Boat Buddy: Anyone like it?

The Boat Buddy thing on the bowstop of the trailer seems like a good idea: Trailer's in the water, you pull up on the trailer, bump the bow on it, the pin releases locking the bowloop, and the truck pulls the boat out of the water. Okay, then when you launch the boat, you've gotta have the whole trailer underwater and the truck bumper submerged to get the pressure off the boat to release the pin. When the boat's pulled out of the water it jams the bowloop against the pin and gets in a serious bind. For the last few weeks I"ve just been using the strap and not even messing with the pin.

Is there a trick to this, or is it just a PITA?

It sounds like yours isn't installed right. Mine has no contact with the bow eye when sitting on the trailer. See if tou can loosen the mounting bolt & adjust it.

So what happens when you pull the boat out of the water without the bowstrap and just the pin? Does the boat not pull back against the pin? Or do you go up and use the bowstrap before pulling out? If that's what you do, then the boat buddy is pretty much useless.

Took mine off. But.... I don't have an inboard trailer. The standard trailer and boat buddy with the drop nose of the Supra did not work.

Like I said, it seems like a great idea, but when the boat is removed from the water it jams the bowloop against the pin making it impossible to pull the pin back out.

I dont drive my boat into the boat buddy. I know that was the idea behind it but I think it puts too much strain on the bow eye. Remember that energy is absorbed and distributed throughout the gelcoat and fiberglass of the hull of your $50,000 toy. I load my boat until the bow is approximately 12" away from the boat buddy and then I attach the strap and crank it in until the spring loaded pin snaps. I guess I use mine more like a saftey chain. Here again not the intended use but seems to reduce the difficulties in loading/ unloading

Problem with that is that the bow of the boat is so low, the trailer has to be partially out of the water. If not, the bow goes under it.

Obviously pitch and loading angle will be affected by the overall pitch of the ramp and water levels etc... Sounds from your comments that you may be putting your trailer too far into the water. The front quarter of your boat should be hitting bunks and lifting it upward before the tip of the bow reaches your boat buddy. Typical rule of thumb on the tandem axle trailers is back in until just the front of the fenders are visable. You may need to experiment with different trailer depths. Are you in the southeast at all? I know water levels are down significantly which would certainly change loading techniques. If this doesnt work, you may need to add some height to your bunks (aluminum or wood spacers between the bunks and supports) Good luck.

I have the trailer backed into the water so the fenders are barely under water. The tip of the second bunk is sticking up from the water. When the boat approaches the trailer, the keel hits the bunks, aligns the boat, then I've still got about 4-5 feet to go. Winching would be impossible from that far away.

I absolutely love my boat buddy. Best accessory I have ever purchased.

I use it with a 2003 Moomba Outback. I never have to get out of the truck.

I back my trailer into the water until all carpets are soaked and then pull forward until fenders are about about 1 1/2 inches out of the water.

When the boat is about 2 feet from locking into the boat buddy, the wife just powers the boat up until it locks in. She gives me the thumbs up when the boat buddy is locked in place and we are ready to go.

I then pull the boat up the ramp, get it out of the way of others and then put on the straps.

That's pretty much exactly what I do, but when it's time to unload I can't get the pin out.

When you pull up, the pin locks, then the truck pulls up, the boat pulls against the pin putting it in a bind. The only way to get it pulled out is to drop the boat so far in the water that the tongue's underwater taking the tension off the pin and bowstrap.

from my own past experience -

I once had to force open the pin with a screw driver after my wife hit the boat buddy a wee bit too "enthusiastically"

sounds to me that you or someone has slammed the boat into the boat buddy once too often and the thing is in a bind.

Perhaps yours may have been defective from the box.

These things really do work great.

It moves fine when the boat's unloaded.

"It moves fine when the boat's unloaded."

I'm sure it does.

"the boat pulls against the pin putting it in a bind"

if the boat is pulling against the pin and not pushing against the pin...

I got a $1 that says you are putting the trailer in the water too deep.

