Trailer questions

[Joker2]

I recently purchased a used trailer and I had to move some rollers around because they were sitting under the strakes, I am not totally comfortable with the setup. I was told it had a 21' boat on it, it seems too small, the back of my boat hangs off 23"" past the last roller. I had read there is a 10% rule which I just make, I sent some pics, any thoughts?

[SkunkBoat]

Pix are pretty dark but looks like you have one roller on each side of the strake now. I can't see any keel rollers. Make sure you have them set so that the keel doesn't bang the trailer when the boat rolls off.

The overhang looks a little farther than mine but I would worry about the tongue weight setup first and live with the overhang. Is that what you meant by the 10% rule?
When you drive, does it sway like hell? That is the main question.

I see you have bottom paint. If you aren't trailering but a couple times a season and it doesnt sway, IMO go with it.

[Joker2]

I had read that the overhang should not be more than 10% of the length of the boat. It does not sway, but I have only driven local and have not gone more than 35-40 MPH. Since the pic's I lowered the winch arm a little and slid the whole big arm coming up from the frame forward a little. If you notice the keel up in the bow is very close to the tube of the trailer ( 1-1/2") that worries me. Thanks

[SkunkBoat]

There is a 10% tongue weight rule too. tongue weight 10% of loaded trailer weight.
In theory, you go to a truck scale and weigh your whole rig, subtract your tow vehicle to get your loaded trailer weight.( I don't know anybody who ever actually did that..) or guestimate...V20~3000 lbs

Use a bathroom scale under the tongue at hitch level. Then adjust the boat forward or back to get 10%. ~300 lbs

Definitely put a keel roller on the forward and rear cross member. Otherwise, on a steep ramp the bow will smack the trailer as it comes off.

[smokeonthewater]

that trailer is quite a bit too short for that boat.

The 10% rule I use for trailer length is that a boat trailer needs to be the length of the boat PLUS 10% minimum


Having that much overhang on a boat with the engine in the rear (IE outboard, I/O or V drive) is a really good way to end up with a hook in the hull and a ruined boat.

Get those rollers within a few inches of the transom.

You need a 22' trailer minimum for a 20' boat...

Then yes you also need to get tongue weight right... I like 10-15%

[Destroyer]

that trailer is quite a bit too short for that boat.

The 10% rule I use for trailer length is that a boat trailer needs to be the length of the boat PLUS 10% minimum

Having that much overhang on a boat with the engine in the rear (IE outboard, I/O or V drive) is a really good way to end up with a hook in the hull and a ruined boat.

Get those rollers within a few inches of the transom.

You need a 22' trailer minimum for a 20' boat...

Then yes you also need to get tongue weight right... I like 10-15%

Smoke nailed it. That trailer is way to short, and for the reason he mentioned. There is a phenomena called cupping. Basically, it happens when a boat sits on a trailer that's too short for a long time. The weight of the boat presses down onto the rollers (or boards) and actually puts a bend in the bottom of the hull in the unsupported stern. That in turn will act like extended trim tabs, creating drag and constantly trying to bury the bow in the water. In severe cases it will actually make the boat undrivable at high speed. If the boat is going to live in a slip most of it's life than I'd grudgingly say okay to your trailer, but if it's going to live it's life on the trailer than by all means get a different one.

The last rollers should touch the transom, or be very (1"-2") close to it. Once the boat is sitting on the trailer properly, then you adjust the axles either forward or rear to achieve the proper tongue weight. Finally, you then adjust the front bow post to cradle the bow when she is winched onboard.

Your trailer is undersized for what you are asking it to do. I'm sorry, but it's just too short, and I'd suspect that your trailer springs are too light for your boat's weight, making safe trailering impossible.

[smokeonthewater]

add to that the fact that living in the slip means NOT sitting on the trailer all winter...... 6 months is WAY too long to be improperly supported.

[randlemanboater]

BUT, you can make it work for now by replacing the rear rollers with bunks. Mount them right on the swivels for the rollers and make them long enough to support the rear of the boat.

Just a thought.

[smokeonthewater]

they wouldn't be supporting anything... If they flex only 1/4" then the hull will be distorted enough to be damaged

[step up here]

Go bunk! Lots of threads on here like Genie Aye shows conversion. Drive on drive off with ease. Also offers better support of boat.IMO:nice:

[Genie Aye]

Go bunk! Lots of threads on here like Genie Aye shows conversion. Drive on drive off with ease. Also offers better support of boat.IMO:nice:
The trailer looks like it is for a 17 or 18' boat maybe. You will find out when you get going about 60mph.
The pictures are in modifications section I believe. My computer with the pictures is in getting fixed.

