Help - Cant undo trailer winch hook

[whichway]

Hi

Finally after much procrastination got a Dunbier trailer. A few little teething problems (one of which was really me), but now seems OK.

But now the rollers really roll. I mean really roll. So that when I go to launch the boat, I let out a little bit of winch strap (doesn't have a cable), and the boat rolls down the trailer a bit, so I let out a little bit more winch strap, and the boat rolls down the trailer a little bit more.

The boat rolls down the trailer as fast as I let out the winchstrap. The hook stays under tension the whole way down and I can't release the boat until it is floating in the water. That means that I have to crawl over the trailer that is in the water and end up in thigh deep water to release the winch strap hook.

Any ideas as to how to release the boat from the winch hook without having to let the cable the whole way out.

Anybody know of some type of quick release under pressure that would be OK for this application

Whichway

[Blackened]

G'day
Could you loop your anchor rope that you'd use for a lanyard around the winch post, take tension off hook and undo it, then slowly release the boat by loosening the tension on the rope?

Dave

[Feral]

Use a length of rope tied to the front eye to control the release of the boat, taking a turn around the winch post if necessary. Undo the winch hook right at start, push boat, and slowly let out rope.

But remember
1. Dont let go of the rope, unless you can swim
2. After you put trailer in parking lot, pull winch strap out and attach to back of boat ready for retrieval of boat at end of day!

[Poodroo]

I have seen other boaties leave the winch hook attached and let the boat roll down and into the water. Once the boat is there the tension will be released and you can just unhook it and then leave the hook loosely hooked on the last roller so that it is all ready to go when you go to put the boat back on. Seemed to work well.

Poodroo

[seatime]

you could also attach one those galv ramps onto the trailer, and walk down that to unhook.

I've been pondering a self-hitching/un-hitching arrangement for drive on/ drive off. Some way of releasing the winch hook from inside the boat.
Hop in the boat on the trailer, pull a lever that releases the hook, and away you go.
It would have to be all stainless and spring loaded. When retrieving the boat the self-hitch device is reloaded, then you drive up the trailer and it catches another hook. Then disembark and hook up the winch hook and wind up the last metre or so, somehow, haven't worked out how yet.

regards
Steve.

[whichway]

Hi

Thanks

The rope around the winch post would be worth trying.
Ill give that a go. I drive on / off, so the last roller is about 300 under water, so it would be a bit hard to hook the hook to the trailer when the hook is unhooked from the boat, if that makes sense.

Whichway

[SO70]

done the rope trick before and it doesn't work.
try holding a 20ft boat with 12mm rope on a slippery ramp.
recipe for disaster.
you need one person in the boat with the motor idling away.
then lower the boat down on the winch, which can be dangerous if you have a removeable winch handle and because there is no ratchet device on most winches in reverse.
let it down a metre or two and get the person in the boat to drive foward so the hook can be removed.
only sensible way i know of and still doing it.

[Chimo]

Hi Whichway

Have read the above and figured I'd share what I do when launching solo (or with deckie) with a Vag that rolls off the trailer on any slope.

Its also impossible to release the winch clip on a slope after taking off the turnbuckle "dee".

As you will see with these 2 photos its very safe and easy to hold the boat with one hand, at any point going off the trailer and that allows the winch clip to to be released either near the winch or at the end of the trailer so its ready to be used when reloading the boat.

The items shown can be sourced from anywhere that sells climbing gear. If get to know the people / climbers they throw the "eights" away if they drop them from any height as there is some risk of breakage as they are brittle and they dont want them to collapse half way down a cliff for some reason ;D

Hope this is a helps, I know that after 30 yrs of boating it the best, simplest, safest and most stress free way that I have found so far.


Cheers

Chimo

Att pics one and two

[Chimo]

pic two

[onerabbit]

I agree with SO70's method,

We back the boat into the water, still with winch & turnbuckle attached.
Remove turnbuckle.
Get the boat running & when ready, put into forward gear to take the weight off the winch & remove, the force of the motor will keep the boat firmly on the trailer until you are ready.
By lowering your revs or going back to neutral, your boat should just roll off the trailer into the water.

