Pivoting double bow rollers problem

Hello All,

I have a newly purchased boat and trailer that is giving me fits when launching. The boat launched fine at the sea trials but when we took it to our local boat ramp the bow eye catches on the lower of the two bow rollers. Luckily my buddy and was with us and we were able to heave it over the roller. I initially thought maybe it was water level related but it did it again the second launching and the tide was different. This is a 20 year old boat and trailer and from the documentation every thing has been pretty much the same since the boat was built. We are thinking of going back to the same boat launch we did the sea trials and see if she off loads fine. Not sure what that will tell us other than give another experience on a different boat ramp. We'll still need to come up with a solution for our local boat ramp.

She loads back on to the trailer just fine.

So, a little more info on the boat and trailer...the boat is a 1993 23' Clipper Craft with a Volvo Penta 230 I/O on a 1993 Calkins trailer. We have been launching her out of Cultus Bay on the south end of Whidbey Island. The sea trials were done out of Cornet Bay on the other end of Whidbey Island.

Thanks,
Bob

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

something else I just remembered, the tow vehicle at the sea trial launch was different. it was a bigger pickup than mine. i'm pretty sure the hitch was a few inches higher than on my chevy silvrado 1500 4x4. but wouldn't that make bow eye catch the lower roller even more???

just thinking out loud...

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

I'm thinking the angle of the ramp is pretty steep and you are getting the trailer too deep, thereby the stern of the boat is floating off the trailer and causing the bow to go down.

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

The ramp is steep. I'll try not going as far back at our next launch and give that a shot. This last weekend I tried going deeper - truck tires right at waters edge - and that made it easier for me and a buddy to heave the bow eye over the lower roller. I m going back just far enough to see the stern just start to float. I'll go that far back and then pull forward just a bit and experiment to see if that helps.

Thanks for the suggestion.


Bob

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

You need to be shallower. The bunks/rollers on the front of the trailer lift the bow and raise it above the roller. The deeper you are the lower the bow as it loads or unloads on the trailer.

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

Cool, that's two for going shallower. I'm feeling better about this already.

Thanks for the chiming in.


Bob

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

Hello All,

I thought I'd report back our experiences and testing on getting the boat off the trainer without the bow eye hitting the lower of the two bow rollers.

The short of it is, the shallower theory didn't make a difference. We even tried two different boat ramps. I backed the boat and trailer until the aft end was just floating and then pulled forward a bit. The boat is definitely just sitting on the bunkers as I could just barely get her to move. I pushed her back until she once again hung up on the lower roller. This was the same experience at both ramps - one very much more steep than the other.

I even had some more experienced guys at the dock when launching and they were scratching their heads. I'm fairly new at this and this is a new boat to us so I was soliciting help from anyone standing around. I've found that boaters are generally a helpful group. But no one could offer anything that I hadn't already tried.

So, I'm not sure what to do next.

The rollers on this trailer are the black rubber kind and seem in good shape. Would the new style poly vinyl roller make a difference? maybe a different style of dual roller setup? May a single roller?

I keep going back to the fact that is a 20 yr old boat and trailer combo. Had the PO hit this problem and if they did why didn't they address it...or maybe it's something I'm doing wrong...


Thanks for reading and looking for any advise at all.


Bob

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

I think at this point it would be best tp post some pictures with explainations.

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

WhidbeyBob said:

I backed the boat and trailer until the aft end was just floating and then pulled forward a bit. The boat is definitely just sitting on the bunkers as I could just barely get her to move. I pushed her back until she once again hung up on the lower roller.

Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question. If the aft floats before clearing the roller, that's the problem.

Poly rollers last longer and work better, but black rubber in "good condition" work just fine too.

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

Mine did the same thing and I ended up converting it to a single roller that rests above the bow eye, works great now. My last boat had the double roller setup and it worked great on this boat. Might be an option for you.

LK

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

JimS123 said:

I think you answered your own question. If the aft floats before clearing the roller, that's the problem.
.

Click to expand...

I think we maybe confusing each other here, Jim. Let me try to clarify.

I back the boat and trailer till the aft end just floats and then pulled forward a bit. I unwound from the wench a little cable and push the boat back.. She slides back on her bunkers and the bow slides down until the bow eye caught the lower roller. I cranked on the wench to bring the boat back to the bow rollers. I got back into the truck and pulled forward a little more and tried again to launch the boat with the same results. I rinsed and repeated until I had the boat too far up the ramp and could no longer push her off her bunkers.

I think it's just a combination of angle of boat ramp and depth of water. The more shallow ramp we tried it was the same general results but the less steep ramp allowed me to push the boat over the lower bow roller. I think may have to modify the trailer to work at this steeper ramp. Maybe switch to a single bow roller or maybe a dual roller with a longer lower arm. do they make such a thing???

Thanks for the input everyone. The experimentation will continue and if I ever figure this out I'll report what I did to resolve this annoying little problem.


Thanks,
Bob

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

I'm tellin ya', go with the single roller & save yourself the headache.

LK

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

At this point, we need pics. When you push the boat back, either the stern is going up (floating), or the bow is going down (no bow support). When you say "bunkers" do you mean carpeted trailer bunks, or roller bunks? Is the wInch in the right spot (not too low) and are the rollers positioned correctly? Time for a Kodak moment!

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

I think that's what I said 6 posts ago!

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

Merely saying what the others have said in a way that might help you understand it.

Your boat should slide parallel to the trailer at least until the bow eye is clear of the bow rollers.

You're either still too deep or your winch is too high & lifting the front of the boat off the forward rollers.

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

The wench too high statement kind of is along the lines I was following while standing and staring at the boat and trailer the other day. Is there an min/max angle between the wench and the bow eye that I should be following? There is room to move the wench down that would make the angle close to level between wench and bow eye. right now the wench is above the bow eye by a couple of inches.

I understand the boat should come off the trailer as close to parallel but if I pull the boat too shallow I cannot move it from it's carpeted bunks. (not roller bunks) I was using bunkers in earlier posts when I meant bunks. if I go deeper the bow eye catches on the roller.

when we next launch the boat I'll try to remember to get some pictures that depict the situation. usually when launching pic taking is the last thing on my mind.

sorry that I cannot seem to find a solution but I do appreciate the suggestions. and don't worry about making thing clear by repeating yourself or others. I'm not easily offended and sometimes can be rather dense.



Bob

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

The pics don't have to be launch pics. Sitting on the trailer is a good starting place to see the eye/two rollers.

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

Don't they use some sort of silicon spray on poverty pack bunk trailers?

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

Poverty pack needs an explanation...?

A wench is the ugly old lady that is yelling at you because the boat won't launch properly.

The thiungamabob that puts the boat on the trailer with a rope (er, line) is the winch.

Re: Pivoting double bow rollers problem

JimS123 said:

A wench is the ugly old lady that is yelling at you because the boat won't launch properly.

Click to expand...

I'm going to tell my wife what you called her.

besides i'm originally from TX. wench and winch are the same...same goes for pen and pin.

I took some pics and will post them a little later.