bow eye in relational to bow stop?

[oldrudedude]

Where should the bow eye sit in relation to the bow stop?

The trailer of my 14.5 is set so that the eye is tucked tight under the bow stop. The trailer of my 16.5 is set that the eye is several inches below the stop. The winch strap on the 16.5 is pulling upward on the boat. What is the best setup? Reason would have it that the boat should be balanced on the bunks/rollers and that the winch strap should hold the boat secure to the bow stop. I realize the bow stop can be moved and the bunks can be angled to suit. Is there a standard setup or what is the setup of the membership?

Thanks

 

[Fed]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

The eye tucked snugly under the bow stop so the boat can't rise up on the stop, half the boats I see in here are wrong.

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Thankyou for your quick reply. What you suggest sounds correct.

Thanks
Blaine

 

[superbenk]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Agree with Fed. The strap should pull straight too.

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Agree with Fed. The strap should pull straight too.

When you say pull straight, I am assuming you mean parallel to the trailer tongue?

 

[superbenk]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

When you say pull straight, I am assuming you mean parallel to the trailer tongue?

Correct - horizontal.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

I would disagree, in principle. Not all boats and trailers are the same. The relationship between the two will determine the best location for the winch and bow stop.

The implied purpose of the stop is to give the bow a resting place to restrict forward movement and allow the winch to do it's job of applying pressure to hold the boat in position. A chain with a turnbuckle is then installed between the bow eye and trailer frame (not the winch stand) to give as secure a load (the boat) as possible.

Properly installed, the chain will restrict the movement of the boat so as to cause the boat to move with the trailer, not away from it. By using the chain and stern/transom straps, the boat and trailer will move in unison, reducing the stress on the boat, allowing the trailer suspension to support the boat.

Expecting the bow eye to act as a "stop" by resting against the bow stop could have unintended consequences by causing it to do what it was not intended to do. It is designed to resist pulling force exerted by the winch, not the shear forces being applied in your suggested method.

This, of course, is just my opinion as I am not a trailer or boat manufacturer, nor marine engineer.

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

This is what I ended up with after moving the tower back and the stop down. Looks ok to me and it is easier to consistantly get the boat onto the trailer in the same spot. You can see the marks on the tower and trailer tongue where the old setup was. The scuffs on the bow just below the rub rail show where the stio used to sit.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Normal connections only keep the boat from moving backwards off the trailer.

The only thing keeping the boat from moving forward on a typical trailer is the bow stop and winch post, all other connections (tie downs, winch strap) pull forward. In a fast stop the tie downs and bow strap become slack, the boat needs to overpower the winch post and move past it for the tie downs in the stern to come tight, at this point they will easily snap from the forward momentum of the boat.

Having the bow eye snuggly under the bow stop will at least limit the amount of forward movement....that is, until they fail.
.

 

[cribber]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Ondavr couldn't have put it any better... "Having the bow eye snugly under the bow stop will at least limit the amount of forward movement....that is, until they fail."

I think you're good to go from your picture you posted. My setup has the strap feeding from the bottom of the reel and that's just how I got it from the dealer. Over or under... your strap is level with the direction it is being pulled. Only thing I would add is a safety chain bolted to the trailer where you have the strap going from the bow eye to the crossmember.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Only thing I would add is a safety chain bolted to the trailer where you have the strap going from the bow eye to the crossmember.

Absolutely agree!! That strap wont slow that boat down even a little if it comes into play. A chain with a heavy galvanized turnbuckle is the best insurance against losing your boat.

 

[fibersport]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

At one time I had my bow eye above the roller, on one particulal ramp, the eye caught the roller when launching and when it finally slid back enough the bow rail hit the roller and got bent up. I adjusted the roller to be above the bow eye and have never had problems since. Also, some trailers are designed to use the boat to stiffen it up, if the boat is loose on the bow stop, it will have a tendency to bounce and add other stresses to the trailer, I always keep mine somewhat tight to the stop and have a safety chain as well.

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

I agree with those observations. You can see from the picture that the eye does not come snug to the stop. If fact there is a couple inch gap, so there is nothing stopping the boat from going forward except the friction of the boat on the bunk and stop. I guess I didn't tighten the strap enough when I loaded the boat. The transom straps are actually pulling the boat forward so if I had to rely on them to stop forward movement I would be wearing the boat as a hat. The trailer does not have a crossmember that is aft of the bow eye that I can secure a strap or chain to stop forward movement. I am considering fabricating one and welding it or u-bolting it in place. I am not at all comfortable with this trailer setup the way it is.

 

[Fed]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Change the Vee block to a roller, lower the winch plate 2" and move the winch post back 3".
You want to wedge the new roller between the bow & the top of the bow eye.

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Change the Vee block to a roller, lower the winch plate 2" and move the winch post back 3".
You want to wedge the new roller between the bow & the top of the bow eye.

I would usually make more of an effort to keep the eye snug to the stop, but the last time I put the boat on the trailer, the ramp was steep. It was the last day of our National long weekend and there was a lineup. I did not take the time to tighten up the winch until the trailer was right out of the water. By that time the friction was high and the winch strap was singing like a guitar string about to break. I would rather have a roller there to decrease friction and decrease the distance from the pivot bolt to the bow, but the roller would have to be only 2.75 in. wide. However, it does look like more adjustment is required.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

the above is all very good information about hauling large boats but since your concern is a 16' you can relax a little. If your boat jumps your stop you have larger problems going on.

I like the bow stop that is a pair of rollers about 8" apart. Perfect set-up is to have the bow eye/strap in between.

For those of us who winch the boat on instead of floating, the placement can become more complicated as you don;t want the cable crossing or cutting the roller/stop on the way up.

Some people will also advise you not to have your boat hanging off the bunks that far, as it can bend (hook) the hull. Hasn't affected my 17'/70 hp in 23 years but that boat spent a lot of time floating.
Are you using the same trailer for both boats? If so, it may be too small for the big boat for any long-term or constant storage.

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Some people will also advise you not to have your boat hanging off the bunks that far, as it can bend (hook) the hull. Hasn't affected my 17'/70 hp in 23 years but that boat spent a lot of time floating.
Are you using the same trailer for both boats? If so, it may be too small for the big boat for any long-term or constant storage.

This boat stays on this trailer, but the trailer doesn't seem to fit the boat very well. I am seriously considering extending the bunks, but that does not solve the problem of the rear crossmember being so far forward. As it is, there is nothing on the trailer to mount my transom saver to.

 

[racezilla500]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Good info here. Just what I was looking for. Thanks guys!

 

[RZR2007]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

I stopped at a shop today that makes custom boat trailers to pick up a few items for my trailer, I asked him about this, his response was just about word for word with ondarvr.......

 

[bluestreak2008]

Re: bow eye in relational to bow stop?

Everything looks good, but personally i would move the winch post forward as it looks like to much of your boat is overhanging the bunks. With engine weight it probally makes your bow want to bounce upwards when hitting bumps.