higher or lower

[Dignity]

Currently I drive my boat onto the trailer, it is an Allison Vision 195 with a long shaft 150 Yammy 4 stroke motor, I find that I do need to tilt the motor up to drive it on, not enough and the skeg hits the ramp, too much and the boat points too high in the sky. I have it pretty well sussed now but I am about to order the new trailer as the MD has given her blessing and I have 2 options, one is the same height the other is 70 mm lower.

My thought is to go with the lower profile as I think that the bow won't lift as high and generally be easier to drive on, or is my theory totally out of whack and I will suffer more, your own experience in this would be most appreciated.

[Darren Mc]

I wouldn't go the lower one if I were you. I think that would make the situation worse.
Do you use the same ramp most of the time? Some ramp's are different angles and shapes, which can make driving on tricky.
The one at the Manly Yacht club goes down at an angle then flattens off under water towards the bottom.

[Darren Mc]

My reason is if the trailer is 70 mm lower, the skeg will be closer to the ramp and you'll have to tilt it up even higher to miss the ramp. I might be wrong but that's my interpretation. Hope I helped, if not someone will surely give me a roasting soon. lol.

[Dignity]

Darren I generally use either Mooloolaba near the coast guard or the pontoon at the power boat club. My thought was that the approach angle would be lower and even though I needed to still raise the motor the overall effect would be a more even keeled drive on, seems contrary to logic but then again my daughter tells me I am not logical.

[Dignity]

I won't Darren I generally use either Mooloolaba near the coast guard or the pontoon at the power boat club. My thought was that the approach angle would be lower and even though I needed to still raise the motor the overall effect would be a more even keeled drive on, seems contrary to logic but then again my daughter tells me I am not logical.

[Darren Mc]

Would raising the roller's from the back of the trailer to change the angle of approach help at all?

[Dignity]

Darren, it is a rocker cradle, I believe the new ones have 2 positions but raising them would IMHO make the situation worse as it would force the bow into a higher attitude, I am looking at a lower bow attitude.

[Darren Mc]

Oh ok. Out of interest, do you sink the trailer or do you leave it out a bit on retrieval?

[Dignity]

I do have to sink it, but have to be careful as if too far the the cradle doesn't do the job it's meant to do, maybe the height is going to have little impact.

[Darren Mc]

My trailer is a dual axle cradle type job and i sink it until my rear wheels on my triton are about a foot from the waters edge. I then line her up, hit the trailer as soft as i can and just hold her there for a sec. At this point i check to make sure she's straight and make any adjustments with the motor. Then she just drives straight up no problems. I think the cradle is in use a little at the start, but as i drive up to the post and the stern drops a little the cradle then becomes fully involved.
That's how it feels to me anyhow.
Not saying your not sinking the trailer enough , but i know if i don't put mine in as far as i do she does point to the sky a bit and it's not as easy.

[Darren Mc]

I don't know if 70mm would make much difference.

[Dignity]

Darren, same way as you, 70 mm doesn't seem a lot but I suspect it may make a fair bit of difference, as mentioned it will not push the bow up as far, I am thinking of a lever here and I am pretty sure it would be better. I also have a pod which I think makes it worse in some respects.

[russ71]

Darren,
I had the same issue with my trailer, I lowered the rollers forward of the cradle, to where the cradle contacted the beams of the trailer, if you try it you will have to adjust the winch post, I put a jack under the boat and lowered the rollers then dropped the jack to where the cradle contacted the other part of the trailer, so now the boat doesn't to point to the sky when driving on. My trailer is a mackay trailer which is lower than other trailers and my vehicle is at least 2meters from the water when launching/retrieving, I never get my feet wet.

hope this helps

[Lucky_Phill]

Raising the trailer means you'll have to sink it further into the water to achieve the same result you are getting now.

I would just sink the trailer further into the water.

I drive on and off.

I had a Redco Sportsman for many years. I sank it to a stage that the water was covering the top of the rear trailer whels, but not the front ones. Motor tilted up so it just breaks the surface of the water. I come in at the trailer NOT at idle, but a little bit more. The boat goes up about 1/2 to 3/4's of the way, then I give it a little rev and it hits up against the stop roller, hook up and job done.

I am now running a FMS trailer and do pretty much the same thing.

The further you go into the water, the less chance you have of the prop hitting the ramp. But this comes at a cost, as this lends itself to the boat no sitting in the trailer square or even missing a roller.

