Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

[Fordiesel69]

On my calkins, it had rear bunks, and rollers up front and on the bottom V part of the boat. It was a total breeze to load.

I looked at both a 25' with a yacht club roller trailer, and also a 23' load rite roller trailer. Both boats were an absolute nightmare to get straight on the rollers. The boats were too heavy to guide on by hand, so we opted to drive them up straight without powerloading. Just coast up, and pull the thottles to N and let them glide right on.

Upon pulling the trailer out, the boats were very tilted. Both were by different owners, and both were a nightmare to get straight. Is this what I will be battleing with each time?

 

[Splat]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

Use guide posts, and with a roller trailer you have to retrieve shallower and use the hand crank.

Bill

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

rollers are a b****! my first boat came on a trailer with rollers and it was the first roller trailer me or my family had ever used upon getting to the ramp i unhookd the boat as i would if i had bunks started back up and the boat flew off that trailer!!! lucky enough it was a cheap 15 foot boat and only broke a $10 speedo wich was bad any way. my sugestion, rebuild trailer with bunks.

 

[Cannondale]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

rollers are a b****! my first boat came on a trailer with rollers and it was the first roller trailer me or my family had ever used upon getting to the ramp i unhookd the boat as i would if i had bunks started back up and the boat flew off that trailer!!! lucky enough it was a cheap 15 foot boat and only broke a $10 speedo wich was bad any way. my sugestion, rebuild trailer with bunks.

Unfortunately, that situation is called operator error. The rollers worked exactly like they were supposed to. And, from what I've heard, seen, and read, this happens a lot to new owners of roller trailers. C'est la vie.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

Roller trailers are nice to have when the lake level is low. I've seen bunk trailers suffer thru this condition a few times.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

Roller trailers are the best thing since sliced bread. Just back in so the tires are a little wet, then launch or retreive with ease. The boat self centers, never goes on crooked, you don't get your feet wet and it takes only a fraction of the time that the others are having to spend.

If it doesn't go well, its a sure thing that you backed in too far.

We love to take a sixpack to the ramp on hot summer evenings and watch all those people launching their submarines.

 

[reel clownz]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

yes roller trailers suck...but.. i have found a trick...one you definitely need guide ons. Those are key. step 2. bury the trailer when you back it in. I have tried power loading the boat before. once you have the guide ons in place. make them tight to the rub rail. Not rubbing but just off the rub rail, pull the boat in by hand hook up the bow strap or chaing or cable or whatever you have. pull out slow. Only problem with guide ons is do not buy ones pre made with pvc posts. I had those they broke the pvc 3rd time. had to make my own. use 4 ft 1" galvanized pipe then cover in pvc. pull the boat out slow let the posts do the work. Believe me i have tried every way to load a boat with a roller trailer and this is the easiest. Any other questions just ask i have a few pics of my home made guide ons. Good luck.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

roller trailers don't suck... if you can't get on a roller you are almost definitely in too deep...... ease on and use the winch... done and done

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

I have a roller trailer. Love it !!!!
Once you have learned the technique for your outfit you should have no further issues.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

my last boat was a 5000 lb 26' flybridge cruiser.... I constantly had people come up to me amazed that I loaded it myself in such a short time... I did powerload but never needed more than just over idle and just for a few seconds. The trailer was an EZ loader full roller.... the only downside was that I couldn't take it out of gear until the winch was hooked or it would just slide back off..... NOT a biggy

 

[bassman284]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

{The following is c&p from some threads I've been involved in regarding loading and unloading with a roller trailer.}

"Off: Back in so transom is just touching the water. Lower motor, start and put in gear, idle is normally enough. Go up front and unhook safety chain and winch strap. Get back in boat, put in reverse and back off. Do just the opposite to load. done this hundreds of times without incident.

When loading, I always put my roller trailer in until the back set of rollers is just barely under water. Doesn't really matter how steep the ramp is. "

(By Northern Eclipse):
"When loading you don't want the boat floating over the trailer you need to have contact with the rollers and hull, to stabilize the boat so it settles strait and center on the trailer, what I find usally works for me at most ramps I use which all vary in quality some good some not is that I keep the tops of the trailer fenders about 2 to 3 inches above the water, boat loads perfect every time. I determined this bench mark by first launching the boat and paying attention to when the back of boat starts to float,I then pull up ramp just a bit to settle boat back on trailer but just barely, mentally mark depth of trailer and use that for trailer position when retreiving boat."

