easy loading tinnie trailers?????

[garman1]

Hi all, I have a 4.3 mtr quintrex boat with a standard boat trailer layout, keel rollers then slides etc...................... I know larger boats have wobble rollers... my question is. are there setups like that made for smaller size tinnies (4.3 mtr), or are they only designed for plateys and fibreglass boats with no ribs.

If they are designed for smaller tinnies where can the wobble setups be purchased.

[juju]

Check this out....http://www.dunbier.com/trailers_rollamatic.php
looks like what your after

[Mindi]

Garry
Unless the hull is designed to take it you cant use a rollamatic type which supports the boat thru the floor...you must have keel rollers to take the weight. Anything with plate bottom 4mm or over and longitudinal welded stringers can be supported this way but pressed bottoms with floating ribs will not take the weight...you have to support the keel.

[finga]

If your boat is not easy to launch and retrieve then there may be a problem with the setup.
Wobble setup are for boats with a thicker hull bottom to distribute the weight a bit.
The slides on the tinny should be across a couple of ribs to carry the weight of the tinny.
Just like Mindi has said I suppose.

[garman1]

Well as usual whenever you ask a question ....you get an answer, thanks guys. I have done some work on the skids, and am in the process of fitting "easy loader" rollers on the back to guide the nose onto the first keel roller. I just thought if the boat and trailer were suitable then I would look down that path. I felt a bit envious of a couple of guys at the ramp the other day, they just drove their boats up onto the trailer (larger boats than mine).................

I am setting the boat up so that most of the weight is on the keel rollers and the skids really only stop it from rocking side to side so to speak ? I am hoping that I am heading down the right path. I went down to deep water bend on friday just gone, thinking it's blowing a gale nobody will be there, a good time to play around loading and doing adjustments to the setup....wrong it was like saturday morning........................................... ............... in the end I couldn't resist going for a blast to "clear out the cobwebs".

Again thanks for the info..as usual :D:D

[garman1]

One other thing......... it was like a slalom course, dodging crab pot floats, people use anything, black oil containers to milk bottles to water containers........ in the middle of the channel just off to the edge of channel............... struth. Even a jetskier to add icing on the cake.

Ahhhhhhhhhh felt like a saturday morning ;)

[Mindi]

Well as usual whenever you ask a question ....you get an answer, thanks guys. I have done some work on the skids, and am in the process of fitting "easy loader" rollers on the back to guide the nose onto the first keel roller. I just thought if the boat and trailer were suitable then I would look down that path. I felt a bit envious of a couple of guys at the ramp the other day, they just drove their boats up onto the trailer (larger boats than mine).................

I am setting the boat up so that most of the weight is on the keel rollers and the skids really only stop it from rocking side to side so to speak ? I am hoping that I am heading down the right path. I went down to deep water bend on friday just gone, thinking it's blowing a gale nobody will be there, a good time to play around loading and doing adjustments to the setup....wrong it was like saturday morning........................................... ............... in the end I couldn't resist going for a blast to "clear out the cobwebs".

Again thanks for the info..as usual :D:D

first...you are on the right path with keel rollers taking all the weight. Set the side skids up with about 5-6mm total play sideways....ie...put a piece of masonite on one of them, tighten them to the hull, then remove the 6mm packing. That way they dont impede launching and dont take continuous weight.
You can drive onto this sort of trailer with an aid. I have twice owed old quinnie 5M boats which I drove on using a Steadfast Retriever Mate rear spring guide...they have been around for donkeys years and are absolutely excellent. Even if you dont drive on these make single handed retrieve a piece of cake. Now about $300 (check whitworths catalogue) but see what I mean on http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=138&item=71290&intAbsolutePage=1

[finga]

That's the trick...the 5mm play :)

On my tiny tinny I made a blue. The skids were too long and they bound on the chines.
I didn't notice they were slightly curved did I.
We had to lift her off the first launch but a couple of cuts with the saw and jobs done.

[kind_cir]

I use silicon spray on my skids. Keep a can in the back of the car and give them a squirt when I park the trailer.