Practice is what is needed........ take a fews mates down on a quiet day and spend some time figuring it all out.

Also, and you may do this..... I stand in the middle of the boat when driving on...not behind the steering wheel. This gives a much better perspective of the situation.

Good luck


LP

[Dignity]

Thanks Phill, I currently have an old Tinka but was looking at the Redco Sportsman because of it being overall lower. I have tried sinking the trailer further into the drink and as you say the boat can waver enough to cause problems. I found that the closer to the water surface that the prop was the less control I had and did find there was a sweet spot a little lower down but once again depending on the stage of the tide. I did try standing in the middle but found it more difficult so I just got my missus to stand at the wheel while the boat was on the trailer and lined up where I should be which was on the inner edge of the mudguard, since then lining up hasn't been a problem it is the depth of my motor, it seems with the pod it exacerbates the problem and I cant raise it any further, hence my enquiry whether a lower sitting frame and roller set up be better for the occasion. I haven't thought of FMS but will try them in the new year when they are probably back at work, my time is a little limited as the rego runs out on the old trailer on the 23 January which is probably still too short a time for a change over.

[Dignity]

Darren,
I had the same issue with my trailer, I lowered the rollers forward of the cradle, to where the cradle contacted the beams of the trailer, if you try it you will have to adjust the winch post, I put a jack under the boat and lowered the rollers then dropped the jack to where the cradle contacted the other part of the trailer, so now the boat doesn't to point to the sky when driving on. My trailer is a mackay trailer which is lower than other trailers and my vehicle is at least 2meters from the water when launching/retrieving, I never get my feet wet.

hope this helps

russ, I am not sure this will solve my problem as it is the initial run onto the trailer where my boat wants to point to the sky, the rear cradle rollers I believe need to be as low as possible to help prevent this, the tide runs pretty fast at Mooloolaba at times so it can be quite awkward if I don't get it right first time. Generally I can manage but maybe I am just a worry wart as there is alays the time I stuff up, but then I do it with Dignity :)

[Darren Mc]

I do that aswell lucky_phill. That is, stand in the centre looking straight through the bowsprit at the winch as i make my approach. If i dont do this i find she wont sit in the roller's properly.
I was also thinking you should just try sinking the trailer a bit more, but if your already at the waters edge you cant.

[Lucky_Phill]

Not too sure about being at waters edge ... ? does that mean the car wheels are at the water ?

If so, maybe all you need to do is extend the drawbar. That would be a economical solution.

And the extension would probably only need to be 300 - 500mm.

From my experience.

Once I hit the trailer with the boat and it slides up most of the way.... when I give it some more power, it doesn't " look skyward " as it is far enough on to have the weight forward.

Or maybe, just get it onto the trailer far enough ( initial slide ) so that the deckie can attach the winch hook and wind it on the last meter ?

Keep persisting.


LP

[Dignity]

Phill, thanks for your input, basically that is what I do with some small variations, the trlr is backed till about the tow ball is at waters edge and most times the last 500 mm my deckie needs to winch on, as a new trlr is due I was looking at improving my outlook.

I had previously looked at extending the drawbar but it harks back to 1991 and is of the older style where the drawbar is already quite long, that is the outer parts of the frame start further back than current trlrs. I had a trlr repair guy look at it and he said it was not an option, the trlr does need to be lengthened as it is short by at least 250 mm, I then did look at modifying the rear end to extend it but when I looked at replacing most of the roller sets which have now a fair bit of rust and getting rid of all the surface rust on the frame etc let alone how to get to the rust inside the frame, then what to do with the boat in the meantime. Knowing me, my friend Murphy would show up and he has a habit of not going home, it was a simpler solution to buy a new trlr and spend more time on the water.

It is the initial part of driving on that I am trying to resolve, I usually come in till the nose is captured by the cradle then give it a spurt to put her on, it is at this point the rear end wants to bury itself into the ramp because I have to have the motor trimmed up too high, a few times this has caused the motor to hit the ramp.

So if I go back to my original post, am I correct in assuming that if the trlr is lower overall, this might help alleviate some of this issue. I am trying to envisage how a lever/fulcrum works, as my engineering knowledge is limited to knowing that there is such a profession in existence I thought that there might have been some one who had gone down that path.

[Lucky_Phill]

I see.