Just how we do it.

Muzz

[Chimo]

Hi Muzz

A question if I may?

How do you do all that on your own??? [smiley=blush.gif] [smiley=angel.gif], ie

"We back the boat into the water, still with winch & turnbuckle attached.
Remove turnbuckle.
Get the boat running & when ready, put into forward gear to take the weight off the winch & remove, the force of the motor will keep the boat firmly on the trailer until you are ready.
By lowering your revs or going back to neutral, your boat should just roll off the trailer into the water"

Chimo??????

[ahoj]

What is so #complicated ----how heavy is the boat? next thing you be wanting disc brakes on your boat rollers ;D ;D

Unhook the winch cable tie a rope 8 ft longer beyond the trailer lenght and let the boat #hit the water it will not go far then pull the boat #with the car to the ramp.

ps . secure your boat with a short rope before unhooking the #winch cable #quick release knot will let the boat hit the water and the long rope will stop it going further

Ahoj
Blackened has the simplest and safest idea --- :)

[onerabbit]

Hi Chimo,

I have seen a guy do exactely as I described by himself.

I'm not so sure I would be as confident as him, but he backed in, started & put the boat in gear & climbed back out, we offered to help but he said he was ok. While he uncoupled the boat it never moved until he got back in & dropped his revs.

I though at the time it was a good case for one of those easy retrieval/quick release clips at the front.

Muzz

[marlinqld]

i do mine that way onerabbit how you described it ,,simple and works for me.


Mike

[Angla]

I do a one man launch and retreive all the time. I will normally not let anyone help unles I am having trouble with current and wind.

1. back the trailer in to a point where you do not get wet feet jumping onto the drawbar.
2. climb onto the boat at the front using the winch post as a step. Spare tyre on the 4x4 helps too.
3. drop the motor and start........wait some 10 seconds.......put in forward gear with a good holding rev....about 2000rpm.
4. go back to bow and climb down spare tyre to post to tow bar, release pressure on winch and release clip
5. climb back up post to bow and around to cockpit. (This must now be done with speed.) go to neutral and trim the motor up so that it stays in the water for the water pickup but is high enough that it will not hit the ramp. as the boat then floats at the back and the front drops into the water, trim the motor back down
6. proceed to pontoon and tie off
7. return to ramp and park vehicle.
8. Have a nice day
9. the reverse is just a little different as I normally put the vehicle in till the waves are lappin at the back wheels of the 4x4. To keep your feet dry just get down off the boat using the spare wheel, post and then draw bar. tighten the winch strap and safety chain...... get up, cut the motor and trim up..........get back down and climb around the vehicle using the rear bumper as a step then the rear tyre and onto dry ramp

Hope you got all that.

I would be happy to show off if you wanted to meet at Scarborough or Kawana ramps

Chris

[pegasus]

Hi Whichway,

maybe I thinking on a different track here but maybe you may wish to check out the roller adjustment- maybe your rollers towards your vehicle are to high -while we all want a easy launch set up maybe we can go too far- I suppose in the end its what we feel safe an comfortable with.

I havent heard what type of rig you have-ally/fibreglass- you would have to keep in mind the weight distribution overall and not just have minority of the rollers taking the weight- I believe with ally's most of the weight is to be taken on the keel and adjust skids etc to have her sitting level. Fibreglass more even distribution. I am sure if I am off the mark here we ll get set straight :)

best regards

lew

[newchum]

i do much the same as muzz,mike&chris only i hate wet feet so after backing the boat down the ramp i climb on the draw bar then winch post and lean over the bow to release the winch hook while the motor is running and in forward. V19R is dam hard to stop running down the rollers.

rodney

[dnej]

Hey,
As it was previously posted,nothing wrong with winching off,with rope attached.You have to get the rope down there in any case, when you want to recover .

Lots of boaties do it.
David

[whichway]

Hi

Boat + motor about 1500kg. Me in boat, wife working winch. No way that she can hold the boat.

I like all of the ideas, but especially the eight descender method. It seems a little more controlled.