[garman1]

I have just got a set of "ezy loader" rollers like on the link, Mindi. Fitted em on Thursday and tried them on Friday, the end of the roller caught on the ribs of the boat and the rollers wouldn't flatten right out, leaving the back of the boat off the skids. I have remounted em further apart now and will put the boat back in the water soon to see if that stops them fouling on the rib. It did centre the boat on the first roller a lot easier than without them.

Thanks for the info on the masonite, will change the skid height too, I have lowered the rear skids slightly (zinc bolts used from last owner, had to drill out every one) so it looks like the same job for the front ones too.

When the boat is fully loaded, the rear roller doesn't touch the rear keel at all? Is that roller too low?or the centre one too high? If you have the rear one too high I can see the boat listing one way or the other upon loading it onto the trailer.

Will change the skids and try out the "ezy loader" rollers again and report back.

Again many thanks for the info/suggestions. ;)

[foxx510]

I have just got a set of "ezy loader" rollers like on the link, Mindi. Fitted em on Thursday and tried them on Friday, the end of the roller caught on the ribs of the boat and the rollers wouldn't flatten right out, leaving the back of the boat off the skids.

Is the spring tension adjustable on those?

[Scott nthQld]

My trailer has wobble rollers for a 4.8m pressed tinny, as others have said, I also have the keel rollers down the centre. My trailer is a Coaster trailer, built in '92. I don't even think they exist anymore though.

[garman1]

The springs come in different ratings........ I bought these really cheap but are designed for a 5 metre boat, so I may have to buy the lower rated springs..... about 25 bucks I think. Will experiment with just moving them out a bit first.

I have got this coming week off, so I am expecting cyclones from monday to friday and perfect weather with moreton looking like a mirror on Saturday (first day back at work)

[Mindi]

Is the spring tension adjustable on those?

It wasnt on the ones I had....it is possible that if they dont flatten the spring strength is too much or the boat too light..? maybe one size too big but may be too late to change..? Mine certainly flattened and carried the rear of the boat rather than the back keel roller....? it might pay to ask Steads whether this is right or not. I might have then adjusted the rear centre roller up to reach the keel...cant remember its a while ago now. I do remember thinking the Retriever Mate was the best thing since sliced bread once I had it set up right. It worked so well for me I used to drive my 5 metre cruisabout and fishabout on all the time.

[garman1]

Ok went out today...gentlemens hours.... and the boat went great. Saw a couple of dolphins, naturally they ate the fish we were supposed to catch....

When we got back to the ramp we put the ezi loader rollers on and it centred on the first roller just great, but whcouen the boat was out of the water you could see that the ends of the ezi roller were caught in the ribs. I am ringing to see if you can get any lighter springs now. If I can get light duty springs I think it will be a great idea.

Tried SP's felt strange, couldn't resist taking bait, nothing on SP and a few nibbles on bait.

[White Pointer]

G'day,

Tinnies and plate boats belong on skids and glass boats belong on rollers.

Rollers may be used to help a tinnie centre onto the trailer but they will put dents in the hull if they are used to support the hull out of water. Skids will destroy the finish on a glass boat at the points of maximum load. Dented and scuffed hulls create drag, slow the boat and increase fuel burn. In worst case conditions they can break your hull or trailer.

Skids need to be lubricated to work well and there are silicone sprays to do this.

Also, trailers and vehicles are not always compatible. Vehicle manufacturers should have an OE towball height equal to the height at the centre of the rear axle.

Trailer manufacturers should have a trailer coupling height equal to the centre line of their axle(s). With boat on the trailer (full fuel and usual trailering load) the downforce load on the trailer coupling should less than or equal to the maximum downforce the vehicle manufacturer specfies.

If it looks out of whack take it to Queensland Transport and get it weighed - axle by axle. There's a cost but they will tell you what's wrong. If you are illegal they won't let you leave - it will be a tow home on a flat bed for BMT. Sounds extreme but it's better than a write off or killing someone.