The solution, as I see it from the above, is that the boat needs to get onto the trailer... most of the way....... without upping the RPM. That is, it has to slide on and not stop at the end ( back of trailer ) and then apply RPM. This is where the problem lies. ??

Solutions.

Lower trailer...............
sink it further........
My option....> initial slide on further.. this requires hitting the trailer at more speed. Doing this is OK, as the rollers will straighten the boat. Just takes practice and no fear.

There are a few styles of drive on trailers. Some pictured below. and one photo of a Redco Sportsman ( well...similar )

cheers Phill

[Fed]

Re Phill's 3rd picture, I was talking to my trailer guy & he reckons you should sink that down to the second last roller at water level to drive on.

How does that compare with what you're doing now?

[scottar]

Personally I wouldn't get the lower trailer. To change the attitude of the boat relative to the frame of the trailer it needs to be backed in more or less. If backing in further means she floats on and doesn't sit square, a lower trailer just means the car will be further from the water when you reach this point. If your trailer has to be in the water a specific distance up the frame - a lower trailer just means less water. None of the angles have changed relative to each other. Reducing the clearance will mean you have trim further so to get the same forward thrust more power will need to be applied which will also want to push the bow up at the same time. It might also create clearance issues with drive ways and gutters. Might be a good time to think about a decent powered winch.

[Lucky_Phill]

The attached photo is roughly where I sink my trailer to. Pink line shows water level.

[Fed]

I sink mine to the red line just over ankle depth.
106980
The joy of a power winch combined with a drop down rear roller. :)

[Lucky_Phill]

Even if I am by myself, I drive on and off. 6.2mtr boat. On and off the ramp faster than most people with power winches and deckies to assist. :)

There is a lot to be said about launching and retrieving, but that is contained in another thread.

It is about getting your boat on and off safely and without damage.

I will say I learnt some very good lessons while doing beach launches into swell / waves. In these cases, speed is of the essense and one learns fast.

LP

[Dignity]

The attached photo is roughly where I sink my trailer to. Pink line shows water level.

Phill, that is about where I get my mate to back down.

Fed, I have tried it at the level you show only twice and both times the skeg hit bottom due to the shallower water level.

[Dignity]

Personally I wouldn't get the lower trailer. To change the attitude of the boat relative to the frame of the trailer it needs to be backed in more or less. If backing in further means she floats on and doesn't sit square, a lower trailer just means the car will be further from the water when you reach this point. If your trailer has to be in the water a specific distance up the frame - a lower trailer just means less water. None of the angles have changed relative to each other. Reducing the clearance will mean you have trim further so to get the same forward thrust more power will need to be applied which will also want to push the bow up at the same time. It might also create clearance issues with drive ways and gutters. Might be a good time to think about a decent powered winch.

At this stage I still think a lower trailer might work as when the boat starts to come on the nose won't be pointing as high and therefore little need to change the trim of the motor, but what you are saying may just be corrected as logic often eludes me. I do have a power winch but it is a slow one so would be upgrading that as well.

[gofishin]

At this stage I still think a lower trailer might work as when the boat starts to come on the nose won't be pointing as high and therefore little need to change the trim of the motor, but what you are saying may just be corrected as logic often eludes me. I do have a power winch but it is a slow one so would be upgrading that as well. Sam, with your current trailer, when hooked up to the car on level ground; how far can you trim down before the skeg touches the ground? when looking at the trailer, is it level, sloping down toward the car or away from it/down toward the stern?

Also, how far up do you drive on, or do you intend to with the new trailer?

I have a trailer that makes my boat sit ~75mm lower than the equivalent one the std trailer. It does have its advantages, but also its disadvantages. Scottar's post above is on the money.

Get a scribble pad out and sketch up the two options on a ramp, will help you get a better picture of what's going on.
Cheers
Brendon


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[Dignity]

Sam, with your current trailer, when hooked up to the car on level ground; how far can you trim down before the skeg touches the ground? when looking at the trailer, is it level, sloping down toward the car or away from it/down toward the stern?

Also, how far up do you drive on, or do you intend to with the new trailer?

I have a trailer that makes my boat sit ~75mm lower than the equivalent one the std trailer. It does have its advantages, but also its disadvantages. Scottar's post above is on the money.