[Destroyer]

The trailer looks like it is for a 17 or 18' boat maybe. You will find out when you get going about 60mph.

Agreed. The fact it's hanging 2' (23" by your own measurement) off the back tells me that the trailer is designed for an 18 footer at best. Just because you can physically get a 20 footer on it does not mean it's a trailer designed for a 20 foot boat. Whoever told you that they had a 21 footer on it was either lying to you, or was just plain ignorant of what size trailer they should have had.

[Joker2]

I recently swapped that trailer for a biggere one. The dealer was very good about it, he gave me a much better trailer at no cost. I still had to do a little roller moving and sliding the bow roller around. It is a Venture with 20 rollers has a 3 X 5 tube. It still hangs off back 12-14". I can't bring the bow roller bracket forward anymore because the keel is too close to the frame of trailer. You think it will be ok like this?

[smokeonthewater]

nope.... still not supporting the transom.... I would shoot for 1-3" of overhang .... look into height adjustment.. if you can raise the bow and or lower the stern you can move her forward... You could even put a keep roller on the back of that front cross member the tongue hooks to.

[smokeonthewater]

actually looking again, likely all you need is the keel roller... I had a very similar trailer and I put a self centering keel roller there... LOVED it..... ALSO you could install a longer tongue if needed.... I did that too. I just bought the correct tubing and cut to length n drilled the holes to bolt it up

[Destroyer]

actually looking again, likely all you need is the keel roller... I had a very similar trailer and I put a self centering keel roller there... LOVED it..... ALSO you could install a longer tongue if needed.... I did that too. I just bought the correct tubing and cut to length n drilled the holes to bolt it upDamn Smoke, ya beat me to it. Was gonna say the same thing.

If you're set on keeping that trailer, buy a longer tongue so you have more room to play with, then move your winch post forward about a foot or so and
then put a center keel roller on that front cross member to protect your keel. Chances are that when you winch her further forward you'll have to readjust some of your rear rollers as she rises up on the new front roller, and possibly you may need to move your axles for proper tongue weight, but those are just adjustments that everyone has to make anyways.

(And on a side not, it the dealer (East Coast Trailers?) took your other trailer back, and then gave you this trailer in it's place... and both times said it was the right size for your boat, I would run... not walk... away from him and never give him another cent of my hard earned dollars. He's obviously interested in either just making money, or doesn't know the first thing about properly fitting a boat onto a trailer).

[Joker2]

Thanks for all your input, I will swap out the piece of rubber with a keel roller and go with bunks in the rear to help with the support, after I try and bring it forward even more. Any recommendations on what kind of material to use for bunks that wouldn't flex, even a little. I was thinking of heavy gauge 2 X 2 x 1/4 Galv. steel angle with a pressure treated 2 X 6 on it which I can change easy enough every couple of seasons. I happen to have the 2" angle.

[smokeonthewater]

bunks in the rear will NOT help with support... rollers are just fine...

by design bunks NEED to flex to conform to the hull... you can not extent bunks off the back of the trailer to support the transom as they only actually support the hull in the areas where the brackets support the bunks... just get the boat moved forward and you'll be fine

[Destroyer]

bunks in the rear will NOT help with support... rollers are just fine...

by design bunks NEED to flex to conform to the hull... you can not extent bunks off the back of the trailer to support the transom and only actually support the hull in the areas where the brackets support the bunks... just get the boat moved forward and you'll be fine

Agreed...100%

The only thing I can add is that IF you want bunks, then by all means install them. But do it because you want them, not because you think they will solve your problem.

As for your bunk design with the angle iron and then the 2 x 6 on top of it, that's way overkill. Just get yourself the proper supports for a bunk style setup and use some 2 x 6 or even 2 x 4 covered with some nice outdoor carpet. I like 2 x 6 for the added 2" lift, but I've seen tons of trailers with 2 x 4's. And if you really want to get fancy, then put a non-stick strip on the top of each bunk. (Look on eBay) They really do make a hella difference in sliding your boat on and off the trailer.

[mawshj]

most v20's came with dual wheel trailers. the weight of the boat ,gas ice chest ,& all other eqip. + the trailer easy gets you to 400 lbs or more. My trailer is a single axle designed for the v20 and it uses load range e tires. If you intend to pull this boat at highway speeds in the heat of summer check the tire spec's ALSO

[Joker2]

I installed keel roller and moved boat up. My question is how hard would it be to extend my tongue like 2'. Tires are load range C which can handle 1850 Each at 50 psi should be fine, my boat has new transom very dry sits very high in water, plus I carry very little in boat. Should not exceed 3,000 lbs even with gear, boat 1940 motor 400 gas 280 gear tops about 300 equals 2,920. Thanks for input

[smokeonthewater]

best option would be to replace the tongue with new tubing

[cfelton]

Yup, Im with smoke. Id lenghten the tongue out and move the boat up. The trailer I got was under a 26ft. Bayliner. Had tomove the axles and cut off about 4 ft.on the rear. I put 4 keel rollers, a set of cradle (wobble ) rollers under the bow and 8 ft bunks for the rear. It works great and is well supported.

