Embarrassing alternate recovery trial

lakelandterrier · 10 April 2011, 19:04

Thought nI'd be adventurous and try a new recovery method today, to save risk of skimming the skeg on the bottom......not sucessful.

My recovery site is shallow slip by pontoon, acessible +/- 2 hours HW.

With a longer, deeper heavier boat now (and with Mrs T not experienced in pulling winching onto trailer) I didn't want to drive on and risk scraping the skeg. I also didn't want to get the wheels of the car wet I therefore thought...I'll try this much vaunted method of running the trailer in off a rope belayed round he towing eye.

Drop jockey wheel, connect rope, trialer run in fine, we walk the boat onto the trailer and begin winching her on.....Bow starts going high on the trailer, front of trailer rises to to about 30 degrees, wiching gets very hatd work...angles keep getting steeper, line to car gets taut, rear of car starts rising too. I then think..."It's not meant to be like this."

Emabarrassing change of plan.....reverse winch, relaunch boat, pull trailer out of water, undo rope, hitch up, reverse back in to water, float boat on to end of trailer & winch on. Much easier I we'd just done this first, or I'd driven on like normal.

Last time I try something new with an audience!

how does this running the traiier in on a line work? does it have to go in deep enough to float the boat onto entirely without winching her up?

Anyway, no damage (except my pride) and maybe the lesson of see someone esle to it first!

Still beautiful day...shame we forget the sun-block!

Simon B · 10 April 2011, 20:38

The rope was possibly too long, exerted a greater amount of lift on the tow hitch than the boat coming onto the trailer would have done.

At least you stopped before it entered the the youtube and YBF territory, well done man!

Andy B · 10 April 2011, 21:56

When doing the rope recovery method you have to pretty much float the boat onto the trailer
Then attach it to the winch post before you can pull it out.
If not well you've seen what happens

!
It’s fraught with problems because if there's any swell or other traffic on the slip
the boats banging up and down on the trailer
and unless you've got guides on the trailer your never sure if the boats on straight or not until you pull it out!

willk · 10 April 2011, 22:22

It helps if you have a donegaldan standing on yer trailer hitch!

lakelandterrier · 10 April 2011, 22:37

Andy,
Thinking about it afterwards, I reached your conclusion...very different from the video shown on "best practice launching" video on my PB2 and the book theory I've read - both of which made it sound logical and easy with no analysis of the risks / shortcomings.

As I said, I'll continue to rely on my practical experience,not theoretical "best practice" until I've seen it in action.

Andy B · 11 April 2011, 18:16

Thinking about this today,
And this is thinking a little out of the box,
But could this be achieved by fitting some sort of wheelie bar to the back of the trailer?
It wouldn't have to be a permanent fixture just something to bolt on or lower when needed
how my mind can w

nder at work!!!!

lakelandterrier · 11 April 2011, 18:30

Andy,
Not going to try anything else out of the box!

Will go back to driving on well trimmed up and training Mrs T to catch the painter & hold the boat on whilst I kill engine, fully raise it, leap over bow on to trailer, grab winch strap & connect up! Should still be entertaining!

Not sure I'l persuade Mrs T to balance on the trailer cross member ready with the winch strap readt yo clip on as I manoeuvere onto trailer!

SPR · 11 April 2011, 19:13

if you attached the rope to the axel , it would solve your lifting problem... not tried it but logic deems this as a solution... to recover use second rope on tow hitch to pull up...

Hightower · 12 April 2011, 00:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPR

if you attached the rope to the axel , it would solve your lifting problem... not tried it but logic deems this as a solution... to recover use second rope on tow hitch to pull up...

The trailer would still lift up at the front though.

What you need to make this method work is to drive or float the RIB far enough forward to get some Hull engagement of the front bank of rollers or bunks forward of the axle.

kelson · 12 April 2011, 16:25

I beach launch regularly (though I only have a fully loaded Futura rather than a RIB), so I understand your issues. You will always have problems if you don't get the boat onto the trailer first. I roll my trailer out as far as necessary to float the boat on the majority of the way and then winch it into place before towing. Even with the boat loaded it is hard to pull the trailer out without having the trailer tongue dig in if you don't have consistent tension on the tow strap. Using the trailer jack to support the tongue is a poor choice. Even on ramps the trailer jack can catch and be damaged, they aren't designed to take much stress in any direction other than vertical. I bought a large galvanized caster wheel. It bolts to the tongue. I move it under the trailer tongue to launch and retrieve and bolt it to the top for travel. Keeps my trailer tongue from being damaged and preserves my trailer jack. It does require a little time to bolt and unbolt, but it isn't a big deal (much better than damaging the trailer tongue in a remote location) and works great over all sorts of surfaces. Be careful where you attach the tow strap (I don't suggest using line). I installed a stainless steel handle on my tongue that provides a secure attachment point that won't cut or chafe the tow strap. Just a suggestion.

We launch in shallow estuaries and I often need all 50 feet of tow strap to get the trailer out far enough to load the boat. I did make the mistake of rolling the trailer out with no strap attached and my trailer disappeared into the adjacent channel. We had to free dive to recover the trailer. Fortunately there were only birds and halibut to witness that foolishness!