Get a scribble pad out and sketch up the two options on a ramp, will help you get a better picture of what's going on.
Cheers
Brendon


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Brendon, from memory the trailer sits almost level, with the boat on the trailer there is some room under the skeg but I would be guessing, I should be going out Friday and I will do some measuring, normally when I drive on I get to within 300 mm of the winch, only occasionally all the way and that is usually the one at the power boat club. What disadvantages have you found with the lower trlr.the

Edit. Curiosity got the better of me so went out and adjusted the jockey wheel to where it normally sits on the truck, there is a mark which has always been there so it was easy enough to do. The mainframe of the trailer sits level with the ground, the boat itself sits slightly nose up, the motor won't go all the way down in fact it touches just before the rams are all the way down, I will recheck on Friday but I doubt there will be much difference, seems maybe a lower trlr may not do what I want. I will play with pen and paper tomorrow and see what I get.

[gofishin]

Do you know how they get the boat lower on the lower trailer? Stub axles welded on top of axles? Swept torsion bar axles? And does the boat sit lower within the trailer frame, or is the whole frame lower to the ground?

Because the only fixed/common point between the two options is the tow ball, the above Q's can have an effect on what is going on at the rear roller on the ramp.
Cheers
Brendon


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[gofishin]

...What disadvantages have you found with the lower trlr...

Better answer this tomorrow.... slurp, hic...


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[Dignity]

Hic, whaaaat was a a a as than a a a a at again?

[Dignity]

Brendon, one sits on a subframe the other doesn't. It is odd that none of the trailer manufacturers can actually tell me the height of their different trailer models, their focus appears to be on overall length and width, and I have spoken to quite a few. I know where you are coming from as in the last few months I have been measuring many trailers and it is not an easy job as no yard even the manufacturers hold every model or even one that I would hope to purchase, I have found this most frustrating especially in this day and age with autocad and other programs available to them. The variations are great but nothing that they shouldn't be able to answer. To my mind it can be the difference of a sale, must be a great market if all you need is a good price, OAL length and width.

[Lucky_Phill]

Trailer " height " cannot be defined.

You'll need much more info.

Is the height measured from the roller supports ? Cradle ? Axle ?

Certainly roller placement can determine boat height on the trailer. The trailer height is also subject to the towball height on the car. That is, where exactly should one measure the trailer height from.... ideally, directly over the axle..... ?

Trailers are also sold as " winch on or drive on "... they either have rollers or skids. ( or a combination ) They can also have things like power winches and Ezi Guide systems. Trailers can also be a " tilt " type... which by all accounts could be a solution to this problem ?? photo below.

Buying new , you can ask to have the leaf springs fitted on top or below the axles. The manufacturer will try to talk you out of any changes to " their " product, but remember, it's " your " boat that going on it. The manufacturer ( supplier ) should set up the trailer to your boat and personal needs ( if buying new ).

LP

[gofishin]

...What disadvantages have you found with the lower trlr...

Sam, there are a few disadvantages, some/most as suggested in previous posts incl. ground clearance issues on the X-members (both ends of the axles too). A big problem if you ever intend to tow up the beach, but also with kerbs and dips/humps into driveways.

The biggest problem I have found is with skeg clearance at ramps and driving on. This depends on the ramp design incl overall length, whether it shallows or drops off under water, and of course the tide.

At higher tides, if your truck is over the ramp hump, the towbar is higher than normal in relation to the submerged ramp (where the trailer is) and hence your skeg is closer to the ramp due to the cantilever effect.

From memory my donk is ~ two trim bars away from plumb (vertical) when hooked up on level ground, which maybe sounds a little worse than your current rig. My trailer is an ally skid trailer, so a little more flexible than a HDG one. When combined, these make driving on up to the post impossible if I want to maintain control and not 'gun it and hope' it was not too much oomph.

I always leave ~60-100cm of strap out, and sometimes feel the skeg kiss the concrete as the hook is going on. Not enough trim and I kiss early, too much trim and it digs the bum in - and I still kiss early. Luckily I don't need much speed/revs at all getting up my boat up the trailer so the skeg is mostly just roughed up and only missing 'a shaving' in one spot :).

If you are a 'drive on' man, forget the lower trailer. However, if you are going to winch on, a lower trailer will help you keep your bearings out of the drink.

