mckee on wrong trailer?

[muddyfishin]

I bought the 16ft mckee and it came on a trailer the guy told me he bought was not for this boat, its a caravan roller and its in great condition however alllll the weight is on the tongue! two people can barely lift the tongue off the ground. im wondering if I can slide the single axle forward a bit to get the proper weight distribution or if that is a big mistake waiting to unfold?

 

[jbcurt00]

I wouldnt attempt to make any changes to the trailer until you figure out the hull/waterlogged foam problem, which sounds substantial...

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa.../10682743-87-mckee-craft-16-ft-hull-questions

 

[muddyfishin]

that is definitely my number one focus however im worried about hauling the trailer around to a scale for weighing as I dont want to exceed the tongue limit and have a disaster on the road during this whole ordeal, thanks for the response

 

[Alumarine]

If the axle is moveable there's no reason you can't move it forward to reduce tongue weight.
I'm guessing the transom is even with the end of the trailer?

 

[garbageguy]

Some pics would help you get better help. There are many considerations, and possibly a few options

 

[muddyfishin]

yes marc the axle assembly is moveable on piece of angle held only by the u bolts, and correct the transom sits right at the back , my buddy has a 20 foot cuddy wellcraft on the same type/size trailer and one guy can easily lift his boat at the tongue and the difference in hull weight is significant. and I will try to get pics this week thank you

 

[Blind Date]

I wouldnt attempt to make any changes to the trailer until you figure out the hull/waterlogged foam problem, which sounds substantial...

What?????? Too much tongue weight = severely waterlogged boat. Need pictures before making an assumption like that.

I suspect like many of the used bots I've bought, the trailer is set up incorrectly. But can't say until you post a picture of what you got.

 

[muddyfishin]

not the best picture as the boats tucked away tight, theres like maybeee 4 feet behind the axle and the rest is in front,, also the transom sits on half of the last rollers if that helps,

 

[ahicks]

Looks to me like the boat is located on the trailer correctly, so all you need to do is adjust the axle location.

 

[muddyfishin]

ahicks,, last weekend I removed a lot of foam, which was waterlogged, still have more to go, however so far ive removed over 100 lbs as I weighed each bag removed.. I dont think even 200 lbs would make much a difference from the load I felt on the tongue,, any idea what distance I should move the axle to start or is it just a guess and go kind of thing?

 

[ahicks]

There are some that would try to calculate, but personally, I'd mess with it until it was right.Once those U bolts are loosened, it should only take a few minutes. Just make sure you square the axle up to the trailer frame when done so it tracks straight and doesn't cause unusual tire wear problems.

 

[Alumarine]

If you make some marks on the frame to indicate where the axle brackets are now and if the trailer currently tracks well you can use those as a reference for the new location.