Need advice and suggestions for getting boat in tight garage!

[jsweber82]

Hey Everyone. Yesterday I brought home a new boat and panicked when I realized my measurements for the width of my garage door were off! Either that or the guy at the marine measured the width of the trailer wrong. Anyway, the trailer will fit into my garage (single door) but the wheel wells rub the sides of my garage trim. That said, I literally have NO extra space on either side. I am pretty good backing up a trailer but yesterday I gave up and asked a neighbor to help me push it in by hand.

Using the truck is just way too hard and time consuming because if you are off by about a 1/2 inch it's not going to work. Obviously I cannot do this by hand every time nor can this become a 2 person job every time. Do any of you have suggestions or tips on how to make this an easier and quicker process? I thought about one of those trailer dollys but wasn't sure if that would help. My driveway is relatively level but there is a ledge from the driveway to the garage which is about 3/4 inch and I'm not sure I can push it over that by myself. Does a trailer dolly make pushing the weight of the trailer any easier, or does it just help maneuver? would really love to hear some advice from people who are in my same situation!

Thanks,

​Jason

 

[littlerayray]

What about mounting a hitch on the front bumper or using a four wheeler with a hitch mounted on the front or better yet make the garage door bigger

 

[64osby]

If the garage is dedicated to the boat you might look at installing some guide tracks (think car wash entry).

Maybe add some FRP panels to the frame of the garage door to protect the boat / trailer / garage.

You might also look to remove the wood on the frame and pick up an inch or two.

Lesson to be learned - Never trust a salesman with a tape measure. :watermelon:

 

[smokeonthewater]

make the garage door bigger.. talk to the dealer... see if they can swap you a slightly narrower trailer... install a cheap 110v winch in the garage n use it to pull the boat in while you steer by hand...

no a dolly won't help you propel the boat, only helps steer it.

 

[Frank Acampora]

can the fenders be removed? If so, how many bolts and how much time is necessary to replace them? Can't run on the road without fenders but it might be possible to make them easily removable and replaceable. you should gain about 4 inches clearance.

 

[jerryvanharen]

Talk to the dealer, maybe they can find a narrower trailer. Looks like you were conned by a salesman!

 

[Scott Danforth]

if you have a lawn tractor, put a hitch on it.

if not, google home made powered trailer dolly. there will be thousands of hits.

if the fenders hit, they wont hit for long as it will be a self clearing interference.:facepalm:

my first suggesting would be pull some of the moulding from around the garage door for now.

 

[bigdee]

How heavy is boat? I use a trailer dolly and it works fine on the level. The other option is to install a hitch on the front of your vehicle....a very handy thing to do anyway. A garden tractor may also be an option. Does your garage have 2 doors? If so you could PULL boat in, unhook tractor and push boat in the rest of the way by hand.

 

[Bayou Dave]

What about mounting a hitch on the front bumper or using a four wheeler with a hitch mounted on the front or better yet make the garage door bigger

Hitch on the front of your truck is the way to go. I put one on mine last Fall and it is a world of difference putting the boat any place you want.

 

[bruceb58]

I put my pontoon boat on the side of my house and it is extremely tight. I use one of these:
http://www.powercaster.com/

 

[jsweber82]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the suggestions. I am liking the suggestions about the front bumper hitch. I will look into that. Removing and reattaching the trailer fenders is not ideal but it may be a good solution for now. It looks like there are 4 bolts per side holding the fenders on which should be easy enough to remove and put back as needed. I have a 2 car garage, with 2 separate doors and a brick divider between them. That being said I don't think widening the garage is an option for me. Thanks again for the advice!

 

[Fleetwin]

I put my pontoon boat on the side of my house and it is extremely tight. I use one of these:
http://www.powercaster.com/

Yes, I have one of those. What a back saver. They are pricey-new. Look for used ones.

The idea of putting some guides on the floor is also a good one. 2" X 4"'s would work.

 

[SDSeville]

install a cheap 110v winch in the garage n use it to pull the boat in while you steer by hand....

+1. I use a 12V winch (hooked up to extra battery) with a remote control that I use while steering with a trailer dolly. I got the winch on sale for 69.99 and dolly for about $25 at HF.

 

[Fleetwin]

+1. I use a 12V winch (hooked up to extra battery) with a remote control that I use while steering with a trailer dolly. I got the winch on sale for 69.99 and dolly for about $25 at HF.

Great idea, just put some guides on the floor.

 

[ibrw1]

I bought a trailer dolly, it has a hand crank. 399 dollars. It's required for me.

 

[jayhanig]

I put my pontoon boat on the side of my house and it is extremely tight. I use one of these:
http://www.powercaster.com/

I had a trailer valet and it just dug holes into my marl driveway with its tires. How big are your tires and do you have any problems with it doing the same on soft surfaces?

 

[jayhanig]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the suggestions. I am liking the suggestions about the front bumper hitch. I will look into that. Removing and reattaching the trailer fenders is not ideal but it may be a good solution for now. It looks like there are 4 bolts per side holding the fenders on which should be easy enough to remove and put back as needed. I have a 2 car garage, with 2 separate doors and a brick divider between them. That being said I don't think widening the garage is an option for me. Thanks again for the advice!

I just had a Curt front trailer hitch installed on my Ford Ranger. I got it for $140 delivered from JCWhitney. A local garage installed it for another $65, which was money well spent as far as I'm concerned. I had spoken to the folks at Leonard Trailer but they blew me off as soon as they found they weren't going to make the hitch sale. Their installed price was around $275, IIRC. Thanks, but no.

While I'm thinking about your garage, how about some pictures of the trim and the opening so we can brainstorm on what's possible to improve things? I have an idea about installing trim on hinges that would allow you to open it up as required but don't know if that would be practical in your case.

 

[bruceb58]

I had a trailer valet and it just dug holes into my marl driveway with its tires. How big are your tires and do you have any problems with it doing the same on soft surfaces?

I have only used it on my concrete driveway with a gentle slope. I have used it on both my boats. The Wellcraft is 6k#

Tires are the small 8" trailer tires so they are a little more than a foot tall.

These dollys are awesome. Couldn't do what I do with a front trailer hitch. Needs to be very precise and the dolly moves super slow but with tons of torque.

 

[keith2k455]

I like the winch Idea. Also, what size is your garage door? I don't think the trailer can legally be over 8'6"wide. A standard 9'wise door should give your about 3"...lol. but I couldn't consistently back within 3"and consider myself ok backing a trailer.