in winds a little less than a howling gale. I still am not quite sure how we did it.

However, we once did find the perfect answer. After the river test of our new Suzuki 200 at Sportcraft, they had one side up on top of the trailer fender on the starboard side. We told them we would not drive it home that way, and we talked about how they might center the boat. Finally, they rounded up four guys to push it over to the center. It took something like four or five concerted pushes. Unfortunately, those four guys declined to always be available for us whenever we retrieve.

So if anybody has a foolproof was to center a CD25 on rollers, we would love to hear about it...
 
Tug":8g3ofoav said:
http://www.c-brats.com/albums/Drifter/100_0849.thumb.jpg

These work flawlessly any weather.

Picture 268 in my album

Side bunks PLUS Stern Roller Bunk Glide - On's
Click to expand...

Your link goes to the thumbnail version, below is the full-sized version. Can you explain what it is and how it works? It is not self-evident, at least to me. And you have bunks - does this concept have any application for roller trailers?

Thanks.

100_0849.sized.jpg
 
I don't see why it wouldn't work just as well for roller bunks. I just went outside and looked at my trailer, these vertical roller bunks are set / positioned as far back on the trailer as possible and as close to the sides of the boat as possible. Closer than the side bunks. When you are loading your boat these roller bunks prevent the rear of your boat from floating from side to side and help to position the boat so the side bunks can do their job. Before I bought these I was having a hard time loading my boat , now I never have any problems. I just have to crank the boat in and it centers every time.
 
Why not just get the boat centered once and move the side bunks in a bit? The bow is narrower than the stern, if the side bunks are tight, it will self center (as long as the side bunks are high enough and it doesn't sit on top of them).

On the float on trailer for my TomCat, there are guides between the sponsons that are fairly tight to the sponsons once it is fully loaded. Since the sponsons also have a pointy bow end, the boat fits nicely around them and self centers as I go forward. It seems to me the same thing can be accomplished with the side rails alone
 
rogerbum":f0kt7kna said:
Why not just get the boat centered once and move the side bunks in a bit? The bow is narrower than the stern, if the side bunks are tight, it will self center (as long as the side bunks are high enough and it doesn't sit on top of them).
Click to expand...

Roger,
The Tom Cat hulls are about the same beam amidships as at the stern. That is not true for the 22 and 25. (and many other boats). The beam is greatest amidships and then tapers in aft. I don't have the exact dimensions, but there is several inches difference on each side. My guides for the 25 are tight amidships--about 4" less on each side aft. Not true of the Caracal Cat, whose hull lines are remarkably similar to the 255.
 
rogerbum":2sb60y3l said:
Why not just get the boat centered once and move the side bunks in a bit? The bow is narrower than the stern, if the side bunks are tight, it will self center (as long as the side bunks are high enough and it doesn't sit on top of them).
Click to expand...

We don't have side bunks or guides. We just have rollers and tall goal posts right at the stern end of the trailer. I like the solution from eTrailer that Mark posted. Probably going to order that after running it by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
 
B~C":2nwb3j6a said:
i figure to strap them on the guide bunks to act kind of like a fender to hold the boat off of the guide. I'll take them off once the boat is loaded and I should have an inch or so gap between the guides and the boat . Right now my boat is right up to the guide on the port side with about a 3" gap between guide and boat on the starboard side.
I was just thinking these things may not work, they'll be submerged and as i pull out,the boat may be set on the trailer before the pads contact the boat
Click to expand...

Ken, thanks again for the idea as it worked like a champ for me. They solved a problem, I’ve occasionally had for the last 18 boating seasons. When off center & tight against either quide board, the chines could catch on the top of the board & pull the screws loose, sometimes not noticed till a ways down the road & even then for quite awhile not realizing what was causing the problem. It took awhile to figure out why the screws where pulling out of the quide board as most of the time it centered well & if not it would shortly after once moving on the road.

With the pad temporarily mounted on the inside of the board in near the widest part of the boat, when pulled in tight with the winch & the pads held tight with the Velcro, the boat positioned perfectly & they were easy & quick to put on & off.

Jay
 
localboy":3tuc8448 said:
https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Boat_Trailer_Parts-sf-Guides.aspx
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OK, did some measurements yesterday afternoon, this won't work on a double axle King trailer without serious modification. The five foot board is too short, it takes about seven feet from end to end to clear the fenders, so would need a new board and carpet. Also and u-bolts are too small. Not sure whether the 21" height would be adequate either. Not impossible, but this unit as sold is not my answer. The general concept, however, is correct I think.
 
The wind is typically from the NW at our home ramp in Kalama. While retrieving the boat, the wind pushes it to the left side of the trailer. The boat would often come to rest with the chine line sitting on the bunk rail. The weight on the rail could cause the rail to pull away from its mounting screws.

I considered repositioning the bunk mounting posts to be above the trailer frame, but I was concerned about the potential for the boat’s bottom to rub on the U-bolts.

I purchased a second set of bunk rails, and mated them to the existing rails. The top of the bunk rails is now between the 2 chine lines, and the wind is no longer an issue.

IMG_4361.jpg
 
This is a very helpful discussion, but yesterday I had to pull the boat out of the water before the impending storm.

I had to do it all solo and found the lack of help positively reduced the pressure and divided mind. I lined up the centerline with the hitch pedestal and drove the boat up onto the trailer. I left the engine in idle but forward, hopped onto the dock, scrambled down to the strap, connected it and started cranking until the tension was firm. Scrambled back into the boat, shut down and lifted the engine, climbed back down to the hand winch, and pulled it into the travel position. Maybe 5 minutes.

Like most hole-in-one, no one witnessed this tour de force.

As this will likely never happen again I wanted to document it
 
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