by badgley » Wed Aug 08, 2018 3:15 pm
I just did this last year on my DSII. Sounds like I had almost exactly the setup you are describing. Rollers along the keel and then only 2x4s on edge, probably not much more than 4' long, on each side. There was a lot of unsupported overhang at the stern and the aft ends of those boards caused some serious dimples. Plus, they were too close to the center, making matters worse. That poor boat flexed and wobbled everywhere when we hit a bump or I was standing on her. I was basically always just cringing and waiting for the loud crack...
The advice I got was just put as much surface area as you can under it. I ended up, if I remember correctly, using a 2x6x10' under the keel and a 2x8x8' on each side, set as far back on the trailer as I could. All of these placed flat to the hull, of course. I just put the side boards as far out as possible. There may be a stringer or two in there (Roger's book probably says) but I figured the turn of the bilge is going to be the strongest part either way so I just moved them outwards. I can tell you that the difference is night and day and there is no depression. It is super stable now. So my recommendation is just get as much contact area as you can based on your trailer and don't sweat the exact location.
The only downside to this setup is that unless you install guideposts, there is almost nothing to grab the boat laterally during recovery, especially if you submerge the trailer. I shamelessly stole the idea of someone else on here (maybe even GreenLake?) to keep one roller, under the keel as far back as I could mount it. The 10' long 2x6 then runs forward from this point on the trailer. Then if you back the trailer to where that roller is just at the water surface, you can use it to 'catch' and hold the bow and the forward part of the keel where it is still a sharp angle. Once you get to the CB and aft, the keel becomes so close to flat that it doesn't hold much anymore, but at that point the boat is sitting on the trailer and mostly out of the water so if you just keep pulling it always seems to come up straight. The local powerboat guys at the ramp look at you like you're crazy for basically hauling your entire boat out of the water by hand to recover it, but these boats are so light it's no big deal. It took a little practice and a couple of failed recoveries, but once you get the hang of it it works well.
Sorry, don't think I have a photo of my trailer empty, but I can try to snap some for you with it loaded to give you an idea if you have any parts you have specific questions about. Good news is that the hull dimples were only there under load and didn't leave any permanent depression, so now you'd never know they were there. Hopefully yours will be the same!
Brian Badgley
1982 DS II #10911 EGRETTA
Blacksburg, VA, USA