How many times you have been at the boat ramp by your self and wished the trailer tongue was a little longer in order to drop the tailgate on the pickup or open the rear hatch on the SUV?
After building a trailer for my duck hunting boat that would allow me to open the tailgate and back down the ramp at dark doom thirty, it dawned on me, just extend the hitch (idiot).
Couple of months ago went to get the material to make an extension, well as fate normally has it they already make such an animal.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...3/hitch002.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...3/hitch003.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...3/hitch004.jpg
The load limit is reduced due to the extended length.
I wouldn't suggest it for road trips but it is great for the weekend outings.

Such great and inventive ideas! Keep this going! I found a couple I can use! Thanks...:nice:

One that Daddy showed me a couple years ago, happened to have this flag on a fiberglass pole laying around the yard and he stuck it there for an example.
He said when he owned the V, the only thing he had a problem with, was aligning the boat to the trailer at the ramp cause he couldn't see the winch stand over the bow of the boat.
Well it has been just stuck in the hole since, no real need to replace it till someone steals it.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...i3/flag001.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...i3/flag002.jpg
It really does wonders, letting you line up the boat and you have a good idea when it is to the winch.

Great idea there Tsubaki. I have the same issue. The bunks on my trailer do a pretty good job of getting her centered, but I am always afraid I am going to power right up into and perhaps over the winch.

Engine flush drum
 

Daddy did this a couple of weeks ago.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...i3/drum006.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...i3/drum005.jpg
This does many things:
if you have neighbors that complain about boat noise, it will greatly muffle the engines exhaust,
it will allow you to get the engine up to correct operating temperatures for testing and adjusting,
you can easily replenish the amount of water in the drum by hooking the hose to the spigot/drain.

I'd been using a drum cut in half for years on smaller motors, I just never thought about doing this for the bigger engines.

You have a very clever Pop there Tsubaki. Lightweight, portable and adding the spigot to it was probably the right thing to do so you would not be running all the exhaust filled water back through the cooling system.

be very very careful with the larger motor in the barrel, if you don't keep the hose running the whole time in the barrel you will over heat your motor and loose water out other places and cause lower water to the pump as well. exhaust will heat the water and cause the over heating plus the fact the water is reused threw the motor.

Excellent posts keep it going..
Inline Ignition Spark Checker they have a 90 degree also..
As part of my on board tool bag I have one for each cylinder, Connect up and you can see if your engine is dropping a spark etc.. $ 6.00 each !
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=4424

Giraffe
 

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...i3/trailer.jpg
We're moving two of the boats to the other side of the yard under another shelter, I hope this will prevent my sister from backing into the tongue's whenever she visits. Yes it is silly looking.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...trailer003.jpg
Daddy had been placing a 5 gallon bucket over the tongue's to act as a bumper for shin protection during the possibility of an intoxicated event, the Giraffe's should act as double duty.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...trailer006.jpg

very nice and it will also be nice o line up the tuck when loading!!