What am I doing wrong?

[bec]

My last boat with the custom line trailer I had the guide bunks on the side to give me the distance I need to put the boat up on the trailer.when I go to load my 2003'on single axle boatmate and pull it out my winch strap hook is binding on the bow roller and keeps me from pulling it up to let the bow eyebolt bump the roller.who ever owned this boat before me apparently had the same issue as the inside bow roller looks like it has been nawed by a dog.it looks like the winch strap is binding on the roller as it is trying to pull the winch strap hook from the top of the bow roller.it's like the inside bow roller is too big but I don't believe you could go with a smaller roller.Am I loading this boat wrong?when you go to relieve tension off the winch strap to let is rest when not towing the bow of the boat rises on the trailer .:idiot

 

[Bobalouie]

Mine does the same thing when you unhook it from the bow strap. The bow pops up about 1-2". But I dont have any problem winching it up, nor is my bow roller chewed up.

 

[xb03]

How far are you winching it on the trailer? It's possible that your not putting the trailer in the water far enough when loading. If I understand what you are saying mine does the same thing unless the trailer is deep enough.

 

[bec]

When I was running it up on the trailer I heard a loud clank I thought wth.being this was my first trailer that had guide rollers I jumPed out of the boat onto the trailer grabbed the winch strap as i was holding the boat I let go of the boat to get the winch strap extended out and the boat kept rolling off so I felt like I was in the water deep enough .when I Winched it up i felt like I was about right as when the boat was pulling up on the bow roller the boat just bumped the roller and I know I bumped the bow boat eyelet with the roller .got it up in the boat house look down and the winch strap was binding on the bow roller and the winch strap hook was binding on the backside of the roller. Went to take tension off strap and the bow riser up about two to three inches.

 

[catfish123]

I had the same issue and corrected it by a combination of making a bracket to raise the bow roller slightly, and by angling the upright bunks by raising the back of the bunks, which in turn lowered the nose of the boat when resting on them. In my opinion, the trailer was designed incorrectly and did not reflect the flex that occurs when you hang a motor on the boat with setback. The boat may (?) sit on the trailer OK without a motor but when it is added, especially with 13-14" of setback, the rear sags, lifting the nose, etc. Loading the boat further forward, if possible, will help, but it did not correct the problem on mine.

 

[bec]

You are right about the resting point on these boatmates.looked at the bunks while boat was off and you can see where this boat gets its main resting point on the very back half of the bunks .I wonder if boatmate has corrected these issues on their newer trailers?everybody dogged out custom line for having a sorry paint job but they sure built one heck of a great trailer.so basically on a center roller trailer you want to treat it as getting the trailer high enough out of the water that you are pushing the boat o the bunks and not letting the rollers be nothing but a guides.i do not like the rollers myself on a trailer.

 

[1-fastone]

It was not Boatmates poor design it was Darris's specs. The boat sits perfect till you put a motor on the boat.

 

[ROBERT CROSS]

I've got into the habit of putting the trailer in deep enough to hand line the GS on the trailer using the winch for the last 4' or so. I don't think from the looks of the roller the bow has ever made contact. When the turnbuckle is tensioned the bow is about an inch off the roller. For me it's the best way to make sure I'm centered on the rear bunks/chines. The PO drove on, I don't have the confidence for that.:gasp

Related question...how many release the tension on the tie-down ratchets when not towing. Would make sense too me. :wink

Bob

 

[catfish123]

I release the tension on the front winch strap when not towing. The back ratchet straps I let under tension but I only put enough tension on them to secure the boat "to" the bunks, not "through" them............:smile

 

[catfish123]

Makes sense to me........design the boat to fit the trailer without any source of power other than the trolling motor.................:beer:

 

[Bobalouie]

I undo all the straps when it is sitting in the garage.

Catfish, how far did you have to move the rear of your bunks up to fix the issue?

 

[catfish123]

Around 3/4" but I also raised the front bow-stop roller a little also. I just didn't like the amount of pressure I had to apply to "pull the boat" down against that bow-stop roller before I did it. Basically, it was causing the whole trailer to flex to get it there.

 

[Bobalouie]

Wow, I dont think I am flexing the trailer. Mine sits about 1-2 inches up. But, I may do that mod anyway.

 

[bec]

Wow, I dont think I am flexing the trailer. Mine sits about 1-2 inches up. But, I may do that mod anyway.

You maybe surprised.crank your winch down and look down the side of the trailer.front roller lightly touches hull. Pull the winch down where it needs to be and front roller gets alot of Pressure .watch where the trailer runs out of cross braces toward the front of the boat.she will flex right there.has any body removed the front roller and see if it would rest on the trailer better.?when I say front roller I am talking about the front bunk guide roller.

 

[catfish123]

I forgot.........when I had a keel guard put on my boat, I had that front bottom roller dropped a little because the guy installing the keel guard told me it should not be resting on that roller or it could loosen up the keel guard in that spot.

 

[bec]

It was not Boatmates poor design it was Darris's specs. The boat sits perfect till you put a motor on the boat.

It was not darris responsibility to make adjustments to the trailer that would have been left uP to boatmate .the boat should rest on the trailer when you release all straps period.

 

[bec]

I just paid Allison boats 2200.00 to have some work to be done on the bottom of my boat.Blueprint pad gelcoat chips and deep gouges on the keel. The deep gouges on the keel are from this piece of crap boatmate.I think if I owned a business like boatmate I would have step up to the plate and put a bulletin out about this issue and sent the parts to have it fixed.

 

[ROBERT CROSS]

Very informative thread, for a relative noob who's been more involved in learning the boat than paying attention to the trailer. :confused

Just went out and checked closely how the GS rests on the trailer. The bow is about an inch off the roller, the turnbuckle firm but not overtightened, and the rear straps are in the store mode, tension off. The hull is resting on the front keel roller, but it doesn't appear to be compressed too much, same with the aft roller. The side bunks appear to be supporting the hull nicely from the rear forward about 2/3 the length, with the very front off the hull about 1/2". The bottom has no marks or damage. (towed 1100mi from Ark.) None of the bunks or rollers have any provisions for adjustment.

When it stops raining I'll post some pic's, sure would like to get this right, to prevent any damage.

We have the dual axle Boatmate, any difference other than the added axle hardware?

Is there a consensus on how the hull should sit on the trailer?

Bob
:at the bar

 

[catfish123]

I have a dual axle trailer under my XB2003..........in my opionion and that's all it is.........the main support for the boat should be the 2 upright bunks........I do not believe there should be ANY pressure on the bottom of the hull by the rollers.........that is not their purpose.........I never could figure out why the back one, and maybe even the middle one would ever be needed for anything. All the ramps I use are pretty steep.

 

[hack02]

I just redid my bunks and raised them up an inch over stock and also switched out the roller at the winch for one of the v shaped rubber pieces. XR trailer. Happy with my bunks but the jury is still out on the V stop.