Boat and trailer fit

jhande

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
442
I am hoping you guys can help me out.

I just picked up for "real cheap" a nice little fishing boat project. The previous owner took me out in it and all went well. So although it looks a mess, it has potential.

It's going to take a lot of elbow grease, but not much money to get it right.
I'm not sure what brand the boat is; 13' - 6" fiberglass and my son and I can pick it up (so not too heavy).
It came with a homemade trailer kit, 6.5HP Evinrude, Minn Kota 40lb thrust, 6.6 gallon gas tank, deep cell battery, running lights, bilge pump, etc...

I stripped most everything out of the boat so I can start sanding. But I want to tackle the trailer first. It seems well balanced (I can easily pickup the tonque with no effort) but the boat doesn't seem to sit on it properly.

I know the replacement bunks will need to be lower so the keel rests on the rollers, but it looks like too much boat is hanging off the back.

dsc3226591.jpg


The trailer frame ends just behind the wheels. So what I was thinking... if I move the winch support forward on the trailer that will pull it on another 18-20 inches.

dsc3246611.jpg


But that still leaves about 10-12 inches hanging off.

  1. Do I need the bunk boards under the transom to help support the engine weight during towing?
  2. How far forward should the boards run? I'm guessing until it runs out of flat spot where the boat won't come into contact.
  3. Should I extend the frame rearward and add another keel roller to match the bunk boards?
  4. Or would just lowering the bunk boards and leaving all alone be fine?

I'm not worried about moving the boat forward and adding to the tongue weight, it will still be way under the tow vehicles limit.

I would really appreciate any ideas and feedback. :redface:
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
21,759
Re: Boat and trailer fit

Support under the transom is a good thing.
Bunks, the longer the better, 4' good, 6' better.
Why not just extend the bunks rearward. The boat is not too heavy. Using a 4x4 bunk board should give you enough strength.
 

jhande

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
442
Re: Boat and trailer fit

Thanks for the reply roscoe. ;)

Maybe what I should do is extend the bunks to under the transom. Load the boat backup with motor and gas tank, etc.. Then test it on my few local loading ramps.

Sure would be a bit easier than cutting the winch bracket and re-welding it.
 
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