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Trailer questions
Marc-B	#1  Posted on 07/05/14 - 3:34 AM
Member Posts: 88 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/01/14	Got my Newport 1979 red dot commercial a few weeks ago and need to get some trailer work done, need to replace bunks and add keel rollers. I need some advice on the bunks, my trailer sits level on my truck, but my motor sits only about 3 inches off the ground, not to worry I use a transom saver. I noticed that my bunks are 2 inches lower at the back, should they be level to the trailer and the ground, I guess this could be why loading the boat is somewhat difficult, boat ramp angle plus bunk angle is like winching boat uphill. Thanks
whalerman	#2  Posted on 07/05/14 - 7:47 AM
Member Posts: 540 Comments: 5 Joined: 06/26/07	Trailer set-up in a custom thing with everyone. Move the bunk height around till you like what it's doing at your regular ramp, ease of launch and recovery. THOM : 1999 Outrage 18, 2012 E-TEC 150, 2012 EZ Loader trailer
wing15601	#3  Posted on 07/05/14 - 8:26 AM
Member Posts: 699 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/14/12	Most people set up their trailers so the keel of their Boston Whaler, the strongest part of the hull, is supporting the weight of the boat and the bunks are adjusted to barely touch the hull, for lateral stability. I believe that was the recommended setup for boats like yours. Edited by wing15601 on 07/05/14 - 8:26 AM I winter in Ft. Myers and summer in St. Joseph, Michigan. It’s now about 12 years since I’ve joined this group. I gave my 1972 whaler to my daughter and sold the 17’. Bought an O’Day 28 sailboat and sailed on Lake Michigan. Yesterday I bought a 2005 130 Sport.
Ric232	#4  Posted on 07/05/14 - 3:53 PM
Member Posts: 194 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/11/08	Marc, Congratulations on the new boat. Like most things, you will find differing opinions in response to your trailer question. My opinion is: - If you have a roller trailer, i.e. no bunks, your boat should rest on the rollers. - If you have a trailer with bunks (whether it has rollers or not), the boat should rest on the bunks and not be touching the rollers when the boat is fully up on the trailer. The rollers are there so that your keel does not hit the metal in the center of the trailer as the boat is being loaded on the trailer. The forward portion of most boats has a sharper V and can come into contact certain areas of the trailer that it passes over them in the process of loading. This should not happen under normal circumstances anyway but ramp with an especially steep angle can cause this sometimes. With a bunk trailer, your boat should pretty close to floating in the stern (if not actually floating in the stern) when you are launching; same thing when the boat is re-loaded at the ramp. If not, and your ramp has an especially shallow angle, you would ideally have a roller trailer and load the boat with a winch. Every ramp is different. Once loaded on the trailer, the rear weight bias of the boat and the stern tie-down straps keep the boat sitting on the bunks. This, along with the winch strap and bow roller, aid in keeping the boat from pitching forward in an emergency stop when towing. Ric 2008 130 Sport Merc 40hp 4-stroke
wing15601	#5  Posted on 07/05/14 - 5:37 PM
Member Posts: 699 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/14/12	That's bad information, RIC232. It may be true for your vintage boat, I don't know, but Marc-B's boat is a 1979. The way Whalers of that vintage are designed, with no stringers, relatively thin fiberglass skin and a really strong keel, the proper trailer setup is for the boat weight to be carried by the keel rollers. I winter in Ft. Myers and summer in St. Joseph, Michigan. It’s now about 12 years since I’ve joined this group. I gave my 1972 whaler to my daughter and sold the 17’. Bought an O’Day 28 sailboat and sailed on Lake Michigan. Yesterday I bought a 2005 130 Sport.
