Difficulty loading stick steer aluminum boat

saw1996

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Joined
May 22, 2021
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14
I have difficulty loading my stick steer aluminum boat by myself. I wonder if it needs longer bunks. It is 16 ft with 25 hp motor. I am always getting my feet wet when loading no matter what ramp. Does anyone have suggestions? If I back to far it doesn't even touch the bunks and hits the spare tire which is mounted on winch post.. thanks for any advuce.
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
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Oct 30, 2002
Messages
21,739
Are you driving it on, or pulling it on with a rope?

I would start by suggesting you leave 1 foot of the bunks above water.

Trailer side guides would be my 2nd suggestion.

A photo of your unloaded trailer might help with some ideas.
 

saw1996

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May 22, 2021
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I took these photos for now. It will be a few days before I can get it off the trailer. The front roller appears to me to be supporting more weight than it should be.
 

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I am not a bunk trailer guy, but I always hear that dunking the bunks to get them wet helps the boat slide a bit. You need to find that sweet spot for your boat and your trailer of how far to back it in. As you stated, it shouldn't be so far in that you're knocking into the spare tire.

Every lake is different. I put grip tape all around my trailer frame so that I can safely walk on it in wet conditions. A good set of water shoes may be your friend as well if it is still difficult to load. To me it's like portaging with a canoe. If you expect to stay dry, you will eventually get soaked. If you just resign yourself to getting your feet wet everything will actually go much better.

All of that said, backing in to the proper depth and a good dock should mean that you never get wet. I have a dedicated docking line that I use to load and unload my boat from the trailer. It helps tremendously and saves me from needing to powerload - which is harmful to most boat launches.
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
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Oct 30, 2002
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21,739
hard to tell how long the bunks are,
Should be at least 8' long in my opinion.

Is there room between the boat and the side guides>
Perhaps you could move them in.
Mount them on the inside edge of the trailer frame?
 

saw1996

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May 22, 2021
Messages
14
They are 44 inches long .when boat is fully loaded they are 5 inches from rear of boat. Side boards are within 2 inches on either side of boat.
 
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