is this good enough?

[dstroud1987]

I recently purchased an old tri hill and was looking at the trailer today in the garage and wondered if I needed to make some adjustments.

I am fairly new to towing boats or anything for the matter so I don't know much about how they are supposed to sit on the trailer.

basically my set up has rollers down the center of the trailer and a few side rollers on either side of the stern of the boat that hold it.
I noticed it also has a couple of supports with wood on them that or mid way down the trailer or so but they are not in use at the moment so there isn't really much support on the sides of the boat other than the stern. do you think it is ok the way it is or should I be putting those support arms into use? I towed it 3 hours home and it towed pretty nice.. but I figured I would make sure anyways.
I'm not sure if you get what i'm asking but ill post some pics that might help lol

thanks in advance

This is a pic of the rollers on each side of the stern

This is a pic of the rollers down the center

This is a pic of the unused supports that im not sure if I should be using

let me know what you guys think.. always appreciated

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: is this good enough?

Rollers do not give support a bunk does so try to get them all in contact with the hull for support. That short bunk with bad carpet should be un use *** support after recovering as the bare wood will damage the hull. Never an easy job without a life to raise and lower the boat as adjustments are made.

 

[dstroud1987]

Re: is this good enough?

yeah, im going to put a new block of wood on them with some marine carpet this weekend. I may try and replace most of the rollers while im at it as well.. they look like they aren't in the greatest shape. Im thinking i might make the blocks of wood a little longer as well. I have never taken a boat off the trailer before so im hoping i can mange to do it right without damaging anything.

wish me luck and thanks for the advise crabby john.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: is this good enough?

Remember, this is going into a marine environment so used treated lumber to last. If you have several rollers it may be less expensive to change to bunks. You will get more support of the hull. You have a short hull but that does not make the job of removing it easier. You will need to support it while off the trailer. Check out YouTube and search this site for some how to info. Safety 1st!

yeah, im going to put a new block of wood on them with some marine carpet this weekend. I may try and replace most of the rollers while im at it as well.. they look like they aren't in the greatest shape. Im thinking i might make the blocks of wood a little longer as well. I have never taken a boat off the trailer before so im hoping i can mange to do it right without damaging anything.

wish me luck and thanks for the advise crabby john.

 

[dstroud1987]

Re: is this good enough?

Yeah, I was checking out the price of rollers today and they arent that cheap by the time you get them all replaced. The rollers that the stern of the boat sit on.. do you think its a good idea to take those right out and just add bunks there? and then the only rollers i would have to replace would be the ones that run down the center.. and visually they look like they are in better shape than the others so they might be fine..but i guess i wont know for sure until I get the boat off of it. I like the idea of the boat sitting on bunks more than i like it sitting on rollers, although i dont have much experience with either.

Luckily I had to put a new rebuild my other boat last year so I still have some different marine grade wood hanging around. We had to order it from home depot so we decided to get extra just incase we needed more at some point.

Lets just hope I can get enough good enough from you guys and around the internet to get this thing off its trailer safely. I usualluy over think things a bit and go a bit overkill.. but its always better safe than sorry.

Thanks again for the advise crabby john!

 

[IraRat]

Re: is this good enough?

HD is now calling their pressure treated stuff "Weather Shield."

The signs in the store don't even say pressure treated--I had to ask and look online to confirm.

 

[dstroud1987]

Re: is this good enough?

to be honest I had a terrible time getting the wood i wanted from my local HD. No one new what the heck i was talking about and they were trying to sell me some crappy outdoor wood. I finally got to talk to an older guy that worked there and he told me that the only true marine grade wood would have to be ordered in for me. Thats why i when and ordered it I ordered a few different sizes while i was there. Didnt want another head ache. I also got some cool wood for my other boat from an exotic would place. He was good to deal with compared to the poeple at HD

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: is this good enough?

Rollers are nice for launching but with new products today not much of a benefit. Hard to tell even with pictures but it looks like those rollers were added where bunks may have been at one time. Trailer rollers often have the capability to rock a little so the boat it lifted slightly and leveled when retrieving. I've only seen the type seen on your trailer used in other venues. The rollers down the center are often used only to keep the bow from hitting the cross member. Not sure about HD, I use an independent building supply company. Pressure treated to 50 years is always in stock. The carpet wears out more often. Check the height for the bunks or rollers-- how deep is the trailer required to be in to launch. There are products made now to place over carpet to allow the boat to slide smoothly on/off the trailer. My experience around the Great Lakes and down south find few roller trailers but in the NE there are fewer bunk trailers. I've owned many and not one with rollers. My neighbor brought an aluminum trailer with rollers from NJ. The boat/trailer is about 11 years old and the boat is showing where it sits on the rollers, he is switching to bunks now.
Removing the boat from the trailer is never an easy task unless small and light enough for a couple of men to lift it! Few boats are that light. Small boats do not have to be difficult to remove, but doing it safely requires planning.

Yeah, I was checking out the price of rollers today and they arent that cheap by the time you get them all replaced. The rollers that the stern of the boat sit on.. do you think its a good idea to take those right out and just add bunks there? and then the only rollers i would have to replace would be the ones that run down the center.. and visually they look like they are in better shape than the others so they might be fine..but i guess i wont know for sure until I get the boat off of it. I like the idea of the boat sitting on bunks more than i like it sitting on rollers, although i dont have much experience with either.

Luckily I had to put a new rebuild my other boat last year so I still have some different marine grade wood hanging around. We had to order it from home depot so we decided to get extra just incase we needed more at some point.

Lets just hope I can get enough good enough from you guys and around the internet to get this thing off its trailer safely. I usualluy over think things a bit and go a bit overkill.. but its always better safe than sorry.

Thanks again for the advise crabby john!

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: is this good enough?

My 2 cents... Using bunks, make sure they line up with your stringer lines and extend far enough out to support your transom. Lining up bunks between stringers is not a good idea and your transom needs support.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: is this good enough?

Correct -- he should view several trailers with boats ON them and sites of trailer sales to see what they have and their marketing to decide how to set up. The one trailer I had to set up it was needed to place the boat on it 3 times before exactly correct and comfortable. Thankfully, I had a friend with a lift so it was only a matter of dropping the boat and lifting for adjustments.

My 2 cents... Using bunks, make sure they line up with your stringer lines and extend far enough out to support your transom. Lining up bunks between stringers is not a good idea and your transom needs support.