What Am I Missing?

[Gary Lewis]

We are closing in on the day to leave for the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell, which will be a 2200 mile tow. I'm just about done with everything I can think of in preparation. But, maybe I'm missing something that you'll spot. So, here's what I've done:

• Trailer and truck tires are aired up, inc the spares. The trailer tires are rated for max load at 50 PSI so I have them at 45 PSI
• Bearings are packed and properly adjusted, and the Bearing Buddies are full
• Brakes are adjusted - to lockup and then backed off 10 clicks
• Brake breakaway battery is charged
• All nuts/bolts on the trailer are tight, inc lug nuts
• Tiedowns bow/stern are new and are on
• Lights are new LED units and work perfectly
• The boat is/will be empty of all contents and they are/will be between the axles in the truck
• The covers will be on and tensioned with the poles, and I'll use hull-saver tape to ensure the snaps don't come loose
• The bilge will be clean and dry
• The bimini has been dropped to below the level of the windshield
• I have locks for the lug nuts, trailer connector, draw bar, and chains, and a shankless ball to stuff in when the trailer is disconnected
• I even have a lock to ensure the Hill Marine BIII props aren't stolen
• The batteries are on trickle chargers
• The boat's oil and filter have been changed and I have spare oil, just in case
• Tools:
  • On the boat I have a very thorough set of tools
  • In the truck I also have a set of tools as well as a jack and lug wrench for the trailer wheels

So, what am I missing?

Also, is there any reason to put a ratchet strap or two on the outdrive to keep it from swinging or bouncing?

TIA,
Gary

 

[keokie]

What altitude is your boat propped for? Powell is at about 3800' and the performance drop is definitely noticeable coming from Phoenix which is about 1100'.

 

[Gary Lewis]

I wish Powell was still at 3800, where it was back in the 70's and 80's when we were there several times. Unfortunately on Wednesday, August the 17th, it was at 3615.85 and dropping at the rate of 1' every 9 days. :smt009

Anyway, you have a good question. I'm propped for ~700' and realize I'll lose a fair amount of power going up almost 3,000'. But, I've dropped from the 3x3 26's that were on the boat when I got it to Hill's 4x4 22's and that woke that 6.2L up. I can red-line it with 4 in the boat here, as I did yesterday. So, I think I'll be ok on Powell, although down somewhat on power, as you pointed out. But I don't want to spend another $1050 for props just for Powell, so will have to live with the loss of power.

Thanks for the question, though.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I wouldn't worry about the swinging/bouncing of the drive under "normal" conditions. BUT, if the hydraulic lines should happen to give way, then the drive will lower down to the ground and from the cab, you would never hear it as aluminum will grind away very quickly and quietly. I use the "trailering clips" that snap onto the extended rams for just that scenario. In reality, it should be fine - but I consider them "insurance"... Hope you never need it, but glad you have it if you do. I use them all the time - regardless of trip length.

"Battery charged"... do you have EOH brakes on that rig?

 

[Gary Lewis]

Dennis - Perfect! Hadn't heard of those clips, but I ordered these from Amazon. Thanks!

As for the brakes, they are electric. I put them on both axles and, while I can't get the tires to truly slide, the rig sure stops quickly! And since the controller is built into the truck it knows precisely how much brake I'm giving it. Plus, the truck has sway control that can bring on the trailer's brakes if needed to straighten things out.

 

[keokie]

One of the biggest myths in boating is the idea that you can't use electric brakes on boat trailers. You absolutely can, and they work famously.

 

[Gary Lewis]

One of the biggest myths in boating is the idea that you can't use electric brakes on boat trailers. You absolutely can, and they work famously.

Amen! If you look at the mechanism you'll find that it is remarkably similar to hydraulic brakes. The main difference being that a sealed electromagnet replaces the wheel cylinder. Water can't penetrate the insulation of the wiring nor the epoxy potting of the electromagnet, so has little effect.

 

[randmhall]

Gary,
I've been following your bimini tread, nice job! We went to Lake Powell a couple years age, loved it.

The one thing I see not on your packing list is fuel. At our lake home on Grand Lake of the Cherokees in Oklahoma, there are 5 marinas within a mile of our house. I think the 200+ mile length of Lake Powell only has 4.

Most pics of boats on Lake Powell that I see has 5 gallon cans strapped to the swim platform.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Gary,
I've been following your bimini tread, nice job! We went to Lake Powell a couple years age, loved it.

The one thing I see not on your packing list is fuel. At our lake home on Grand Lake of the Cherokees in Oklahoma, there are 5 marinas within a mile of our house. I think the 200+ mile length of Lake Powell only has 4.

