Getting guide-on right.

[Jerry_NJ]

I have discussed the subject of difficulty I have getting my not-so-big Discovery centered on my trailer. Loading in any cross wind over 5 mph makes it almost impossible.

In the pictures I show that the guides I had installed and which didn't work well. In addition these guides hit the hull only at the lower EDGE of one of the rollers and that scuffed the hull paint - repair of that is another subject.

But, in the pictures I show the guides lowered about 6" so that the rollers hit the hull at the bottom (what is the bottom of a boat called?). This is a strong point in the hull and stops the abrading of the hull by the edge of the rollers, which are now below the hull.

The third picture shows how the rollers are mounted. As shown the rollers are now mounted below the trailer beam that runs fore/aft. The beam is about 4". I have also inserted a piece of 5/4", or 1", below the beam making the roller mounting a total of about 6" lower.

I have not yet tried. but can say the rollers were pressed up against the hull/bottom edge and the boat is centered well enough as it now sits.

I would like the rollers to be more "verticle" rather than moving away from the hull sharply above the contact point.

Given what I have, does this placement of rollers suggest I might get some needed help centering the boat, wind or not. I avoid boating on windy days..which I have concluded is winds over 10 mph.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

No Title

Oh yes, the pictures

 

[Jdm802]

How do you make a new post or topic?

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Go the forum you with a related subject: this one is "trailers and towing", and if you are logged in, as you had to be to "reply" or ask a question here you will fine at the top left hand side a box in which you can fill in a new title of you post, then go to the larger box below that. When done, click "post".

Welcome to iboat, hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[reelfishin]

You could bend the mounting hardware and upright rod to better align those rollers but personally I think the tall PVC type guide ons work best. The guide ons you have there may be too low once the trailer is at or in the water to catch the hull properly. I find that a guide post that contacts the rub rail area when loading is the most helpful. I've seen cases where the bow can float right over those low side rollers like that, you have to be real careful not to go in too deep, and even more careful not to let the ends of the rollers contact the hull when the boat is floating.

With tall guide posts, the bow makes contact right away if the boat gets off course, the result is that the guide ons sort of funnel the boat onto the trailer.

 

[dude11]

Kinda looks too close @ the bottom.I'm with you on the angle of any guide.Just an opinion here,,but I like'em running same line with the side of boat & about a 2in.play between contact of same.

 

[Grandad]

I think that the longer your guides are, the better, especially in deep water ramps. - Grandad

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks, and "grandad" your boat looks a little heavier than mine - I have "bass boat" type decking and elevated decks so the little deep-V Discovery still weights a good bit. Unlike your picture, I don't have a helper and thus wade into the water and drag the boat from a bow line to the trailer and thus to the winch. I usually get the boat up to about 3' from the winch before connecting that. My guides, even before the redesign mount shown above, help keep the boat from blowing off the side, but the &*^* angle on the rollers put the bottom of the roller against the painted part of the hull, rubbing the paint off. I always got the boat on within a couple of inches of center, so guides with some "room" wouldn't help correct that error, I believe. If I wade, in warm weather, to about my crouch (I have at least a 35" inseam) the boat has enough float I can mover it laterally and if the wind isn't high it will sit center long enough to get it out of the water.

I'm yet to try the arrangement pictured, there has been too much wind and we are about out of wading in the water with bear legs weather here in NJ. We had a light freeze on flat surfaces this morning, the thermometer on the porch reading 34 degrees at 7:30 AM.

My previous 14' was a Grumman ProFisherman, use that one for about 30 years. It has a short shaft outboard and thus not the deep hull and weight of the Discovery, and I could on dry land move the stern of the Grumman to get it centered. Then too, I was younger too... may be time to give up this "kid stuff" and sit in the rocking chair and watch others fish on Youtube.