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?