Boat recovery

[tue]

Just as a matter of interest what method of putting boat back on trailer do you use?

1. Reverse trailer into water and drive boat on.

2. Reverse until trailer wheels are at waters edge and winch like buggery to get boat on trailer.

Any other methods?

I use the first method

[simmons0]

I just go in till the back wheels of my car are in the water and get my son to drive the boat straight on and a good way up. Winch it the last 8 inches or so.

I have seen boats puled up with the trailer wheels just out of the water but it looked pretty dam pointless to me specially at the time they were on a fresh water lake. The only time i might consider that method is when the tide is rushing past the slipway and pushing the boat sideways off the rollers. In that situation it may well be easyer to winch like buggery bacause the boat will come up straight first time.

[Jono Garton]

Originally posted by tue
winch like buggery

What trailer have you got? Roller or bunk?

[DJL]

I have a bunk/roller trailer....

Reverse car/trailer until rear roller is just under water. Winch like buggery. Safe, simple and works in the rough, esp when you are on your own.

...grease gun and aqualube works a treat

[mstacey]

I have a roller trailer.

Often am on my own so prefered method is reverse trailer part-way into water, drive boat onto rollers and right upto the winch post.

Switch off engine , tilt it up, lean over and clip winch strap onto bow eye then step over the bow onto dry land,

[Alex Brown]

Ditto with Martin - only diff is I have to leave engine running at just over idle ahead to keep it on the trailer until the hook is placed on the eye on the bow or the boat just rolls back in again

Sometimes, if there's a bit of chop, I winch the boat onto the trailer with the trailer out of the water a bit more to avoid the boat jumping up and down on the trailer too much which it would do if the trailer was further in the water.

On a good day, I can get around the back of the van without getting my feet wet which is pretty good.

-Alex

[geoff]

I recently wrote an article on launching and recovering boats for a PBO supplement on towing. Send me an email with "Boat Launching" in the subject line if you would like a copy.

[thewavehumper]

Well done Geoff!

I meant to mention that supplement on Ribnet I think it came with the current issue of Practical Boat Owner and it covers everything about towing. It explains the legal issues quite well also.

[tue]

Originally posted by JAHNO
What trailer have you got? Roller or bunk?

I have a roller trailer for my Ribtec. And also both dive club boats have roller coaster trailers. I put trailer in till car wheels are just a water edge then drive boat on. However the dive club always stop with the trailer wheels just out of water and then winch boat on. Despite my constant nagging of how much easier my way is they will not change. I just wanted to see what was the most comon method used by you guys.

[Aging Youth]

Hi Tue,

A lot of the guy's at our club have modified their trailers with a pair of verticle Docking Arms.

These arms rise vertically above the tops of the gunwhale or tube and is very visible from the surface. The width of the arm is matched to the width of your boat and you drive straight on knowing that the arms keeps your keel straigth inline with the rollers on the bottom of your trailer. Works every time.

A company called Hayling Trailers custom make them for about a £100.00 a pair.

Hope this is helpfull.

Regards

[simmons0]

Ive seen quite alot of sailing clubs do that with the trailers. When there bringing the boats off the water every night i supose it makes sense.

I will consider it for the trailer on my new rib. but the only times it is relly usefull is when the tide is rushign past pushign the boat of the bottom rollers.

[PeterL]

Agree with all of above.

Some years ago, a friend use to retrieve his 6.5m in a novel way:

The slip he used was quite steep, (Hobs Point in Pembrokeshire), he would reverse the trailer to the waters edge, he would then edge the boat onto the 1st roller, then once a crowd was watching, he would throttle up and trim at the same time. The boat would launch it's self up the trailer. A another would then attach the winch cable.

He never did admitt how many goes it took him to perfect this move.

[Pete7]

Something similar features on the RYA level 2 Powerbaot handling video shot under the Itchen bridge. Bloke lines the boat up and just drives it on giving a faultless demo. I use that clip to show students don't you dare do this! slight cross wind or tide and the boat misses, roller shafts catch the grp and a nice big scrape. fishing waders and lots of people are the safe answer but yes you can drive her on.

Pete

[The Jackeens]

Originally posted by Pete7
fishing waders and lots of people are the safe answer but yes you can drive her on.

Pete

Hi pete,

Yep got that from you and have also found, the hard way, that if the trailer is in too deep the keel can catch between the rollers at the back when the trailer is pulled out. I now have a bungy to keep the rear rollers tilted forward which now stops that.


Paul

[wavelength]

or occasionaly like this
http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1218

Must grab a quick couple of hours sleep now and then off to the Dive Show early morning - oo-er, all that rubber

[Jklingel]

Just an idea, but isn't the concern more about how much you want salt getting into your axle bearings and/or brakes than whether you tug or drive onto the trailer? (Bearing Buddies are good, but not perfect.) In my opinion, if your boat can take the stress, leave your trailer axles out of the salt and winch the boat on. Fresh water is not as much of a concern; salt in bearings and every nook and cranny on your trailer sucks! john

[wavelength]

When it goes in the sea which on some ramps is unavoidable we take the grommet out of the back of the brake drum and stick a pipe in it to flush out with fresh water. Not the complete answer but it does help some. And with trailer brake shoes at around £50 a wheel I like to give 'em all the help I can.

[aligator]

Thanks for that piece of advice Dave,
we hose down trailer & boat every time and leave the brake off while stored, but still have times when the brakes seem to stick.
would never had occurred to me! so will have to give it try

Alistair

[wavelength]

I think the other thing with trailer brakes is to remember that it is not a car! Dont adjust them as you would with a car in that they are just off when not actually braking. The shoes need some travel to make them work and stretch the springs so that when you stop braking there is something there to pull'em off again and to get em well clear of the drum. Otherwise when the metal flake in the lining rusts- as it will & as does the inside of the drum- it will rust itself to the drum and hey presto the buggers are stuck solid again If they do stick we find the effective way out is to clout the end of the wheel studs with a hammer as they are bolted into the drum and will give a direct shock to jar them off. Don't go mad and crack the drum though cos you'll need a mortgage to buy one I would gess!

[John Kennett]

Originally posted by wavelength
we find the effective way out is to clout the end of the wheel studs with a hammer

You may find that it works for you, but I really, really, don't recommend it. In my (direct and bitter) experience it just wrecks the stud and doesn't free the drum off!

The method that I have had most success with is jacking the offending wheel then tapping the back of the drum. If that fails, take the wheel off and tap the front of the drum itself. It sounds like a lot of work, but so long as you have a jack and a wheelbrace to hand it won't take more than a few minutes.

John