Arggh. Cut my keelguard yesterday.

[McMark]

Yesterday at Deep Creek Lake I had a loading problem. Super windy, 2 foot chop all day, and the wind took the backend of the boat sideways on loading. Anyway, the keel was against the trailer somewhere and cut my keelguard. Got a minor scratch also. Not deep and will buff out but how to fix the keelguard. It's foamy behind the rubber so no real way to glue it down. I could trim it easily I guess. Or put a new keelguard on. Bums me out, especially since I take really good care of the boat and it bugs me when things aren't as they should be. Here's a pic.

 

[Julian]

As with other members...I'd call Keelguard and ask them...the replaced one for a member recently....but that would be a hassle for a small cut like this!

As an aside...this is why I have guide posts on the trailer....I got blown sideways once....no fun. When it happened, the guy next to me on the ramp with guideposts said...."that why I put posts on". Especially useful on rivers where the current pushes the boat...and in windy conditions.

 

[McMark]

Hi Julian. Which guideposts do you have. I trust your judgement. Probably will order up here this week.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Julian]

Hi Julian. Which guideposts do you have. I trust your judgement. Probably will order up here this week.

Thanks,
Mark

I bought the CESmith 60" posts....and added padded covers to them. Much more peace of mind loading with them in my opinion. You can easily see the end of the trailer....like having runway lights.

 

[McMark]

Sounds good.

I'll probably just trim the keelguard and try to seal it down. Not sure I want to remove it at this point.

 

[McMark]

These ones look ok?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001RDVFKS/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499088579&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ce+smith+boat+trailer+guides&dpPl=1&dpID=21JN6DJYvRL&ref=plSrch

 

[haknslash]

These ones look ok?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001RDVFKS/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499088579&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ce+smith+boat+trailer+guides&dpPl=1&dpID=21JN6DJYvRL&ref=plSrch

Those are the same ones I have and they work great. I have ran into them kind of hard once or twice due to wind and current and they took the hits like a champ. The LEDs are nice to have as well for visibility on the road and when backing up. I bought mine locally at Academy for the same price.

 

[captainhook]

I just finished installing those today as well. I boat in a river too and the current and wind can make it tough. I also have a hard time seeing the empty trailer when picking up so this should help.

I have an EZ Loader trailer and they don't fit real well. The cross member I bolted them to has a bunk support on it and I couldn't get as close as I wanted. The lights are also a royal pain in the ass. One of the PVC tubes had to be beat down from a rubber mallet. I was literally hanging on it with all of my body weight. The other one went in with some muscle a lot easier.

The light connectors they give you are crap. Do yourself a favor and get something better to splice into your running light wire on the trailer so you aren't like me and had to zip tie the light wires unhooked so you could use the trailer today.

 

[haknslash]

I used marine grade waterproof butt connectors (heat shrink type) instead of the cheap tap connectors. My LED caps slide on just fine. A little snug but nothing crazy involving a mallet.

 

[jawsf16]

Call Keelguard and send pics and get a replacement. Then put it on the shelf until your current one is shot, then replace.

 

[0627Devildog]

My understanding is the Veve guides are a little more sturdy than the CE Smith's. . . . Though I have the CE smith lamps on top of mine. They saved my butt on the very first launch after install.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/oh-shit-in-west-marine-with-time-to-kill.1922/page-2#post-30292

 

[captainhook]

I used marine grade waterproof butt connectors (heat shrink type) instead of the cheap tap connectors. My LED caps slide on just fine. A little snug but nothing crazy involving a mallet.

YeH I will have to get some of those.

The caps themselves went on fine but the PVC pipe itself was the issue. I was literally hanging from it and it wouldn't budge.

 

[haknslash]

YeH I will have to get some of those.

The caps themselves went on fine but the PVC pipe itself was the issue. I was literally hanging from it and it wouldn't budge.

You mean sliding the PVC down the guide was the issue? It only goes one way as there is a little metal piece that goes into a groove. Did you have it aligned while sliding it down?

 

[captainhook]

You mean sliding the PVC down the guide was the issue? It only goes one way as there is a little metal piece that goes into a groove. Did you have it aligned while sliding it down?

Yup, sure did. It was lined up the right way. I even greased the metal guide to help, but it was no use. The sharp edges cut into the PVC and grab hold.

 

[zipper]

@0627Devildog You are correct. The VeVe guides are advertised as being made of a thicker gauge steel, and I bought the hot dipped galvanized ones. They also have a welded gusset at the 90 deg. bend and will not bend there. Easy to install on my MFI. The PVC pipe rests on a circular stop and is not jammed on, they are designed to roll as the boat moves against them. I did put pads on my PVC uprights and so they do not get stolen, I remove the pad/PVC assembly and put them in the truck. Here they are in my house as the trailer is stored elsewhere on my property while the boat is wet slipped. I did not want the sun to fade the black pads. Guide post are a great add-on and prevent what happened to you @McMark .

 

[JEvanoff]

We do a lot of boating in Wyoming and it seems like the wind is always blowing there when you are trying to load the boat. I have found it works pretty good to not back the boat trailer in as far as normal and get the nose of the boat loaded first, then back the trailer on in while you power the boat on the trailer. By not pulling the trailer in very far it has eliminated the boat from drifting over the fenders and keeps it straight. Hope this helps, it sure works for us!!

 

[Joshua Miller]

Just replaced my Keel Guard about a month ago. When you call them they will ask for you to send pictures of your Keel Guard. They will give you 50% off the retail price. Hardest part is getting the old one off.