Cheers & HNY!
Brendon


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[Dignity]

Brendon, just back from taking brother and his family out for the day, niece got a nice trevally for her first fish, anyway checked the trailer height and it is slightly down at the front and I can trim the motor all the way down with about 10 mm to spare, I drive on but I can rarely get all the way on and usually need anywhere from 300 to 500 mm from the winch. With all the good info I have received from this thread I think it has to be the higher option with possibly a tilt to make it easier. I also need to now sort out the towball, I bought an extended one but the bolt shops around and I get it as tight as possible but after towing it is loose, I need to sleeve it to solve the issue.

[Lucky_Phill]

Looks like it's gettin sorted then.... good news :)


LP

[Dignity]

Thanks Phill, getting there, as you mentioned it is my boat and my trailer but it is very hard talking to boat yards as they aren't often that knowledgeable about boats and trailers that they don't deal in and even though I have spoken direct with quite a few manufacturers direct they seem to know very little about the application of their product. I will give FMS a call Monday as I haven't spoken to them yet.

Edit. I wasn't being critical of the dealers and manufacturers as this is a very complex issue, it is just so frustrating.

[gofishin]

...extended one but the bolt shops around and I get it as tight as possible but after towing it is loose.... There's nothing worse than loose balls/nuts when towing mate, especially with an extended one....[emoji15]

Not really sure what you mean here, the nut on the tow ball? By extended you mean a longer/taller towball?
Cheers
Brendon



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[Fed]

If the trailer had a full height rear roller right at the transom I bet you'd never hit the ramp sinking it to Phill's pink lines.

IMO trailer makers are really pretty slack, short arsed trailers, angled winch plates, crap electroplated nuts & bolts and very little idea of real world use of their product.

[Dignity]

If the trailer had a full height rear roller right at the transom I bet you'd never hit the ramp sinking it to Phill's pink lines.

IMO trailer makers are really pretty slack, short arsed trailers, angled winch plates, crap electroplated nuts & bolts and very little idea of real world use of their product.
Fed, are you saying it should be a fixed roller and not a rocker cradle. Understand totally your comment on trlr makers, as mentioned I have been very frustrated when discussing other things with them, they are very happy to option your trailer up at additional expense but can't tell you much else. The one manufacturer who makes virtually an identical setup with and without a subframe couldn't tell me what the height difference was regardless of whether it is attached to a vehicle or not, I asked what is the height of the top of the frame where the centre of the load sharing springs bracket was - no idea only a guesstimate, this measurement should not change more than a couple of mm whether it is on a vehicle or not as it is a pivot point.


There's nothing worse than loose balls/nuts when towing mate, especially with an extended one....[emoji15]

Not really sure what you mean here, the nut on the tow ball? By extended you mean a longer/taller towball?
Cheers
Brendon



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Brendon,
The ball slops around, it was the one supplied with the unit which is intriguing, the diameter of the actual bolt is too small for the hole it sits in and consequently with movement even the spring washer wont stop it slowly undoing, I will try sleeving it or maybe look for another ball, I will definitely be putting another nut on it to lock it in place. The extended towbar is one that is 110 mm longer than a standard towbar, I got this one because the bowsprit sat way too close to the back of the vehicle and I could never open the rear doors to put anything in or get anything out.

[Fed]

Fed, are you saying it should be a fixed roller and not a rocker cradle.
A full height fixed keel roller right at the transom with a roller cradle on either side, BUT the rear roller cradle rollers also in line with the transom.
It seems to me that right now when the boat is lifting on the "pink line" centre roller the cradle is still in the V part of the hull and not lifting the back of the boat up, a full height centre roller would stop the back of the boat going too deep.

Why don't you put up a few pictures of the existing trailer and a link to the ones you're interested in buying.

You wouldn't want to buy a new one & still have a problem.

[Dignity]

Fed, going to buy the trailer - third in LP's pics - I believe it might be an MT190, after reviewing all the comments I have decided that" lower" will only cause me more grief, I have spent a couple of days on the water checking where everything sits and taking everyones input into account. The current trailer is short by around 250 mm and that is probably a significant part of the problem. I have ordered the new one from Stones Corner Marine as they gave me a good price, were quick to respond to my enquiries, offered to change over and set up the new trailer without being asked. I have only had one previous dealing with them and that also was some of the best service I have received.
Thanks to everyone on your comments as I learned a fair bit about trailer set ups and some of the pitfalls and also that my logic is usually illogical.

[Fed]

It doesn't look like the mt190.

You sound like me, out of sheer frustration & time pressure I said f#ckit, it's only a boat trailer. I wish I had of researched a bit further or made a few requests to the trailer builder.