Most pics of boats on Lake Powell that I see has 5 gallon cans strapped to the swim platform.

That's a good question, neighbor. I think the boat holds 57 gallons, but it is going essentially dry, for two reasons. First, I don't see the need to transport ~350 more pounds than necessary. Second, because I've just discovered that the hitch on my new F150 is rated for 5000# of trailer and 500# of tongue weight without going to a weight-distributing hitch, and the boat/trailer combo weighs 5000# dry. So, it'll be dry and all the "stuff" will be in the truck and mainly between the axles. Then, while my wife is buying groceries at Page I'll fill the tank and move the "stuff".

Thinking of gas cans, we will also have a houseboat. My brother and his wife from southern KS will pick it up and we will meet them on the lake. It has two 115 gallon gas tanks, and one of those is probably enough to fuel the houseboat itself for as far as we are going with it. So we can use the other to top off the Sea Ray if needed. We anticipate leaving the houseboat close to Dangling Rope Marina, so our daily runs with the Sea Ray will go close to the marina and we can stop and fill up.

Speaking of my wife, she's from a little town you might have heard of - Grove. So, I've spent a bit of time around and on that lake. In fact, we got married at Butler Baptist Church, and left for our honeymoon in my parents' boat under Honey Creek bridge and out to Monkey Island.

As for the bimini, thanks! It was fun and worked out nicely.

 

[davidh82]

Hey Gary,

I've had a couple tire blow-outs on the road in the last few months due to a bad set of tires I put on the trailer.

I've since replace all those bad tires, but one lesson I learned was that a couple 2x4s to place under the jack were essential to being able to raise the trailer high enough to replace the wheel.

Whenever I trailer the boat I now keep at least two 2x4s in the bed of the truck. If you are ever stuck somewhere that the ground is soft or you are on a slight decline, you might find that the bottle jack alone will not raise the rig high enough.

Good luck!

 

[Gary Lewis]

Good point, David. Thanks! I actually have 3 pieces of 2x4 set aside for this trip, but they had been planned for under the trailer's tongue jack as there are times that I can't quite get it off the truck. Heretofore the truck hasn't had anything in it so I'm thinking it won't be a problem with the truck loaded - but I do not want to chance it. Hence the 2x4's. But, they will suffice for going under the jack as well. Good idea!

However, as of yesterday I have another approach to raising the axle in the event of a flat tire. A guy from church has loaned me a "device", as he calls it, that cradles the axle, digs into the pavement, and lifts the axle as you pull the trailer forward. According to him it is made locally and is quite effective. I can post a pic if anyone wants to see it.

 

[Lazy Daze]

It's funny, I've guess I've just always been gun shy about going to electric brakes. I've used (and continue) to use EOH brakes (Electric Over Hydraulic) since it gives all the benefits of straight electric with the controlability, but then there are no electric stuff in the water. After seeing what water can do to the wiring for lights over time, I suppose that's why I've never done it. But, then there's the wheel cylinder that doesn't last forever, either - maybe it's a "wash" in terms of reliability.

The jacking is a good point. Just another couple to pass along regarding that...

-- Check that the jack you plan on using will work for the trailer (the jack in your truck may or may not work). Try it out to be sure.
-- You can obviously jack on the frame, but you can also jack on the axle tube (near the spring u-bolts) or even directly on the bottom of the spring u-bolts. This allows for a smaller jack to still work.
-- Make sure you have a tire iron that works for the trailer's lug nuts!
-- Set the emergency brake in the truck, don't just put it in Park. FYI, always set the e-brake first (especially on a hill), then once you know it's holding then put it in Park. Reverse the procedure to drive off. This avoids wear and tear on the parking brake pawl gears. If you've ever taken a car/truck out of Park and heard/felt a CLUNK, that's what we're trying to avoid.

 

[BillK2632]

+ 1 on the trailering clips. I have a set and even use them when my boat is in drystack (unfortunately they require the outdrive be raised). Be aware that they typically come in one size that can be cut to fit different drives (volvo, alpha, bravo). I drilled small holes in the end of mine so I could keep them together. They don't float! For $20 they are a nice feel good when trailering or leaving the drive raised for long periods - they might not help that much, but they can't hurt.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Dennis - I've had several boat trailers with surge brakes, meaning fully hydraulic, and I've had problems with all of them. And in all cases the problem was with the hydraulic fluid having absorbed moisture and rusted the master and/or wheel cylinders. In no case was the problem with the mechanical linkage of the master cylinder or the brakes themselves. So I want to keep brake fluid as far from water as I can.

On on the jacking, I'm taking a 5 ton bottle jack that fits neatly under the axle even when the tire is flat. (It fits neatly under the spring when the tire is up, but that doesn't count.) and, I have a 1/2" break-over and the right socket to fit the lug nuts.