The solutions are (most expensive to least expensive) unless you count the cost of your time (a) buy a better tow vehicle; (b) get a better trailer; (c) buy a new tow bar insert to lift or drop the trailer nose height; (d) shift the axles on the trailer to achieve balance and proper downforce load.

After that, when BMT and vehicle are joined, there should be enough adjustment on rollers or skids to get the boat keel perfectly parallel with the ground. That's how it works.

Smile. We are having fun!

Regards,

White Pointer

[garman1]

Ordered softer tension springs, suited to my boat size. The spring rollers do an excellent job centreing the bow, so with softer springs it should allow them to flatten out at the stern..........

[foxx510]

G'day,

Tinnies and plate boats belong on skids and glass boats belong on rollers.

I've always thought tinnies were best supported by keel rollers, with the skids doing very little aside from stopping side to side movement. Ours is set up with the skids just touching the hull.

[White Pointer]

I've always thought tinnies were best supported by keel rollers, with the skids doing very little aside from stopping side to side movement. Ours is set up with the skids just touching the hull.

G'day,

Yeah - it seems logical to support the keel but it is only true on a keel boat. Tinnies are built a bit like cars - no real chassis but relying on shaped and ribbed panels to reinforce the structure.

So to support a pressed tinny you have to distribute the load over as big an area as possible. With rollers under a tinnie the very small point of contact of each roller acts like a panel beaters hammer on the hull. If can get the roller directly under a stringer it may reduce this effect but it could also break welds in rough road conditions. One solution is lots and lots of rollers to spread the load. That's why good skids are better than rollers on tinnies but also on plate boats.

The opposite is true of glass boats. Skids damage glass finishes. Because trailers flex and boats (hopefully) don't there is always friction. So glass boats need rollers and the more the better including under the keel - provided that keel rollers share the load and don't bear all of it.

Regards,

White Pointer

[garman1]

The rollers I am fitting form a "V" when the boat isn't on the trailer and as the bow enters the v, the "V" rollers start to flatten out guiding the keel (centred) on the first roller. Then as the boat continues on the next two rollers the "V" rollers actually flatten out and the boat rests on the skids like normal............... The only part that was a bug bear was the "V" rollers were for a larger boat and the springs are made heavier to suit it.

New lighter springs are on the way.....so that the rollers will lay totally flat now

Thanks for all the advice

[foxx510]

G'day,

Yeah - it seems logical to support the keel but it is only true on a keel boat. Tinnies are built a bit like cars - no real chassis but relying on shaped and ribbed panels to reinforce the structure.

So to support a pressed tinny you have to distribute the load over as big an area as possible. With rollers under a tinnie the very small point of contact of each roller acts like a panel beaters hammer on the hull.


Not wanting to be argumentative, but, our tinny and most that I've seen have a substantial I-beam keel, and the only marks/deformation on our hull have in fact been caused by the skids when they were poorly adjusted by the previous owner and were bearing weight.

As you said you need to distribute the load, but skids bearing any weight on a 2mm hull soon deform the alloy between the ribs. Possibly it is different once you get up past 3mm hull thicknesses. I reckon 99% of the weight should be on the keel rollers, as the keel is the strongest point on the boat.
Happy to be proven wrong though, I don't claim to be the worlds expert on this. :)

[garman1]

Latest update on the "easy loading tinnie trailer", got the softer springs Friday morning, fitted em at deepwater bend with an outgoing tide, with the boat going with the tide.... with the "V" rollers fitted as soon as you started to wind up the winch the nose was pulled into the "V" rollers and came up straight onto the first keel roller........ with no pushing and shoving etc (I am sure you all know what I mean). When the boat was fully loaded the v rollers were flat and had little pressure against the hull itself, all the weight was on the keel rollers, with the skids allowing a couple of mm movement from side to side.

The trailer I have is a tilting one, which makes for easy unloading by yourself and with this addition makes loading as easy too.

This closes one page in the book of getting a tinnie on and off the water by yourself without cursing.

Again thanks to those who posted their suggestions, they all helped with setup etc


http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=138&item=71290&intAbsolutePage=1

[foxx510]

Good stuff, glad you got it sorted.