Do you strap your boat down when trailering?

N

Nancy and Bud

New member
We've towed sailboats tens of thousands of miles. Always strapped them down to the trailer.

Notice that a lot of power boats do not have straps on them.

What say you?

Pros/Cons
 
Meade's":1ya3ndm5 said:
We've towed sailboats tens of thousands of miles. Always strapped them down to the trailer.

Notice that a lot of power boats do not have straps on them.

What say you?

Pros/Cons
Click to expand...
A power boat that isn't strapped down is being towed by either an idiot or a person who is ignorant of the dangers.
 
What do you mean by not strapped down?

Mine is strapped to the trailer using straps to the stern eyes. Also strapped at the bow eye, plus the winch strap and safety chain. The forward strap is mostly to prevent the bow from bouncing up and down.
 
I also strap mine down from the side cleats to the trailer. Not too difficult to find tie down attachment points on the trailer aft of the cleats. I attach aft of the cleats because I am concerned about the boat ending up in my back seat in an accident. After thousands of miles, there is some chafing. Time to spend another $20 to make sure that my boat doesn't become a projectile on the freeway.

Mark
 
Not sure about your state, but it's a requirement in Florida.

Trailers: Florida law requires the following for boat trailers.
• Trailers must have proper lighting including turn signals, tail lights, and
brake lights.
• Trailers must be equipped with safety chains and tie-down straps.
• Trailers weighing more than 3,000 lbs. must be equipped with brakes that act
on all wheels.
• Trailers weighing less than 2,000 lbs. must be registered with the county tax
collector. Trailers weighing 2,000 lbs. or more must be registered and titled.
Click to expand...
 
Meade's,
When I see a boat (i've seen both power and sail), that are not strapped to their trailer, I always am reminded of those that sleep during physics class.
Of course watching boats launch at the ramp, without removing their straps aft, can be a fun way to pass the time, specially if alcohol is involved...
 
Yes. One on each side at the stern eyes. Nylon torque straps covered in padding. I also use a SS turn-buckle and chain to secure the bow eye to the trailer tongue, so the bow does not "bounce".
 
I definitely have always strapped my boats down but my new to me CD 22 is the first boat to not have eyes on the transom the previous owner just secured the strap to the stern cleat. Have any of you had the same setup and how did you strap your boat down on the stern?
 
Standas":1vgh8la1 said:
I definitely have always strapped my boats down but my new to me CD 22 is the first boat to not have eyes on the transom the previous owner just secured the strap to the stern cleat. Have any of you had the same setup and how did you strap your boat down on the stern?
Click to expand...

Is that unique? Both of our c-dorys have had eyes on the transom, I thought they all had them.

On this question... we have a boat hoist in our neighborhood and 90% of our trips lately have been using that hoist to access the Atlantic intercoastal waterway. For those I don't use the straps. Am I an idiot? Maybe! :teeth

But going any further than our neighborhood hoist that's less than a mile down the road, its getting strapped down 100% of the time. I will say that around Savannah and the Georgia coast, you don't see a lot of boats strapped down... unfortunately. You also see a lot of pickups on the highway with unsecure loads and junk flying out as well so it goes with the territory. Really looking forward to moving back the Pacific Northwest.
 
I actually had to use 4 wheel drive low range over a rocky ridge into Papa Fernandez's fish camp. I wonder what would've happened if my boat wasn't strapped down? On the mile or so of storm repair bypasses that had a lot of washboard it moved around with tight straps!
 
Yes strap it down. I believe it is illegal to move any unsecured load of any kind in all states. It is definitely illegal in British Colombia. I got stopped by an RCMP on Vancouver Is last year. Significant fine although the Mounty was kind enough to give me a warning, but not move it until strapped down.
 
I guess it depends on how you describe unsecured. If the boat is attached by the winch strap, is that secured? Some people would say yes.
 
I run a ratchet strap across roughly the middle of the cockpit down to strong points on each side of the trailer. In addition, I run a retired (but still excellent shape) mooring line on each side from stern cleat forward to and around a crossbeam on the trailer, and back to the cleat. When combined with standard blow lashing, she is quite secure. I tow my 22 Cruiser to the Keys and back every year (2400 miles round trip) and have never (yet! fingers crossed) had a problem.
 
The RCMP said a boat has to be secured by the bow and stern. He said he had investigated several accidents where only the bow was secured. I saw a large jet boat in a sudden stop ride over the bow roller, over the top of the truck cab and several hundred feet down the pavement on the keel.
 
The boats can slide off to the side in a sharp turn, or panic stop, with jackknifing.

I have cam straps from the frame to each stern eye--I have a 12,500# rated ratchet strap over the entire boat just forward of the cleats, from the trailer frame across the boat to the frame on the other side.

I have a SS chain thru the bow eye, as well as the winch strap. If I was going to be on really rough roads, I might put a second ratchet strap on the bow...Having guide on bunks helps, but does not guarantee that there will not be side slipping in a sharp turn or accident.
 
"Notice that a lot of power boats do not have straps on them."

I've seen 3 on the road (in various pieces) and 2 on the ground at the ramp.
 
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