My "new" 1955 14' Arkanas Traveler and Highlander tilt-bed trailer

[Martyepp]

I wasn't sure where to post this inquiry. I'm new to iboats forum, and I know just enough about boats and trailers to get me in trouble. "Boat Topics" seemed like the most likely place that boating experts, looking to give advice, would turn to first.
First, the details.I purchased a 1955 Arkansas Traveler with a 2005 6HP Nissan 4 stroke outboard. The boat sits on a Highlander galvanized tilt-bed trailer. Having spent a substantial amount of time in Minnesota, I'm very familiar with tilt-bed trailers, but I know nothing of Highlander trailers?
The trailer is not a drive on trailer. The last time I loaded the boat, my wife had to hang on to one side(from the dock), to keep the boat from listing, while I cranked on the winch. The keel was riding on the keel rollers and making no contact with the bunks. It wasn't until the boat was 3/4 on the trailer that it finally was riding on the bunks.
Then, once the boat is on the trailer and settled on the bunks, of the four 12" keel rollers, only the rear is contacting the bottom of the boat. The other 3 are only bearing at the keel, with about 1 to 1-1/2" gaps between the bottom of the boat and the rollers. Over the years, it appears the keel has been cutting grooves in the rollers.
Is this set-up correct and/or am I doing something wrong? I'd post pics, but this is only my first post. Thanks in advance for those sharing their wisdom and insight.

 

[Texasmark]

Sounds like it's working fine to me. Rollers need to be replaced when they get a groove in them. The bunks are best for supporting the hull on the trailer as they don't cause "hooks" to develop in the hull which makes boating performance kind of squirrelly. Back in the day when I was starting out you didn't have ready made trailers in S. TX. You had them custom made. One of the popular models had rollers that were connected to a lever and upon preparing to launch, you moved the lever causing the rollers to raise and in doing so lifted the boat off the bunks with the only contact being the rollers. Boat rolled off of it's own accord.

On boats nowadays, usually you just back down into the water deep enough for the boat to float up and off the bunks with just the front roller and front tips of the bunks touching the hull if anything is touching at all. Most trailers aren't tilt anymore. They have their good and bad points. I had several over the years and unless you were launching off a beach where no ramp was available they weren't needed. Nothing says that you can't just use it as a conventional trailer and not pull the pin. Back in as I said and float your boat onto the trailer. Makes winching a lot easier.

 

[Martyepp]

Thank-you, Texasmark, for your reply. I wasn't sure if the hull, as opposed to the keel, was supposed to be resting on the rollers as well as the bunks. I was actually in the process of replacing the rollers when I started to question the set-up. I shall continue with the process. As for the tilt, you're right. No use for it on the flat, shallow launches. Back in the day we used it where we could only back to the waters edge.

 

[airshot]

While your setup sounds typical there re thing you could add such as extra rollers that would make loading the boat easier. The keel rollers should make contact with the keel but the majority of weight should be on the bunks once the boat is fully on the trailer. The addition of side boards or poles may also aid in loading your boat, looks like you have some homework to do...

 

[Texasmark]

While your setup sounds typical there re thing you could add such as extra rollers that would make loading the boat easier. The keel rollers should make contact with the keel but the majority of weight should be on the bunks once the boat is fully on the trailer. The addition of side boards or poles may also aid in loading your boat, looks like you have some homework to do...

+1.......... Problem with guides is a place to put them on some of the smaller tilt trailers with the 8" wheels tucked under the boat. Course you could be creative and engineer your own design. Really help in cross wind/current situations. Other problem was narrow rollers in same situations. Buttttttttt.