Dick Reynolds
Lebanon, Oregon
Boat Name: Catnip
Model/Year: Swing Keel / 1974
Hull No. 4570
Hailing Port: Newport, Oregon |
 02/20/2004 9:48 PM Pacific Time
this will probably cause a storm of discussion but I want to list my opinions on boat trailer design. So to not have Lowell's time out cause me redoing this I will do it in short segmets. In the past I have spent 20 years as a weldor. During those years I designed a line of boat trailers for a line of boats from 14' to 19'. I always sought a hitch weight of 15% but was driven by my boss to 10%. This fits in to many trucks and sport utes that have 10% tongue weight and 3000# total weight stamped into their rear bumper. This fits real well with the c22. |
Dick Reynolds
Lebanon, Oregon
Boat Name: Catnip
Model/Year: Swing Keel / 1974
Hull No. 4570
Hailing Port: Newport, Oregon |
02/20/2004 10:28 PM Pacific Time
believe it or not, boat trailer manufacturers are in business to make a profit and they compete for your dollar. There is not a lot of profit in one trailer but a lot of profit in 1000 trailers. I do not know of any trailer manufacturer that makes the whole trailer. They just build the frame and O.E.M. (original equipment manufacturer) everything else. This makes the profit level even lower. This brings us to one axle or two. This gets us to your misconception, Phillip, that two axles are better than one. This is shared by many. |
Dick Reynolds
Lebanon, Oregon
Boat Name: Catnip
Model/Year: Swing Keel / 1974
Hull No. 4570
Hailing Port: Newport, Oregon |
02/20/2004 10:51 PM Pacific Time
It is possible to build a single trailer that will hold 8000# so weight is not the criteria but imagined peace of mind is. One thinks that with duals, a tire blows or goes flat I still can keep going or at worst stop where it is clear;or as Phillip said, chain up the tire and keep going. In reality, the trailer manuf. instead of building a single axle trailer with a capacity of 3000# built a dual axle trailer with an axle capacity of 1500# EACH. Chances are you won't even know you have a flat until the second tire goes. Then you really have a problem. |
Dick Reynolds
Lebanon, Oregon
Boat Name: Catnip
Model/Year: Swing Keel / 1974
Hull No. 4570
Hailing Port: Newport, Oregon |
02/20/2004 11:05 PM Pacific Time
If the trailer maker made each axle capable of carrying 3000# your boat would shake apart- also the cost would be more than the competition. The perfect trailer in my mind for the c22 would be a single axle trailer rated for 4000# with a 450# tongue weight. The trailer would have disc brakes with the caliper mounted on top and a drag bracket mounted inboard of each wheel that, if a tire go flat, would emit a horrendous noise. And guys, carry spare bearings with tools and the knowlege to change them. It's easy. |
Donald & Lynn Conner
Severn, MD
Boat Name: Meniscus
Model/Year: C-22, 1979
Hull No. 9157
Hailing Port: Middle River, MD |
02/22/2004 3:56 AM Pacific Time
Just a suggestion, if you want to avoid Lowell's "time out" when composing, my recommendation would be to compose your thoughts in a word processor (like Notepad, Wordpad or MS Word, for example), then, when all is in order, highlight all, copy and paste to the board....that takes all of about 3-5 seconds. |
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04/16/2004 9:25 AM Pacific Time
My c22 77 Swing Keel is resting on the trailer second cross member and has been that way since I purchased For Sail over two years ago. I took the trailer to a trailer repair facility and had them raise the pylons to max heigth and insert stop. I want my swing keel to rest on a piece of 2" x 10" x 79" treated plank but I find the keel even raised up all the way still does not leave enough room to slip the board under the keel. Question: Will the Keel box or any of the keel works be injuried if I raise the boat up high enough to put the board under the keel? |
Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
04/16/2004 1:32 PM Pacific Time
You want the weight of the boat on the bunks, not the keel, so don't jack the boat up by the keel.
You really don't need a 2" board underneath the keel, and it needn't be the full length of the keel, I used a 1/2" plywood square in the V-block on the axle. Ideally, you want the boat as low on the trailer as possible, while still allowing the keel to drop down far enough to disconnect the cable and inspect it yearly.
I've found that the ideal height of the boat on the trailer ito |
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04/17/2004 9:05 AM Pacific Time
Michael,
Would you mind measuring your pylons. I think I am going to have to replace all my pylons to fix this issue. If they were one inch longer then the swing keel could be cranked down to the trailer instead of the swing keel resting on the trailer when it comes out of the water. The current pylons on the trailer are 18" in length. I think I sould replace them with 20" long pylons. |
Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
04/17/2004 7:35 PM Pacific Time
I'll try to measure them tomorrow. The way I achieved my bunk height was to slip 2 thicknesses of 3/4" ply between the top of the pylons and the bottom of the bunks. A 3"x3" square with a slit wide enough to slip around the bolt does the job. I also had to put longer carriage bolts in the bunks. The job was easy to do with the boat in the water (ie off the trailer). |
Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
04/18/2004 2:01 PM Pacific Time
I've got a TrailRite trailer with 3 bunk supports. The rear supports are 12" higher than the trailer + 5/4 plywood spacers. The middle are 6.5" + 6/4 plywood spacer. The front are 6.25 + 3/4 plywood spacer. |
Dick Reynolds
Lebanon, Oregon
Boat Name: Catnip
Model/Year: Swing Keel / 1974
Hull No. 4570
Hailing Port: Newport, Oregon |
04/20/2004 10:39 AM Pacific Time
Bob. Just a question. Is your axle on top of the springs or below them? I have the same situation in which Some yo-yo, probably in an attempt to make the boat sit lower to the ground, moved the axle on top of the springs.This did indeed make the trailer frame sit about 4" closer to the ground but it makes the keel rest on the axle rather than the rest for it. This wouldnt be a problem if your dry storage was near the launch ramp but if you tow the keel would be going up and down with each bump in the road and wearing the pin hole in the keel bigger and bigger. If this is the case your fix is simple. Just move the axle. This is done all the time with 5th wheels and travel trailers |
Dick Reynolds
Lebanon, Oregon
Boat Name: Catnip
Model/Year: Swing Keel / 1974
Hull No. 4570
Hailing Port: Newport, Oregon |
04/20/2004 10:43 AM Pacific Time
Sorry. upon rereading I see I misunderstood your problem. Please disregard the above. |
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06/20/2004 5:49 AM Pacific Time
I have bought a dual axle fixed keel trailer that was designed for some other boat. Got a "hurricane" deal on it, other boat was destroyed.
Does anyone have the measurement of the distance from the leading edge of the swung up keel to grade when sitting on a Cat 22 standard trailer? I know I need to lower & cut the bunk pylons but am trying to figure out if that is all I will need to do. I have all the other dimensions for a standard Cat 22 trailer. Hate using the tougne extention every time I launch the boat. |
Dick King
Melbourne, FL
Boat Name: Twilight Zone
Model/Year: Sport/2005
Hull No. 15546
Hailing Port: Melbourne, FL |
08/22/2004 8:58 AM Pacific Time
I was reviewing some old Club House Digests and came across your question. A more important measurement than keel to grade, is keel to cross member or axle or keel support. These items will be the limitations on how low the boat will sit on the trailer. For best launching your boat should sit as low as possible on the trailer.
I think you should have at least six inches above the top of the axle to prevent it from striking the leading edge of the keel when traversing pot holes, railroad tracks and the like. |