Ric232	#6  Posted on 07/05/14 - 7:03 PM
Member Posts: 194 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/11/08	See below, straight from Boston Whaler. One thing I was not aware of is that all-roller trailers should not be used with Whalers. Personally, I wouldn't use one on any boat. Depending on the size of your boat and the conditions in which you launch and retrieve, there are two styles of trailers: 1) Float-on bunk style trailer - Bunks should be as long as possible and conform to the shape of the hull to provide good fore and aft support to spread the total weight. For larger/heavier models, you may want to look into two sets of bunks. One set to cradle the keel and another further out for support. Keel rollers or guards can be used on the trailer cross members to provide additional support or protection. A float-on trailer is easier to maintain and works best in boat ramps with deeper water. 2) Keel roller trailer - Keel rollers must be adjusted so that they support the keel and bear ALL THE WEIGHT of the boat. Side bunks should be used to balance the weight on the keel rollers. A keel roller trailer works best in shallow water ramps. Boston Whaler does NOT recommend using an all roller trailer. Side rollers can cause a ripple effect on the fiberglass. This can disrupt the bond between the fiberglass and the foam core, causing potential hull problems. Edited by Ric232 on 07/05/14 - 7:06 PM Ric 2008 130 Sport Merc 40hp 4-stroke
FishinSam	#7  Posted on 07/07/14 - 7:39 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 12 Comments: 0 Joined: 04/27/14	I'm with Ric on this one. I used to think rollers and even roller bunks were the ticket but got a lot of wear marks in the fiberglass and when the wrinkles got noticeable, I got real concerned. Besides, bunks are easily replaced, easy to adjust, easy to maintain. Self-centering keel rollers help to protect the boat, and keep it straight when loading. As for supporting all the weight of your boat on 3 keel rollers or so, hopefully you don't have far to trailer it... bouncing down the highway on 12 to 16 square inches of support seems a little inadequate. Try a combination that you'll be comfortable with - and use 2x6s instead of 2x4s for for larger area support. And thanks for the "washer between the swivel brace and the wood" trick, Ric. Put them on tonight- made too much sense not to. 2@ 5ft and 2@ 3ft bunks... Plenty of support for a 1992 Rage 14ft Jet. "All the Rage" 1992 Rage Jet 14ft
Ric232	#8  Posted on 07/07/14 - 8:36 PM
Member Posts: 194 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/11/08	Two pair of bunks works very well if you can get them adjusted right. The center pair can be fairly close to the keel, providing a guide for the bow as you load the boat on the trailer. The center pair usually cover the forward half of the trailer only. With a well-placed 4-bunk setup rollers are unnecessary although you can have one roller on the rearmost crossmember if it makes you feel better. My last boat's custom trailer had this configuration. It was sweet, especially for a boat with a 23 degree deadrise. Ric 2008 130 Sport Merc 40hp 4-stroke
Phil T	#9  Posted on 07/08/14 - 5:56 AM
Administrator Personal Page Personal Album Project Albums Posts: 6988 Comments: 6 Joined: 03/26/05	Marc - Addressing the setup. The actual orientation of the boat on the trailer should be the boat has a slightly bow up attitude. When on level ground, the water will drain out with the stern plug removed. If you trailer some distances or frequently more than 20 miles, you will want the boat to sit as low as possible on the trailer. Trailers with torsen axles allow hulls to sit down below the frame. As for launching/retrieving, ramp geometry, trailer depth and boat height off the ground are key measurements. On a steep ramp, the higher off the ground the hull is, the deeper the trailer needs to be submerged. I estimate 7 out of 10 boaters who launch/retrieve submerge the trailer too far/not enough. I think you are not submerging the trailer far enough on retrieval. After learning from members, I reconfigured both my trailers. Both had something positioned significantly wrong. Edited by Phil T on 07/08/14 - 5:57 AM
Marc-B	#10  Posted on 07/08/14 - 12:17 PM
Member Posts: 88 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/01/14	Thanks for all the information, a lot of variables to consider, pretty much finished prepping trailer for paint, adjusted the winch height, it was too low and was pulling the bow of the boat down. Will be replacing bunks and bunk Covering, bunks were covered with some sort of very rough household carpet and in some places worn to the backing material. also some lack of practice on my behalf, 15 years between boats. Boat should be back on trailer sometime next week, will wait before adding keel rollers Marc-B
Phil T	#11  Posted on 07/08/14 - 1:21 PM
Administrator Personal Page Personal Album Project Albums Posts: 6988 Comments: 6 Joined: 03/26/05	Marc - Just in case you don't already know, the bow stop should be just touching the top of the bow eye and the strap below it pulling straight. This keeps the bow riding up and over in a crash. In my experience each ramp is different. I used to launch onto one tidal river (Eliot ME, Piscatisqua River) that had a wicked steep ramp and a fast 4-6 mph current. Learned very quickly not to dunk too far, just to the point before the stern would lift off bunks. It was just enough to hold the boat. I then pushed (4 keel rollers and bunks) it off by hand. Retrieval was opposite. Dunk so the boat would float almost to the bow stop. Minimal winching. If too shallow, the current would swing the boat off center when trying to winch it on. I extended my trailer tongue and added stern side rollers to help. See photos on my personal page and in my trailer project album.
