Transom straps

[Tominator88]

What are some opinions on how heavy transom straps should be generally? My boat 241 offshore I estimate around 4400 lb I loop my bowline around winch bracket and back to boat and 2 transom straps I’m thinking they should have st least 1500 lb working load hoping my thick bow line might have 1500 lb working strength too

 

[roscoe]

Transom straps hold the trailer to the boat.
No direct correlation to the weight of the boat.
Only to the force exerted should you be in an accident.

You should really get a bow strap, that will hold the boat down to the trailer, not the winch post.
The winch/post, may be the week link. Secure the bow to the trailer frame.

 

[dingbat]

Never thought much about straps until I clipped a curve pulling out of a shopping center in town

Heard a bang, saw one of the straps flying across the intersection in the side mirror.

Pulled over to inspect. The strap was cut perfectly in half. Looked like someone took a knife to it.

It's at that point I sat down to reevaluate my tie down systems.

In the end, I went with 3/8" chain with a turn buckle to tie the bow to the frame. Once tight, I back off the tension off the winch strap to keep the load off the drum.

In the back, I use a 3" racket strap with a #5,400 working load (#16,000 rated) over the gunnels.

Boat maybe upside down, but it will still attached the trailer

 

[Scott Danforth]

Transom straps are not to save your boat. They are to prevent collateral damage

Witnessed many accidents where trailers did not have transom straps. Seeing a boat either fly over the truck and hit the car ahead, or even stay attached at the bow and flip over the side crushing the car next to the boat, will change your perspective. In both cases, the incident was fatal to the people hit by the boats coming off the trailers.

Keep the winch maintained
Use a bow safety chain to the frame
Use the biggest transom straps you can get.

 

[Tominator88]

Thanks for all the replies I’m not sure why the winch post wouldn’t count as part of the trailer and do you think my bow line (at least 1/2”rope) is that much weaker than a tie strap ? And I do think it makes sence to go by trailer weight I’m asking because most of the crank straps specifically sold as transom straps seam way under sized

 

[Scott Danforth]

and do you think my bow line (at least 1/2”rope) is that much weaker than a tie strap ?

Look at the breaking strength. Your rope is probably 80% the strength of a 2" wide nylon strap, or 1/10th the strength of dynema strap or line

 

[racerone]

Remember when you look at the package it might say rated for 1500 LBS.----But when that material ( Chinesium ?? ) is 5 years old and has been exposed to sunlight it might not be as strong.-----And yes the impact rating is most important of course.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I am using 13mm dynema dux 75 on my trailer winch. 34000# average strength with a proof test strength 4x that. It's overkill

 

[dingbat]

I’m asking because most of the crank straps specifically sold as transom straps seam way under sized

Winch straps are designed to pull the boat on the trailer. They should not be used as the sole means to retain the bow of the boat. That's the purpose of the bow safety chain

 

[racerone]

Also look at the condition of the bow eye and the backing of it.----Boat that I am still working on had it anchored in what used to piece a piece of wood.-----Now a solid piece of " non wood material " with 2 eyes.----One for winch strap and one dedicated for safety chain.

 

[drewm3i]

Keep the winch maintained
Use a bow safety chain to the frame
Use the biggest transom straps you can get.

All this, X1,000.

I use boat buckles over winch straps. Much easier to get them fully tight.

 

[JimS123]

Winch straps are designed to pull the boat on the trailer. They should not be used as the sole means to retain the bow of the boat. That's the purpose of the bow safety chain

A safety chain will catch the boat as it goes flying off the trailer. A Bow Tiedown will prevent it from leaving the trailer n the first place.

 

[redneck joe]

Jim those chains seem overkill for what they are anchored to?

 

[JimS123]

Jim those chains seem overkill for what they are anchored to?

Back in my early days of boat ownership I was rear ended while standing at a signal. The trailer tongue split in half, impaling itself into the blacktop. The boat never left the trailer. If the bow tie down had not held the boat would have come flying over the trunk of my car. At the time I was driving a convertible and had the top down.

I'll stick with too much rather than not enough. BTW, the tie down in the picture was a TeeNee trailer company OEM part.

 

[redneck joe]

Sorry, i meant the strap around the tounge seems like it isnt that beefy

 

[Grub54891]

Overkill is a good thing! I remember back in the 70’s, a double wide snowmobile trailer was crashed about 1/2 mile from the house. The trailer hitch broke and the owner was there, he said the trailer was end for ending down the highway, landed in the snowbanks. Sleds didn’t have a scratch! He unloaded them and drove them away. The safety chains looked robust enough but they broke when the tongue dug into the pavement.

 

[JimS123]

Sorry, i meant the strap around the tounge seems like it isnt that beefy

The "strap' is galvanized steel. It'll hold after the chain breaks.

 

[redneck joe]

Ok cool

 

[JASinIL2006]

I had a bow chain similar to that pictured in post #12 above, except my turnbuckle was a bit beefier. I hit a really substantial pothole in a construction zone one year and the impact was enough to pop that turnbuckle in half. I don't trust those anymore, so I now use heavy shackles. I shackle one end of the chain to the bow eye and the other gets looped around the trailer frame, I have just enough slack in the chain to allow me to connect the looped end to the midpoint of the chain. I have much more faith in strength of the shackles than I have in any turnbuckle.

 

[airshot]

The weak link in a turnbuckle is the threads and often they are made from cast metal, not a good idea there. I use a chain bolted to the tongue with a heavy duty S hook on the eye. Eye tightens up right under the bow stop with winch strap tight. Barring some unforseen catastrophie, it ain't going anywhere.