Tieing down boats for travelling

[Needmorerum]

What does everyone do when transporting their boats. I've got a 5.5m Cruise Craft and have been asking around about whether or not I should tie it down when travelling.
What do you do? Some replies I have got is that I don't need to due to the weight of the boat. Others say you should tie down any boat when travelling.

Your sugestions would be appreciated.

Corry

[FLATHEAD1]

Travelling is not the problem it's the sudden stops and changes in direction that will send your boat skidding along the black stuff.

Cheers
FLATHEAD1

[Morlers]

My boat, a Haines Hunter Breeze 5.1m has a warning sticker on the transom stating that it's now a legal requirement to secure the rear of the boat to the trailer. I suppose if the winch cable breaks then this stops the boat sliding backwards on the rollers. Also stops the boat from jumping off the rollers on a sharp corner ie round about. If travelling on rough roads, then if boat tied down then less chance of damage to hull fron bouncing up and down on rollers/skid bar.

I always ensure mine is secured even to the extent of a chain from the bow eye to the winch post and trailer frame.



Morlers

[caveman]

i've always been told to never leave the winch cable tight on the boat always use a saftey chain on the front and loosen the winch cable off. on the back i use a ratchet tyedown

[Heath]

I've got a 6m Cruise craft & don't tie it down unless I'm travelling a far distance.

[Kerry]

Secured is a better term as "tie-downs" really aren't the best solution for many boats.

Cheers, Kerry.

[Zeeke]

local areas in the 5 to 20min distances, i dont tie down, anything more, i tie down.. ive got a 4.3 meter kakadu seahunter

[adrian]

i always tie mine down sure it take longer but i know that it will be there when i get to the ramp or home even when the boat is tied down it sometimes still moves so you can guess what would happen if it wasn't tied down

anzac

[bungie]

I don't understand the problem, its not like its a major job to tie it down. Takes me all of about 15 secs with the ratchet tie down from port to starboard two thirds of the way down to the stern

[MY-TopEnder]

Yeah i don't see the drama in tying it down. I used to have a ratchet strap the boat dealer threw in but it was cheap shit and snapped so i just use a lenth of nylon rope about 8mm thick now. Truckers hitch in it and that gives me enough leverage to secure it nice and tight over it. Takes about 5 mins to throw it over and buy the time i've done that the deckie has the boat cleaned out and we're ready to roll in a matter of minutes.

[Morlers]

The sticker on my transom reads:

WARNING
Trailer Towing

This vessel must be secured to trailer forward and aft when towing.
Failure to do so can result in hull damage and is in breach of traffic and safety regulations.

I wonder what insurance payout you would get if unfortunately you had a mishap because boat was unsecured?? Worth thinking aboout.

It takes me about one minute to secure and unsecure...actually the ol' girl does it. It's not a problem and gives us peace of mind that the boat will be there safe and sound (other problems apart) when we get to our destination.



Morlers

[banshee]

I wouldn't move mine without the strap being tightened up,but then again I'm three quarters of an hour from a ramp.I have seen one glass boat sitting on the side of a roundabout,would hate it to be mine.

[Bowser]

What is the reason for the question. Isn't the boat worth anything? Going 5 metres or 500 thousand metres if the boat is not secured then it is to easy to hit a bump, get shunted or bounce it to cause damage to the boat, trailer or motor on or of the trailer. It takes 30 seconds to run a strap over it and 30 seconds to take it of. Why wouldn't you tie it down?

[Needmorerum]

Well, what a response. Guess I won't be asking to many more 'silly questions' after this.
Bungie/TopEnder - I actually do tie down both my tinnie and my Explorer. And no, I don't think it takes to long to do either.
Bowser - "Isn't the boat worth anything", well is this really worth a reply. Not the sort of reply I would have expected from anyone here.
The reason behind asking, is due to exactly what has come up in some of the replies. Some people tie their boats down and some don't.
We sit at our local Yaght Club every Sunday and watch all manor of boats be retrieved from the ramp throughout the afternoon. I see probably around 50% of boats, whether they be glass, poly or ally, small or big, leave the ramp without being tied down.
I don't tie down my big boat when going from the ramp to home, as I am not going to far, and I figure that the weight of it at slower speeds would hold it down sufficiently. Although it does get a safety chain with a turnbuckle and lock nut put on it before it even gets pulled up the ramp. On the other hand, I won't travel around the block with the tinnie as it is light and can move around a bit.
Although I have never seen a boat that has come off a trailer, except where there has been a failure in the winch and there was no safety chain put on the front, I don't doubt that it doesn't happen. Although, is there other reasons behind this as well, like speeding or the manor of driving?
Next time I am looking for some answers, I'll think about presenting it a different way, then again, you can't please everyone, and I am going to stick to the theory that there is never a silly question, only silly answers.
What I was doing here was attempting to find out different peoples opinions on this topic, I guess I got this, and more. I now know a little more about not only this topic but different people as well.

Thanks all

Corry

[aido]

try this test, go down to the local boat sales yard
and look at how many larger boats, say >5.5 mtrs
have a tie down or ground line (as i prefer to call it)
across the rear end.
none, thought so. now buy any one of those boats
and see if one is provided... nope? didn't think so.
are there dozens of straps hanging up in the workshop???
no...
does that tell you anything???