Marc-B	#12  Posted on 07/10/14 - 6:52 AM
Member Posts: 88 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/01/14	the boat is now off the trailer, every possible removable part is off the trailer, all the hubs are off and bearing being replaced, trailer will get a fresh coat of paint this weekend. This trailer is a 1979 EZ loader, still in great shape, the bunk brackets are welded in place and non adjustable, my concern is that i have not seen any other bunks set up this way, the angle of the bunks do not follow the V of the bottom but are angled to match the angle of the reverse chine. and they fit very tight in that space. the boat and trailer are original to each other and have travellled this way for 35 years with no visible damage to the hull. Sould I consider cutting off the existing brackets and installing adjustable bunk brackets that would support the hull in a more traditional fashinon, if yes what would be the proper bunk length and distance from keel centerline for 1979 newport red dot Thanks in advance for helping the new guy on the block
Phil T	#13  Posted on 07/10/14 - 12:22 PM
Administrator Personal Page Personal Album Project Albums Posts: 6988 Comments: 6 Joined: 03/26/05	You should cut off the welded brackets and install adjustable ones. I would guestimate you would need 12" brackets like this: http://www.easternmarine.com/12-galva...cket-86132 At the top add this bracket for attaching the board. This bracket can be adjusted for the hull angle. http://www.easternmarine.com/swivel-t...cket-86115
Joe Kriz	#14  Posted on 07/10/14 - 12:31 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11431 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	This is how all my trailers have been setup. http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...cle_id=117 I prefer 4 bunks for many reasons. 1. You can remove 1 bunk at a time and replace the brackets, wood, carpet etc., and don't have to jack the boat up or support it in anyway. 2. If something should break on one of the bunks on a rough road, then the other 3 bunks will still support the boat and not ruin your trip.
Marc-B	#15  Posted on 07/10/14 - 2:13 PM
Member Posts: 88 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/01/14	I like the 4 bunk set up, I will be adding some bunks closer to the keel and leave the existing bunks in place, I will also add keel rollers, after that if the existing bunks are a problem I can remove them. My list of to do's is getting longer all the time, Thanks for all the advice, great site.
Finnegan	#16  Posted on 07/10/14 - 2:26 PM
Member Posts: 1925 Comments: 16 Joined: 05/02/08	When I bought my 1979 Montauk three years ago, it also came with a painted EZ Loader under it, showing a lot of rust from years of storage and no use. The boat looked terrible on it. Long ago I learned that fixing up an old trailer is a waste of time and money, so I sold off the EZ Loader and bought a brand new galvanized Continental keel roller model. Net cost difference (additional) was $900., and launching/loading with this trailer is fast and easy. It fits the 17' Whaler hull like it was specifically designed for it. http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lgolt...7030243478 A new trailer might be worth considering.
Marc-B	#17  Posted on 07/10/14 - 3:21 PM
Member Posts: 88 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/01/14	So far I have invested my time and about $75 in paint and bunks, I figure another $60 on bearings. And should be good the remainder of this year, who knows how my plans will change over the winter. I like that my trailer is a dual axle with brakes and on 3 inch steel frame, still rock solid, I will post pictures once done, then some fishing.
Finnegan	#18  Posted on 07/10/14 - 4:48 PM
Member Posts: 1925 Comments: 16 Joined: 05/02/08	I don't think I've ever seen a Newport 17, or any 17' Whaler hull, on a dual axle trailer. it sounds like the trailer might have originally been for a larger, heavier boat.
Marc-B	#19  Posted on 07/10/14 - 5:09 PM
Member Posts: 88 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/01/14	The boat, trailer and motor have been together since day one, it belonged to Bell Canada and was used in northern Quebec In some very remote areas.