What do people think

I bought my first boat 6 years ago which was a 21 foot cuddy I hooked it to my truck to take home and noticed it had no safety chains. I also asked him about straps to strap the back of the boat down and he said you don't need them it is heavy enough it will not move around. I had some 1500lb straps I used to get the boat home better than nothing. This was even on a roller trailer. Sunday I went and looked at and brought home a century 25' cruiser he has now safety chains and drags it 4 hours each way a couple times a year for the twenty years he has owned it. Not even a sefty chain on the bow. Also go figure no back straps neither I looked around and it does not even u bolts on the back to hook them to. I have no clue how I would even strap down the back of this boat I didn't think it mattered how big or heavy but should still be straped. I already installed safety chains but need some ideas about back straps.

Re: What do people think

My 21 ft bow rider didn't have tie downs in the rear. I had a 2,000 pound ratchet strap. it always worked for me .As long as the bow was secured to the winch. my strap wrapped around the trailer and then around the boat.

Re: What do people think

You have a lot of weight there. Take a look at how loads are secured on flatbed trucks. Perhaps a ratchet winch bolted on one side of the frame at the rear and a commercial 2" strap with a high rating going completely over the boat and hooked on the other side may be the answer. You will need a handle to tighten it but you will be sure it is secured. Stop by your local lumber yard and look at the setup they have on their trucks and you will get a better idea of how they work.

http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Flatbed-Trailer-Products/Truck-Tie-Downs-Web-Winches

Re: What do people think

For a relatively light load, I like those new style short nylon straps/hooks on the rear of the trailer that ratchet to keep the boat down.

Any trailer with a load needs to be attached at both ends--without fail. Just a blown tire can cause the possible loss of the load--if only one end is tied down.

Re: What do people think

that looks like a smaller lighter version my exact trailer... My 28'er also doesn't have good tie down points on the transom so I run a heavy strap over my drives next to the transom..... I towed it 1000 miles home as seen in my sig pic the first time without drives so then I ran a 2" strap over the stern and trapped it with the stern cleats... I did the same on the bow... she wasn't going ANYWHERE

Re: What do people think

Should be easy enough to add some wide backing plates glassed in with some epoxy and some stern stainless u-bolts when you get the time.

Re: What do people think

The commercial truck method is best. It puts the holding power of the strap (use a 4") across the top of the gunwales, (downward pressure) and gives a MUCH better anchoring point on the trailer frame. You can buy steel plates with attachment points that are bolted/welded to the trailer frame and provide quick and secure deployment of your strap. Do not use anything less than a 4" web strap and commercial ratchets. (Get them at a truckstop or professional outfitter, not Wal-Mart or Lowes etc.) While many do with runabouts, (myself included,) I would never rely on the transom eyelets to provide for your only source of aft retention on a vessel that heavy.

Re: What do people think

The heavier a boat the more dangerous it is in emergency maneuvering.

I always thought that safety chains at the hitch were required by law, certainly by the law of common sense.

A chain at the bow from the bow eye to the trailer frame. . .not the winch. . .is also a good idea. I always used a turnbuckle to secure that one.

We regularly get pix here of boats that have left their trailers and landed on (or in) the tow vehicle or even in front of the tow vehicle. There is one famous one of a tow vehicle that has gone over a cliff and is dangling from the safety chains on the boat trailer.

If you could roll over the trailer/boat package and not have the boat separate from the trailer you probably have it properly secured.

Re: What do people think

Here is just one example of what can happen when a boat is not secured to a trailer. Note that there is no apparent damage to the front of the truck so this was not apparently a collision -- just a sudden stop.

Re: What do people think

a 4" strap is EXTREME overkill.... not at all needed.... 2" straps are plenty..... a strap over the gunwale is not better than two to solid transom anchors

in silvertip's pic above, it is primarily the BOW anchor that failed... true the transom was not likely secured and may have lessened the movement but the bow strap should prevent forward movement and the stern straps should prevent rearward movement

Re: What do people think

I also think 4" straps are way overkill. The only reason commercial vehicle use such large straps is because they are carry several thousand pounds more than that boat. I like the boat belts you find at Bass pro. They are 2" retractable ratchet straps that you bolt to the trailer frame, they are low profile enough that they do not interfere with launching/recovering, and hook into 2 solid transom eyes. They are great and you never loose them.

Re: What do people think

I am very firmiliar with tractor trailer strapping I have drove and worked on them for years. I thought about using the winchs on one side of the trailer and go over the gunwale and connect the other side to the trailer. I would really like to find a way to keep the strap from rubbing the side of the boat I hate the mark it puts in the gelcoat.