Trailer improv

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Trailer improv

Postby jdoorly » Thu May 24, 2012 12:56 am

In the past I've had to get my car fairly wet to launch on ramps but this year I am determined to keep my rear brake rotors away from the saltwater.

I made 3 modifications to my trailer: First, I replaced the keel rollers with a single long center bunk. Second, I added an 8 foot extension that pulls-out of the existing frame. And third, (and I wish I could claim credit for this, but I can't) a simple and ingenious device to push the boat off the trailer instead of having to float it off!

The original keel rollers worked adequately for launching and retrieving from water, but they didn't work at all well for launching or retrieving in my back yard (for working on the centerboard, etc.)! I usually tie the boat to a tree and then drive the trailer out from under the boat, but, the bow gets scarred by the roller bracket, and it's hard to get the bow to go past each roller when retrieving, not to mention the black rollers always made black marks on the hull. So, I wanted to install a center bunk.

I bolted 2 2x4's next to each other to the frame and screwed indoor/outdoor carpet over it. Then made 2 wedges that started a couple feet in from the back and sloped to 1.5" near the front (3" was too much and didn't allow the forefoot to rest on the flat in the middle). I covered the wedges with carpet and also decided to keep the rear roller. The new bunk worked just as I'd hoped and made easy work of retrieving the boat.

The trailer frame uses 3.5" x 3.5" x 1/8" square tube and the center portion has only 1 through hole at the end, the hinge, and is about 7 ft long from receiver to hinge. I ordered 2.5 x 2.5 x 1/8" x 8 ft tube for $48 at some on line metals place. (If you buy longer than 8ft then you'll pay common carrier rates.) The receiver was transferred from the frame to the extension and I drilled 2 half-inch holes through the frame and extension for pins. Later I found I could not find any 1/2" hitch pins for the 3.5" through holes and had to re-drill for 5/8" pins. Then I extended the extension and drilled 2 more holes just through extension to match the frame's hole pattern when extended.

Since I nearly always sail alone I had to find a way to extend the extension without pulling it out of the frame, while I'm driving the car. I made a wooden block to hold a 1/4" pin. The pin is under tension from a small bungy and the block is held in place over the front hitch pin hole and when the extension hole lines up with the frame hole and the pin the pin drops into the extension hole.

To push the boat off the trailer I replaced the webbing on my winch with rope and rove the rope through a single block (with snap shackle) between the bow eye and the winch reel. I added an eye to the trailer near the axle. Release the reel winch and enough line to allow the snap shackle to be belayed to the eye by the axle. Now, start pulling in the rope on the winch reel and the boat backs off the trailer. Of course wire rope will work fine too.
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Postby jdubes » Thu May 24, 2012 7:22 am

I have something very similar to this. The only difference is that my extension doesn't come out of the trailer. On the trailer end of the extension I have a towing ball that connects to the tongue of the trailer. It works pretty well, my vehicle never gets close to the water. You can do this to any trailer.

Image
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Re: Trailer improv

Postby hectoretc » Thu May 24, 2012 7:44 am

jdoorly wrote:I made 3 modifications to my trailer: First, I replaced the keel rollers with a single long center bunk. Second, I added an 8 foot extension that pulls-out of the existing frame. And third, (and I wish I could claim credit for this, but I can't) a simple and ingenious device to push the boat off the trailer instead of having to float it off!


Sounds great Jay! Any chance you could post a picture or two of your center bunk setup?

Thanks
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Postby GreenLake » Thu May 24, 2012 3:19 pm

Do you guys have very shallow ramps? Around here all the ramps allow me to launch and retrieve with rear tires above the water's edge. My trailer has a "break-back" feature, that is the tongue hinges. That's been really useful for dry launching (and also allows me to launch with trailer axle barely in the water - and the boat is easy to move at the steeper angle).

For dry retrieval, I disconnect the trailer and put the bow next to the back roller. Then I tension the winch and help the bow up on the roller. After that, the winch will usually pull the trailer under the boat, so the hull doesn't get scratched. I've discovered that there's an optimal angle to the to tilt of the trailer frame and I use a loop or rope to limit how far the trailer can tip.

I don't find the break back feature useful in retrieving from the lake. There, I rely on a grooved first roller which captures the bow, and even helps lever the boat into alignment. This works fine at all protected ramps, but is not sufficient where there's strong wave action or wind from the side. Once the flat part of the hull reaches the rear roller, the boat can float sideways - in those situations I need a helper in the water or I would have to mount trailer guides.
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Postby jdoorly » Thu May 24, 2012 10:52 pm

Sorry no pics yet, I got a new phone but the app to grab pics hasn't been able to download them yet.