"Going to expand on what Northern Eclipse said a little bit.When loading, I place the trailer so that the rearmost rollers are just under water. I come up just fast enough to maintain direction. As soon as the boat makes contact with the rear rollers, I take it out of gear for a second or 2 and let it settle. Then I go back in gear and wiggle the motor around until the boat is pretty well lined up on the trailer, then pour the wood on and drive it up to the tower. Then pull back to about idle but leave it in gear so it won't roll off while I go up and hook the winch strap and safety chain. Go back, shut down and raise the motor."

Just to add, whether you power load or winch it on, the boat will pretty much self center if the rollers are close to the surface.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

my last boat was a 5000 lb 26' flybridge cruiser.... I constantly had people come up to me amazed that I loaded it myself in such a short time... I did powerload but never needed more than just over idle and just for a few seconds. The trailer was an EZ loader full roller.... the only downside was that I couldn't take it out of gear until the winch was hooked or it would just slide back off..... NOT a biggy

smoke, a few years ago I got to watch a guy solo load a very similar boat to that on a roller trailer. The boat was so tall he had a 4 rung ladder hanging off the bow so he could climb down to hook the winch, then climb back up to shut her down. Beautiful to watch.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

lol I NEEDED that ladder... Instead I always launched and loaded a foot from the dock so I could just climb down the ladder from the flybridge and step off the side and get to the front of the boat....

Then climb back on and either back off to launch or shut down after loading

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

It is not the trailer and it is not you. It is the combination of trailer and hull: I have a beautiful galvanized full roller caulkins with electric winch. My deep vee Renken would go on straight first time--every time--with no trouble. made me look good. Sold the Renken and bought a Manatee. On the same trailer the Manatee will NEVER go on straight. I tried side guide rollers, putting the trailer in deep, putting in shallow, repositioning the rollers numerous times, etc. The boat just NEVER goes on the trailer straight and sometimes will actually go off the center rollers. I always need a second person to push and guide the hull while I winch it on.

What is the difference? Same trailer, different hull!

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

It is not the trailer and it is not you. It is the combination of trailer and hull: I have a beautiful galvanized full roller caulkins with electric winch. My deep vee Renken would go on straight first time--every time--with no trouble. made me look good. Sold the Renken and bought a Manatee. On the same trailer the Manatee will NEVER go on straight. I tried side guide rollers, putting the trailer in deep, putting in shallow, repositioning the rollers numerous times, etc. The boat just NEVER goes on the trailer straight and sometimes will actually go off the center rollers. I always need a second person to push and guide the hull while I winch it on.

What is the difference? Same trailer, different hull!

Can the trailer be re-adjusted for your different hull? As in my case?

 

[jgoeden]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

rollers are a b****! my first boat came on a trailer with rollers and it was the first roller trailer me or my family had ever used upon getting to the ramp i unhookd the boat as i would if i had bunks started back up and the boat flew off that trailer!!! lucky enough it was a cheap 15 foot boat and only broke a $10 speedo wich was bad any way. my sugestion, rebuild trailer with bunks.

Why anyone would unhook a boat before being in the water is beyond me. Maybe I'm just over-precautious, but bunks or rollers, my winch strap is NOT coming off until that boat is near some water in case it does slide.

Do you leave it unstrapped on the highway too? I don't see the difference...

