Some thoughts after bringing my boat in for its first service....

[Peter simon]

I brought my boat in for the 10 hour service last week. Since it was 40 degrees out the service manager was not busy so I thought I would pick his brain about some things before my our trip next week to the florida keys which involves a 14 hour+ tow. Just thought i would share some things he told me and see how you all feel about it...

He told me when trailering i need the bow to be completely tight on the roller, even though this pulls the bow about an inch down. He said the 1 inch is not flexing the hull.

He advised me to trailer the boat without the cover on as he said the cover and/or boat could get damaged.

He advised stopping every 6-7 hours and checking the bearings as new trailers tend to eat more grease.

He advised that although I would be using the boat in salt water, it was not urgent that i flushed the motor daily unless i have the time and hose. He said he would just use the boat for the week, rinse the boat off and then run it in the freshwater lake as soon as i get home to give it a good flush.

What do you think?

 

[Beachbummer]

Random Thoughts...

Regarding bearings...you will be likely stopping every 3 hours or less for fuel..might as well check bearing temp. Feel the wheel area. If it's very very hot, something's amiss. having a full hub ready to use is not a bad idea.

On Saltwater, I would not lose sleep over not being able to flush daily, but certainly if it's available , flush as often as reasonable. I would not pull the boat out of the water to flush it during a 7 day trip, but If I had to pull it, and had a hose accesible I would flush it.

Better the cover be damaged than the boat. It's all wear anyway...its's meant to be enjoyed. I would protect the boat over the cover. slapping flapping can cause the cover to leave marks on the boat. wrap it tight as you can to keep it to a minimum.

I don't agree with much he said,except to keep the boat tight to the trailer so it does not move anywhere, and to not fret about flushing. You are on vacation!

 

[swatski]

I would use the shipping cover - which is great for trailering long distance and will not chafe gel coat if tightened properly.

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[bronze_10]

I am a little confused about the bow roller thing... your boat should always be on the bow roller when on the trailer.... i dont understand how u would be pulling it down an inch to get it on the roller. If its not on the roller the boat will bounce on the trailer as u r driving. Or am i missing something?

 

[4x15mph]

Tip that I got when I first had my boat was to drive for a couple of miles after pulling the boat out of the water and then pull over. Retighten the bow roller and rear straps and you will be surprised at how the boat settles and requires this final adjustment.

 

[d_coyne1984]

I trailer with my mooring cover on for 2.5 hour trips almost every summer weekend (I'm a poles out kind of guy). I've completed 4 seasons with the cover now. Get a fat (hollow) pool noodle though, slice it down the middle, and wrap it over the top of the windshield. It will keep the cover from rubbing on the window bumper and wearing a hole prematurely. Many people have lost cushions while trailering uncovered. I believe most of your seats are hinged though so that's probably not a huge concern for you (you lucky bastard!) Check the bearings at every stop. I completely agree with @4x15mph . My boat settles a lot over the first few miles so stop and retighten everything. I am very jealous of your trip. I wish you smooth sailing/jetting.

 

[Peter simon]

Thank everyone for the advice....

I am going to use the shipping cover for the trip. It is very very tight and i dont see how it can come loose. Also I dont think it moves at all when i tighten the straps.

I will only flush if i can and it is convenient.

I will check the grease in the bearings at every fill-up.

Concerning the bow roller, for some reason when i pull the boat forward, there is about an inch between the roller and the hull. I saw this on another thread that people were saying it was because the bunks were too high. I am thinking maybe because i only trailer it 300 feet from storage to the ramp it is not really settled into the trailer.

 

[Beachbummer]

You may see the boat move after stopping from a higher speed a few times on your way.

 

[captras]

I think you have the right idea. From my experience, if the cover is installed correctly and good and tight, I see little, if any movement. I do use, and think it a good idea to use a noodle on the upper frame of the windshield. East to do, and wont move if the cover is tight.

 

[bronze_10]

A picture of the bow roller may help.

 

[swatski]

Thank everyone for the advice....

