Tips on trailering

Owendy

New Member
Jun 6, 2022
1
Boat Info
Owens & Sons aluminum slideron trailer
Engines
boatless
Basic Boat Trailering Tips

Always allow extra following distances and braking times.

Never start like a jackrabbit. ...

Swing wide around turns, to avoid clipping the curb with a trailer tire.

If you sense any swaying in the rig, pull over and redistribute weight. ...

Change lanes very slowly.

and also a good quality trailer same as https://www.slideon.com/
 
Nice reminder tips, and welcome to CSR.
I think it was an advertisement disguised as common sense trailering tips

except this one

“If you sense any swaying in the rig, pull over and redistribute weight. ...”

That would be interesting to watch :)
 
Last edited:
Blue, I was mainly trying to be nice on a Monday morning. I saw his signature and suspected it was an ad.
 
Ya …. I am already pissed off when I wake up on mondays…. Someone wished me happy Monday in a text this morning….I was like wtf :)
When I am having that kind of day and someone says "Have a nice day", I say "Thanks, but I have other plans."
 
Ya …. I am already pissed off when I wake up on mondays…. Someone wished me happy Monday in a text this morning….I was like wtf :)

You must be younger than me, after the weekend you had with those bikers and all that eye candy dressed in leather, I’d be looking forward to the rest.
 
Grip the bottom of the steering wheel(6 o'clock), knuckles up, and push in the direction you want the trailer to go.

Best advice I've ever received when it comes to backing up a trailer.
 
After 5 years of owning trailer boats the best advice I could ever offer: buy a boat that stays in the water full time.

Boat ramps are like the Walmart of boating. They have their place but should generally be avoided if at all possible.
OMG. I was about to post this same advice. Good job.
Except it didn’t take me 5 years, I knew from the get go I wasn’t going to be that guy.
 
OMG. I was about to post this same advice. Good job.
Except it didn’t take me 5 years, I knew from the get go I wasn’t going to be that guy.

That is one reason we only hit the ramp on weekdays.

First trip out with our runabout and went to get the pick up. Local guide didn't want to listen to dad that I was getting the tow rig. He backed his trailer in the outcoming lane and used his outboards to push ours out of the way. Put a big gouge on one side and a hole in the bow on the other. Then fled in his boat and the tow rig driver left. Called harbor patrol and they knew the guy from doing this all the time. It was hard not to laugh when the officer told him he was done and lost his slip. Dad also got a $1500 check from the guy.

I wanted to fix a few spots on the boat so I already had the repair stuff in the barn.
 
When launching in salt water always fresh water rinse the trailer before parking it after the launch.

A good habit to extend the life of the wheel bearings is to always add some grease to them before and after use. Salt water especially can mix with the grease when a bad seal is present and become quite corrosive. Adding a bit of grease after a day on the water makes sure to push any potentially contaminated grease out of the bearings to avoid this.

Always check the air pressure and overall condition in the tires before leaving the parking stall. There is a four digit code marked on the sidewall of all tires sold in the US that will also tell you the age of a tire. First 2 digits in the code are the week of the year the tire was made and the second 2 are the year.
 
I think it was an advertisement disguised as common sense trailering tips

except this one

“If you sense any swaying in the rig, pull over and redistribute weight. ...”

That would be interesting to watch :)
The sway actually happened to me Blue, when I was trailering my boat out to the lake right after purchasing it. Going about 60mph and glance in the side mirror, the boat is all over the road, didn’t hit the brakes, just let off the gas, nice and easy til it settled down. All the cars behind me backed way off, scared the shit outta me! Took it nice and easy the rest of the way and stopped to fill up the tank…the dipshit place I bought it from had not loaded it all the way on the trailer, it was almost 12” from where it should’ve been. I keep it in a slip all summer but when I do trailer it, I always make sure it sits where it needs to, learned that lesson, thankfully without tossing my new boat.
 
All really good advice! Although I went the other way, after having a boat in a slip for a long time vowed only have trailer boats in the future (long list of mooring gripes). So I put up with the yahoos at the ramp and try to get there at sparrows fart or on weekdays.

The SD240 is a heavy girl to tow. 2500kg dry and 800kg trailer plus fuel and gear that's around 3500kg all up (we're metric down under). I tow with a supercharged Land Cruiser with air bags - feels stable and plenty of power. When I got the boat the first thing I did was change out all the straps that were not even fit for a dirt bike and the boat was swaying around a bit on the trailer and felt like a death trap towing it home when I first picked it up - it's one solid unit with the trailer now, 2000kg straps all around. The worst part is dealing with string side winds on sime passes and that causes a bit of sway, but you just need to slow it down.

Also, make sure rollers brackets are not bent. Some of the center rollers on mine had to be straightened up and lubed. And the bolts tend to rust out, so I've gotten into a habit of changing the bolts out and using anti-seaize on them annually. At some point I'll swap the traier out for an aluminium one to reduce the corrosion issue.
 
I agree with STEE6043 with regard to boat ramps being the walmart of boating but it also can be considered free entertainment of a sort, lol. The boat ramp I use now is fairly new triple with nice docks in a very rural area. If you get there before 8 it's very quiet and easy to launch. Years ago, however, when I lived in Plymouth MA. the boat ramp there was exactly as STEE6043 is referring to. Total *hit show on any summer weekend, idiots who have no idea what they are doing. The old folks would set up there chairs on the bulk head and watch the comedy all day. I had a mooring right in front of Plymouth Rock so I only had to launch in May and haul in late September. Twice per year was more than enough, LOL.
Obviously, if you have the $$ to throw away on a slip, that is the way to go!
 
When launching in salt water always fresh water rinse the trailer before parking it after the launch.

A good habit to extend the life of the wheel bearings is to always add some grease to them before and after use. Salt water especially can mix with the grease when a bad seal is present and become quite corrosive. Adding a bit of grease after a day on the water makes sure to push any potentially contaminated grease out of the bearings to avoid this.

Always check the air pressure and overall condition in the tires before leaving the parking stall. There is a four digit code marked on the sidewall of all tires sold in the US that will also tell you the age of a tire. First 2 digits in the code are the week of the year the tire was made and the second 2 are the year.
Where does the fresh water come from
 
Where does the fresh water come from

The launch ramps near me both have fresh water to flush engines and do a quick wash down. One side of the ramp is the launch side, the other is retrieve side.
 
Where does the fresh water come from

I was wondering this too -- as the couple places I use are basically dirt parking lots with what could possibly be described as a ramp.

I have this old pump up sprayer (for weeds) and you can put a few gallons of fresh water in that at home. Then all you need to do is pump it up and you can spray down the wheels with it.
 
When I am having that kind of day and someone says "Have a nice day", I say "Thanks, but I have other plans."
I remember "back in the day" when that saying first became popular. My usual reply is "Don't tell me what kind of day to have!", but I'll have to take yours for a test ride the next time someone says that to me.
 

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