 

[jkust]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

It is difficult to convey how unbelievably simple and ultra fantastic a proper roller trailer is. It is like commuting to work on a horse bareback as compared to getting brought to work in a helicopter then getting carried to your office and served coffee and breakfast. The contrast is stark. Showing up with a roller trailer and having people see the ease of which I load and unload is like showing up with a circus act to the ramp. People stop and stare in amazement. Literal amazement while they struggle to unload or actually NEED to powerload. Only a small part of the trailer tires need get wet and powerloading is unneccesary and actually undesiarable. If you are struggleing with a roller trailer, the world is not right. The roller trailer option isn't cheap but I actually don't see as many as I would expect given how many people are trailer boaters. What really baffels me is how many people are astounded by this new fangeled invention as though they've never seen one in action. Of course there are ramp differences that make my experience not mimic your's.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

It is difficult to convey how unbelievably simple and ultra fantastic a proper roller trailer is. It is like commuting to work on a horse bareback as compared to getting brought to work in a helicopter then getting carried to your office and served coffee and breakfast. The contrast is stark. Showing up with a roller trailer and having people see the ease of which I load and unload is like showing up with a circus act to the ramp. People stop and stare in amazement. Literal amazement while they struggle to unload or actually NEED to powerload. Only a small part of the trailer tires need get wet and powerloading is unneccesary and actually undesiarable. If you are struggleing with a roller trailer, the world is not right. The roller trailer option isn't cheap but I actually don't see as many as I would expect given how many people are trailer boaters. What really baffels me is how many people are astounded by this new fangeled invention as though they've never seen one in action. Of course there are ramp differences that make my experience not mimic your's.

Although I can only take your word at truth, care to share exactly how yours is set up and how you have such an easy time?

I was able to do my bunk / roller calkins all by hand and was also amazed at never powerloading or getting my feet wet.

 

[jkust]

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

Although I can only take your word at truth, care to share exactly how yours is set up and how you have such an easy time?

I was able to do my bunk / roller calkins all by hand and was also amazed at never powerloading or getting my feet wet.

My Trailer is a 2004 Shorelandr that is full rollers except for the two tiny, tiltable bunks under the lowest part of the bow. The key to loading a roller trailer is that you need to find the exact sweet spot as to where the water line is on the rear wheel. Mine is exactly at the start of the wheel fender, exactly where the manual indicates. If you are too far in or not far enough the rollers can not do their job. There is no need for any sort of guide as if done correctly, they would be only extra useless equipment. Also then if the ramp is off center so, say the right wheel sinks lower than the left wheel, you can have an issue as well. So for example, as long as I have the trailer exactly in that sweet spot, I can hook the bow eye up to the winch strap and even if the boat is at a 90 degree angle, the rollers absolutly insist the boat goes on exactly straight and centered. It isn't optional to put it on crooked. If the boat makes its way up on to the trailer and it wasn't butter smooth to winch it on and if the hull doesn't sit exactly correctly on the rollers, you were to far in or out of the water. I really hate boat ramps and the whole process of getting the kids in and other stuff while there is a line of boats waiting to get in and out. The roller trailer simply takes one potential stressor out of the equation.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Roller trailers suck....What am I doing wrong?

Gravity, like fire, simply needs to be understood and controlled, and then it is your friend and the key to civilized life.

I'm a life-long roller trailer user, both tilts and "load-rite" (the latter being lower in the back and having tilting rollers). Didn't get the axle in salt water until I got a bigger boat with rollers and it needs just a little float. not much. And if I used that trailer more than 4 times a year I'd fix that, too, as well as the long reach to the bow eye.

With a roller trailer, you don't even get your feet wet.

Instead of power load, I power winch. What a dream! The boats straighten themselves if it's set up right AND the trailer isn't sunk. I only needed guides or side bunks, after 40+ years, when I got a sinker trailer.*

Well, the 13' whaler gets a little off with the break trailer but it's no problem to shift it over. I had a break trailer with bunks, not rollers, for a 19' flat bottom and never sank it (teflon on the bunks--slides right off, winches right on).

Until I came around here, I never heard of people wading up to the waist, or sinking their vehicle bumpers, at the ramp. That's just crazy. And I still scoff at "float-on" trailers for regular salt water use. A roller frame will last (as will its lights, axle, hubs and fittings); the only weak spot is that last 2 feet.

I also always have a dock next to the ramp, so if I need help straighening in bad conditions, I give one person a stern line and a push pole and they can handle it fine.

*replaces a 30 year old salt-water tilt/roller; got it for $500 and it's just used at the ramp, no highway. Hate it and hate to sink it in high salt, but for $500 it's a disposable. Got 3 years out of it so far. But it won't convert me.