The boat is floating. As you pull up the ramp the boat moves back, pulling against the pin and causing it to bind.

"I have the trailer backed into the water so the fenders are barely under water."

Bingo. Next time, try it with the rear fenders about 1 1/2 inches out of the water.

You forgot this quote:

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then I've still got about 4-5 feet to go

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the bow gets to a certain point on the trailer, and I still have to power the boat up to get to the bowstop. The boat isnt floating at that point, but it has to be floating completely to get it released.

I appreciate your efforts. It's hard to explain this and make someone understand.

If your hitting with 4-5 feet to go, I dont think depth is the problem. It honestly sounds like you may be loading on a ramp that isnt steep enough. How are your water levels? I think the best thing I saw from that exchange was to wet your bunks prior to loading. You may want to attach the strap after your loaded into the boat buddy, cowboy a few cranks out of it just to get the load of the lock pin. You could also do a quick stop once your off the ramp and level, that should shift the boat slightly forward. You an also try some pam or liquid soap on the bunks. Like I said before, i dont drive my boat directly into the boat buddy. With my fenders a few inches out, I can easily drive the boat onto the bunks, within 12-15" and finish off with the straps.

i have had the boat buddy on 2 boats and love it.

i have seen it a little more difficult to hit right if you are one a pretty level ramp.

one product that makes it easy is liquid rollers. spray it on the bunks and trust me you will slide with ease.

just make sure you have your straps on before you leave and leave everything hooked up till you are ready to launch.

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Originally Posted by IndyMatt

If your hitting with 4-5 feet to go, I dont think depth is the problem. It honestly sounds like you may be loading on a ramp that isnt steep enough. How are your water levels? I think the best thing I saw from that exchange was to wet your bunks prior to loading. You may want to attach the strap after your loaded into the boat buddy, cowboy a few cranks out of it just to get the load of the lock pin. You could also do a quick stop once your off the ramp and level, that should shift the boat slightly forward. You an also try some pam or liquid soap on the bunks. Like I said before, i dont drive my boat directly into the boat buddy. With my fenders a few inches out, I can easily drive the boat onto the bunks, within 12-15" and finish off with the straps.

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When loading the bunks are wet, then the trailer's pulled back up. You say hit the pin then attach the strap... I've just been attaching the strap from inside the boat and not even using the pin. The driver never has to get out that way but it's a pain to try winching the boat even an inch. The ramps here aren't very steep though like you mentioned.

and you never had this loading problem before putting the boat buddy on the trailer?

I meant back the trailer in all the way and then pull up to your desired loading position so everything was wet. I guess I misunderstood somthing, if your just using the strap then how is the pin of the boat buddy involved? Was this a factory installed BB or somthing you added? I read your original problem as when you use the boat buddy, the boat slid back when pulled out of the water and put pressure against the pin, causing you difficulty when releasing the pin for the next launch. The other problem of the bow striking the BB has to do with the pitch of the trailer and water depth.

The boat buddy came on the trailer, I've just never bitched about it. My previous boats just had a roller and a winch. The bowloop on those boats were so far down that the truck driver had to winch it up.

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Originally Posted by IndyMatt

I meant back the trailer in all the way and then pull up to your desired loading position so everything was wet. I guess I misunderstood somthing, if your just using the strap then how is the pin of the boat buddy involved? Was this a factory installed BB or somthing you added? I read your original problem as when you use the boat buddy, the boat slid back when pulled out of the water and put pressure against the pin, causing you difficulty when releasing the pin for the next launch. The other problem of the bow striking the BB has to do with the pitch of the trailer and water depth.

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Everything you understood is correct. I quit using the BB and now just use the strap. The ramp isn't very steep, but it seems no matter how far into the water, or how far out of the water, the trailer is, it seems that the boat always slides back and puts pressure on the pin if I don't use the strap. The BB is factory installed.

I on My second supra with another boat budy. Should have removed the one off the first boat after it gouged the front next to the eye hook.On the new boat i went to west marine and picked up a large roller stop it made life soooo much easier do your self a favor put it on e-bay for some other sucker.