Centering my boat on trailer.

[Willdoe]

I'm having trouble when loading the boat(1979 - 14'6" Haines) on the trailer it sometimes isn't centred on the rear rollers. The trailer has skids ( not wobble rollers) that sit under the horizontal section of the hull so they don't help with centering. Has anyone used the guides shown on the attached site and are they effective. Will be cheaper than converting to wobbles.

I've tried to attach a picture of the back of the boat, who knows if it warked.

http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-2152-ark-eziguides.aspx

63155

Thanks Willdoe

[theangryangler]

Willdoe I have installed and used this product before works really well just be careful not to hit them when coming onto trailer as they bend/break with a bit of age, wear and a good wack! . aAnd making sure to install equal on both sides is important i know goes without saying but............. ;D

[Duckfish]

Try moving the skid to be underneath a strake. Just a thought.
Duckfish

[dreemon]

You can also try a self centreing rear roller, the red ones are meant for glass boats and only the rear roller, blue are for alloy cheers

[Angryant]

I installed self centering rollers and that worked for me.

[White Pointer]

G'day,

A golden rule. Tinnies on skids - f'glass boats on rollers.

F'glass boats don't like the abrasive effect of being rubbed by skids. Skids create score marks in the f'glass. This is caused by trailer flex. The trailer is not as rigid as the boat hull.

Ditch the skids and get it on rollers. It will save you heaps in f'glass repairs in the long run.

Regards,

White Pointer

[Malcolm W]

Willdoe, Try retrieving with the trailer a bit shallower in the water.
This will bring the boat up with the assistance of those keel rollers instead of alowing the boat to half float on.
It will make winching harder, but to combat this put some lubrication on the skids and make sure al the rollers are free. The hains also seems to have that flat spot on the keel making it harder to centre.
Try deep launch and shallower retrieve, it can be a fine line for some trailers .
Cheers Mal.

[deckie]

I doubt with that keel line whether a self centreing roller will achieve much. I also have my doubts with the keel shape u have whether that roller you're interested in would be suitable as well. Right now there's nothing cradling the V of the hull as it comes up and she's free to move about especially if you back it in even a fraction too deep....whynot just try even a single wobble roller or cpl of 500mm guiding skids angled to the V of the hull about two thirds to the back. Load the boat up to realistic trailering weight when adjusting height and make them so they are just guides not weight bearing at all.
You might find you get better value from a set of guidepoles than that type of fancy roller at the back...perform a few duties and like having a guy in the water at the back and gives u retrieval options and a big help when the breeze is up.

[PADDLES]

to add to the other suggestions here, maybe try moving the skids a little towards the centreline of the trailer, this will have them hitting the vee of the hull and not that flat bits on the edge of the hull, you might need to change the angle they hit the hull too so that the flat of the skid is parrallel to the vee. but like white pointer has said it's more usual to see rollers on glass hulls even though a lot of american glass boats sit on skids.

[Horse]

I hasve just removed a set of those Eziguides. My hull is an older design with complex multi chines and they fought the shape of the hull. They would probably work OK on yours though

[Malcolm W]

Also fitted these for beach launching. The skids force the boat to self centre. You can adjust the angle to slope more towards the keel roller. Cost about $75 3 years ago.

[Willdoe]

Thanks for all the replies. The trailer is as old as the boat 1979 Tinka, bulit before wobble rollers became the norn I suspect. It is still in good shape (no rust). The skids are felt lined and todate havn't scored the hull.

I have considered angled skids suggested by Horse & Malcolm. I think I'll try a set of wobbles at the rear and see if it improves. I can always put more on or move the skids in to the vee of the hull if needed.

Willdoe :P:P

[Vitamin Sea]

Hi, Duckfish is on the money, move the skids in a bit, probably nearly 1/2 in from where they are, but you will just have to look at it.

The skids won't be doing anything with regards to allignment until the boat is nearly all the way up.

Try it before you spend to much coin

Cheers

VS