Winching boat onto bunkered trailer

[jwilson_46143]

When I had my 18' Sea Ray out this week I noticed what appears to be a hairline crack about 12" long in the fiberglass hull near the hook eye in the bow. The only possible cause I can imagine would be from winching the boat onto the trailer. When trailering the boat I normally winch (by hand crank) the boat the last 1-2' onto the bunkered trailer. Is it even possible to crack the fiberglass hull by a person using the hand crank on the trailer?? Should I be concerned about this hairline crack around the hook eye?? Thanks for any help/suggestions.

 

[ratt1966]

Re: Winching boat onto bunkered trailer

yes it is possible to crack it like that i pulled the eye bolt right through mine. cost alot to get repaired they glassed a piece of stainless plate in so that would not happen again. i would get the crack repaired befor it pulls through. now i back the trailer farther into the water so i have less bost to crank onto the trailer

 

[L Christopher]

Re: Winching boat onto bunkered trailer

Joe:<br />Do you have a anchor well at the bow? If so, can you see the backing and bolts to the Bow Eye? If you can get to this point inspect that area and if needed take the bolts off and use either larger washers or bolt plate (Stainless or galvanized)

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: Winching boat onto bunkered trailer

Agree with Storm. It's very important to spread the load as much as possible since you're putting a lot of force on a small area. Unfortunately, some manufacturers don't put a backing plate in behind the bow eye. I'd fix the crack and make sure I had enough backing behind the eye before I winched it again.

 

[jwilson_46143]

Re: Winching boat onto bunkered trailer

Thanks for the help and suggestions. How does a novice distinguish between a crack in the gel coat and an actual fiberglass crack which would be much more serious?? I examined the crack more last night and it appears to be only in the gel coat. The way my boat is constructed I'm not sure I'll even be able to see the backside of the hull to tell if it truly is cracked through the fiberglass. Anyone know if Sea Ray puts reinforcing plates standard around the hook eye?? I'm just trying to determine if this is a cosmetic or structural problem. Thanks again!