aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhgggggggggg trailer woes

[vintner]

Do any of you have your boat on a standard trailer? I have an 88 Mariah on a Lode Rite and the dropped nose of the Supra makes this a nightmare. A standard bow roller mounted up by the winch has to be so high so the end doesn't bounce on anything that the pull eye has to be rolled over the roller. When launching I have to lift the bow up slightly to get the eye over the roller. The winch has to sit up fairly high. I am considering some sort of Y cradle but I'll have to have it fabricated, I'm sure. Any pics or suggestions would be helpful. I'm thinking that bow guides would be a good idea as well.

[IndyMatt]

During that time frame, rollers became very popular, I had a SeaRay with an EZ-loader trailer... great system but the trend changed with the realization that bunks support the hulls better. Before you launch into a big fabrication process, you may want to consider removing your rollers and going with bunks. They are easy and inexpensive to make... you can use zinc plated bolt on brackets & avoid welding all together. If you would consider this than research some general trailer set ups... It would also be very helpful if you have access to a marina or dealer that can lift the boat while you do the install/ adjustments. Good luck!

[vintner]

I looked at that and have not ruled it out yet. I was given a Correct Craft bow stop that I had welded on the front cross member for a cardle. It's on a pin so it swivels some.

[Ed Obermeier]

My Boat Mate trailer is a total piece of crap. It's hard to load the boat onto it, especially on a somewhat steep ramp. The trailer has to be pretty much out of the water to get the bow to ride up into the v-bunk at the front, otherwise the nose runs into the bow roller and bangs against it. There needs to be another cross member and a roller to get it to load properly. Had to do gel coat repair once (at my expense) due to that.

I love my 2000 Legacy but the trailer it sits on really sucks. This must be one of the places Skiers Choice cuts corners to keep total sales prices down. MasterCraft builds such nice, easy to load onto trailers, Supra boats are equally great boats so why can't we get a decent trailer to go with them, I'd pay extra for the trailer if it were anything near what MasterCraft builds. I will not buy another Supra unless I can get a decent trailer under it.

[jclose8]

My Boat Mate trailer is a total piece of crap. It's hard to load the boat onto it, especially on a somewhat steep ramp. The trailer has to be pretty much out of the water to get the bow to ride up into the v-bunk at the front, otherwise the nose runs into the bow roller and bangs against it. There needs to be another cross member and a roller to get it to load properly. Had to do gel coat repair once (at my expense) due to that.

I love my 2000 Legacy but the trailer it sits on really sucks. This must be one of the places Skiers Choice cuts corners to keep total sales prices down. MasterCraft builds such nice, easy to load onto trailers, Supra boats are equally great boats so why can't we get a decent trailer to go with them, I'd pay extra for the trailer if it were anything near what MasterCraft builds. I will not buy another Supra unless I can get a decent trailer under it.

I've had a Mastercraft, and I think the Boatmate trailer is infinitely better. My boat loads perfectly, the bunks are aligned PERFECTLY along the chines in the hull..... It is literally impossible to get the boat on crooked. I have had nothing but flawless performance with my trailer.

[Ed Obermeier]

Must have ben a really old MC then, or it wasn't an MC trailer. I'm yet to see an MC trailer, even the older ones, that weren't easy to load on. Glad you like yours, mine sucks.

Ed

[IndyMatt]

Sorry Ed, I have to disagree as well. I love my BoatMate trailer. I think the guys did a fantastic job on the setup. My boat loads perfectly every time. Now I must admit, I am typically loading/ unloading on the same couple of ramps & am very used to my surroundings. I back in until just the front ends of the fenders are sticking out of the water & you cant hardly load the thing wrong. Dad's Mastercraft trailer is nice, but I dont like the bolt on trailer guides & plastic fenders. We have already had to do maintenance on bolts that were stripped out and the wood they used in the bunk was full of knots & the bunk seperated there. Not really Mastercrafts fault, but a little better quality control could have saved an impression.