[Destroyer]

Look carefully at your trailers tongue. Chances are you'll see that it's not welded but rather it's bolted to the rest of the trailer. Reason being is they (the trailer makers) expect people to have to make adjustments, plus welding galvanized is a pain and destroys the rust resistance of the metal at the weld site. So your easiest (and cheapest) option is simply to get a longer length of the same size galvanized rectangular tubing that's there already, unbolt your present tongue, measure and drill holes in the new tube (using the holes in the old tube as a guide), and then just install the new tube. It's almost harder to type it out than to actually do it.

[Joker2]

Actually looking into adding 2' with a swing away kit, much cheaper than adding a new 8' piece of 3 X 4 tube and it comes with a new coupler. New tubing $230.00. Kit $140.00

[smokeonthewater]

don't shop for your tubing at a trailer parts store... go to a welding shop or metal supply house


the swing away is an option but not my preferred choice as it has some negatives.... It adds slop to the trailer, the winch stand MUST be mounted behind it... the jack must be mounted behind it... it is another potential area for failure....

I bought a 20' stick if non galvanized when I needed a longer tongue and I think it was around $100... steel has gone up some since then and you want it galvanized but then you don't need anywhere near 20'

[Joker2]

I found a 7 - 1/2' 11 gauge piece of 3 X 4 tube steel new for $50 from a friends large truck repair shop. It will not be gal but I think it is ok, I will paint it up as it should never get saltwater on it. Almost there hopefully this will do it. The tube there now is 6' so I am adding 18".

[phatdaddy]

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=93362&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=50218&subdeptNum=50229&classNum=50232#.UmGwSPl_6So

joker, use this stuff. it is amazing as far as protecting raw steel in a salt setting.

[Joker2]

thanks

[Destroyer]

OMG!!! $100 a GALLON???? That stuff damn well better be the best around. That's an obscene price. Personally I'd just go with a 2 part epoxy coating at about half the cost. :head:

Joker, when you are painting that tube, make sure you paint the INSIDE as well as the outside. Metal heats up and the air inside the tube expands... then as it cools it draws in air from outside... and that air is laden with salt. So, over time, the inside of that tube will rust out... and it won't take nearly as long as you think, cause you'll never wash out the inside of the tube, so the salt will lay inside there and do it's thing. That's why hot dipped galvanized is worth the few extra bucks. By the time you add in the cost of the paint, and your labor, most times you're spending more for bare steel than for galvanized.

[phatdaddy]

why would you buy a gallon to paint a 8 ft piece of steel?
d's right on the inside painting. i take a rag tied to a wire, dip it in the paint and pull it through the tube, keep rotating it to get good coverage.

[Joker2]

Thanks 4 advise, but I figure the tube will never get wet with saltwater and I do rinse the inside, I shoot hose right down openening by coupler. I only trailer 6-10 Times a year. I go 10-20 miles away max.

[Destroyer]

Thanks 4 advise, but I figure the tube will never get wet with saltwater and I do rinse the inside, I shoot hose right down openening by coupler. I only trailer 6-10 Times a year. I go 10-20 miles away max.

Whatever dude, you do what you want, but I think you're missing the point. IF you go anywhere near saltwater, then the trailer will get wet inside and out. We're not talking about dipping the trailer in the water, we're talking about the salt laden air surrounding the metal and leaving a microscopic thin film deposit of salt on the metal while you're out fishing. It's unavoidable, and I can tell you from experience that it doesn't take long to rot out bare metal. Now, if, on the other hand, you are only going to do fresh water fishing and will be bringing the trailer to a lake or river nowhere near salt air, then perhaps you can get away with not painting the inside... But I'll never buy that trailer from you.

[Joker2]

Yeah I will paint it and use it. I don't plan on having this boat forever, besides I don't use the trailer much I keep the boat on a mooring most of the year. I will just save the old tube and when I go to sell the trailer I will put the old one back. Iknow I am cheesing out but I can't afford to put money into it right now. Thanks for input

[smokeonthewater]

do a little searching for a hot dip galvanizing company in your area... I once worked at one and if someone walked up with something like that on second shift and found their way out back we'd generally charge em about $20 to dip something like that n we'd buy pizza w the money