Advice Please - What To Do With Boat While I Restore The Trailer?

[Dave666]

Firstly, a very big hello to all AusFish Members. This is my first post and I cannot believe the amount of collective knowledge on this site. I hope you guys can share some of that knowledge with me so that I can enjoy the “boating lifestyle” with my family.

I recently purchased my first boat. She’s a 19ft Pride Montego with 115hp 2 stroke Yamaha and tandem trailer. She needs a bit of TLC and I have decided that stage 1 will be a full restoration of the trailer.

My question to you smart folk is – where the hell do I put the hull while I resto the trailer? I run my own small business and I don’t have lots of spare time. Because of this it could take me a few months to fully resto the trailer. Here is a list of options, which are not really suited;

1) Dry Dock Storage – If it’s going to take time this will add too much cost to the project
2) Swing Mooring – Window leaks & tears in covers & I worry she might fill with water
3) Roll onto tyres & carpet in front yard – I am not real comfortable doing this to a heavy 19ft half cab with 115hp on the back.
The only other idea I have is to put the hull on another trailer. Anyone have a spare trailer they might like to rent to me?
Any suggestions on what I could do with the hull while I fix the trailer?
Cheers
Dave

[Nathan Tuskes]

roll it onto some tyres is pretty easy, one in the car, one on the winch post slowly unwinding the winch to lower it down while the car is very very slowly driven forward

[STUIE63]

my vote is the tyres in the back yard . and welcome to the forum

[Jarrah Jack]

Welcome Dave. Tyres in the yard is the way to go. The trick when putting the boat back on is to unhook the trailer from the car and winch the trailer under the boat. The front of the trailer will reach for the sky but just keep winching and it will go ok. Make sure the cable is in good nick though.

When you take the boat off it would be easier to have someone helping you so long as they have their wits about them.

[johncar]

hello and welcome Dave,
Yeah definitely drop it off the trailer at home in the yard if practical, they are really quite easy to put on and off the trailer. But yeah you need someone you can trust either on the winch or driving the car foward. Alternatively you can leave the car and trailer static and use a portable winch to pull the boat off while your offsider controls the departure with the boat trailer winch letting it come back steadily.
once the boat has come back far enough to be on the ground or tyres or whatever you decide to put it on, (when I have dropped mine onto the grass or the shed floor I have just used an old tarp folded over many times and just placed it down the keel line) just anchor the back of the boat and drive slowly forward to lower the bow steadily. Just have something at the ready to keep the hull upright as you let the last of it off the trailer. A couple of milk crates can suffice. Once on the ground just make sure it's totally stable so no kids can crawl under it and have it fall over on them.

Putting it back on is even easier, just back up to the boat with the trailer with car attached if practical, leave it all in neutral with brakes off and wind it under he boat with the trailers winch.
And yes make sure that the trailer winch and rope, strap or cable is in good condition and that the trailer is properly attached to the tow vehicle with safety chains and once the trailer starts to apply uplift to the car ensure the coupling will not lift off the ball and just keep clear just in case.

Think it through, go nice and slow, keep the kids away and anyone not directly assisting and all should be good, after you have done it once you find it a breeze, but never be complacent.
Good luck

[Tracker]

Dave,
If you tell us where you are someone maybe close enough to help.cheers

[finga]

Only other thing I can say is you'll need a fair bit of room to take a 19' boat off it's trailer.
19' for the boat. About 23' for the trailer and about 18' for the car plus room to manoeuvre the car and trailer.
And putting it back on is a lot easier then taking it off :)

[Dave666]

Thanks Guys,

I appreciate the advice. I have a very big yard so looks like rolling her off onto tyres is the way to go. It makes sence, but when your new to the boating world, it just seems a bit daunting.

If anyone who has done this before lives in / near Sydney (I am at Pymble) I would be more than happy to compensate them for their time and effort.

Thanks again for the advice.
Cheers
Dave

[Fed]

There's lots of ways to do it so I may as well throw my hat in the ring.

I've never bothered with tyres on grass just a spare wheel under each side towards the back to stop it tipping.
Winching on I always leave the trailer connected to the car with the car in neutral and no handbrake.

