Is my trailer to big for my boat?

[ntroisis84]

Hello,

I recently purchased a 2003 chaparral 215 that does not come with a trailer. It is currently sitting 6 hours away in storage at a marina and I need to pick it up this month. I own a mattress store and traded a mattress for a Venture VATB-6425 trailer knowing the trailer is a bit big, but I could always sell it and come out ahead. From the specs I can find, my boat has an overall length of 21.5' but I can not find a measurement for bow eye to transom anywhere. Venture's website says that trailer is for a 24-25' boat. I would rather not go through the trouble of selling it and getting a new one. Does anyone have any idea if I can make this trailer work for my boat?

 

[b.gagnon]

A trailer can never be to big as long as it is properly setup for the hull that will sit on it.... Some boats need rollers, some just bunks, and some need both! You can destroy the hull quickly with the wrong setup....
I hope you called Chaparral to see what type of setup it needs before you traded for the trailer.... I may cost more to convert it than it's worth.
Good Luck..

 

[SeaDooSam]

You can most likely adjust or move the bunks. Typically they are adjustable.

 

[daniel Wyllie23]

You can most likely adjust or move the bunks. Typically they are adjustable.

Thank you for the help!


___________

epaper

 

[redneck joe]

Welcome to the forum. As stated, never too big, but if bringing home 6 hours it needs to be on there correctly but if the marina has service techs they should be able to get on there well enough to get you home. Then when you do - post up a new thread and pics and the smart guys here will help you get it done right.

 

[bruceb58]

I am going to go against everyone else's advice.

If the suspension is designed for a 24' boat, it will have more suspension capacity than what your boat weighs hence it will have a much stiffer ride and possibly damage your hull in the long run.

 

[wrvond]

Every single picture of that trailer that I see online shows it with two bunks edge on. That means your boat is going to be resting on a 2 inch wide strip of carpeted wood on each side. And from what I can see, those bunks are not adjustable.
All the trailers I see for that class boat are tandem axle, so I don't think that'll be a huge problem, but if Bruce is right, any problems caused by the stiff suspension are only going to be exacerbated by the narrow bunks.
I'd at least be prepared to cut those off and replace them with four sets of clamp on 2x6 bunks. Probably 8 feet long on the outsides and 12 feet long on the insides.
Once you set the boat on the trailer with two inches or so of bunk sticking out past the transom, you should be able to adjust the winch post back until it contacts the bow.
Good luck!