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HOW TIGHT ????

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  2500hdon37s 
#1 ·
OK. here"s the question. How tight do you cinch down a boat on a trailer ???? My brother has a 16ft v hull aluminum boat. Bunk type trailer. we went out fishing and it was time to go home. Loaded boat on the trailer. I winched up the boat until the winch strap was parallel with the trailer. It was snug in the roller at the bow. at the rear of the boat are 2 ratchet straps. I Ratcheted them down TIGHT. I would have liked to have had another strap in the middle. over the boat hooked to trailer frame. well we argued most of the way home. His point is that the straps and other tie downs are there as a safety. that a bit of movement is expected. It is the weight of the boat alone that holds it in place. My argument is. by cinching the boat to the trailer tightly the boat structure itself helps Cary and spread the weight on the trailer. So who is right or is it even a issue with such a lite boat? we did both agree that on a roller type trailer it would be a good idea to cinch it down tight. whatcha think ????
 
#3 ·
I dont think it would spread the weight out.... actually the opposite because the strap is pulling in a certain spot. but no matter the weight of the boat bump in the road and other vibrations will move the boat around a good bit on the trailer, so straps are a must both at the bow and stern.

always best to snug the bow up to the roller there with the winch, and a strap on each side of the transom going to the trailer and get them pretty tight.
 
#4 ·
Every boat and trailer setup is different, but ALWAYS strap down the front and back. The bow should be tight enough to prevent it from bouncing on the roller. No need to go crazy and crank till the strap is a guitar string, that puts a lot of stress on the bow eye

The reason you always want the rear strapped tight is so when you hit a bump, the entire boat and trailer move as one. If they are loose, the trailer will kick the boat in the air and then the boat essentially falls on the trailer, which can really mess up an aluminum boat and cause stress cracks in fiberglass. Smaller boats bounce a lot, and all those little impacts will add up over time
 
#5 ·
Ditto!

Tighten winch strap until bow eye (or bow) is against roller. Use a vertical bow strap from the eye to the trailer to prevent bow bounce. Tighten transom straps nice & snug and you are good to go. If you have a bigger or heavy motor liek a 4-stroke a transom saver is a good idea (especially on jon boats) to transfer the stress of the motor's lower unit weight to the trailer as well.

Like shoot-n-goose mentioned the idea is to make the boat & trailer as one so there is no shifting or potential for the boat to move or become loose on the trailer.
 
#7 ·
Thanks Guys. I showed this to Him, He is beginning to see the light. The left Tire Has a slow leak so I took the opportunity to go around the trailer and boat. Made a list of things that need Looking after. The Motor saver/Transom support is on the list. as well as the usual sorts of things. Going to weld/bolt on some Extra tie down points as well as a mount for the spare tire. Figured as long as were this far into it. We will touch up the paint a bit. Maybe a couple Reflectors on the Trailer. The plus side the wires and lights are good. As well as the bunks. I did scrounge up a Small old tool box that im going to bolt on by the spare tire. For extra bits and pieces. Light bulbs tie straps tape ect. Looks like a 12 pack job.
 
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