[fishing111]

Got the Tinka MT 170 Classic and I wouldn't buy another. The olsen Led trailer lights are shit, the bolts have all rusted and the gal is coming off in chunks. I wouldn't mind if it was left outside, however it has been babied and washed down after every use and kept in a shed. Previous trailer was a Mackay and the difference is chalk and cheese to this one.

[PB]

If you have the option to go lower I would, as when you drive on to a high trailer the bow will rise and sink the stern. If the trailer has been designed for the hull and is set up right your should be able to drive on with only a little bit of up trim and the bow should only rise a little id any at all.

[The Black Unicorn]

Agree with PB. I have a MT190 sportsman purchased just over a year ago. First thing I noticed was how low the boat sat compared to the previous trailer, a Brooker. To me this has an advantage where the boat comes onto the trailer a lot flatter and not wanting to point to the sky. I sink mine till the step section at the front of the guard is just in the water. I then slowly lay the boat into the trailer, get it straight and give it a slight boost to get it on till I hit the end. The old beast used to do exactly what you are saying yours was doing Dignity and I have the chunks out of the skeg to prove it. Great trailer in my opinion.

[Fed]

The end result be the same with a 70mm higher trailer that was backed in further, that would additionally give you an extra 70mm under the skeg?

[PB]

Depends on the length of the trailer, If it has a long drawbar than yeah maybe but most of the off the shelf trailers don’t have this and you end up having to get your car wet and even worse having to get your feet wet to do the winch up and hook the safety chin on. A boat sitting lower on the trailer will also tow better.

[Dignity]

If you have the option to go lower I would, as when you drive on to a high trailer the bow will rise and sink the stern. If the trailer has been designed for the hull and is set up right your should be able to drive on with only a little bit of up trim and the bow should only rise a little id any at all.

PB, that was my original thinking but when I consider how close the skeg is to the ground then I had to have a rethink, I still think in part you are correct, but where the hell do you get to roard test boat trailers.

[Dignity]

The end result be the same with a 70mm higher trailer that was backed in further, that would additionally give you an extra 70mm under the skeg?

Fed, yes and no, but then again how can I say that when asking for advice. In some threads I have read that barely sink the trailer and everything should be hunky dory, others say the opposite. I guess I have finally decided on a trlr 5 and will now have to work with what I have, in waiting for delivery I need to order some Tectal, organize the star head for the spray pattern and hope for some good weather

[Dignity]

Got the Tinka MT 170 Classic and I wouldn't buy another. The olsen Led trailer lights are shit, the bolts have all rusted and the gal is coming off in chunks. I wouldn't mind if it was left outside, however it has been babied and washed down after every use and kept in a shed. Previous trailer was a Mackay and the difference is chalk and cheese to this one.
Agree, definitely not built as they used to be.

[Dignity]

It doesn't look like the mt190.

You sound like me, out of sheer frustration & time pressure I said f#ckit, it's only a boat trailer. I wish I had of researched a bit further or made a few requests to the trailer builder.
If only, I suspect it is all relative, I figure at my age I have 5 to 1 0 years to enjoy my boat, so figure the trailer needs to service me that long. I have started to use the local charter operators to find the one I like because eventually that is the way I will need to ģo.

[PB]

PB, that was my original thinking but when I consider how close the skeg is to the ground then I had to have a rethink, I still think in part you are correct, but where the hell do you get to roard test boat trailers.

Trust me mate, I design and build High End boat trailers and we get them as low as we can on every job. never had a customer come back and say he hit the skeg at the ramp or on the road.

[gofishin]

...I design and build High End boat trailers and we get them as low as we can on every job... What type of axles & suspension do you use PB? L/springs, T/bar or the bag type? Straight axles or the bent/US style that allows the hull to sit lower? 13 or 14" wheels?
Cheers
Brendon



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[bluefin59]

Ph where can I get a price for a braked drive on trailer for a 4.5 mt side console ..thanks Matt

[Moejoes]

Hi Dignity,
Just reading your post & thought I'd throw my 2 cents in ( Might be a little late but might help ).
To me it seems you are 1/. Not dunking the trailer in enough.
2/. Because you are worried about the skeg hitting, the motor is over trimmed ( to high ) causing the bow to point to the sky and then actually pushing the stern down when powering on causing the skeg to hit the ramp.
I have an 8mtr plate boat with twins on a drive on / off trailer I built myself.
When on a level ground ( Road ) the skegs fully trimmed down are about 10mm off the ground, half trimmed about 75mm.
At half trim it is virtually impossible to hit the bottom unless the ramp levels out at the end.
I have launched many times at Bribie, Mooloolaba, Noosa, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg & 1770 ramps without a problem.
I have no problems launching & retrieving myself as sometimes I just can't trust the misses driving / reversing :thumbsup:

Hope this helps.