I am going to use the shipping cover for the trip. It is very very tight and i dont see how it can come loose. Also I dont think it moves at all when i tighten the straps.

I will only flush if i can and it is convenient.

I will check the grease in the bearings at every fill-up.

Concerning the bow roller, for some reason when i pull the boat forward, there is about an inch between the roller and the hull. I saw this on another thread that people were saying it was because the bunks were too high. I am thinking maybe because i only trailer it 300 feet from storage to the ramp it is not really settled into the trailer.

Try the "5mph stop" after you load the boat on the trailer, the bow/hull will tap the bow stopper.

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[Peter simon]

I will take a photo of the roller when i pick up the boat tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[Bedlamfirm]

I trailer 12/13 hours each summer to Canada and always use the shipping cover. Never have issues of rubbing. I use the insulation for water pipes that you get at Lowes/Home depot for the windshield edge and I also tape up corners and other points with blue painters tape.

 

[Speedling]

Tip that I got when I first had my boat was to drive for a couple of miles after pulling the boat out of the water and then pull over. Retighten the bow roller and rear straps and you will be surprised at how the boat settles and requires this final adjustment.

I checked all the straps all the way from Chicago to Florida every single stop and it took us 36 hours with my kids and we stopped a lot and I'll tell you what it is very surprising

 

[haknslash]

Concerning the bow roller, for some reason when i pull the boat forward, there is about an inch between the roller and the hull. I saw this on another thread that people were saying it was because the bunks were too high. I am thinking maybe because i only trailer it 300 feet from storage to the ramp it is not really settled into the trailer.

When you load the boat on the trailer you should be using the winch and bow eye. Your bow eye should sit right up against the roller when you're done winching it in. If it's not then you're not winching it in far enough. Not understanding the 1" thing. Your bow eye should look like this up against the roller....



As far as the boat settling on the bunks it's not your bow that gets real loose and settles but rather the stern which is why people will retighten the transom straps a little ways down the road after leaving the ramp. When I leave the ramp I will literally stab the brakes so that it pushes the boat even further up the trailer. Then I get out and retighten the slack on all straps including the front and I'm on my way. If you don't do this then you're boat will settle and you'll have slack in the straps, especially the transom straps.

 

[SCP1]

I am a little confused about the bow roller thing... your boat should always be on the bow roller when on the trailer.... i dont understand how u would be pulling it down an inch to get it on the roller. If its not on the roller the boat will bounce on the trailer as u r driving. Or am i missing something?

On the 19’s it must be the way it sits on the trailer. Literally if you loosen the front strap the bow raises an inch or so. If I didn’t see it for myself I would not believe it either.

 

[Wayloncle]

On the 19’s it must be the way it sits on the trailer. Literally if you loosen the front strap the bow raises an inch or so. If I didn’t see it for myself I would not believe it either.

Sounds like the bow stop needs to be adjusted either back or up....if it is adjustable.

 

[haknslash]

It's only adjustable by sliding the entire winch assembly forward or back which effectively changes where the bow roller contacts the hull. You don't want to play with that distance without having a tongue weight scale to make sure you don't throw the weight bias out of whack.

Moral of the story is just make sure the bow eye sits up against the roller like in my pic above. If you have a gap it's just going to allow your bow to bang around down the road which could cause some damage. Don't be scared or worried about tightening the bow down when you retrieve the boat. Make sure that sucker is snug against the roller and you'll be good to go.

 

[bronze_10]

Can u adjust the bunks outward a little so the boat sits down lower? Whatever the issue is..... that aint right!! Lol

 

[haknslash]

It's not really an issue. Been that way in my boat since new. Only time I noticed it was when I swapped out my bow roller. It's only an issue if you don't tighten the bow down. What I do when I retrieve is make sure I either power up to the bow roller or winch it the rest of the way. If you don't do either before you leave the water then you need to make sure you tap the brakes and seat the bow eye against the roller. If it really bothers someone the easiest fix would be to unbolt the winch assembly and move it back the inch or so until touches the hull. Much easier than attempting to lower the bunks which IIRC have no adjustment to lower them, at least not on my trailer.