Trailers / Trailering

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Author How do you hold the stern on your trailer?
Vernon
Chicago Illinois

Boat Name: Breakin' Wind

Model/Year: 1982

Hull No. 10614

Hailing Port: Anywhere I can lower my Keel
09/04/2007 10:54 AM Pacific Time

Hello all
Last year I replaced the bunks on my trailer and increased the height by 3/4 inch, this allows my keel to be lowered enough sos not to stress the hull of the boat.
This is the first year of moving the boat around with the new bunks and I have a problem that I didn't have before I changed the bunks.
It seem that the boat bounces more than before the bunk change, I'm afraid that it might be flexing too much. he reason for the fear is that I normally use a three inch winching strap that is permanently attached to the starboard side of the trailer and then I place the strap across the cockpit forward of the primary winches and hook it to the frame of the trailer on the port side. What happens now that didn't occur last year is that after riding over a few bumps nothing really unusual the strap becomes unhooked from the trailer frame on the port side. I have changed the height of the hitch by an inch above and below level and the strap will still come loose. The boat doesn't really seem to be bouncing anymore than usual, and the tires are new 6 ply trailer tires at 55 PSI. I tried a lower air presure in the tires and that made trailering the boat more of a bouncy ride. I tow with a 1/2 ton short bed pick-up and a suspention lifted Jeep Cherokee the strap will fail on either vehicle on the same routes. The boat itself is virtually MT. I am adding upgrades and so have no actual sailing gear aboard. I have been towing the boat in an almost MT state on the same roads back and fourth from storage to my home on weekends.

Thanks for your input
vernon
Bob Conway
Huber Heights, Ohio

Boat Name: Spindrift

Model/Year: C22/1979

Hull No. #8717

Hailing Port: Buck Creek, Ohio
09/05/2007 7:40 AM Pacific Time

Vernon,

I had a similar problem. Instead of using one strap over the cockpit area, I converted to using two short straps like on an outboard. You can buy them at WalMart. I attached one from my motor mount to the trailer and one from the ladder support to the trailer. The configuration keeps the boat from moving left - right on the bunks. You could do this in addition to the main strap and be very secure. I also have two straps running from the bow pulpit to the trailer. That reduce the bounce for my boat.

Bob
Vernon
Chicago Illinois

Boat Name: Breakin' Wind

Model/Year: 1982

Hull No. 10614

Hailing Port: Anywhere I can lower my Keel
09/06/2007 5:00 AM Pacific Time

Thanks Bob for your help, I'll give that a try. I do hold the bow down with two ratchet
straps hooked onto the mooring cleats and then crossed and attached to the trailer.

Vernon
Vernon
Chicago Illinois

Boat Name: Breakin' Wind

Model/Year: 1982

Hull No. 10614

Hailing Port: Anywhere I can lower my Keel
09/24/2007 8:30 AM Pacific Time

I hope this helps someone else. I believe I have reconciled my problem. The first observation left me with the original trailer winch (frame mounted Trail rite) working just enough to hold tension on the winch strap but when the trailer would bounce the winch would release the tension and the strap would go flying, not to mention the pieces of old car mat the I use under the straps at the coming. Well I thought I was done with this, I replace the trailer winch with a 3300 lb winching strap. I was wrong in my assumption, as it turns out my son and I had replaced the bow eye the upgraded bow eye and when we unrolled the bow eye winch strap we did not tighten it down enough to apply sufficient torque on the bow eye, and therefore the bow was porpoising just enough to allow the stern strap to release. I believe now after another trip down ht e beaten path that I have solved the problem, at least the strap stayed on this trip. Even with the additional 2 ratchet straps on the bow it was still able to move enough to release the stern strap.
Live and learn

Vernon
 
 
Trailers / Trailering
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