Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

[Bunky1267]

I just picked up a Yarborough S17 Trailer for my 18ft Starcraft , Hows the boat supposed to be placed on the Trailer ??

Are the Bunks to be flush with the rear of the Boat or is it ok for it to hang off the rear a little ??

I think I'm going to have to lengthen the trailer a little to work properly with this boat

 

[wizbang 13]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

I think it's good for the bunks to stick out past the boat (just a little) to support transom, thats where the weight is.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

if the trailer is the proper length for the boat the bunks can hang over a bit. The tongue weight should not be too light or too heavy either. tongue weight is usually adjusted by moving the bow stop forward or back whichever the case may be which in turn moves the boat forward or back on the trailer.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

For proper support the bunks must extend at least flush with the transom or an inch or two beyond. You set that up first. You then adjust tongue weight by moving the axle forward or back. If you have light tongue weight already and the boat extends past the end of the bunks you have no choice but to move the boat back and readjust the axle. If the tongue weight is currently heavy and you have some bunk extending past the back of the boat, then you can move the boat back to lighten the tongue. The same applies for roller trailers. The last rollers should directly under the transom.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

For proper support the bunks must extend at least flush with the transom or an inch or two beyond. You set that up first. You then adjust tongue weight by moving the axle forward or back. If you have light tongue weight already and the boat extends past the end of the bunks you have no choice but to move the boat back and readjust the axle. If the tongue weight is currently heavy and you have some bunk extending past the back of the boat, then you can move the boat back to lighten the tongue. The same applies for roller trailers. The last rollers should directly under the transom.

not all trailers have adjustable axles hence using the bow stop to move where the boat sits on the trailer. Same principle.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

if the trailer is the proper length for the boat the bunks can hang over a bit. The tongue weight should not be too light or too heavy either. tongue weight is usually adjusted by moving the bow stop forward or back whichever the case may be which in turn moves the boat forward or back on the trailer.

This will only work if you have only a few pounds of weight to move.

If you need to add 300 or 500 pounds to your tongue weight, you would have to move the bow stop several feet or more. Show me a trailer where you can move the bow stop forward by 5 feet. And then your boat would be 5 feet from the back of the trailer.

The proper way, is to move the axle.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

If tongue weight is so far off that you cannot compensate for it by moving the boat and/or the bow stop back and forth a bit, you have the wrong trailer. Trailers with fixed bow stops are generally made as a custom trailer for a given boat or the trailer was home made. Any given trailer from the time it was built will probably see two, three or even more boats before it is no longer servicable. Some of those boats are wrong for the trailer. We see it here all the time in the form of a picture with a boat hanging two feet or more over the back of the trailer and someone asking if this looks right. As for adding or removing 300 - 400 pounds of tongue weight you very likely have the wrong trailer. Normal tongue load is 7 - 10% of total weight so to add 300 to 400 pounds would mean you have zero or less than zero on the tongue so to get 10% you would have a 3000 - 4000# boat OR you have a very heavy boat. The former represents a wrong trailer. Another example would be if you had a 6000# boat and needed to add 300#. You would then be starting at 300# of tongue weight. You would not have to move a boat that heavy very far forward or the axle rearward to gain another 300 pounds to achieve a 600# total. My previous comments relate to a proper trailer for the boat it carries. Mismatch the two and you have an issue if either the bow stop and/or axle are not adjustable.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

Silvertip, I tend to agree with you 99% of the time, but not this time.

Go buy an aftermarket or used trailer that fits your boat, and you will likely have to move the axle.

The trailer manufacturer has no idea what boat you will be putting on the trailer, and the trailer dealer is likely the one that installed the axle at their shop. They pick an average location and bolt it up.

They don't know if you will be using it for a 16 aluminum utility with a 30hp that weights 800#, or a 17' Alumacraft Trophy or Pro Fisherman with 150hp and weighing 1800#. Chances are pretty good the axle won't be in the same location for the 2 loads.

Or get a trailer that fits an 80's 18' Lund Mr Pike, it will also fit a newer 18' Sea Ray with a 4.3 i/o. But something is gonna have to be moved. Can't move the bow stop, or the boat is gonna be hanging over.

And who knows where the axle started out at. Could very well have been placed too far forward/aft for either boat.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

My entire point is about a mismatch of too much boat for too little trailer so I agree with you Roscoe. It is when you have a boat that is too long for the trailer or one that was custom built and things simply aren't adjustable that these situations arise. Fortunately most recreational boat trailers today are made with adjustable winch posts, bow stops and axle sub-frames. But all of that adjustability is still worthless if the boat is too long for the trailer. While you may still get tongue weight adjusted properly, the bunks will be nowhere close to the proper position. There was a recent post here that included a picture where the boat hung a good two feet or more past the back of the bunks. If I find it I will add it to illustrate the mismatch discussion. The trailer may be perfectly acceptable for the load but the boat simply does not fit the trailer.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

got ya, cheers.

 

[flipjoe]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

hello i am in the coast guard and asked this same question from the trailer manufacture on one of are trailered boats, he said it is fine to have the boat go past the end of the bunks on the trailer but should not exceed it more than a foot.

 

[Al Kungel]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

Most boat dealers and some trailer dealers will undersell the trailer, just to keep the costs down. Does this guy even know where a lot of the weight is on a boat or where the motor is mounted on a boat.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Proper location of boat on Trailer ??

hello i am in the coast guard and asked this same question from the trailer manufacture on one of are trailered boats, he said it is fine to have the boat go past the end of the bunks on the trailer but should not exceed it more than a foot.

Wrong. I would not trust that person for any future advice.......

Over time a hull can develop a hook which will can and will impede the performance and handling.

The Aluminum boats should be under the transom and leaving the bunk or roller sticking out is not bad. The stern of the aluminum boat has a critical seam at that point.

A fiberglass hull can suffer even fasted and develop that hook.

People who manufacture trailers know that trailers rarely fail and will blame all failure on the boat manufacturer.

It is the boat owners responsibility to make sure everything is set up properly.