KHE
Member
- Feb 28, 2012
- 238
- Boat Info
- 1997 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer
- Engines
- Mercruiser 5.7L EFI alpha 1 Gen 2 drive
Thanks for the picture. I have forward bunks down low like you have as well as bunks that are outboard.
Centering boat on trailer during loading
- Thread starter KHE
- Start date
MonacoMike
Well-Known Member
- Sep 15, 2009
- 14,721
- Boat Info
- 2000 Cruisers 3870
8.2 Mercs
- Engines
- 85 Sea Ray Monaco 197
260hp Alpha 1
Tonka, you may have concrete ramps on that gorgeous lake you boat on but you don't have beaches and sand. Lol
MM
alwhite00
Active Member
I built some"guide on's" to help my wife center the boat on the trailer. I used some 3" antenna springs with a 12" piece of stainless tig rod with a 1" diameter rubber ball on top mounted to the fender. I told her to leave 1\4" between the boat and the ball - works perfect every time and saves some arguing.
KHE
Member
- Feb 28, 2012
- 238
- Boat Info
- 1997 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer
- Engines
- Mercruiser 5.7L EFI alpha 1 Gen 2 drive
I've been using a "gage" that I made out of a piece of 2x6 to make sure the boat is reasonably centered. Once the boat is cranked up to the bow roller, I pull it out of the water enough that the trailer fenders are out of the water, then place the gage against the hull and verify it is reasonably centered before I pull out of the water completely.
If it's not perfectly centered, I use Dennis' trick of tightening the high side stern strap and leave the low side strap loose. In a few miles, the boat is centered. I haven't decided if I am going to add the guide ons yet but will probably do so next season.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
If it's not perfectly centered, I use Dennis' trick of tightening the high side stern strap and leave the low side strap loose. In a few miles, the boat is centered. I haven't decided if I am going to add the guide ons yet but will probably do so next season.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Excellent advice! I'm gonna have to try this next season. We have had instances where we've pulled the boat all the way out of the water and into the staging area only to find that it was a tad bit crooked. I was too worried about towing it that way so i'd always go so far as to back down the ramp to float the rear just so we could center it.
J
Tonka Boater
Well-Known Member
I had to do this on Friday and Dennis is correct, it will self-level very quickly as you drive. The water level at our ramp was quite a bit lower than it has been all summer so I had to submerge the trailer deeper than usual. The boat stuck on the forward-most part of the bunk but was floating a bit at the stern. I secured the strap and safety chain and pulled out slowly and the boat was about 1/2" lower on one side so I attached both stern straps fairly loosely and drove 1/2 mile down the road to let the boat settle in. When I stopped to check the straps the right side was as tight as a piano wire and the left was almost dangling free and the boat was centered perfectly. I adjusted all straps as needed and I was good to go.
Fly'n Family
Active Member
- Sep 19, 2013
- 812
- Boat Info
- 2008 Meridian 341
2004 Boston Whaler Sport 130 w/40 hp Merc
- Engines
- 6.2's
My boats a bit bigger and heavier, but this is how I do it. I have the trailer set to a point I know she's secure within the bunks. I'm onboard, and leave the the power at idle with them in the forward position. Then the trailer is very slowly backed down, slowly removing weight as this occurs - and the boat (in forward idle) slowly repositions itself up the trailer as the trailer very slowly goes back. Once I get to where I want to be, the trailer stops and I shut her down and out she comes.
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That is a serious rig and one hell of a trailer. Custom built?
Fly'n Family
Active Member
- Sep 19, 2013
- 812
- Boat Info
- 2008 Meridian 341
2004 Boston Whaler Sport 130 w/40 hp Merc
- Engines
- 6.2's
Yes, it's custom. Boat where the only way to get in and out of the water is via using a trailer, and the boat has to come out for 6+ months a year due to winter. Sadly, she get's pulled in about 2 weeks. :smt089
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FootballFan
Well-Known Member
nice trailer, looks well balanced.
I know the feeling, Oct 1st for us and she'll be frozen until april. Nice trailer, I thought about buying one big enough for our 290 so I could haul out myself but they're definitely not cheap. I can only imagine the price tag on that bad boy.
Tim Jodice
New Member
- Aug 26, 2015
- 16
- Boat Info
- 2005 Sea Ray 280 Sundancer
- Engines
- 4.3 MPI Alpha drives
My procedure is to dock the boat and lift the drives. Back the trailer in so that the truck tires are about 1-2 feet from the water. Untie the boat and pull it over to the trailer and winch it in. After about 10 feet the ramp is pretty steep so even with the bow tied to the trailer the rear is still floating. pulling it out I stop every 5 feet or so to make sure it is centered. What I see many people doing is not backing in the trailer as much as i do and it makes it difficult to load without power loading. Is there something i am missing about backing your trailer in too much? All I can think of is that they don't want to get wet.
boatman37
Well-Known Member
- Jun 6, 2015
- 4,256
- Boat Info
- 2006 Crownline 250CR. 5.7 Merc BIII
Previous: 1986 Sea Ray 250 Sundancer. 260 Merc Alpha 1 Gen 1
- Engines
- 5.7 Merc BIII
just pulled mine last week and had my back tires about 3" deep in the water. maybe going in too far but this was our first time pulling it. and it wasn't centered. we pulled out and realized it and did back down the ramp again to float the rear. got it the 2nd time
Tonka Boater
Well-Known Member
This depends on the characteristics of your boat ramp. If the ramp is shallow or doesn't drop off adequately then it can be hard to back in far enough because half of your tow vehicle could be in the water. On the flip side, if the ramp is too steep then it's hard to get the transom centered on the trailer because it will be floating too much.
The art of launching and retrieving is too know your ramp...
