Moving To New trailer without water. Comments welcome

[ndemge]

I have purchased a new trailer for my boat.<br />1982 Celebrity Bow Rider. About 3,300lbs 19.5'<br /><br />The trailer it is now sitting on is not road worthy without a LOT of work because the boat that is on it is way to heavy. The nearest body of water is over 15 miles away.<br /><br />Here is my plan. Any Suggestions are welcome.<br /><br />Out here in farm country, heavy equipment is easy to come by.<br /><br />We have use of 3 Tractors with Front End Loaders.<br /><br />Plan on running 10klbs straps under the boat with a tractor parked on each side. Straps would be under the Middle of the boat about 5' apart.<br /><br />At the rear of the boat is tractor #3 with a another strap Running underneath about 6" from the end of the boat. <br /><br />All 3 tractors lift up at the same time, slide out old trailer, slide in new beaffy monster trailer.<br /><br />Boats are made ot be supported from underneath, like the bunks on the trailer, does this method sound like it would put too much stress on the boat? 3 STraps going all the way around sounds to me like it would distribute the weight very well.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[Beaux]

Re: Moving To New trailer without water. Comments welcome

first off, we use lifts for almost all boats/all the time where I speck fish and the marinas only use two sturdy belts (probably 5" in width). Your boat will not be damaged by lifting with two straps instead of three and it will be easier to manipulate and place back on the new trailer. <br />Here is what I would do... <br />Since boat is on trailer, you will find that getting the strap 4-6" from stern of the boat between the trailer bunks and the hull area is almost impossible if you have bunk style trailer. The weight of the boat makes it impossible to slip the strap underneath the hull between the two. The easy way to position the straps is the following. <br />1. undue bow winch cable, slide bow lift strap under the boat and position as far forward as you can while still placing it on the flattened section of the keel. (about 1/3 way back on most boats). <br />2. Place the rear strap underneath the outdrive/transom bracket making sure not to entangle any transducers,etc. <br />3. lift bow and stern straps 6" off the trailer and then have someone move trailer 1' forward. <br />4. Lower boat back onto trailer (which now leaves stern of boat hangin about a foot off the end of the trialer. <br />5. Now reposition stern strap to 6" from stern of boat and then lift both up high enough to remove old trailer and place it on new trailer. <br />6. You may find you have to do the similar procedure to position the boat on the new trailer and not end up putting trapping the straps under the boat between it and the trailer rollers/bunks. <br />Hope that helps. Good Luck

 

[ndemge]

Re: Moving To New trailer without water. Comments welcome

Thanks for the advice.<br /><br />Our plan to get the rear strap was 2 4x4 with a piece of carpet (kind of like a bunk) and 2 bottle jacks to lift the rear up 2 inches to slide the strap between the boat and the bunks.

 

[Beaux]

Re: Moving To New trailer without water. Comments welcome

That would work just as well, just thought I would give you a cheaper/quicker idea as the method I describe is used by guys who sometimes do up to 100 boats a day in louisiana. Your method will work just fine. I bet it will be nice and comforting to know your boat rests on a solid trailer that you dont have to worry about once you make the switch. Good Luck

 

[ndemge]

Re: Moving To New trailer without water. Comments welcome

I bought the boat without a trailer, and had to get it off the lake it was on. I found a guy with the trailer for $850. I have the biggest boat that can possibly fit. I drove it home with the boat sticking off the back about 16". <br /><br />It towed fine.<br />Once I got it home, we moved the bow stop forward as far as it would go, picked up the back of the boat with the tractor, and winched it forward.<br /><br />Once we did this, Too much weight is on the long toung making it bow pretty bad.<br /><br />The trailer I have would be GREAT for a 17' boat, but I'm afraid to tow it overloaded as it is.<br /><br />The new trialer is made for about a 24' boat, so I have to move the stop way back to make it fit and just shorten the tounge. I went to the complete other extreme so I KNOW this beefy thing can handle it. As a 25' boat was on it before and it didn't eaven squeak.

 

[L Christopher]

Re: Moving To New trailer without water. Comments welcome

ndemge, make sure you have center of gravity positioned correctly. Center of gravity as I understand it should be just in front of the front axle not over the axles and about 10% of the boats weight should be on the tounge, in your case 330 - 350 lbs. Good luck.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Moving To New trailer without water. Comments welcome

To get strap under tha stern you do not need any jacks.<br /><br />Just lower the tongue of the trailer, which raises the back end.<br /><br />Brace up the stern. Crank up the tongue jack.<br /><br />The boat will stay up on the bracing, but the rear of the trailer will drop down so you can get your strap in there. Be very careful not to let the strap slide out from under the boat, boom.<br /><br />I thought you could lift boats by the large tie down eyes in the transom. I've seen them lifted that way throughout the manufacturing process.<br />Wouldn't this be even easier?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Moving To New trailer without water. Comments welcome

i painted the hull of my 21' Starcraft Islander last winter..... i hung the whole boat off a crane..... attached to the two transom,+ single bow "Eyes"..... No Problem.... three tractors should be Plenty... your "plan" is very solid, althou abit overengineered.... 4 people that Have to move together.... 1 tractor lifting the stern,+ 1 to lift the bow, would do...<br />Not that it matters now..... But, you could have slid the axle/axles forward on the frame of your other trailer to "balance", 90%/10%, it....boat trailers are built to be Very adjustable....