Trailer winch question and tilt question? 1st timer.

[Kallas08]

Hey everyone,

We bought our first boat the other day. It’s a 2000 smokercraft 18’6” I/O. 4.3 mercruiser. But I bought it and the winch looks like the attached image. It has a lot of stress on the winch strap this way and you can see the strap is starting to tear a little. Can I adjust the wheel part and have the hook go over the top of the wheel? Or does it have to go through the middle part below the wheel like it is? Cus the hook on the boat just doesn’t line up. No matter how I have it setup.

Also I went to land my boat the other day in a very shallow landing and it was dragging really bad on the skag. But then my boat has the trailer trim button. It was my fault I forgot to use the trailer button when I pulled it out and it bent the skag. Not terrible but lesson learned. My question is, when I go to drive the boat onto the trailer, can I have it all the way trimmed up in “trailer” mode? Or do I only do that after I have it in the trailer and am ready to pull it out? I have only landed outboards where I could trim it all the way up with the trim button and didn’t have this trailer button to get it all the way up further.

Thanks for helping a first timer!

 

[jimmbo]

Welcome to iboats

The Winch itself needs to be raised so the Strap isn't laying on a edge that could cut it. Perhaps wrapping the Strap the other direction would accomplish the goal
As for the outdrive, I wouldn't run the engine with the drive tilted up fully as it puts the U-joints under stress. However it can be run a bit higher than the Limit Switch, just at low speed.
Make it part of the Routine to raise the Outdrive when you shut it off, and before you pull the trailer up the ramp

 

[roscoe]

As Jim said, REPLACE the worn strap, then wrap the strap so it comes off the top of the winch.

But the strap should go under the the bow roller. this helps hold the bow down, so it doesn't bounce, or slide over the top in the event of an accident.

And yes, you can adjust the bow roller height to match the bow eye on the boat.

 

[jimmbo]

Ideally the Winch Strap where it comes off of the Spool, should be Level with the Bow Eye
Mine isn't perfect,



but it is better than the Initial Rigging

 

[Horigan]

It's generally frowned upon to power load a boat onto a trailer as this can displace the bottom material/gravel past the end of the ramp pavement. You should try to float the boat onto the trailer and winch it in the final distance. If your ramp has plenty of pavement behind where you're loading, then it's probably okay, but be aware it's generally frowned upon.

Your ramp sounds like it's not very steep, which can make float loading difficult. Just make sure you aren't backing your tow rig in so deep that you introduce water into your rear wheel bearings.

 

[jimmbo]

Your ramp sounds like it's not very steep, which can make float loading difficult. Just make sure you aren't backing your tow rig in so deep that you introduce water into your rear wheel bearings.

Like this Brainiac did last yr. The Stern of the boat was higher than the bow. A couple of people there had told him to use a different ramp a couple of hundred feet away, but...

 

[Drcoffee]

That strap is wrapped the wrong durection as others have said above. But keep in mind that strap even when new is not ironclad. You need to add a safety chain (12mm is what I have) and I also added a ratchet strap to keep the bow from bouncing during transport. And of course the transom straps should be beefy as well.

 

[KD4UPL]

You shouldn't need to have the prop spinning to load the boat on the trailer. A little momentum in neutral should do it. If it doesn't go all the way up the trailer then hook the winch line and crank it the rest of the way.
Running the outdrive with it trimmed up past the stop will eventually wear out the bearings. It's not designed to be operated that way.

 

[poconojoe]

The most important thing is to know how deep to submerge your trailer. If it's too deep the boat will float all over the place and you will be in a predicament. If it's not deep enough you will have a hard time winching it.
Most trailers are at a good depth when the water is just covering the fenders, but that's not set in stone.

I trim it up a little, but no where near trailer mode. That can damage the u-joints.
I aim for the trailer slowly. When I know I'm centered with the trailer and getting close and have a bit of momentum, I shut the engine down and immediately trim the drive up all the way to trailer position. The bunks guide the boat into position. I reach over the bow for the hook/strap and connect it to the bow eye. I step over the bow and onto the trailer tongue. Then I crank the winch until the boat hits the bow stop.

I never get my feet wet. I see people standing waist deep in the water fumbling with their boat and I just smile to myself.

It's all a matter of knowing your boat/trailer.
You'll find a routine once you know your boat/trailer.

If you find your aim toward the trailer is off, just reverse it and try again. Give yourself a long runway toward the trailer in case you need to make a correction.

Try to go on a weekday when there's less people there and practice a few times.

 

[Drcoffee]

The ramp where I boat has a steep incline. If I dont go deep, the bow ends up under the bow stop When I winch it up. If I go shallow, the boat has to be winched from half way on. It aint easy to drag a 3,400 pound boat up on bunks. Ive gotten to the point where I can hook up the winch by hanging over the bow and crank the handle until it mates to the stop. Then I pull out slowly and let the hull settle in and find its position. It really depends on the boat ramp. I have seen a few boaters this summer crank so hard pulling the boat onto the trailer they snap the winch strap.

And with 4WD, I dont worry about getting the rear wheels a little wet.. but I do get a chuckle watching boaters loading a 20+ft boat with a FWD crossover. It might be rated to 5000#s but that all changes on a wet ramp.

 

[jimmbo]

I rarely have to go back further than this


I have Launched and Loaded not even that far back