[odes20]

Great thread. I have a Tinka early model trailer for my Yalta Odessa to which I have added some mods. I have deliberately set mine up to be as low at the keel as possible, on triple sets of rocker rollers. The greatest addition I have made is drive on v guide at the very back and very front of my trailer, which causes the boat to load perfectly straight every time.

I will get some pics of these tomorrow as I designed them myself.

The variability of the ramps I use doesn't miss my attention either. Some ramps run long and shallow, while others drop off way faster, and this makes a big difference to where you position your vehicle to get optimum trailer depth.

[Dignity]

Thanks guys, in Parkes at the moment so the trailer is now a dim memory at the moment but I promise to give it my full attention on my return.

[PB]

What type of axles & suspension do you use PB? L/springs, T/bar or the bag type? Straight axles or the bent/US style that allows the hull to sit lower? 13 or 14" wheels?
Cheers
Brendon



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GDay gofishin,

I mainly fit Roller rockers with our 65mm gull-wing axles as 95% for the trailers we do are 3 tonne to 4.5 tonne ATM. I dont like the Torsion bar suspension on anything over 2.7 tonne as they cant handle long term abuse. most of the time we use 15" wheels this Landcruiser hubs. Ive been working on a air bag suspension that will eliminate the axles altogether but this is still about 12 month away from being ready. if you have a look at the pics below you will notice how the hull sits nice and neatly down in the chassis.
107114107115107116107117

[PB]

Ph where can I get a price for a braked drive on trailer for a 4.5 mt side console ..thanks Matt

PM Sent Mate

[ozynorts]

if you have a look at the pics below you will notice how the hull sits nice and neatly down in the chassis.
107114107115107116107117

Pics aren't there mate. Have to use the "Go Advanced" button and upload the pics to AF then insert inline in your post.

[Lucky_Phill]

How's this Haydn ?

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/photo3_zps11b970b4.jpg (http://s298.photobucket.com/user/Lucky_Phill/media/photo3_zps11b970b4.jpg.html)

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/photo4_zps9045667d.jpg (http://s298.photobucket.com/user/Lucky_Phill/media/photo4_zps9045667d.jpg.html)

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/photo6_zps3a2030f9.jpg (http://s298.photobucket.com/user/Lucky_Phill/media/photo6_zps3a2030f9.jpg.html)

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/photo5_zpsb3d3b6f1.jpg (http://s298.photobucket.com/user/Lucky_Phill/media/photo5_zpsb3d3b6f1.jpg.html)

[ozynorts]

Thanks Phill.

[bluefin59]

Thanks PB got it ...Matt

[odes20]

107134107135107136
Here are the two guides i mentioned. Please ingnore the scratched two pac. I got caught on a shallow reef recently, ill sand it back and re do underneath to be consistant with the rest of the boat. :) The blue on is a V skid at the front, and when the bow gets there, it cant do anything but centre.
The red roller model is at the rear, as a guide, and another one the same foward of it near a keel roller, but not carrying any weight, just guiding the keel to centre. The keel centres perfectly every time. I made these up some years ago

[gofishin]

Great looking trailers PB!


... A boat sitting lower on the trailer will also tow better. Absolutely true, and the most important advantage of getting the boat as low as practically possible, IMHO! Even lowering a boat 20mm on the trailer can have a dramatic 'positive' effect on the trailed CoG.

Some trailers have the boats sitting way too high I reckon.

Although I recall the decision has been made, it seems this topic remains popular and may affect other future decisions. My concern is that some are missing the point that from Dignity's comments re skeg height, his boat already seems relatively low re skeg clearance - from what I can recall!

Some may find the following interesting...

With the help of 2 mates, I can provide some comments on the same hull on 3 different types (and height) trailers.

Boats were CC 685's. Heights were measured to same hull points from the ground, 1/2 way between the axles/wheels - hence a fairly accurate 'relative' comparison between trailer heights despite not being measured hooked up to a vehicle (and to negate being possibly measured with drawbars propped to different heights).