Thanks for the response

Whichway

[CB77]

Hi,

My boat is exactly the same, she comes of the trailer in a real hurry if I dont let it out using the winch.

Once the boat is afloat, I just wall along the chasis of the trailer and unhook the winch strap.

I dont see it as a problem.

It a lot better than the boat getting away on you.

The other thing to be careful of especially with boat like ours that come off the trailer easily is dont undo the safety chain and D Shackle until the trailer is backed into the water and allways put the chain on before you drive up the ramp when coming back in. Heaps of guys have left their boats on the concrete ramp when the winch cable has let go.

[charleville]

I have a long painter (ie a rope that ties on to the front of the boat) which I wrap around the handbrake handle on the trailer a few times to hold the boat firm on the trailer whilst I undo the winch cable hook. The boat will usually slide back maybe 30 cm or so until the painter is carrying the load rather than the winch cable.

I then undo the winch cable hook from the boat and simply slip the painter windings off the handbrake handle and the boat slides off the trailer.

Of course,before doing that, I make sure that I am holding on to the other end of the painter and that it is not caught up anywhere either on the trailer or around my legs.

My painter is quite long - maybe 10 m+, which I find to be a great aid in manoeuvering the boat on and off the trailer.

[Chimo]

Hi whichway

After all this time whichway do you solve the problem?

Cheers
Chimo

[goldfish]

I do a one man launch and retreive all the time. I will normally not let anyone help unles I am having trouble with current and wind.

1. back the trailer in to a point where you do not get wet feet jumping onto the drawbar.
2. climb onto the boat at the front using the winch post as a step. Spare tyre on the 4x4 helps too.
3. drop the motor and start........wait some 10 seconds.......put in forward gear with a good holding rev....about 2000rpm.
4. go back to bow and climb down spare tyre to post to tow bar, release pressure on winch and release clip
5. climb back up post to bow and around to cockpit. (This must now be done with speed.) go to neutral and trim the motor up so that it stays in the water for the water pickup but is high enough that it will not hit the ramp. as the boat then floats at the back and the front drops into the water, trim the motor back down
6. proceed to pontoon and tie off
7. return to ramp and park vehicle.
8. Have a nice day
9. the reverse is just a little different as I normally put the vehicle in till the waves are lappin at the back wheels of the 4x4. To keep your feet dry just get down off the boat using the spare wheel, post and then draw bar. tighten the winch strap and safety chain...... get up, cut the motor and trim up..........get back down and climb around the vehicle using the rear bumper as a step then the rear tyre and onto dry ramp

Hope you got all that.

I would be happy to show off if you wanted to meet at Scarborough or Kawana ramps

Chris
for larger boats this is excatly hows its done & is how i do mine (23ft). for smaller boats a rope 2 or 3 times around the winchpost then unhook & allow to roll back slowly (as described in above posts)
But when someone comes up with the quick catch hook please let me know even if its onlw for when loading to catch & hold the boat. would make for 1 less climb over the bow.

[black runner]

I have often thought that a cleat/bollard attached to the winch post would be a worthwhile addition for this purpose

[Vitamin Sea]

Gidday all

I installed one of these on my Haines, best money I ever spent, truly 1 man operation to launch and retrieve, piece of cake.

Even the mrs recons it was good value;)

www.boatlatch.com

[John Buoy]

Double post sorry mods please delete

[John Buoy]

Another "Old School" option for those that drive on/off on their own

is to fit a Galvanised shackle that has one end

cut off to form a hook which in turn is bolted to the trailer somewhere near the

guard on the trailer in a very sturdy position (ie rail drivers side) this will allow

you to hook a rope with a large ring attached to one end onto the hook and tie

off at the rear bollard with a purpose made length of rope that will allow a little

slack so as when the the trailer is the launch position and you undo the safety

chain and winch the boat will move back a little 100-200 mm and this will allow

the rope on the rear bollard to tighten up and stop the rig from sliding off.

Then it's just a matter of jumping onboard start your motor and drive forward a

little so the rope comes slack then you just reach over the side undo the rope

with ring which will fall off the hook and hoist it abord and now you are ready to

launch in reverse. ;D


Regards Frank