Keel roller tougness ?

AGCB

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Are the yellow keel rollers tougher than the black rubber ones. After a short time the keel of my 14' Alumicraft cuts through the black ones.

Thanks.
Aaron
 

smokeonthewater

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They are pretty tough.... I THINK they are tougher but I've never bought new black ones..... Comparing new yellow against 20 year old black might be a tad unfair..

That said, if you are tearing em up you MAY need more rollers... Maybe 2 per crossmember.
 

gddavid

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Is your boat resting on the keel roller in it's normal position on the trailer? or just riding across it while loading. In my experience the keel rollers should not be in contact with the hull once it is all loaded in place, the rollers just keep the keel off of the cross members while you load it. Otherwise you have a lot of weight on a very small area of hull while the trailer is going down the road.
 
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JimS123

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ALL the weight should be on the keel rollers. Side bunks are for stability, not to support the weight. If the keel rollers don't touch the keel then loading and launching will be awful.

If you are tearing up rollers, they are either old rubber, sit in the sun too long, or the bushings are shot. Look at them when you are retreiving the boat to be sure they are turning freely. What does your keel look like? Is the metal all torn up from beaching?

Black rubber on a garage kept boat will last 5-10 years. The "yellow" ones ARE more durable and will last considerably longer.
 

smokeonthewater

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If adjusted properly it isn't "a lot of weight" it's just the right amount....

The name of the game is weight distribution.... No reason at all to have no weight at all being supported by the keel.
 

bonz_d

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If not using the Yellow Yates then I really suggest these.
http://www.easternmarine.com/5-heavy-duty-keel-roller-black-rubber-5-8-id-5244-105ec

The regular black rollers you can buy at the box stores are junk. I did that once with a 14' Lund on a tilt trailer and those new rollers only lasted a year and then they were junk. Deformed, flat spotted but I suspect that was from using the tilt on the trailer.

Your 14' Alumacraft with an engine and fully loaded is less than 1000lbs. How many roller are there? My tilt trailer had 4.
 

AGCB

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Thanks. There are multiple rollers and fully loaded the boat rests on the flat wobble rollers. I'll check as I slowly load today and also try to get a picture. I converted this from bunk to all rollers (new and always hangered) 3 years ago. At the time thought I did the best job possible.
Aaron
 

gddavid

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ALL the weight should be on the keel rollers. Side bunks are for stability, not to support the weight. If the keel rollers don't touch the keel then loading and launching will be awful.
.

I am sorry to inform you that you are incorrect. Go talk to a trailer manufacturer.
 

bonz_d

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I am sorry to inform you that you are incorrect. Go talk to a trailer manufacturer.

Go talk to Whaler. Which trailer manufacturer are you speaking to? Talk to them all and you will get a different answer form each one. Just like here.
How many basic trailer designs do you think there are? How about 3. Bunk, Roller and Combination Bunks AND Keel rollers.


Though you may think so, but this is one of those topics that there is no definitive right or wrong answer. Don't believe me, use the search function here and when you're finished reading all those do a general web search on the same topic.
 

gddavid

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The only trailers intended to support the majority of the weight at the keel are fixed keel sailboats or powerboats with protruding keels like a downeast hull or Chesapeake deadrise. Otherwise the weight should be supported evenly directly under the vessel's stingers which are not on the centerline of 95% of the boats discussed on this forum. Furthermore it makes no structural sense place the entire load of the vessel on the center of the cross members of the trailer. I seen hulls damaged by being placed on trailers not adjusted for them. Look at the racks at a boatel or the forklifts used to launch and store boats, the keel of the boat is not touched.
 
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gddavid

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A boston whaler is constructed in a far different manner than the alumicraft in question.
 

bonz_d

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A boston whaler is constructed in a far different manner than the alumicraft in question.

You are correct. I also have 3 aluminum boats of which only 1 has any type of stringer. 1 is on an all roller trailer and the other 2 are on tilt bed keel roller trailers. The tilt bed trailers all have bunks that are shorter than 3'.
This discussion is going to go nowhere so I'm finished.
 

JimS123

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. I seen hulls damaged by being placed on trailers not adjusted for them. Look at the racks at a boatel or the forklifts used to launch and store boats, the keel of the boat is not touched.

You're right about that. Very few know how to set up a trailer.

An all roller trailer has an equal load on each roller, such that any one could be turned by hand. A keel roller trailer has the boat sitting on the rollers, with the side bunks adjusted up to just touch the hull. Bunk trailers, well they are just like a boatel - used for storage only. (or in salt water, or because they are cheaper, etc.) Not much adjusting necessary.

When I bought my first rig I got the trailer, boat and motor all new, but from 3 different dealers. Since I didn't know squat I had to read a book to tell me. Back in those dark ages they had odd buildings with paper books in them that you could borrow and "read". What I learned back in 1968 still works for me today.
 

bonz_d

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. Look at the racks at a boatel or the forklifts used to launch and store boats, the keel of the boat is not touched.

Gee why do you think they do that? I'm sure it's not because it's profitable and cost effective. Now I'm done. Thanks for the conversation.
 

smokeonthewater

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Ok folks why don't we get back to whether yellow poly rollers are tougher than black rubber.... If the o/p wants to discuss the ins and outs of trailer and hull design he can let us know.
 

AGCB

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I really didn't mean to stir up a ruckus!

But what I found after close inspection is that the roller that is being cut is taking more than its share of the load when the boat is on. I'm going to try to lower that roller and replace it and one other with the polyurethane rollers. The way I built this was to have all rollers with equal weight when loaded. I'll have to make a new bracket or elongate the holes in the present one as it sits on top the frame.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Aaron
 

bonz_d

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AGCB why not leave the highest one, the one that won't move down, and raise the rest to that height? I can't see there being that huge of a difference in the keel rollers. Get those all level with each other and then set your bunks.

Earlier I meant to say the yellow Stoltz . Those black Yates are pretty good, they are a harder material and with the metal sleeve bushing they don't distort like most of the others.
 

AGCB

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Thanks again. I also had thought of raising the other rollers (easier).
 
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