New to the wellcraft V20 family

[bryant]

Hi everyone,
I just got my first V20! it is a 1973 and yes it is a project boat. I have several questions however, the first question I have is about the trailer. It is a 1991 shoreline with roller bunks and a single axel. On the way home the boat started to fish-tail and so I could not go over 50 MPH. Is there a way to fix this or do I need a new trailer?

[Blue_Runner]

Based on your description is sounds like you have too much (or not enough) tongue weight on the tongue of your trailer. My first question would be - does the boat have a motor? If not that would explain why so much weight is on the tongue of your trailer. Just add a motor and the weight of the motor on the rear will lighten your tongue weight. You want to distribute the weight somewhat evenly over your trailer axles.

If it does have a motor, I would say the boat is either positioned too far forward or too far back on the trailer. Some adjustment may be required.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by bryant

Hi everyone,
I just got my first V20! it is a 1973 and yes it is a project boat. I have several questions however, the first question I have is about the trailer. It is a 1991 shoreline with roller bunks and a single axel. On the way home the boat started to fish-tail and so I could not go over 50 MPH. Is there a way to fix this or do I need a new trailer?

Congradulations on your first V. Post lots of pictures as you bring her back to life. We love to see boat porn here.

Fishtailing is usually caused by too little weight on the tongue. Yes, there is a way to fix it and it's really quite simple. The rule of thumb is 150-250 lbs of tongue weight on your tow vehicle's hitch. It can vary a little based upon your springs, brakes, etc.

First, adjust your boat to your trailer. Generally speaking, the back bottom edge of the boat's stern should be even with the end of the trailer bunk at the back of the trailer. Once you have the boat positioned properly, loosen the bolts and slide the winch post in the front of the trailer up against the bow of the boat and then re-secure it to the tongue. Now you're ready to adjust the trailer itself.

To adjust your tongue weight, look at your axle carefully. You should see that the entire axle assembly (axle, springs, tires, etc) is one complete unit that is bolted to the frame of the trailer. You should also see a series of empty bolt holes running along the frame. Hitch your boat up to your tow vehicle to prevent it from moving, then simply unbolt the axle assembly, slide it to the next set of bolt holes in the frame and loosely rebolt it. ( A porta-power makes this part exceedingly easy) Sliding it forward decreases the tongue weight. Sliding it backward increases the tongue weight. Take a bathroom scale, put it under the trailer jack wheels, open the lock on your trailer ball hitch so that it's floating freely, then crank your trailer jack downward onto the scale. When the trailer hitch socket lifts up off the hitch ball you have your tongue weight displayed on the scale. From your description it sounds like you need to increase your tongue weight, so slide it backward. Move the axle assembly back on the trailer frame one set of bolt holes and measure the weight again. Once you arrive at 150-250 lbs tighten everything down, hook it up to your vehicle and take it for a test drive. It should track nice and straight, (assuming that there are no broken or misaligned parts on your trailer) Please understand that this is just a general rule of thumb and there are simply too many variables for it to be 100% accurate all of the time, so adjust forward or backward as needed, one set of bolt holes at a time.

NOTE* Keep in mind that when you go for a day of fishing or boating or whatever that you will be loading the boat with fuel, coolers, gear, etc.. all of which can (and will) effect the weight distribution of the boat on the trailer. Try to keep the gear evenly distributed in front of and behind the axle. It will help.

[macojoe]

I agree with all above! There might no be any holes along the trailer, Mine has never had any! So its best to measure from end of traiker to were you adjust to and do the same on te other side to be sure both sides are the same.
Also look at the bolts and stuff as if they are to rotted it will be better to cut them off and replace with new! A 4" grinder is every boaters friend!!

i don't know what it comes to but have always heard 7 to 10% total weight is a good tongue weight,

Good Luck!

[nipper]

Agree with all, and I too had heard tongue weight should be approximately 7-10% of the load weight. See if you can get numbers off of the trailer so you can determine if it is the appropriate capacity before you spend a lot of time with it. If it is undersized, you simply do not want to use it. A V20 with trailer and loaded with gas and stuff can weigh 4500 lbs. depending on the amount of fuel and the motor on the boat.

[Destroyer]

*Supplement to above post:

All trailer manufacturers recommend 5 - 10% total weight of the boat and trailer to be put onto the tongue weight. But that's just a general rule of thumb and there are no absolutes in this game. A more accurate, scientific (and safer) formula would be that the tongue weight should be 7% - 10% of the total weight of a loaded trailer for a single axle trailer and 5%-8% for a multi axle trailer. (That's with the trailer level). As was previously mentioned, a fully loaded V with fuel, coolers, ice, gear, etc can easily weigh 4500 lbs. When I towed my boat up from Florida earlier this year with my Jeep Cherokee I had my tongue weight set at 350lbs. I towed at speeds of 65-75 mph and had zero problems. That was with an empty boat. My point is there are NO absolutes... you must test your tow vehicle/trailer set up and adjust as necessary until you find the sweet spot for your particular rig. Too little weight on the tongue will cause fishtailing.. too much will cause your tow vehicle to bounce and lose steering. Neither is a good or safe option.

[bryant]

Thank you all for your input. I will definitely make the adjustments needed. I also have noticed a slight bend in the tongue. So this will have to be fix/replaced. I believe the springs are shot on the trailer as well because the boat bounces allot when you are in it (does not seem very stable) Is there any advantage to going to a heavier spring on the trailer?

I will post a pic of the boat once I learnn how to.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by bryant

Thank you all for your input. I will definitely make the adjustments needed. I also have noticed a slight bend in the tongue. So this will have to be fix/replaced. I believe the springs are shot on the trailer as well because the boat bounces allot when you are in it (does not seem very stable) Is there any advantage to going to a heavier spring on the trailer?

I will post a pic of the boat once I learnn how to.

Well, just remember that as a general rule, trailers only have springs, no shock absorbers, so they will always bounce more than a car or truck. As for the tongue, I wouldn't worry too much about a slight bend.. it just means that the PO(s) did something wrong...(usually jackknifing while backing). As long as it doesn't compromise the structural integrity of the trailer it should be ok...
As to going to a heavier spring, if you want added stiffness just go with a set of helper springs.. (It's an extra leaf that you slide under your existing springs). Lots cheaper than a whole new set. Just remember that even though you are adding extra load handling stiffness, you are not adding extra load capacity. That rating is determined by your axle(s) and does not change no matter how many springs you add.
As to posting a picture, make an account for yourself at www.photobucket.com (it's free) Follow the simple directions to upload your photos to your account and then just copy/paste the photo you want to use from there to the post you want to have the photo with here. The string to use will start and end with [img]