How Do I...

[GT1000000]

Reconfigure my trailer???

Hey Guys,

Hope everyone got what they were hoping for from Santa...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

OK, here's a couple of pics of my traler as it is currently set up...

And an attached rough sketch of what the trailer looks like in plan view.

I have two problems that I need to sort out...

1- It has an angled main frame stringers and the hull sort of binds as it gets launched and retrieved.

2- To solve this problem, I would like to add roller bunks and straighten out the way the boat tracks on the trailer.

I don't want to have to add any height to the trailer, as it is already maxxed out as far as being able to launch and retrieve in shallow ramps, so I would like to keep the same basic height that it currently has with the bunk boards, but replacing them with some type of roller set-up...

OR, at the very least, figure out a way to straighten the bunks, so the boat is easier to load/unload.

A 17 foot Glasstream Bass Boat is what goes on this trailer...

Any ideas?

If you need more pics, I will take them and post within a day...

Thanks,
GT1M

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: How Do I...



That trailer was never designed to use the main rails as bunks. Most likely it was a roller trailer reconfigured to bunks, and done incorrectly. It apparently is missing a couple (at least 4) "bogies" that carry rollers. You can see one in this photo. Too late tonight but if no one else posts photos, I will put a couple more here tomorrow AM to show what it should look like.

The Mounts can be set to almost any height within reason to set the hull as low as you want between the rails.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: How Do I...

Thank you, Frank.
Did you mean like these...? See Attachment...

What would be the appropraite set up for my boat... It does not have a Coast Guard Plate, so I don't really know what the capacities are, but I did get the entire rig, [boat, motor, and trailer] weighed when I bought it for registration purposes.
The total weight, without passengers and gear was 1700 pounds...the engine weighs almost 400, it's a 140 inline 6 Merc, and I figure the trailer itself to be about another 300-400 pounds, so that would leave about 800-1000 pounds for the hull, dry...add another 300 pounds for fuel and batteries...another 200 for gear, including cooler, tackle and safety... so the actual load on the rollers should be about 1900 pounds, give or take a couple hundred...???
Gus

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: How Do I...



Yeah, those rollers would do it. My 21 foot cuddy weighs about 2600. I have 21 rollers under it leaving each roller supporting a little over 100 pounds and I have not yet had any issues. Obviously, the more rollers in contact with the hull, the less weight each roller will bear. That means less possible deflection of the hull. You also want to position the rollers at strong points--as close to stringers as possible. Stringers are usually nested in the strakes so there is about where you want the rollers. And, it wouldn't hurt to have a couple on the keel.

Here are a couple more photos of the trailer I posted last night and a couple of photos of my 21 footer on a caulkins. It is set up so you can put almost any boat on is and it will self adjust. Since the center rollers and outboard rollers articulate around a pivot, all will always contact the hull.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: How Do I...

Thanks again, that clears up the WHAT, I need...
Now if you wouldn't mind helping me out a bit more...
On the HOW???
My hull is currently undergoing a complete restoration, but when I finally get it put back together...
How do I set up the rollers to properly spread the load...
I understand completely the part about placing the rollers on the strong points and I have a pretty good idea of where to place the rollers, but what I am not sure about is how to actually determine if roller A is sharing the same weight with roller B?
Am I explaining myself OK?
I am somewhat confused as to how to go about this...

Thanks,
Gus

 

[Silvertip]

Re: How Do I...

The keel is the strongest part of the boat so keel rollers support a good amount of the load. The bunks are place on standoffs (adjustable supports) to support the boat laterally (side to side). Since you have the deck off the boat, check to see where the front to back stringers are inside the hull. That is where the support should be located. Install keel rollers first. Set the height so the boat sits as low as it can without contacting the fenders. Then fabricate the bunk supports (or roller supports if that's what you are using) and adjust those so they (the bunks or rollers) just contact the hull at all support points. Raise the boat and adjust the roller/bunk height about 1/2 inch upward. You will now have about 1/2 the boat weight supported equally by the keel roller and bunks/side rollers. The problem for you not how -- but where the supports should be located. If you check that trailer frame, you will likely find weld points or bolt holes where the supports used to be.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: How Do I...

I suggest looking at this from outside the box.... It will almost always be cheaper to buy another trailer than to try adding roller bogies..... Example... I shopped for about 5 weeks and found a nice 21' galvanized shoreline full roller trailer with a junk boat on it for $100... $50 more to haul the boat to the dump.... If you buy those rollers bogies and brackets new you'll spend a couple thousand.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: How Do I...