You do have a roller trailer right?
Might pay to put up some pics of your rig just to make sure there are no glaring problems.

[Dave666]

Hi Fed,

It needs repairs, but yep its a roller trailer.

So, when you guys say put tyres under each side at the back, you mean the spare tyres with rim. I thought you ment old tyres (no rim) because it would be softer on the hull, but being soft wuld allow the hull to roll to one side more. So, its normal inflated tyres with rim - correct?

Cheers
David

[finga]

Na. Old crappy tyres with no rims does the job just nicely.

[Fed]

I've always used spare wheels out of the cars, sort of thought tyres might be a bit too squishy but I guess not.
Next time I'm going to let it flop on one side just for the hell of it, it's not like it can fall any further or roll over.

[Stressless]

Did it 3 years ago for a re-gal, used sand bags (woven fertiliser type). You get a bit more height and makes putting back on the trailer easier, all on my lonesome.

[cormorant]

I'll add my 2 bobs worth

Borrow 6 tyres from local tyre shop- just check they will accept the cases back as you don't want to get caught dumping them

2 at the back under each strake to hold it pretty horizontal. Watch out for tranducers and waterpivkups speedo pitots etc I use them at the back as many older boats you an't tilt up 100% so you need some clearance height at the rear to stop teh gearbox scraping or taking all the weight.


two thirds to bow the other 2 tyres. Yep they will hold the bow up so boat will still drain and height will make going on the trailer much easier.

Tie stern off to something solid , bottom of fence post or drive a couple of star pickets into the grass behind the boat , I when alone tie off rope to bow to winch post with 3 foot slack, slowly move car forward, untie bow rope another 2- 3 foot etc etc. Bow rope is just to make sure bow doesn't spring up or boat slide off tyres and depends on your trailer type. You soon work out the balance point of your boat on the trailer . Slow and easy.

Agree with above posts that if on the flat that just winching on with car in neutral works and is simple as


Beware when doing the first launch after trailer repairs. They tend to slide off fast with freshly lubed rollers etc and owners who are dumb enough not to leave safety chains on when reversing down ramps will find a boat on the ramp. Yep it is dumb owners time of year which culminates with fireworks on NYE


Seriously 19 foot , reasonably light weight and if your motor tilts up enough you can go straight onto the grass and with a tyre at the front .


Hasn't someone put up a utube clip when this question was asked before - maybe I am dreaming. Hey dave - video it - it can be a educational video or will make Australias funnies home videos. ;D

[Dave666]

Thank guys - everyone had good advice - not sure how old you blokes are but all I can say is "wise beyond your years".

I have only launched the boat once and it was a real bugger to push off the trailer. I had to put the trailer futher in so she had more float. Hence my need to restore the trailer. So trying to push off onto grass could be real tough.

Cormorant, if I drive in a couple of star pickets out the back and tie off to the cleats at the back of the boat, then drive forward slowly, you think this will work ok (bow tied off with some slack)?

[cormorant]

yes , 10 foot of rope.



here is a clip ( fast forward through it) of a bloke doing it on his own for the retrieval . He is not doing it that well and a couple of tyres under a boat makes a huge difference and leaving it attached to the car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0JgfjhklKk

Is it just the rollers on the trailer that are stuffed or other stuff. If it is just a couple of stuffed rollers you can just jack the boat up or put em on next time at the ramp with eth boat off. 5 minutes a roller , split pin pliers hammer , bigger hammer just in case ( just don't leave the boat on the pontoon)

Just treat it like a big wreckers yard, if you have forgotten anything there will be lots of other trailers there to borrow from so yours is perfect!!! - yes I'm joking but other aren't

[Dave666]

Thanks Cormorant,

She needs more than just rollers. Axel, springs, brakes, rollers rust protection, few modfications, etc. Frame, wheels, winch, all good.

Cheers
Dave

[whiteman]

That video post above would give OH&S people big concerns!

This is how I do it ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc1AoYcU-lg&feature=related (I wish - it looks so easy).

If you don't want to use star pickets you can tie the rear of the boat to the tow ball of another car.