Light Board Extensions - minimise possible damage?

[tanimola]

My trailer extends approx 10" beyond the rear roller to accommodate the light board extension arms.

I am worried that this may cause damage to the tubes when recovering the boat if she is not perfectly square onto the trailer

Can anyone recommend anything to minimise this risk - other than ensuring the boat is square on !

[Dry Run]

I guess you could always bind something round them like carpeting or those expanded foam tubes for protecting piese from frost.

You might even be able to cut them back by a few inches if the extensions will still reach.

[Starovich]

took mine off, i attach my light board across the A frame

[rigi36]

Originally Posted by Starovich

took mine off, i attach my light board across the A frame

That's illegal I think

[Starovich]

Originally Posted by maxhar

That's illegal I think

'spose you never drive at over 70 too

[tanimola]

Originally Posted by Starovich

took mine off, i attach my light board across the A frame

I would do the same, but I do not have an A Frame!

[thomas]

They look really wide, both of mine come well within the tubes.

Better on the A frame than close to the road tucked between the tubes where it cant be seen - most RIBs you see on the roads have lights boards that are too short anyway.

[Starovich]

Originally Posted by tanimola

I would do the same, but I do not have an A Frame!

I used to use a board with a bucket on either end, buckets set to the width of the tube end cones, the board sat between the tubes bucket over each end cone.

Then had bungee from the bucket to the handles further up the tubes.

no clue if its legal or not tho

[9D280]

Is it a roller trailer?

If so are the rear rollers fully back on the chassis? On mine it's set up such that when fully "in" they are pretty much level with the rear roller. If they become a problem on recovery, they will be the least of my worries!

I have experimented with leaving mine further out (I will be fitting LED submersibles soon and so I wanted to see where it would become a problem). I can leave mine about 18" protruding behind the rear rollers and (apologies if you need to read this twice) because the bow slopes up and the boat sits low in the water compared to the rollers, the "toob" bit of the bow curve usually meets the rollers anfd engages long before anything that is deep enough to meet the ligting board brackets gets anywhere near.

Having then hauled the boat on & motored the engine down to it's block, I can now leave them there & still be "strictly legal" on the road WRT light height and protrusions.


I do agree with Maxhar that it is strictly illegal to have lights so high (on the A- frame) and I also partly agree with Thomas in so much as that the view is usually partly blocked by the engine, which practically is not good.

What I am in the middle of doing is taken two LED submerible clusters, sat 18" back form the roller. Number plate is (will be) on a short board that will be sat atop the engine leg and held down by the engine securing strap. At the front, the plug goes to an IP rated breakout box (I never know when it might get swamped & keeps the connections dry) which breaks out to the two L & R clusters, and takes a feed to the 'Plate lamps & a high level brake light via an extension that is fed through the boat like the current board cable is. The number plate lights are fed via a Bulgin Buccaneer (to keep the breakout box watertight).

So, Road lights are at a legal altitude (and no engine in the way to block them), number plate can be seen and I get a bonus of a high level brake light on the trailer ! I'll post a piccy thread once it's finished.




Edit:
tail lamps / indicators 350mm<height<1500mm
fog lamps 250mm<height<1000mm
triangle reflector 350mm<height<900mm

Remember - check with current regs before fitting, and remember there are other positional regs on the distance from the edge / cetreline of the trailer and other lamps as well.

[Trailer Guy]

1. docking arms

or

2. chop the extending part off, flush with the back of the trailer, then drill the box section and weld a new nut over the hole for the securing knob/handle, further along the chassis. If you find the original lighting board arms are too short, because of the 12" or so that you've chopped off, then buy some for a larger model trailer (which will be longer). Should cost you about £40ish for a pair.

[Trailer Guy]

Originally Posted by 9D280

Number plate is (will be) on a short board that will be sat atop the engine leg and held down by the engine securing strap

To save you doing that, could you fit the number plate above one of the light clusters? One of the square types. I did this a while ago on one of my other trailers. It kept all the wiring in the same place and didn't matter if it got slightly dunked. I'll do a quick sketch.

[Trailer Guy]

Like this:

[9D280]

I looked at something like that, but the geometry of my trailer is such that I would have had a serous risk of removing the number plate with either the hull, the floor or the garage door pillar.

I have an added twist in that my garage is at the bottom of a slope, and so anything sticking out more than about 9" from the back of the chassis WILL hit the floor on entry / exit, so I can't go below the chassis rail. It would have stuck up too far & fouled the rollers if I went above the lights, and if I went tothe side, the door pillar will likely remove it. Having mucked about with various ideas on how to make it foldable and / or attach it with a 2 pin inline bulgin, (including acquiring an old 2Hp clamp & clamping to the transom) I eventually reckoned that if I had the engine sipport block at the appropriate length, the case / leg geometry is perfect for wedging in a wooden thing with a couple of bungees and / or the engine securing ratchet.

Cable to the front because there is also a boat battery charge cable pops out the splitter box, so I am already plugging in at the front of the trailer. Running the cable inside the boat & plugging at the hitch keeps another connection out the brine which is a good thing, the only negative being "laying" a cable along the bottom of the boat which I do anyway now & takes about 20 seconds.

The main reason for going down this route was to not need to find somewhere to put a 2m manky plank & keep the car clean inside. If the board is up by the engine, it will be relatively clean, not much bigger than a number plate & so fit in the boot (trunk). Also the aerodynamics will be slightly improved, as it's less flat area in a relatively open airflow to drag through the air (it's shielded by the engine)


I don't envisage a scenario where the trailer will go anywhere without the boat on, and if it ever does I dig out the lighting plank that it uses at the moment!

[Dry_Doc]

Originally Posted by Starovich

'spose you never drive at over 70 too

60, with trailer, surely........

[wavelength]

'spose you never drive at over 70 too

well of course never, ever, at all officer...but if I did, although of course I dont, if I saw a camera ahead or suspicious looking vehicle (Volvo on the M6 in Cumbria), in my rear view mirror, I would if I were a miscreant, which of course I'm not, adjust my speed to avoid the unwanted attention and advances of the said threat. Esp as said threat might then want to have a butcher's at all the other bits and bobs on m'trailer as each offence would boost his performance indicator points.
It ain't that easy to get out and move the board off of the A frame at 59.5 mph.
However I passed a very black, very tattered and obviously commercial workboat rib on a very dark motorway t'other night with no lights whatsoever showing. B....difficult to see (need specsavers appointment).
Fair enuff 'cept we had just both driven past a patrol car perched on his platform off the hard shoulder ( by which time I was doing 69.5mph so m'eyes aren't that bad!) and nowt happened at all.

[mister p]

The board should be attached to the trailer not the load.......don't forget the prop bag.
If you want to get nicked by a bored cop then avoid the above, but if you get stopped then you'll get everything else checked too. Loose tanks on the boat etc., nose weight etc., etc.,

[wavelength]

erm thats wot I said...but why use one word when I can use 15

[mister p]

Originally Posted by wavelength

erm thats wot I said...but why use one word when I can use 15

W., interesting precis, maybe a few bits skipped

[wavelength]

fairyenuff

[SW Boat Transport]

Agree entirely. By illegally mounting your lighting on the load rather than the trailer you are asking to be pulled over and be given a good going over.

Originally Posted by mister p

The board should be attached to the trailer not the load.......don't forget the prop bag.
If you want to get nicked by a bored cop then avoid the above, but if you get stopped then you'll get everything else checked too. Loose tanks on the boat etc., nose weight etc., etc.,