Rig/Trailer 1.
Std Redco/Tinka gal trailer but with 13" wheels, L/springs and stub axles welded on top of main axles, hence the boat sits quite low to the ground.
Owner has to trim up a little more at some ramps but can get to the post at most ramps without issues.
Let's call this the 'base trailer'.


Trailer 2, (my trailer, as discussed in posts 28 and 35).
DURALUM (U.S. Rocket International) alloy skid trailer, 14", swept/bent T/bar axles, shortest drawbar of all 3 from memory.
Boat sits 30mm lower than trailer 1 (base trailer), so it is very low.

O/B is still trimmed out from plumb/vertical when skeg hits the ground and when hooked to car, caution always required to prevent skeg kissing the ramp, but it still does at times.


Trailer 3.
Dunbier multi roller alloy trailer, L/springs, 14".
Boat sits 80mm+ higher than trailer 2, and 50mm+ higher than trailer 1.
Skeg is alooong way above the deck when the donk is vertical.
Owner never has issues with any ramps... As expected.

Obviously the clearance under the skeg has a lot to do with towbar/hitch height too. Although I use an adjustable height HR hitch, with my previous 2 tow vehicles I needed a lower hitch height to enable the rear door to be opened (important to me). This gave me more/better clearance under the skeg (and less ramp troubles), but meant I needed to use planks both sides to get out of my humpy driveway :(.

With my current tow tractor I can use a higher hitch which means no driveway planks required, but more ramp/skeg issues!

As always, boating is a compromise :).

Cheers
Brendon



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dignity]

Ok guys, I have ordered the trailer, went to Parkes to make sure Elvis left the building ( the managing director had precedence on where she wanted to go this year) and now that I am back I want to make sure I Tectyl the inside and outside of the trailer before it's first dunking. I was looking to use a spray nozzle attached to the compressor to push up the channels to make sure they all got nicely coated, anyone used one and know what they are called or the best place to get one.

[scottar]

I purchased an entry level rust proofing gun from Access Industrial at Murrarrie - cost about $120 from memory. There are cheaper options on the net but I still like to have a gander at what I am buying in person. Worked well with fisholene.

[Gon Fishun]

Kero spray gun then attach a length of pvc tubing.

[Dignity]

I purchased an entry level rust proofing gun from Access Industrial at Murrarrie - cost about $120 from memory. There are cheaper options on the net but I still like to have a gander at what I am buying in person. Worked well with fisholene.

Thanks Scottar, will have a look at it, I have used fisholene before but found the smell annoyed the neighbour's and more importantly the missus, also it attracted all the dust which some say is a good thing but not sure.

[Dignity]

Kero spray gun then attach a length of pvc tubing.
Gon, did you take the nozzle off the spray gun and attach it to the PDC pipe, also tectyl is quite heavier than kero, would the nozzle handle it.

[scottar]

Whatever you use Dignity, don't do what I did and forget to put containers under the drain holes in the cross members or at the back of the side rails for the excess to drain into - end result - sticky mess. I use the fisholene on the internals but the outside gets both a bit of fisholene and lanolin. As you say the result is certainly a dust attracter but I don't mind a trailer that looks a bit grotty and average - they tend to still be at the ramp the following morning if you know what I mean. As for the neighbours - they annoy me sometimes too so I figure we're even.

[Lucky_Phill]

All the products mentioned above are good.

Personally, I have used them all, but nothing comes close to total protection that Tectyl 506.

A great example was my tinka trailer under my 4.1 tinnie. Think it was over 9 years old when I sold it and the only rust, was surface rust on a couple of bolt ends. That boat was used a lot and often sunk. The only parts I regularly sprayed were the leaf springs...

My current FMS trailer was bought new in 2006 and has no signs of rust externally... I sprayed it with Tectyl immediately.


LP

[Dignity]

All the products mentioned above are good.

The only parts I regularly sprayed were the leaf springs...

My current FMS trailer was bought new in 2006 and has no signs of rust externally... I sprayed it with Tectyl immediately.


LP
Thanks Phill, what equipment did you use to spray the tectyl with, the mainframe is quite long, the last time I did something on a previous trlr was many years ago, I plugged all the holes and flooded the channels, however this was a very messy job, I have since bought a compressor and hoped to find a less messier solution.