New trailer

[TIM WEBB]

OK Mike, no worries on the rant, advice taken, and I'll be getting the rig back to B&G soon for better keel support ...

[Mike Gillum]

Tim,
My rant wasn't aimed at you as your trailer is already significantly better than most everyone else's.
My problem is with the people that seem to think that rollers somehow make it "easier" to get their boat on or off the trailer when it also makes it "easier" for their boat to "exit stage left" or be ruined over time.
Full centerline support also means that the centerboard will never accidently fall down to either have a large dent put in the leading edge by the trailer axle or the most of the tip ground off as it drags on the road from the lake to home or vice versa.
If you need to inspect the centerboard you simply push the boat 6" to one side or the other and there's the centerboard in all its glory to inspect and/or remove.

[klb67]

Mike,

You have described your set up quite well, but is there any chance you have pictures of your trailer set up? Thanks.

Kevin

[Mike Gillum]

Kevin,
A couple of years ago K.C. Walker posted some photographs to the website of my current trailer for DS #2772 and perhaps K.C. can forward us the link to them.
That trailer came from DS #1154 and the only thing we saved was the basic frame and the original Black California license plate otherwise everything else was new.
It's a nice trailer as far as support but a wider lower slung trailer would allow #2772 to sit lower to the ground and make getting in and out of it easier so a newer wider trailer is on the horizon! Mike

[K.C. Walker]

Mike, these are the only photos I found. Hopefully these are the ones you meant.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3636&hilit=trailer+bunks&start=30

And, these are the photos of the totally cool double trailer.
http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16122#16122

[Alan]

Mike wrote:

"A 6"+/- wide centerline support running the majority of the centerline of the hull padded with indoor/outdoor carpeting is an ABSOLUTE must with a pair of 6"+/- wide side supports padded with indoor/outdoor carpeting set an 1/8" below the centerline support to balance the boat as you drive the road or get into of out of your boat.
The centerline support needs to run from forward of the bow to as far as aft as you can get to the transom! The side supports should be aligned under the inboard edge of the side tanks where they meet the hull to provide the greatest strength!"

If I'm reading this correctly, the center AND side supports are installed front-to-rear - that is, three longitudinal 6-by-whatevers. The photos that K.C. posted show supports running crosswise. They look like a good idea, but Mike, are they the same thing you were talking about?

[K.C. Walker]

Mike sent me some photos of Buba's old trailer and new. That old trailer looks like the same roller system my boat came with. Plenty of point loads on that one! The new championship trailer looks pretty much like the setup for bunks on your new trailer Tim! Raise that center bunk and you're pretty much their.

If you saw that first boat would you have ever thought it would be the national champion? Talent and Determination!

[TIM WEBB]

You're right, and that's exactly what I intend to have B&G do!

[Sailor Chlud]

Tim: Congratulations on the new trailer. I also took the plunge last week with a new Load-rite trailer with 12" wheels, and now have to add/adjust rollers and bunks to fit. See the comparison photos below. I had 5 keel rollers on my old trailer, and it looks like the new one has only room for 3. I may consider adding a centerline bunk instead of rollers to add some support like you did.

I also noticed the axle of my old (Tee-Nee) trailer was further forward than my new trailer. I'm concerned that the axle point shifted rearward will add too much weight to my tongue.

I hate to impose, but could you kindly take a measurement for me? With the boat on the trailer, could you measure the distance from your transom to the axle? Sorry to be a pain, but it would save me some tinkering.

[TIM WEBB]

Thanks! Not a pain at all, in fact I've been meaning to take those measurements anyway, just as a comparison between old and new trailers.

On the new trailer, the C/L of the axle is about 6' 2" forward of the transom. But, it's a torsion axle, so the wheel hub C/L's are about 5" aft of that, so let's call it 5' 9". That in turn is about 10" aft of where the C/L of the old trailer's conventional leaf spring axle was. How do I know? Rub marks on the hull where the old tires would occasionally (rarely) come into contact with it (no fenders + rough roads/ramps = rubbing).

This results in a much higher tongue weight than I had before, but B&G assures me that it's correct, and the PT Cruiser hasn't complained ... ;-P

Hope you get your new one sorted out!

[Sailor Chlud]

Thanks, Tim - That's a big help.

[TIM WEBB]

Glad to be of assistance!

[GreenLake]

This results in a much higher tongue weight than I had before, but B&G assures me that it's correct, and the PT Cruiser hasn't complained ...

Just came across a discussion on tongue weight in another forum, and there I found a suggestion to use 4% of the actual weight of trailer and boat.

For 1500# that would be 60# tongue weight. I haven't measured either trailer weight or tongue weight, but I think the actual numbers are both a bit smaller for me, so mine seems to be in the ballpark of that "rule". Are you saying your tongue weight is substantially higher?

[TIM WEBB]

Yes GL, VERY much higher. That's one of the reasons the new trailer/TRW is going back to B&G before the FL 120 (didn't get 'er there today - Ella duty!) ... ;-P

The other reason is that I'm gonna have them raise that center bunk up in order to better support the keel ...

[GreenLake]

Hope it works out for you.