Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

[prayingmantis]

Can anyone tell me if my boat sits too far back on the trailer. I don't think I can move it up much more. Maybe 6" at the most. It does look like it has bolts on the frame to make the trailer longer. Thanks for any help

 

[SilverSS07]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

Measure how much the boat and trailer weigh and how much tongue weight you have then adjust accordingly. If the bunks don't go all the way to the rear of the boat move them or make them longer so they do. Does it tow good and straight?

 

[prayingmantis]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

I haven't been able to get the boat up to 65 yet. When I bought the boat it swayed a lot. It would start to sway at 60 mph. It seemed to be ok at 60 but past that I'm not sure yet. I moved it up about a foot. I have seen posts that say the general rule is that the back of the boat should be at the back of the trailer.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

I haven't been able to get the boat up to 65 yet. When I bought the boat it swayed a lot. It would start to sway at 60 mph. It seemed to be ok at 60 but past that I'm not sure yet. I moved it up about a foot. I have seen posts that say the general rule is that the back of the boat should be at the back of the trailer.

Ayuh,.... I find 10% to 15% of the gross weight, on the tongue, stops any swayin',...

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

Ayuh,.... I find 10% to 15% of the gross weight, on the tongue, stops any swayin',...

Ditto. If you ever saw what happens to a light tongue trailer with a heavy load come down a hill and go across a bridge at 60 mph, you would load your tongue as specified; whatever it takes. It can wipe out both sides of your tow vehicle in a heartbeat. You just cannot imagine how fast that trailer can move from one extreme to another, and if you are on an Interstate, as he was you can take the adjacent vehicle with you if one's present. Lucky for him no one was along side. Not BTDT, but saw it happen to a friend....I had better sense. Load it!

Mark

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

Move the winch stand up to the trailer jack. Move the boat all the way up and you might be good. You might have to move the jack forward to accomplish this. Looks like it's way to far back.Transom should be even with the end of the bunks. This should bring the transom straps straight down.Not straight back like in the pic.

 

[beason]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

you can remove the jack, and put it behind the winch post, and you will have another foot or more space to move up. it does look like its to far back.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

I'd be hard put to say one way or the other. Two of my trailers have bunks that extend past the frame, and thus the transom tie downs are angled like this. If you look close, the bunks MAY go to the transom.

In any event, looks like there is a good foot more room to to forward. On the other hand the bow is already poorly supported - needs a bow roller on the tongue.

Need a pic that shows the transom and back of the trailer.

 

[prayingmantis]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

The back of the boat is about 5-6" passed the bunks. I moved up a couple inches. It is at 120 lbs right now. I think it is still 40-50 lbs light. It also has a full tank of gas. I'm going to move it up so it is even with the bunks. After I do that if is too close to my truck is it safe to use a 12" extension on the hitch

 

[edthearcher]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

Move the winch stand up to the trailer jack. Move the boat all the way up and you might be good. You might have to move the jack forward to accomplish this. Looks like it's way to far back.Transom should be even with the end of the bunks. This should bring the transom straps straight down.Not straight back like in the pic.

ditto on this

 

[JimS123]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

The back of the boat is about 5-6" passed the bunks. I moved up a couple inches. It is at 120 lbs right now. I think it is still 40-50 lbs light. It also has a full tank of gas. I'm going to move it up so it is even with the bunks. After I do that if is too close to my truck is it safe to use a 12" extension on the hitch

You got lots of extra room. Personally I don't like hitch extensions. If you can drop your tailgate and not hit the winch stand, you are not too close.

 

[airshot]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

I would not worry where the boats sits in relation to the bunks, get that boat adjusted to give you the needed tongue weight first and foremost. Once you have the proper tongue wt then you can lengthen tongue, move jack, make bunks longer or what ever else may be needed to support the boat hull but that tongue wt is the most critical. I needed a few more pounds on my trailer as well so I moved the spare tire forward to lay between the bow and the winch stand and now it is perfect.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

I would not worry where the boats sits in relation to the bunks, get that boat adjusted to give you the needed tongue weight first and foremost. Once you have the proper tongue wt then you can lengthen tongue, move jack, make bunks longer or what ever else may be needed to support the boat hull but that tongue wt is the most critical. I needed a few more pounds on my trailer as well so I moved the spare tire forward to lay between the bow and the winch stand and now it is perfect.

I guess everybody has an opinion on where priorities lie. Personally, if the tongue weight is too low I can always take city streets at 30 mph and still get to the ramp safely. But if the transom isn't properly supported and the hull takes a hook and it won't perform on the water then I guess the tongue weight wasn't all that important anyway.

Truth be told its all important, so just DIRTFT!

 

[prayingmantis]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

ok thank for the help

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

Find a set of truck scales and run your tow vehicle and boat through it. Then drop the trailer and weigh the tow vehicle.

When you know what the boat/trailer weighs specifically, get a set of scales to weigh the hitch. Like was previously said, you want 10-15% of the boat/trailer weight on the hitch ball.

And that tells you to move the trailer forward or backward in order to get to the proper hitch weight.

 

[Outsider]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

Why not just drop the trailer on a split scale? You then have tongue weight, axle weight, and total weight. Adjust as necessary. If you can't get the tongue weight high enough, get a bigger trailer. If the bunks don't go to the transom, get a bigger trailer or R & R with longer bunks. This is no place for Redneck Engineering, do it right ...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Does my boat sit too far back on the trailer

longer bunks on a too short trailer IS redneck engineering