Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

Thread starter MAXXIE
Start date Jun 11, 2010

M

MAXXIE

Chief Petty Officer

Jun 11, 2010

#1

I posted a question re: where/what to tie the tow-rope to, & this question came up & I thought it would be fun

to see the different responses to it. Were the hooks/rings on the transom put there for ski rope hook up or were they put there for tie-down to the trailer? What's your take?

1

180Fisherman

Petty Officer 1st Class

Jun 11, 2010

#2

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

I was the one the posed that question. It is a bit or a curiosity for me now that you mention it. Those eyes certainly do have many uses. Skiing, tie-downs, anchoring, even using them to hang the boat in a lift. Even with the bow eye one has to wonder if it's truely for trailering or more for mooring. In the end I suppose it doesn't really matter. They are equally good for dangling shiney pink pom-pom things like on the handle bars of my 7 year old daugher's bike.

Philster

Captain

Jun 11, 2010

#3

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

They were designed with the strength required to moor, tow, and trailer the boat.

1

180Fisherman

Petty Officer 1st Class

Jun 11, 2010

#4

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

A brief search shows that they are generally called transom eyes or transom hooks so i guess the intended uses are many as they would be called ski hooks or trailer tie-down hooks if that was infact the primary intention.

H

H20Rat

Vice Admiral

Jun 11, 2010

#5

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

Towing purposes are secondary. Most are far too low to the water for decent towing, they would be up near the top edge if that was their primary purpose.

H

haulnazz15

Captain

Jun 11, 2010

#6

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

The transom eyes were made for trailering. Towing tubes/skiers was a secondary application which spawned the invention of the "tow-pulleys" that span from one u-bolt to the other. The ski ring was designed to pull skiers.

C

convergent

Petty Officer 1st Class

Jun 11, 2010

#7

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

Its a good question and I will conceded to the people here that know more about boats than me... but when I was a kid (47 now), I don't recall anyone ever using them to hold the stern of the boat to the trailer, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention. It seemed like the only thing they were used for back then on the boats I went on were skiing, and no harnesses either... just hooked directly to the hook.

Andy'sDelight

Petty Officer 1st Class

Jun 11, 2010

#8

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

180Fisherman said:
.......Skiing, tie-downs, anchoring, even using them to hang the boat in a lift......

While they could definitely be used for numerous reasons, anchoring is not one of them. Unless of course your intent is to sink the boat, in which case they will serve quite well.

1

180Fisherman

Petty Officer 1st Class

Jun 11, 2010

#9

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

Andy'sDelight said:
While they could definitely be used for numerous reasons, anchoring is not one of them. Unless of course your intent is to sink the boat, in which case they will serve quite well.

Where do you attached your stern anchor?

H

H20Rat

Vice Admiral

Jun 11, 2010

#10

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

Andy'sDelight said:
While they could definitely be used for numerous reasons, anchoring is not one of them. Unless of course your intent is to sink the boat, in which case they will serve quite well.

why? I anchor off the back eyelets FREQUENTLY.

Toss an anchor off the front with bungie, back the boat in to shore, get off, and anchor the back near shore.

yes, anchoring in open water off the stern is bad, but saying anchoring in general is bad is wrong.

Andy'sDelight

Petty Officer 1st Class

Jun 11, 2010

#11

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

smokingcrater said:
why? I anchor off the back eyelets FREQUENTLY.

Toss an anchor off the front with bungie, back the boat in to shore, get off, and anchor the back near shore.

yes, anchoring in open water off the stern is bad, but saying anchoring in general is bad is wrong.

I guess technically what you're referring to is mooring since one anchor (theone you hook from stern) is on land and you would not be required to have your overhead anchor light on. There are quite a few new boaters on this forum, so seeing a statement that just says you can use the transom eyelets for anchoring without making it as detailed as you just did makes me cringe. I boat in the ocean 100% of the time and I can't tell you how many people I see anchored from stern. One good wake from a party boat or a speed boat and those things are going right to the bottom fast. There are quite a few small craft at the bottom of the raritan bay, I'd be willing to be at least half were anchored from stern given what I've seen out there.

seabob4

Lieutenant Commander

Jun 11, 2010

#12

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

Well, I've been INSTALLING them for 16 years...Wellcraft/Aquasport, Hydra-sports, Stamas Yacht, Proline. There primary purpose is to secure the boat to the trailer. Whatever else they are used for is up to each individual. But I will tell you this, they aren't coming out...

When we pick up a Proline 35 Express Triple Verado/Dual Station, which comes in at around 16,000 lbs., we pick her up by the bow eye and the stern eyes...

H

haulnazz15

Captain

Jun 11, 2010

#13

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

seabob4 said:
Well, I've been INSTALLING them for 16 years...Wellcraft/Aquasport, Hydra-sports, Stamas Yacht, Proline. There primary purpose is to secure the boat to the trailer. Whatever else they are used for is up to each individual. But I will tell you this, they aren't coming out...

When we pick up a Proline 35 Express Triple Verado/Dual Station, which comes in at around 16,000 lbs., we pick her up by the bow eye and the stern eyes...

^ Agreed. I also don't use the stern eyes for tying off an anchor either, I use one of the stern cleats as it is a lot easier to get to than reaching over the back hand rails to get to the knot on the u-bolt.

M

MAXXIE

Chief Petty Officer

Jun 12, 2010

#14

Re: Ski Hooks or Tie Downs///Chicken or the Egg

Ahhhh, the back & forth responses I was expecting. I too think (atleast on my boat) the rings may be a little low or close to the water line to tow. I'll have to check on that & see where the water line is on the back. I'm going to buy a towable, rope & bridle today as my son wants to go tube'n.

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