Winch post on boat trailer

[Screechy]

Hi all,
We have had our new boat for about 12mths. It is great but we have this annoying problem of when we are retrieving the boat it nearly always loads up off centre. After checking and rechecking and trying many different things to get the boat to load level we have noticed that the winch Post seems to be on a lean of centre of about 10mm and the rope is always hard over on to the left side of the roller.
Question is: if the Winch post is off centre we believe the boat will nearly always load up unevenly when winding the boat onto the trailer. Hence we always end up jacking up the boat to centre it.
Heeelpp

Some pics attached . I would have thought if we are retrieving the boat on a crooked post gravity will pull the boat on a crooked position

 

[alldodge]

A 10mm offset should not effect loading the boat. Might be bunks or rollers are not positioned correctly

 

[Screechy]

I have attached some pics of the post . Once we allign the boat it sits perfectly on the rollers everywhere.:-(

 

[briangcc]

Most trailers are self centering when retrieving...,provided your trailer isn't too deep when retrieving. My hunch is if the boat is off center on the trailer on retrieve you're too deep at the ramp. Try retrieving with less of the trailer in the water.

With my boats, granted smaller and on carpetted bunks, the sweet spot seems to be about 3/4 of the bunks under water with the last 1/4 high and dry. Takes a bit to winch the boat up but it's centered each and every time.

 

[Screechy]

Thanx Briangcc. Still looks strange tho

 

[flashback]

Very common to plant the trailer too deep until you find the sweet spot..

 

[JimS123]

Most boats have strakes or keels on the bottom. The common setup is to position the bunks or rollers right next to them. Thus, it has to self-center.

On my current 2 boats I added self centering keel rollers and that has made a perfect load and launch. But my trailer crossmembers were suited to adding them, and of course I never dunk too much trailer.

 

[Screechy]

Most boats have strakes or keels on the bottom. The common setup is to position the bunks or rollers right next to them. Thus, it has to self-center.

On my current 2 boats I added self centering keel rollers and that has made a perfect load and launch. But my trailer crossmembers were suited to adding them, and of course I never dunk too much trailer.

Thank s JimS123. Question for you. Would you buy a boat and trailer that has a lean on the winch post?

 

[JimS123]

Thank s JimS123. Question for you. Would you buy a boat and trailer that has a lean on the winch post?

I might buy one, but I wouldn't use it.

If it was a used boat I would replace the winch post with a heavy duty model and set it up myself to be perfectly straight. In fact I have done that twice over my years of boating.

If it was a new boat, I would require the dealer to repair it.

Truth is, though, that if it's only 10 mm off center, and that the rollers were aligned to guide the boat to the center, I would imagine that the boat would still center OK, with the only issue being that the rope or cable would be all wound on one side of the spool.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but by my eye the winch post IS centered Ok. It looks to me that the winch mounting plate is crooked. If that's the case, simply move the winch forward or back and re-drill the holes to straighten it out. In other words, make the winch straight in line with the boat, not the top of the post.

But of course, that would only be a last resort if the dealer won't help. But another of course is that if it were me I'd do it myself for fear that the dealer would screw it up worse.

 

[dingbat]

Mine did the same exact thing. Check your bunk/roller alignments

My problem was caused by a bent pivot bar that pushed the bow starboard when loading

 

[bruceb58]

In the old days when you used steel cables instead of straps, the winch cable could be anywhere on the spool which is way more than what your winch post is offset by. They still loaded straight.

 

[roscoe]

Looks to me like your port side front rollers are higher.
Starboard side are lower.

If so, that would cause the boat to load to starboard side of trailer.

 

[tpenfield]

10mm off center

I'd call that a win.

 

[airshot]

As you winch your boat onto the trailer, every couple feet stop and let the winch line go slack....now is the boat centered?? Or is it off center?? Do it again after a few more feet...need to allow slack in the line before determining if the boat is centered. This should show whether the boat is loading centered or crooked !! If loading crooked your trailer set up is wrong, if the winch is pulling the boat off center then adjust the winch and stand. Unfortunately, many dealers do not do a good job of setting up the trailer for the intended boat. Some carefull trial and error is needed to be sure, but....from what I am reading, I agree with the others, the trailer is not setup properly.

 

[Scott Danforth]

me thinks you are backed in way too deep.
if the bunks and rollers are set up right, the boat can be winched up the bunks even if the winch is 6" off centerline
if you are going to back in deep, you need side guides.

 

[jimmbo]

Is the Trailer Frame, Square to the Axle(s), and are the Crossmembers parallel to the Axle(s)?

 

[Screechy]

Is the Trailer Frame, Square to the Axle(s), and are the Crossmembers parallel to the Axle(s)?

The trailer is custom made for the boats and yes everything is square and true except when I get to the winchpost. The trailer is aluminium and the draw bar is two C sections welded together and then the post and its supports are all welded to this . What i think has happened is when I check the level of the welded C Sections one C section is slightly lower than the other that being the starboard side section when lookng at the pics. So when they have welded the post set up to it it has welded on crooked and they havent checked. I have been thinking that if winching with a post that is on a lean and its centre is not over the centre rollers, even if I bring the trailer out of the water a bit further the winch will pull the front of the bost to where the load is coming from effectively the drum in the winch and hence it loads untrue. If I pull the winch rope all of the way out and attach it the rear centre roller the winch rope goes from the centre of the rear roller and you can see the angle it takes back to the winch. After the second centre roller you can see the angle difference to the winch is quite a bit. If I wind it to the left side of the winch drum it passes over the middle of the centre rollers and the boat centres it self. As everyone is alluding to the post shouldnt have a lean regardless and dont bury the trailer to deep and this will solve the unlevel loading. Will try it all and see the success rate.
Thank you all for your support, bunch of good buggers

 

[JimS123]

It looks like a custom built trailer, and it also looks to have been extremely well built. It also looks like a pretty big boat. That said, winching it on must be a chore, thus backing in too far is the logical approach.

The second observation is that all of the gear is welded on, with no way to adjust rollers. Thus, you are going to have to make due.

Reading all the trials and tribulations on this forum, plus watching boaters at launch ramps for over 50 years, has shown me that the vast majority back in too far.

I will only own an all roller trailer, and I refuse to back in too far. My solution was to install a Powerwinch. I simply stand there and the boat loads itself, while everyone else on the ramp has crooked boats or is sweating from cranking. My current boat had a crappy winch post / winch combo, so a mod was not possible. I bought a HD post and set it all up myself...

 

[jimmbo]

It looks like a custom built trailer, and it also looks to have been extremely well built. It also looks like a pretty big boat. That said, winching it on must be a chore, thus backing in too far is the logical approach.

The second observation is that all of the gear is welded on, with no way to adjust rollers. Thus, you are going to have to make due.

Reading all the trials and tribulations on this forum, plus watching boaters at launch ramps for over 50 years, has shown me that the vast majority back in too far.

I will only own an all roller trailer, and I refuse to back in too far. My solution was to install a Powerwinch. I simply stand there and the boat loads itself, while everyone else on the ramp has crooked boats or is sweating from cranking. My current boat had a crappy winch post / winch combo, so a mod was not possible. I bought a HD post and set it all up myself...

View attachment 374471

Nice setup of the Tongue and Winch Post, very little sticking out past the coupler when the Tongue is swung back.

 

[dwco5051]

Looks to me like your port side front rollers are higher.
Starboard side are lower.

If so, that would cause the boat to load to starboard side of trailer.

I noticed that too from the pictures. Use a level on the trailer frame and on the gunnels. You may need a straight edge across the gunnels to do that. If the starboard side was lifted a little the bow eye would align.