trailer slides/bunks

[gerald]

I am working on my trailer and want to angle the slides inward to cradle the boat better, can anyone tell me the angle of the underside of the boat? thanks in advance .

gerald
#10169 ds II

[captainseasick]

Your boat will not exactly float onto your trailer in the same exact position each time you recover it. Instead of firmly jacking down on the bunk board bolts to lock them at a specific angle, I think you should tighten them only enough so that they will stay in whatever position they take as the boat rests on them, and can " automatically" reposition themselves if necessary. In this way, you are less likely to have rigidly locked boards set at a wrong angle, depressing your boat bottom improperly.
Mike

[psness]

My brackets are slanted inward but then the pads themselves are free to pivot slightly.

I have a further question about cranking the boat onto the trailer. Mine seems to crank very hard and I keep thinking it's going to pull the ring right out of the bow. Is this normal? I'm guessing it's because of the angle of the ramp or I'm not in the water far enough, although I back it in pretty far to get the boat centered properly on the trailer. Maybe I should wait to crank it up the whole way until after I'm on a little flatter ground.

[Roger]

I back mine up until the boat almost floats off then note how high the water is on the fenders over the wheel. For mine that is haveing the tops of the trailer fenders just awash.

When retrieving, the boat, for the most part, floats on, the rollers are wet. (if you have bunks wet them with a pair first) Then crank it up the last few feet.

Hope this helps.

[gerald]

I tried to measure the angle with a protractor.....I saw it as about fifteen degrees ...so we tried that..I am adding some 6x4 pieces of teflon material on top of the 2x4s to make it slide easier. way too much angle...we cut it again at five degrees...very close..if I was doing it again I believe Id go with four degrees.
I dont know if I understand captainseasick...it seems if the slide mounts werent tightened they wouldnt do the job of supporting the boat...but maybe I havent looked at it the right way..sometimes I dont...mine are made like large ubolts holding a piece of channel upright...is that the kind you mean?..thanks for the advice guys...I absolutely love this website..
oh and I put my boat in the water for the first time saturday...lots of wind...and it sails like a dream...the guy helping me has a capri 14.2 and he loves my boat too...

thanks again
gerald
#10169 dsII

[Peter McMinn]

This is very useful info, especially the talk about degrees and hull contours. I'll be adding bunks to my trailer this winter, and it would be really helpful if anyone can post some pictures of their trailers.


Thanks ahead,

Peter

[calden]

Peter:

I'm going to change my trailer to bunks soon. I'll post pics in my personal gallery. I don't have any grassy area to dump the boat on so I have to figure out first what I'll put on the driveway.

If you remember, I have an EZ Loader trailer, and am fortunate to have the manufacturer about a five minute drive from my house. All I have to do is go in to the parts department, show them the diagram of my trailer, tell them I want to convert to bunks, and they'll sell me what I need. Guaranteed fit, etc.

Carlos

[captainseasick]

On my trailer the bunks are attached to supports that are U bolted to the frame. The actual carpet covered wooden bunk boards are attached to these supports by a single bolt at each support that fits through an L bracket on the bunk. The angle of the support merely sets the distance the bunk will be from the center line. (Oday suggested that wide apart is best) The angle of the bunk self adjusts to the load because the bolts are snug, but not locked tight. I have especially designed black plastic strips screwed to the top surfaces of the bunk boards that allow the boat to be slid easily on the bunks.
I hope this clarifys my last post.
Mike

[gerald]

now I understand capt....mine dont pivot....if you have a digital camera will you take a clear closeup of yours from several angles because I work with some guys that can build anything...thanks...also I am unsure about the mast connection for a boom vang...so if someone will take a close up of that Id appreciate that too...I guess I will order a vang kit from d& r and maybe it will have everything I need...thanks guys...

gerald
#10169 dsII
(name to come soon as I can decide on it)

[captainseasick]

I have a camera in my cell phone, but don't recall how to use it. I have a Boston whaler on that trailer anyway, so it is hard to photograph now. But....West marine and most other boat stores sell the "L" brackets that attach to the bunks that then can attach to the supports, that allow infinite angle adjustment of the bunks.
Through bolt a bail a few feet back from the gooseneck of the boom, and also as low to the deck on the mast as possible to attach your Vang. The distance back on the boom is limited by the main sheet bail, but about 1/2 way between the main sheet and the mast will work quite well.

[Roger]

check out the boom vang arrangement on my site. There are a few other boom vang related pictures after this one.

http://groups.msn.com/RogerConrad/dsiid ... hotoID=189

I also have a maitenance and repair manual on the DS II that I wrote this past summer. 100 pages of pictures and text if you are interested.

[gerald]

thanks roger...I can see it clearly in this one...I was wondering if you had to put it on with rivets or if it somehow went into the mast slot and was tightened up to stay in place...the front of my mast just above the cuddy has a eyelet on the front side..can you tell me what thats on there for?...thanks again.

gerald
#10169 dsII