help with bayliner on escort trailer

[dtholmanmax]

Hello all - been a long time. I have a 91 Bayliner Capri on an escort trailer. I always noticed that it seemed to be riding very close to the fender on one side. It never rubbed & I always thought it was a problem with me getting the boat on the trailer straight. The bottom line is that the boat is riding too low on the trailer. To get it home from 2 hours away on the last trip with it, we had to take off the fenders to keep it the boat off the tires/fenders. Finally, my dad & i thought it might be the springs sagging. This was not the case - after replacing the springs, it was the same story. Too low/close to the tires & the bottom of the boat is within inches of hitting the axle on the trailer. It seems that if there was a longer shackle/hanger, we could raise the boat but I can't seem to find this part. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. As it stands now, I can't do anything with the boat - selling it would seem difficult & so does keeping it and using it. I'll try to post pictures over the weekend if anyone would like to see my problem.

Thanks
David

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

Bunk or roller trailer?
Sounds like one or the other needs raised/replaced to get the boat back up.

 

[dtholmanmax]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

it's a bunk trailer. like i said i will get a couple of pictures this weekend.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

Yea, that will help a lot to see it.

 

[tommays]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

I have an 1995 Escort and on mine there is carpeted wood incert as part of the fender that keeps the boat centered on the trailer

It has metal fenders held on with 4 bolts and i had to replace the hardware with SS bolts and good washers to keep the fenders from shifting


It is REALLY close to the tires

 

[dtholmanmax]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

And as close as it is to the tires, it doesn't allow for much movement of the suspension - mine's actually drug a few times and I had to remove the fenders to finish a trip! Between the proximity to the fenders and the proximity of the boat to the axle, it seems dangerous. I'm guessing we need to work on the bunks.

 

[edzzed]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

if its a bunk type trailer, you can add carpeted 2x4's to the top or take the bunks off and add 2x4's to the bottom and screw the old bunks to that. it'll raise the boat level 2 inches. always screw from the bottom if you screw from the top you run the risk of scratching the boat. just make sure the screw is only about 3 1/4 inches as two 2x4's should add up to 4 inches, leaving about 3/4 inch so the screw cannot penetrate upwards and scratch the boat. Ed

 

[roadrunnr]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

Actually two 2X4's will add up to 3", as a 2X4 is actually 1 1/2 X 3 1/2. So you better stick to screws that are 2 1/2" if you plan on doubling up on the bunkers. Edzzed idea does sound like a good inexpensive fix!!

 

[chicknwing]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

really sounds like a bunk issue. You may consider changing the size of the bolster brackets. That will allow you to raise the boat off the trailer. You need to measure the height and decide how high you want the boat to sit. It should be sitting with the keel just off the center rollers. As for where to get the bolster brackets you can find them all over the internet. I would suggest finding them at a local shop. That way if they don't fit you can quickly exchange them. Plus they carry some weight which will add to the shipping costs online.

TC

 

[dtholmanmax]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

Other problem realized as we looked at it again this weekend - the tires of the trailer are so far up into the fender wells that they will drag. This seems to be more of a trailer suspension issue - the weird thing is this was never a problem during the first year or two that I owned the boat. THat's why we thought the springs were shot but with the new one on, it's the same issue. It's like it needs a longer hanger off of the shackle on the back. IF we could find one it would raise the fender off the tire & raise the boat off the axle/fenders...It's VERY close & any suspensino travel will cause the tire to rub the fender & the axle to hit the boat. If anyone knows of a place in Dallas that could help me out with this I'd appreciate it...

 

[lmannyr]

Re: help with bayliner on escort trailer

Try posting pictures of the wheel fender issue and bunk setup. I agree with the above posters. Bump up the height on the bucks. It can be done is a couple of hours if you float the boat and work on it in the parking lot with all supplies ready to bolt on.

Love to see the pics though.

HAVE FUN!!!