newbie had issues at launch

[alilley]

i am a newbie to boats as i have purchased my first boat about a month ago. After doing some work on it and making sure that it was mechanically sound for her test run it was finally time to put her on the water. So i got to the ramp, unhook the transom straps put the plug in and backed her down the ramp to the point where inoticed it was floating and stopped. The prob that i had was i could not get it off the trailer. I noticed that it was hung up on the bow eye and the bow stop. The eye was on top and after pushing on the boat kind of firmly then it slid off the stop and went on into the water. When we went to retreive it, i put the trailer in about as far as it was wehn i launched it and floated it up over half way used the winch and pulled her on and straitend it out as it slid up on the bunks, but when it came up to the bow stop the wench and stop was about 18 inches to low so we made the adjustment and slid the stop and winch down. When we got back to the house i looked at it and noticed that the boat had popped back up to where it normally was. First question is why did it get hung up on the eye?? Am i putting the trailer in to deep during the launch and retrieve is that the cause of my issues?? if so how far do i need to put the trailer in the water?? i for got details on the boat it is a 17ft deck boat with a 3.0 mercruiser and alpha 1 and many thanks in advance

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

Just a suggestion .... your post is very hard to read and understand, because you don't use capital letters at the start of each sentence and it is full of "run-on" sentences.

Try rewriting it - I think you'll get better response.



???

 

[tcgobucks]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

why would you make the "wench" do all the work. Typically putting a boat on the trail is a man's job....lol

 

[CV16]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

I always just back the trailer in til the fender is just barely under water. I also crank my boats up, they seem to center themselves pretty good that way.

 

[Stachi]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

The bow eye is supposed to be under the bowstop...not over it..that is why it got hung up on it.......and it is called a 'winch' not a wench.

 

[bajabuddy]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

?????????????????

 

[ezmobee]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

Is this, by any chance, a particularly steep ramp? I encountered a similar issue recently on a very steep ramp and I'd never had that problem before. Our solution was to winch the boat up till it was about a foot from the stop, then pull up a bit so the boat was resting entirely on the trailer and winch it the rest of the way.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

My retrieval technique:

Pull the trailer in until the bunks are in the water in the back...maybe a foot of them in the water.

Pull my wench out and snap it on the eye ()

Wench it in until the eye is right below the roller.

Pull it out and tidy everything up and hit the road.

 

[jmarty10]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

The bow eye is supposed to be under the bow stop/roller. Adjust the post if possible so the bow lays on top of the roller. The winch strap pulls the bow down tight on to the bow roller. When retrieving, back in so you completely dunk the bunks. Soak em up real good, then pull up so you can see about 1/4or so of the bunks. Winch up until it gets real tight. Hop back in car back up about 6 inches or so and winch up the rest of the way so the bow is nice and tight on the roller. If you came up short and drove away like that the bow moved up onto the roller when you stopped the vehicle. This happens when your driving down the road and come to a somewhat hard stop. However, you dont want to trailer when boat is not tight on stop becasue you take the chance of tearing the bow ring off the boat.

 

[Stachi]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

if you normaly trailer your boat , with the bow stop of the trailer under the bow eye of your boat...there is nothing to prevent the boat from climbing right up and over the trailer if you need to stop in a hurry...very dangerous...

 

[Stachi]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

My retrieval technique:

Pull the trailer in until the bunks are in the water in the back...maybe a foot of them in the water.

Pull my wench out and snap it on the eye ()

Wench it in until the eye is right below the roller.

Pull it out and tidy everything up and hit the road.

a WINCH is on a trailer...a WENCH should be quietly awaiting you to return from your day of boating with garden hose to thoroughly wash your boat , and a cold refreshment in hand for you so you may enjoy the task of directing her about her duties...dinner must be in the oven.

 

[Stachi]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

we all are allowed at least one fantasy...lol

 

[1dumbscreenname]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

Stachi, I am glad you clarified your FANTASY!!! LOL!!!

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

I used to see this all the time at the campground I worked at. People would always be pulling in with the boat on the trailer and the bow eye above the roller. Never could figure out how they did that. Not only is it a safety hazard as Stachi pointed out, it will also quickly trash the bow roller. Next time in the water, bring the bow eye up snug to the bottom of the roller and call it good.

 

[Thad]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

My retrieval technique:

Pull the trailer in until the bunks are in the water in the back...maybe a foot of them in the water.

Pull my wench out and snap it on the eye ()

Wench it in until the eye is right below the roller.

Pull it out and tidy everything up and hit the road.

I was wondering how you pulled the trailer into the water, until I reallized you must be using that new ramp design they were talking about in another thread.

My technique is: The wench backs the trailer down, then the wench uses the winch to pull the boat up.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

Man you guys are sticklers for semantics, eh?

 

[bonz_d]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

The old Gator tilt trailer that I have has a very short winch post and the winch is mounted at the top. The bracket with the bow stop is below it and cannot be adjusted above the eye.

Also with this trailer it seems that it would be even more difficult to retrieve the boat while the trailer is tilted with the strap going under the bow stop.

Then again on this setup I suppose it doesn't really matter because the boat gets strapped down with gunwale straps and does not move. Not argueing whether this is right or wrong just stating the way this oldie is.

 

[The Hammer]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

When anything goes wrong at the launch, I blame the wench! Without some pics of your setup its hard to say. But after 3 or 4 lauchings and retrievals you will get the hang of it.

 

[dirtdiver]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

Geez Ive been doing it wrong all along. I bought my boat used and thats how it was on the trailer, that would explain why the roller was all messed up. I guess I should get a new roller and start doing it right...

 

[bowler]

Re: newbie had issues at launch

Pics please!!! Trailoring shouldn't be hard. Luckily my slipway allows me to drive on and off. Not much wenching for me. Until I get home...