Launching trailer

[falcon01]

Hi Have just brought a boat it is 3.75m ally craft it seems to take a bit of force to launch it it has three black rollers would changing them to a blue poly one for alloy boats make a differnce or do the just need a grease

[Jeremy]

You tinny probably has skids either side of the trailer, as well as rollors along the keel. The rollers should take almost all the weight, and the skids just keep it level. You may find there is too much weight on the skids? Also make sure the rollers are nice and even in height and that they roll fairly easily. Should be no problems then!

Jeremy

[finga64]

Does it have skids or rollers on the sides??
If it has sliders they may stick if they have carpet or the old sticky rubber on them (mine did). If so get rid of them and put some poly slides on.
Or if they have too much weight on them. Might be a job of a simple adjustment.
Try the rollers with the boat off. Do they spin easy??
Hope this helps.
Cheers Scott

[finga64]

Crikey, Jeremy must have been typing at the same time as me. Or is it esp or something dark like that?? ;D

[timbacutta]

Watch out if you decide to replace with blue poly rollers. Did the same on my old tinney and nearly lost it next time I went to launch it. Undid winch hook as per usual and boat took off down the trailer. Just happened to grab launch rope at last minute, was not looking forward to an early morning swim in middle of winter [smiley=furious.gif]. Yes they do make a difference.

Jeff.

[littlejim]

all the advice above is good.
I had the same experience as BL. By the time I fixed the rollers I had become so conditioned to undoing winch hook and safety chain before eating a can of spinach and heaving to the point of a heartattack, that the first time with the new rollers and the stainless axles, the boat with wife inside started to come off halfway down the ramp. I flattened the car in reverse and just got to the water in time. Only a minor repair to the back of the boat required. backing isn't the only thing you have to learn about when you first get your boat.

I contemplated the axles with grease nipples in, then worked out that drilling holes in the rollers would let me use the grease gun with a nipple in it to do the same job. After seeing the grease turn to a sticky clayey gunk after a few trips I gave grease away. Everynow and then I take a squirter oil can to the ramp and squirt some oil along the roller axle before doing the retrieve.

I think the stainless axles were worth doing most of the galvanised axles have big zinc dags on them which increase friction, but if the U shaped thing holding the axles is lubricated it probably doesn't matter.

You also need to check that all the rollers are taking roughly the same load. Wear on the rollers will give a clue but eye balling or marks on the boat might also tell you. I think there have been posts on setting up the rollers evenly.

[bin_lookin]

this bit is easy with your size boat push boat off trailer carefully. so you can get to last roller ok .with boat off take a length of rope and tie it to winch post at bottom. place rope over your first roller and then at the last roller .pull it tight and tie it off you can see which rollers are high or low at this point you can get a leval to check a slite decress to the back will help to .leave skids alone at this point.take rope off and winch boat up on trailer .now with boat up put leval on boat across transom and ajust skids so they just touch sides of boat and keel is on rollers . hope tis helps you cheers bin lookin

[familyman]

All rollers MUST roll on the axle NOT the axle on the brackets as this will increase the load on the axle to a point where the roller will not turn .Make sure this is ok first.Side skids should act as balance of the load only,also if you have blue skids try some armour all on the skids :o
cheers jon

[falcon01]

Thanks for the advice guys brought new blue rollers and spray them and the ezi launch skid ie they tilt with the boat with silcone spray and leveled out with a rope then adjusted with a jack till the boat sat level and adjusted the ezi launch to stables it but so the boat was level and the were only just touching all I have to do now Is undo the winch and the boat rools in to the water thank for the advice guys it all worked out,