Bow of boat not resting on roller

[badMonkey]

I have owned this boat for a few years and for whatever reason this has never bothered me. If you look at the picture below you can see that the boat will never rest happily on the bow roller as the u-bolt is perfectly positioned to run into the roller.

I am thinking that my only option is to cut off the arms that support the roller and re-weld them at a steeper angle so that bow of the boat can rest on the roller.

Am I missing something obvious before I start hacking and welding? (btw, I love hacking and welding but I am prone to jumping off cliffs before I need to )

 

[woolznaz]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

It looks like your wench stand is not welded on but bolted on with U-bolts. If you slid that forward or back a couple of inches, would it allow your roller to clear the eye on your boat? It may not change anything, but it maybe worth a try before you start cutting and welding.

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

My first guess is that the bunks could be adjusted to allow the bow to sit a little lower. It is obvious that the bow stop is 'fixed' at it's height.

Maybe a picture of the rest of the trailer would be of some help...?

Happy boating!

 

[jfadool]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

I am usually against the cut and re-weld idea but....

If you are confidant in your skills go for it.

Were you thinking to just move the roller up? Grind off the old welds, raise the roller, and re-weld. You could even move the winch towards the boat.

 

[shekinah5678]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

Sometimes when I'm using a steep ramp I get the same problem usually not up that high off the roller though. I Just take a ratchet strap from the d ring down under the trailer beam and pull the boat down. I just don't like the idea of it bouncing while I'm going down the road.

 

[Lrider]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

IMHO he has the strap under the roller, this is preventing the boat from being cinched up to the roller

I would place the strap over the roller, if it still doesn't pull to the roller (the next time it is winched in then I would move it back a bit.

I would not necessarily try to drag the boat to the roller while it is dry, however it could work

 

[woolznaz]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

My first guess is that the bunks could be adjusted to allow the bow to sit a little lower. It is obvious that the bow stop is 'fixed' at it's height.

That's exactly why I was suggesting moving the wench stand/bow stop forward or back a couple of inches. It looks like you could do this with only loosening 4 bolts -- easy experiment -- no cutting, no welding. It's height will remain fixed, but with the bunks being adjustable and the hull of the boat being curved it is highly unlikely the boat is perfectly level. That combination plus the slope of the bow of the boat will create a situation where if you move the bow stop for or aft, I bet you will find it no longer meets the u-bolt on the boat exactly as it does now.

By the way, I agree with Lrider, I would think it would be good if the strap went above the roller rather than under. Therefore if you did adjust the bunks as Rocky Road suggests, you might want to go the other way and make the bow sit a little higher rather than lower. Just my opinion.

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

The bow eye belongs under the roller, and the winch strap is in the correct place in the picture (except that it should be feeding off the top of the winch, not the bottom). The stand could be moved backward, or the boat could come forward slightly.

The bow of the boat needs to be lowered...and that will only be accomplished easily by adjusting the bunks.

Happy boating!

 

[badMonkey]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

I put the grinder down for now and did some experimenting as woolznaz suggested. I found that I was able to move the stand back and the roller does come just under the roller. I am not sure if I will have problems getting it on at the dock but I can just see where we get to.

Rocky suggested changing the elevation of the bunks to move the eye off the roller (either up or down).

Here is a picture of the bunk bolts and I can see where one of them adjust easily (the outside ones). But the inside bunks seem like they are pretty much fixed or at least I don't see how to adjust them.

When I get ready to try this I am going to actually move the bow stop back into its original position. I believe it is simply a matter of running the boat forward a bit more on the trailer to achieve the same result.

I flipped the strap back around on the winch as was suggested. Overall I think you all have helped me avert disaster or at least a whole bunch of extra work Now I am so embarassed by all of my rust I will have to at a minimum take the bow stop off and remove rust and repaint. I would like to do the entire trailer but I am stymed by how to get my boat off the trailer, especially with it being in the middle of skii season.

Thanks for the help!!

 

[badMonkey]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

uh oh, I just read rocky's reply regarding the eye belonging under the roller.

am I missing how to adjust that inner bunk? I am gonna go crawl under there again and see if I am just missing something.

 

[EddiePetty]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

...why not leave well-enough alone (even though the bow eye is now above the roller)??
Lengthen and re-locate your safety chain to the tongue with as little slack as possible to prevent any forward movement.

Ed in 'ol Virginny

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

uh oh, I just read rocky's reply regarding the eye belonging under the roller.

am I missing how to adjust that inner bunk? I am gonna go crawl under there again and see if I am just missing something.

Even though the eye is usually under the roller (so that the bow doesn't bounce up going down the road), I would leave yours as is for now. If you make sure that the strap is tight, and the chain is attached, you should be fine. The only downside is that there isn't anything preventing the boat from jarring even further forward, since the roller isn't preventing this....

I'm sure that someone will have an issue with this...and I have my flak jacket handy!

Happy boating!

 

[badMonkey]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

here is the bunk I don't think can be adjusted

 

[Fed]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

Raise the roller & run the strap under it again.
Do you think it was ever right, why I ask is because the angle where the horizontal winch plate joins the vertical post doesn't look quite square and it looks like there could have been some bending where the bottom U bolts are too. Could maybe do with a bit of bracing while you've got the angle grinder & welder out.

 

[badMonkey]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

Fed. This has been a habitual problem since I got the boat 3 years ago. Your eyes are not deceiving you. The winch plate is not square to the vertical post. I also noticed the plate beneath the vertical post is just slightly bent at the back (adding to the roller being a bit lower ).

I am gonna fiddle with it some more then i am thinking the grinder will be coming out. It is not much of a job and I think you are right on about adding some more support. Its not like I am going to disrupt any paint I want to keep.

Thanks all for the help!

 

[krakatoa]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

My first guess is that the bunks could be adjusted to allow the bow to sit a little lower. It is obvious that the bow stop is 'fixed' at it's height.

Maybe a picture of the rest of the trailer would be of some help...?

Happy boating!

This is a good one but the trailer doesnt allow to adjust the bunks, very weird bunk system

 

[snowman48047]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

You might also try to raise the winch post up. Get a couple longer "U" bolts. Add a spacer under the post. Try some different heights and see what works to get the eye under the roller. I might also flip the "U" bolts so the nuts are underneath. My trailer has a metal bracket that goes between the bolt studs so it can be flipped. And as mentioned, shorten up that safety chain just a bit.

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

Something that none of us has mentioned...where is the boat in relation to the stern end of the trailer?

It could be that the boat is too far forward, and as it slides back the bunks allow the bow to drop downward. Then the bow stop can be moved to match....

Happy boating!

 

[badMonkey]

Re: Bow of boat not resting on roller

hi Rocky.

the straps that hold the stern of the boat to the trailer are basically flat (need to push forward about 2" to be completely flat / straight ).

I believe the boat is in the correct position. I am on vacation at moment and can't post further pics. I think raising the roller, either with a spacer, or by changing the angle will be my approach. I will post after I get this done.

thanks all for your thoughts on this.