I've been to 5-6 ramps and they all seem to be the same- don't know if they are shallow or steep
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Postby Alan » Thu May 24, 2012 11:03 pm

In regard to shallow ramps: I know of one, at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park. The entire rear suspension on our 2008 Toyota Sequoia--which has pretty high ground clearance and a short rear overhang--was under water, with the exhaust burbling like a powerboat, and we still didn't have enough depth to launch.

We ended up at Leeks Marina, which has a more normal slope to the launch ramp. And for what the information may be worth, a DSII will float its trailer on a steep ramp.
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Postby GreenLake » Fri May 25, 2012 3:07 am

Ah, you mean when your are leaving the straps in place - does that ever sound familiar :D :D
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Postby jdoorly » Sat May 26, 2012 11:14 pm

I've been thinking about removing the leaf springs from my trailer, it would lower the boat another 4-6 inches. The springs have been rusted solid for the 3 years Ive had the trailer, can't see how it would make an impact on handling, plus I got a bad weld on a spring support (a 'friend' tried to weld the hot dipped galvanized metal- it looks horrible but has lasted a year, does anybody know the secret to welding galvanized?).
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Postby GreenLake » Sun May 27, 2012 4:33 pm

I've just spent too much time and money on rebuilding my own trailer. I've come to the conclusion that I should have considered getting another used trailer instead. I could have gotten a better-designed trailer in better condition for less than what I spent on a repair.

I recently came across something called Marine Corrosion Inhibitor (at West Marine). If I had applied some of that on my previous set of springs it might have extended their lifetime - used in saltwater and beginning to be corroded so badly that I wasn't ready to trust them much longer).
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Postby jdoorly » Mon Jun 11, 2012 11:31 pm

Man, it seemed like I was never gonna get the boat wet. But I finally got the last details cleaned up and popped her in a lake, and when I say popped I mean with the new trailer extension it went smoooooooooth and dry! With the water barely touching the tires the boat was already floating. I didn't need to use the pusher to get the boat off the trailer but I did use it to pull the trailer toward the car to de-deploy the extension.

Actually, when I was extending the extension, the boat was on the slopped ramp and the weight of the boat was more than I could keep under control and the boat/trailer got away from me, I'm old and decrepit ya know. Well, my little pin trap caught the trailer from getting away and saved me untold horrors!
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Postby Alan » Mon Jun 11, 2012 11:39 pm

GreenLake,

Yeah, next time I'll back way in and see if the boat and trailer can float the tow vehicle. OK, maybe not... :)

I'll confess to having spent too much money on my trailer, although if I ever find the time to install the stuff I've bought, it will be one heck of a trailer...
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Postby nwsportsman » Mon Aug 06, 2012 5:30 pm

jdoorly wrote: a 'friend' tried to weld the hot dipped galvanized metal- it looks horrible but has lasted a year, does anybody know the secret to welding galvanized?.


This might be a little late but just in case someone is wondering...

The trick to welding Galvanized parts, is to not weld ON it. What you need to do is sand or grind off the layer of galvanizing down to bare metal before you weld. You need a good 1/2 inch of clean metal all the way around the spot to be welded.

To fix the horrible looking pile of metal bird poop, it would need to be ground down and re-welded.

Lars
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Postby jdoorly » Wed Aug 08, 2012 11:04 pm

Thanks for the info Lars, 'preciate it.
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Re: Trailer improv

Postby triathjohn » Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:12 pm

jdoorly wrote: And third, (and I wish I could claim credit for this, but I can't) a simple and ingenious device to push the boat off the trailer instead of having to float it off!
.


Jay I read your description of this part but I'm not getting it. Do you have any pictures of it?
Are you still able to use your winch to crank the boat back onto the trailer?
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Postby GreenLake » Mon Sep 17, 2012 6:40 pm

Well, quoting myself here, but only so you guys can figure out which of my previous remarks I'm elaborating on. :)

GreenLake wrote:...I've come to the conclusion that I should have considered getting another used trailer instead. I could have gotten a better-designed trailer in better condition for less than what I spent on a repair.


Or perhaps not?

Whatever I did in adjusting bunks and rollers when I re-assembled my trailer after repainting it seems to have worked wonders. The boat has loaded straight and centered on first try each and every time I've had it out - a record. (As long as I first catch the groove on the rear roller with the bow).

The new keel rollers, being new, duh, in addition to not leaving black marks, also roll better than the old ones ever did - no matter how much grease I had been using. And I think the carpet that I'm using for the bunks is a bit slicker - well so is the underside of my boat after repainting.

The combination means that I'm in no need for any tools to push my boat off the trailer - once I get it started there's no holding it (and I wouldn't want to, because a smooth uninterrupted unload is the key to it not jumping the rollers).
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