Having said that, when I put the wheels up one at a time to adjust the brakes (after taking the rig on a 20 mile jaunt to bed the new brake shoes) I used a 1 1/2 ton bottle jack since the big one was packed. As I was carrying out to the trailer I wondered why I was taking the bigger one on the trip - and then I tried jacking up the first wheel. Wow! It was literally all I could do when laying on the ground with no way to get my weight into action. So, the idea here is make sure the jack has more capacity than needed or take a loooong cheater to get to the handle.

Anyway, thanks for the tips - and especially the reminder of using the e-brake.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Bill - The trailering clips come in tomorrow and will be cut to size on Wednesday - just in time to leave Thursday. And I'm with you - $20 is CHEAP for the peace of mind to know that the outdrive isn't going to drop.

And, thanks for the tip on keeping them together and the fact they don't float. I'm thinking I'll have a list of pre-launch things to do, including pulling those and putting them in the truck.

 

[garryowen]

Bill - The trailering clips come in tomorrow and will be cut to size on Wednesday - just in time to leave Thursday. And I'm with you - $20 is CHEAP for the peace of mind to know that the outdrive isn't going to drop.

And, thanks for the tip on keeping them together and the fact they don't float. I'm thinking I'll have a list of pre-launch things to do, including pulling those and putting them in the truck.

gary,
not realy any advice but just got back from powell last night. had the 230 down.

the water was running about 83* in the afternoon to 78* at day light.

the lake level was dropping around one inch a day.

didn't get to do much star watching as wa a full moon, which was beautiful any way. nice for an evening dip.

if you haven't been on the lake at this elevation, don't expect it to be the same as when you were there before. take it easy when yu enter a cove ect. WATCH OUT FOR JESUS ROCKS. rocks and bars that are just below the surface. you stand on them and look like you are waking on water.

even at this elevation, there is a lot of lake to see and i like it because you get to see stuff you would not other wise see, thats just me though.

gerry and i found a nice beach in mountain sheep <sheep something> canyon almost across from dangling rope on the south side of the lake. it was well protected from wind and the tour boat,boat traffic wakes going to rainbow bridge. we laid up there for a week. the lake was lower then so might have changed by now.

one thing i do is unplug my trailer when launching and retrieving. have heard both sides of this, don't as you lose your breaks and need them and the other that
its better not to dip the live wires in the water. you can choose.

230 has e brakes and the 310 runs e over hydraulic disc brakes. the all work if maintained. my vote goes to e over hyd. tough to beat disc brakes for shear stoping power. sure what ever you have will work for you.

230 runs 22 pitch duel pro. it runs out at 42mph-4600 rpm (gps speed across the water) and is snappy. 310 runs 26 pitch props but were tuned in henderson nv. and not for sure what the pitch is now. runs out ok though. it runs out at 4200 rpm and 40-43 mph. not as constant as 230.

you can get gas at dangling rope but a bit higher. found antelope point better stop on the lake nicer by far than waweep. nice restaurant. farther up the lake and they will launch and retrieve you for $35 and store your pick up and trailer till you get back. more secure and nice to call up and have you outfit backed in and ready to load when you get back. no walking or getting in the water. also you can pump,fill fresh water and gas all at one stop at the point.

all ready ran long post so best of luck garryowen

 

[garryowen]

ps, i also use clips and straps to keep drives from falling or swinging.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Garry - It is, indeed, Mountain Sheep Canyon. And it is right across from Dangling Rope. Cool! If that is open it would be ideal since we intend to spend the day out on the SeaRay, so we would be going right past the marina and could easily stop to gas up or get ice if needed.

On the brakes, I do unplug the brake/lights cable before dunking the trailer. All the lights are LED and the brakes are sealed, as are all connections as I soldered all connections and used adhesive-lined heat-shrink tubing.

As for the outdrive, the British term "belt and braces" comes to mind. Do you mean something like this? We share more than a name. :grin:

 

[garryowen]

wow, you have my setup there. my props are standard 3 blade and not polished. my clips or what ever yu call them are red.

bet the 4 blades real bite and go.

going back to bull frog the 9, 9th. not sure yet if taking 230 or 310. can take the 230 down and back on what it costs for permits on the 310 down and back.

likely won't get past escalante though.

ck your pm

 

[garryowen]

wow, you have my setup there. my props are standard 3 blade and not polished. my clips or what ever yu call them are red.

bet the 4 blades real bite and go.

going back to bull frog the 9, 9th. not sure yet if taking 230 or 310. can take the 230 down and back on what it costs for permits on the 310 down and back.

likely won't get past escalante though.

ck your pm