I suggest looking at this from outside the box.... It will almost always be cheaper to buy another trailer than to try adding roller bogies..... Example... I shopped for about 5 weeks and found a nice 21' galvanized shoreline full roller trailer with a junk boat on it for $100... $50 more to haul the boat to the dump.... If you buy those rollers bogies and brackets new you'll spend a couple thousand.

Thanks Smoke,
I have plenty of time to do some craiglists shopping and I am thinking along those lines...if I happen to come across a decent set-up for cheap, I will definitely go that route.

The keel is the strongest part of the boat so keel rollers support a good amount of the load. The bunks are place on standoffs (adjustable supports) to support the boat laterally (side to side). Since you have the deck off the boat, check to see where the front to back stringers are inside the hull. That is where the support should be located. Install keel rollers first. Set the height so the boat sits as low as it can without contacting the fenders. Then fabricate the bunk supports (or roller supports if that's what you are using) and adjust those so they (the bunks or rollers) just contact the hull at all support points. Raise the boat and adjust the roller/bunk height about 1/2 inch upward. You will now have about 1/2 the boat weight supported equally by the keel roller and bunks/side rollers. The problem for you not how -- but where the supports should be located. If you check that trailer frame, you will likely find weld points or bolt holes where the supports used to be.

Thank you Silvertip,
That is exactly the information I am looking for. Whether or not I get a donor trailer, I will need to re-configure the bunks/rollers to fit my particular boat. I have also been looking at the way new boats are set up in the showrooms, to get a better handle on this.

Gus

 

[GT1000000]

Re: How Do I...

Well fate and good fortune have smiled kindly upon me and I came across the perfect trailer for my boat...

Of all possible places, I found it sitting at Bass Pro Shops...they recently had a huge sale and this was one of the trade-ins...

Picked it up for 300.00 bucks...this thing was made for my boat...everything lines up perfect...

Already got the wiring sorted out, and bearings repacked and new seals put in...

Just got to make some new bunks and go through the disc brakes...

Now for a question...

It is a 2004 Trailstar, Model # 174134, I think...

I have been searching on the 'net' and through the forum, but I can't seem to come up with anything specific...

Where is a good source to get information about the disc brakes and a good source for parts, if needed???

Thanks for any help that comes my way...

 

[GT1000000]

Re: How Do I...

Just wanted to pop in and show off the progress on the trailer...


New PT bunks, cut, trimmed, rounded over, and covered with glue, monel staples and outdoor carpet...


Only one left to go...then its on to the wheel well backers...

Thanks to all who helped and gave suggestions on how to proceed...

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Re: How Do I...

Gotta say those have to be the prettiest bunks I've ever seen. Nice work GT!!!!!!

 

[Hook the Bayliner]

Re: How Do I...

I have been looking for brackets like the ones in GT1M's first post I think. I have a 16 ft. Bayliner Capri that I am restoring and have been unable to locate brackets (6) for the bunks that run directly above and along the frame such as in the picture. There is one roller in the very front, but there are no cross beams on the trailer to mount bunks. If anyone has any info that can steer me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated. I have seen this same style on several bayliners for sale on ebay, but want to know if they sell these brackets and where, or if this is something that needs to be home welded/fabricated. I tried to contact Bayliner regarding the situation, but they sent me a link to etrailer.com. Gee, thanks! Just beginning my restoration and am in the process of posting some pics. New to the site, love what you guys got going on here!

Drawing I made of Bayliner trailer (on ebay) bunk brackets;

 

[GT1000000]

Re: How Do I...

I have been looking for brackets like the ones in GT1M's first post I think. I have a 16 ft. Bayliner Capri that I am restoring and have been unable to locate brackets (6) for the bunks that run directly above and along the frame such as in the picture. There is one roller in the very front, but there are no cross beams on the trailer to mount bunks. If anyone has any info that can steer me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated. I have seen this same style on several bayliners for sale on ebay, but want to know if they sell these brackets and where, or if this is something that needs to be home welded/fabricated. I tried to contact Bayliner regarding the situation, but they sent me a link to etrailer.com. Gee, thanks! Just beginning my restoration and am in the process of posting some pics. New to the site, love what you guys got going on here!

Drawing I made of Bayliner trailer (on ebay) bunk brackets;

View attachment 136918

Few places to look...

http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Trailer-Parts-Accessories/dm/view_id.18

http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/index.asp

http://www.thetrailerdepot.com/

Hope these help, and looking forward to you starting a restoration thread on you bayliner...Good Luck and Have Fun...