re-trailering tips

[jebby]

hi all, anyone have any useful tips I might not have thought of for getting a heavy boat back on the trailer solo. with the wife its fairly straight forward but id like to get better at doing it solo. our ramps are at a very shallow angle and the water is so high that im dunking the exhaust on the truck and the trailer is still quite a bit shallower than id like. i winch it most of the way up ok but i have to guide it to catch the fist set of rollers which is hard while trying to winch it. any obvious suggestions i might be overlooking?

 

[tpenfield]

How big/heavy a boat?

I also have a very (very) shallow ramp where I boat. You can really only retrieve at high tide, else go off the end of the ramp into the muck, which I've done.

I've pulled my 24' Cuddy a few times solo, cuz I didn't want no help. Usually with help it takes longer It was a bunk trailer, not rollers.

- I got the rig as deep as I can . . . basically so the trailer disappears.
- Wheel chocks for the tow vehicle.
- Coming from the dock, I would line up the boat heading into the trailer going a few mph and ride up on the bunks. This usually got me a few feet short of the bow stop. I think a roller trailer would have gotten me closer.
- Then up on deck, I would reach down and connect the winch strap, climb down onto the tongue of the trailer and winch the boat the rest of the way.
- I often used some soap on the bunks to make them more slippery for winching.

 

[jebby]

not super big or heavy but a whole world bigger than my old 14' tin can.

its a Chaparral 2050 SL cuddy.

its a stitch under 21 feet around 3200 lbs. I can manage it easy enough with the wife to guide it to me. Would like to manage myself so I can take my mom and or the kids out when my wife works late.

trailer is a roller though not setup as good as it should be for that boat. cant drive on and DEFFINITLY cant power load.

 

[kaulbr]

What about installing trailer guides? Would that help you keep your boat lined up while you crank it up? I load my boat solo most of the time and find them very helpful.

 

[jebby]

im sure it would, and I likely will, just haven't gotten that far. I can manage until I get to it, was hoping I was overlooking something silly. thanks everyone

 

[JASinIL2006]

Shallow ramps are more challenging, that's for sure. I actually used a hitch extender to get an extra 2' from the boat when I was launching/retrieving into a lake with a shallow beach we used for a ramp. It helped, but it was still more difficult than a normal ramp.

 

[ahicks]

I'm solo most of the time when launching and retrieving - and have been for many many years. I think the biggest "tip" I can share is to experiment with the water height on the trailer fenders. Some boats like an inch of fender showing above water, some may work better with the fenders just under. Mess with it to see what works for you and your boat. Find the sweet spot with the fender depth and it's easy peasy to nail perfect launches and retrievals very quickly.

Currents and cross winds can be a pain that disappears with guides. Still only use them on about half of my stuff....

 

[Leardriver]

I retrieve with a more shallow trailer, so that I can drive it forward very slightly faster, to combat wind drift. I attach the winch and take the slack out of it.
Then, I back the trailer up 4 feet, now that the boat is secure, and take the slack out of the winch and tighten it up. Sea Ray 270 Sundeck, solo.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I solo my rig most of the time

26 feet and about 5000# with fuel and gear

back the trailer in the water so your fenders are about 2" above the water

take the anchor line and walk it forward on the trailer, it should re-center itself as you pull it forward

pull the winch line out, hook up to the bow eye and winch 'er home

on some ramps, I need to back in a fair amount, others not so much

on one ramp during low water, we dug holes for the trailer wheels to sit in

 

[Fed]

712 Powerwinch with pull cord tied to the back of the trailer.

Walk the bow of the boat to the rear trailer roller which can be out of the water if necessary and pull the string.

 

[dingbat]

If your having issues centering the boat on a roller trailer your either too deep or the roller bunks need adjusted badly.

In the summer, I just walk out knee deep and connect the winch hook.

In the winter, I tie a line to the bow cleat then walk the tongue down to the wishbone. From there, I pull the boat as far forward as I can to connect the winch cable. Once connected, I winch the boat up enough to attach the safety chain. Roughly 2-3 feet shy of the winch post.

At this point I get back in the truck and pull the boat up and out of the ramp area. Once on flat ground it’s nothing to roll the trailer to the stop. Throw the tie down over the gunwales and cinch down.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I solo boat a lot, but admittedly it's just a 16.5ft Alumacraft with a 90hp. However, I have a long dockline with an overhand knot tied every foot or so. I back in my trailer, then go get my boat from the dock. I attach my dockline to the bow eye and pull it over to the trailer. I then pull it straight onto the trailer until it hits the rollers. I then pull down the winch strap and winch it on the rest of the way.

It's very easy and requires no power loading. In fact, even with others around I don't have them drive my boat onto the trailer. My system works great whether solo or with others.

 

[JimS123]

I have a Stoltz self-centering keel roller on the last trailer cross member. Also, a SS eye on top of the fender.

In the parking lot, pull out the winch strap to the mark that indicates the correct length. Clip the winch hook to the eye on the fender. Back the trailer in to the correct depth (you judge that). Untie the boat lines and pull the boat forward until the stem touches the aft roller. Take the hook off the eye and attach to the bow eye (its now tight and its holding the stem on the roller). Winch the boat the rest of the way.

My other trailer has swinging roller bunks and no center roller. In that case pulling the boat up naturally self centers and the rollers hold it in position.