1990 Mariah - trailering suggestions needed

[zoepfund]

I just purchased a 1990 Supra Mariah with the original Supra two wheel trailer.

I am having difficulting putting it back on the trailer. Specifically when I followed the owners manual instructions to put the trailer in water until about 1" of the wheel fender is showing - but the boat is not moving as far forward as I like. We winch the boat up (under a lot of pressure and/or drive it on the trailer until it is snug against the front bow bumper/trailer guide. When we pull out of the water and the back end drops down, the boat pulls away from the front bow bumper/trailer guide.

If we put the trailer in deeper the bow of the boat tends to drop and the main bow hook tends to hit the front bow bumper/trailer.

Does anyone have any hints? Perhaps a steeper incline for a launch, less incline, put the trailer in deeper or less deep, etc...

All my past trailering has been with much lighter i/o or outboard fishing boats that can practically be winched closer when dry if need be.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

ZoePfund

[DKJBama92Mariah]

This is how i deal with my '92 Mariah. I put the trailer in like the manual suggests. I then drive the boat on the trailer as far as practicable. Then i have a helper take the helm, and i stand in the trailer tongue and hand winch the boat up onto the trailer with the helper helping with the boat throttle. I pull mine ALL the way until the rubrail hits the front guideposts. If you dont have guideposts, then i dont know how you could measure the distance. The trick is to get the boat far enough up on the trailer so when it pivots when you pull out of the water, the front of the keel is still hitting the bow stop thingy. When i pull the boat out, the rubrail comes away from the guideposts as the boat pivots. BEWARE: be sure to take at least SOME of the tension of your bow strap before pulling the trailer up the ramp. If you don't you run the risk of snapping the strap as the boat pivots and the bow pulls away from the winch. I learned this the hard way when my strap snapped. Hope this helps.

Cheers,
DKJ

[jac2071]

Can either of you tell me what the manual says?

I just purchased a 1988 Mariah. Only tried to trailer it once...and boy did my buyers remorse kick in. My excitement deflated. Major learning curve for my first boat and trying to trailer this thing.

So any other specifics you can give me would be appreciated.

Also, what other advice, message boards, web sites, etc should I be looking into now that I am a Supra Mariah owner?? We are excited, but want to learn as much as possible about boat ownership and this model specifically.

Thanks everybody!

[Salty87]

"put the trailer in water until about 1" of the wheel fender is showing"...i've never trailared a mariah but that doesn't sound too good. i think you need to go a bit deeper but not too much. as you've noticed, too far and your bow eye hits the bow rest. there's a happy medium in there somewhere and you've just got to find it. that's part of the fun ;)

on my rig, i stop when the tow vehicle's rear wheels are at the water's edge. much further and my bow eye hits. i also give it a little bit of gas to snug up close to the winch. then attach and tighten.

if you have a quiet ramp or can get there in the middle of the day during the week then practice away!

i come up a few inches short of the bow stop every few times. it's not that bad of a thing to do. if you can't find the sweet spot and need to crank the winch, a light spray of silicone on the bunks makes a huge difference. just don't back down the ramp with your bow strap off (ever, really)!

another tip to make your strap last longer...once you're parked at home, release the tension on the strap. i swapped mine out for a stainless cable after it broke. only lasted 3 seasons, don't expect much more than that.

[zoepfund]

After boating for several weeks and talking with the previous owner it seems the best approach is to follow the instruction manual.

Back the trailer until the trailer fenders are about 1" out of the water. After that is it a matter of powering the boat on/off the trailer. I was much to gingerly with the power when I first started.

In more shallow landing applications I put the fenders just under water otherwise the boat does not float enough to back off. On steeper ramps I stick with the 1" rule.

When loading I idle up until the boat lines up with the bunks then give it enough gas until the front is about 1" away from the front trailer guides then quickly attach the winch strap and give it a 1/2 turn, cut the power and turn the boat off. However if I cut the power first and attempt to attach the bow hook the boat tends to slide back away from the front bow bunker.

This approach has served me well and usually I'm loaded and out of the water in just few moments - long before most i/o or fishing boat guys are done winching or standing in the water trying to adjust their boats.

I did see a malibu with a boat buddy http://www.kodiaktrailer.com/redswish/boat_buddy.htm
One of the fastest and neatest ways to load a boat. The guy was out of the ramp in 15 seconds.

Again, I suggest stick with the 1" rule on the trailer and don't be shy powering the boat onto the trailer.

zoepfund

[IndyMatt]

There are a lot of suggestions regarding the loading and launching of boats. The one thing to suggest is to simply pick a down time (less crowded time) at the ramp when there is no pressure and just practice a few different techniques. Ramp pitches, towing vehicles, water levels all effect the way your boat will load/launch. Even if your technique isnt the best, my opinion is its more about speed and efficiency at the ramp than looking pretty. I use a combination of boat buddy and a few cranks on the winch but still enjoy the looks I get when I am in in and out in less than 60 seconds... but that took practice. The last thing you want is to be 'that guy' who holds up the line at the ramp. The one important variable that many people overlook is to ensure that your hitch is at the proper height for your trailer. Towing level will reduce stress on your trailer suspension, tires, towing vehicles as well as people at the ramp! With your loaded trailer in towing position, put a level on the tongue and see how your doing. Tandem axle trailers should be level while single axle trailers may have a slight pitch towards the towing vehicle.

[buckwyatt]

when your boat is on the trailer, loosen the bolts holding the rails and jack them up, about 1 to 2" more than they are now, tighten it back up, this will fix your problem