Launching on a flat beach with a stepped hull

[Mookster]

First off the boat isn't a RIB (apologies!) it is a Saxdor 200 centre console so pretty close. Anyway I have an extreme trailer with rollers and a rear swing bunk and guide roller (red). I tractor launch but don't want to go too deep as I have already had £800 for a new clutch hence why I purchased this as it will launch in around 2/3 feet of water. However the issue I have is the bump wheel doesn't pass it over the step in the hull (ends up in the gap highlighted between the big red wheel and the first blue roller) and it gets caught on the first blue roller see picture. The swing arm does swing at the back (both ways no jokes!) and the rollers move left and right as they should it's a new ish trailer and nothing is seized yet! I spoke to Extreme and they said get a 6ft extension but I don't think that will work. Any advice would be greatly received Thanks Michael!

[whiskylee]

Get your tractor lifted [emoji3] cropmaster legs & turn the final drives to give you the maximum clearance

[Mookster]

Originally Posted by whiskylee

Get your tractor lifted [emoji3] cropmaster legs & turn the final drives to give you the maximum clearance Attachment 140991

I suspect you are in the same yard😂 That is one option but I was hoping for a solution to what the trailer is doing as that means I don't have to sell the Leyland tractor that won't lift like the JB

[cdbxyz]

Can you just disconnect it and push it further into the sea? Then pull trailer out with a rope. We do this with a Ribcraft 585 (which is likely a similar weight all up) on the other side of the Llyn. Alternatively - use the tides to your advantage?

[Mookster]

Not really as the sand too soft although the boat and engine is half the weight of my last boat at around 800kg recovering at any tide is no issue but launching at half tide is and you can guarantee it is half tide when you want to launch ��

[whiskylee]

Originally Posted by Mookster

I suspect you are in the same yard[emoji23] That is one option but I was hoping for a solution to what the trailer is doing as that means I don't have to sell the Leyland tractor that won't lift like the JB

I will have a look at your set up on Thursday when I'm in Abersoch [emoji1696]

[Mookster]

Thanks. Basically drops off the guide wheel into the gap in front of the blue roller it should I believe be guided over the gap onto the blue roller.

[beamishken]

Does the tractor still have functional 3 point link? A short extension frame onto the 3 point link set up so it can raise or lower the front of the trailer might help you instead of using a fixed ball on the rear of the tractor. Altering the trailer to accommodate the step hull might prove difficult/ costly to achieve

[Mookster]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Does the tractor still have functional 3 point link? A short extension frame onto the 3 point link set up so it can raise or lower the front of the trailer might help you instead of using a fixed ball on the rear of the tractor. Altering the trailer to accommodate the step hull might prove difficult/ costly to achieve

Thanks it does have the PTO lift and an extension from Extreme has been sugested which adds 6ft although I thought that would not really give me much more water although the increase in tilt given by the extra length may help I suppose - thanks for that this is what they proposed which swings out and the extension attaches on the existing tow point which is quite slick I guess. But a punt at £450.

[Mookster]

Also I am pretty sure that the red wheel is designed to bump the hull onto the next roller although I could be wrong?

[whiskylee]

Start with the roller bunks, it looks like they are bolted on the highest bolt hole ? Can they be dropped to the lowest bolt hole

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Mookster

Thanks it does have the PTO lift and an extension from Extreme has been sugested which adds 6ft although I thought that would not really give me much more water although the increase in tilt given by the extra length may help I suppose - thanks for that this is what they proposed which swings out and the extension attaches on the existing tow point which is quite slick I guess. But a punt at £450.

An extention type hitch will give more lift via the lift arms if the top link is set short the ball will move in an arc, the longer the extension the higher you can lift the front of the trailer
450 does sound expensive for a trailer extension

[SimonCh]

Originally Posted by Mookster

First off the boat isn't a RIB (apologies!) it is a Saxdor 200 centre console so pretty close. Anyway I have an extreme trailer with rollers and a rear swing bunk and guide roller (red). I tractor launch but don't want to go too deep as I have already had £800 for a new clutch hence why I purchased this as it will launch in around 2/3 feet of water. However the issue I have is the bump wheel doesn't pass it over the step in the hull (ends up in the gap highlighted between the big red wheel and the first blue roller) and it gets caught on the first blue roller see picture. The swing arm does swing at the back (both ways no jokes!) and the rollers move left and right as they should it's a new ish trailer and nothing is seized yet! I spoke to Extreme and they said get a 6ft extension but I don't think that will work. Any advice would be greatly received Thanks Michael!

I have a centre console with stepped hull and have this exact same issue. I've had a 2m long extension bar fitted to my trailer which pivots out (a local agricultural company made it for me and fitted it for about £150).

The other thing I did was drill through my trailer body, right in to the rear swing arm. When launch the boat, I put a pin in it to stop it swinging up, as i found it was tilting up, catching on the stepped hull which was making everything worse!

Coupled with the good old "reverse with a bit of pace and jab the brakes" methodology, i don't have a problem now

Tl:dr - making the trailer longer for launching, and stopping the swing arm from swinging did the trick for me!

[Mookster]

Originally Posted by SimonCh

I have a centre console with stepped hull and have this exact same issue. I've had a 2m long extension bar fitted to my trailer which pivots out (a local agricultural company made it for me and fitted it for about £150).

The other thing I did was drill through my trailer body, right in to the rear swing arm. When launch the boat, I put a pin in it to stop it swinging up, as i found it was tilting up, catching on the stepped hull which was making everything worse!

Coupled with the good old "reverse with a bit of pace and jab the brakes" methodology, i don't have a problem now

Tl:dr - making the trailer longer for launching, and stopping the swing arm from swinging did the trick for me!

Thanks the swinging arm was where I was thinking but down at the front not the back but either way that is worth a try thanks!

[Mookster]

Originally Posted by beamishken

An extention type hitch will give more lift via the lift arms if the top link is set short the ball will move in an arc, the longer the extension the higher you can lift the front of the trailer
450 does sound expensive for a trailer extension

Thanks I have a few options now and it's appreciated

[Mookster]

Thanks everyone for the pointers will have a look next time I am down.

[whiskylee]

Just had a look at your set up, the only thing I can see is the centre keel roller that will stop at the step in the hull, the roller brackets are at the lowest bolting hole for the roller carriages. I've been launching for years at that beach and avoid low ish tide launching & we had our tractor lifted to get out where it shelves off into deeper water

[Mookster]

Thanks was fairly sure both were on the lowest points I am going to try the option to lock the rear swing rollers as that has been suggested as a fix. We did manage with 4 of us to lift it over the first blue roller but it was an effort. I also thought about raising the front rollers to the higher position as well to see if that extra slant would help bump it on to the blue rollers and over the ridge in the hull. Thanks for looking it's much appreciated! Michael!!

[gtflash]

I’ve had stepped hulls off and on for 20 years. They are a pain on a trailer. I go deep to get off now on my twin stepped hull via a rope on trailer but I don’t like it. Too much agro.

Similar trailers have a large first roller. Pneumatic sometimes but I hear it doesn’t solve the issue.

An old sbs trailer I had 20 years ago with an American boat. used to de roller itself with the click roller fixings then put scratches in the hull.

[whiskylee]

https://youtu.be/IbxnQrj9iCc

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