New to the wellcraft V20 family

[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]