[Ed Obermeier]

If mine had one more crossmember with a roller on it, in ahead of the existing most forward crossmember, it would be fine. I just don't think they built this particular trailer to fit this particular boat. On anything but a fairly shallow ramp I have to have most of the trailer out of the water to get the bow to not bang into the bow roller. Often I run out of water trying to power onto it to load before it's all the way on, forcing me to back it back into the water enough to finish winching the boat up. A huge pain in the ass, it should just load and go. I had a friend with a '99 Comp whose trailer had the extra crossmember/roller and his loaded fine. Maybe I just got stuck with an odd ball trailer? And yes, I always dunk the bunks first then position the trailer.

Also the toe out on the wheels is way off, it wears out the tread on the inside of the tires badly. Other than those two issues, I suppose it's OK. But those are two pretty significant issues IMO, both of which are unnecessary expense issues (replacing tires too frequently and having to do gel coat repair once before figuring out what was required to load without banging). If you had those issues would you be happy?

Ed

[IUFAN24]

I have had my 87 Sunsport for 2.5 summers now and getting it on the trailer still is a major frustration for me. The black rubber roller at the nose is actually grinding away as I use the winch to get the bow eye all the was up.

I am putting the fenders just about under the water line and I never seem to be able to get a good angle where I can just drive it up correctly.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[vintner]

Is the Sunsport on the original trailer?

[IUFAN24]

Yes I believe it is. Double axle, bunks with rollers below prop, 1 in the middle and a roller at the winch.

[IndyMatt]

Ive seen alot of posts regarding the angle of the bow as it relates to the trailer while loading. Steeper ramps seem to keep the bow angle low causing frustrations while loading. I firmly believe in taking all rollers off the trailers. If your bow roller is tearing away, then the boat is relying too much on that roller to load correctly (ie too much bow weight upon loading). It should just be a final guide on at that point. As I said, I think the key is the height of the bunks on the back of the trailer. If your loading on a steep ramp, then less trailer should be in the water. The boat should be parallel (or very close) by the time the nose is near the winch. My bow support is just a carpeted 'V' and does not lift the boat when loaded. Long aft bunks at the right height should eliminate alot of the bow issues.

[vintner]

Interesting. I put my 88 Mariah on an 01 Nautique trailer over the weekend for a quick refueling from a construction truck and it really fit nicely.

[alabamawaterbum]

My observation for what it's worth. The problem with loading an Inboard is the lack of Stern Weight. If you think about it, our boats sit dead level in the water and the bow is low relative to an I/O or a fishing/bass boat. Therefore a steep ramp magnifies this situation.

The best advice I've heard is to take dishwashing soap and run a small amount down the trailer bunks just before loading. Then make sure you don't put the trailer in very deep. This will allow the front of the boat to get pushed UP by the bunks, but still be slick enough to allow for easier winching.

For the longest time I kept putting my trailer in the water too far and the nose of the boat would come under the front roller. Once I kept the tire fender about 4-6" above the water line and my girl friend / driver gives a little gas in the boat while I winch it up we load easy every time.

I really think it's more a function of Inboard's center of mass and not the trailer.

Good Luck

Waterbum

[DKJBama92Mariah]

Note of caution for all. If you use dawn or liquid rollers on your bunks, you need a safety chain up front in addition to the strap from the winch. If that strap lets go (Mine has broken twice, now i just replace automatically every 2 years), that boat will slide right off the trailer as you go up the ramp.

DKJ

[IndyMatt]

Excellent point. I've never neede soap or liquid rollers (except when getting my foot in the ski boot) I do however 'dip' the bunks when loading. I back in deep enough to wet the bunks then pull back out to the right depth for loading... works great.

[Dinoz]

I haven't read all the postings here, but the way we load up is bring the bow right up to the "roller", then we pull the trailer out just until the nose of the boat is higher then the roller, you shouldn't need to pull the trailer far for this. Once the bow is clear drop the trailer lower into the water again and winch the boat up. Once you do this a couple of times, regardless of how steep the landings are, it's no issue. And no need for soap. I can't imagine the strap popping while someone was behind the boat being pulled out...

DZ.