Stoltz Bow Roller doesn't live up to the hype

[Dan_NC]

I made the "upgrade" to a stoltz bow roller assembly (3.5") last year but I don't feel that it lives up to the hype. At first, other than the less than perfect fit, I felt it did a really good job not scuffing/ scratching the boat. That said, several weeks into last season I noticed that it was creating MORE scuffs than OEM and those scuffs are even HARDER to remove, IMHO. I tried to leave a review on the Stoltz website last season but after all of the time spent writing my review, something went wrong and it didn't post.... Or so I thought....

Today, I went onto Stoltz to purchase a new bow stop, assuming I must've done something wrong to not have the experience of other satisfied customers. However, I decided to write another less than stellar review for Stoltz, prior to ordering. When I clicked submit, the website had a popup informing me that I could not leave more than one review...... That spoke volumes to me..... My less than stellar, not scathing, review was received and not posted intentionally. I cannot bring myself to order another Stoltz knowing the possibility that hundreds of reviews like mine may have been suppressed by Stoltz.

I was curious if anyone else was less than satisfied with their Stoltz bow stop and if anyone had found a roller that held up a little better?

 

[BigAbe75]

I didn’t realize you could order from Stoltz direct. Every time I’ve ordered (twice - 2 boats), I’ve ordered from more of a hardware type site I think. I forget what it was, but I can’t believe they would mess with any reviews.

I’m sorry you’re having a tough time with them. My current one has only been on 1 season and is still holding up fine.

@PJ73 i think got a blue roller to match his boat. Don’t recall the brand, but wasn’t a Stoltz.

 

[Seadeals]

I made the switch years ago and have been very happy. It is important to remember that while rave reviews abound, it doesn’t mean the product is perfect and never leaves a mark. I have come in a little hot several times and it will absolutely scuff (better it than the gel coat). Comparatively; however it is still leaps and bounds better than the hard stock roller it replaced. The other thing is it doesn’t exactly conform to the shape of bow. It contacts the edges of the outer pieces but not really the center roller much. The bow shapes have changed and some have used the different shaped inner and/or outer pieces to seek a better fit as well as shaving down the center roller to assure it can spin freely with those hard landings. Others have ditched the roller altogether opting for the “ramp-n-clamp” design.

 

[haknslash]

3.5" on a 24' boat/trailer???? I thought those came with 4"? That might explain your less than perfect fit...

Personally I've never been a fan of the 3.5" RP-355, especially used on the 19' boats. The "V" profile is much sharper than most of the Yamaha bow shapes. The 19' boats have the most sharp bow in the center while the larger boats get wide and less "pronounced" as you go up in boat size. The Ult-4 4" roller seems to match the bow shapes better than the 3.5".

As for wear and tear.... well I'll take a softer material any day of the week rubbing against my gelcoat, leaving marks that are removed with a little elbow grease than scratches from a harder material that can do enough damage that scuffs can't be removed other than by sanding or repairing gelcoat. Maybe you like to learn the hard way lol? YMMV but IMO leave the Stoltz on, deal with the simple idea that a soft polymer material is going to wear and potentially transfer some material on your gelcoat especially if you power load vs some crappy ass hard plastic roller that is NOT going to give or make for a softer landing for your bow eye. Personally I don't like scratches so I don't use some crappy hard plastic roller. I'll use what is softer and made to "give" and doesn't severely scuff my gelcoat. So what if you get some transfer streaks of polymer material? They aren't scratches unlike what you get from the hard plastic roller.

I swapped to the Stoltz when we had the 192 and yea sometimes when I came in too hot or power loaded I would get some transfer streaks off the roller but they cleaned up easily with cleaner wax and some elbow grease. Before we swapped to the Stoltz we got some scratches from the stock roller even on the first few outings (got to love a black hull) that we're going to take wet sanding to remove them. They weren't deep gouges and were faint but I knew they were there and that's al,l that mattered. The Stoltz never scratched the gelcoat. Our Moomba also came with a Stoltz roller and it also has done a great job of not scratching unlike a hard plastic roller would have done. To minimize scuffing on the new boat we stopped power loading altogether on only winch up. That has greatly reduced any transfer of the polymer material.

Maybe you should look into a ramp n clamp and just remove the whole roller concept. Personally they wouldn't serve me much good since I don't power load and I don't like the idea of a clamp vs strap.

 

[Betik]

My boat has been on the same Stoltz since 2014 with trips to lake Powell and south Florida. I have not noticed any scratches. I will look more carefully tomorrow though.

Is you bow resting and tightly secured ? If it is not tight is not good as the boat is bouncing around while under tow

 

[Ratket]

I have a 21 foot boat and just went to the 446 and 335 end caps.. it’s gonna fit perfect.

Now isn’t sucked up to the roller as I just changed it, haven’t been to the water yet.

 

[CAM212SS]

A little silicone spray will help the Stoltz not scuff.

 

[bumpy]

The roller that came with the ShoreLandr trailer for our '13 LS was made with yellow polyurethane, the same material used by Stoltz. I never felt compelled to change it; Stoltz rollers we put on trailers for past boats scuffed as much/little as the OEM on the ShoreLandr.

 

[Maccam26]

I made the "upgrade" to a stoltz bow roller assembly (3.5") last year but I don't feel that it lives up to the hype. At first, other than the less than perfect fit, I felt it did a really good job not scuffing/ scratching the boat. That said, several weeks into last season I noticed that it was creating MORE scuffs than OEM and those scuffs are even HARDER to remove, IMHO. I tried to leave a review on the Stoltz website last season but after all of the time spent writing my review, something went wrong and it didn't post.... Or so I thought....

Today, I went onto Stoltz to purchase a new bow stop, assuming I must've done something wrong to not have the experience of other satisfied customers. However, I decided to write another less than stellar review for Stoltz, prior to ordering. When I clicked submit, the website had a popup informing me that I could not leave more than one review...... That spoke volumes to me..... My less than stellar, not scathing, review was received and not posted intentionally. I cannot bring myself to order another Stoltz knowing the possibility that hundreds of reviews like mine may have been suppressed by Stoltz.

I was curious if anyone else was less than satisfied with their Stoltz bow stop and if anyone had found a roller that held up a little better?

The 4 inch version contours the boat much much better , he 3.5 inch did not fit my hull at all

 

[Dan_NC]

To clarify, the residue left behind takes a solvent to remove from my bow, like goo gone, even though I generally keep my boat washed and waxed. Additionally, I always have to power load the boat (carefully), no matter how deep I put the trailer in, I cannot winch the fat lip of my bow up and over the bow stop.

@haknslash I just measured the stock bow roller, and it was 3-5/8". Although, I agree that softer is better, I just don't feel the product meets their claims. Maybe I will try the 4" and have a better result. The bells large surface area leave two stripes up the bow each about 5" x 2".

@Betik I load up until the eyelet on the boat is in contact with the roller and snug her down too tight if anything. When loaded, the bells sit below the bulbous upper bow and act as a cushion?

@Ratket I like bell-less option you went with, as my scuffs are definitely from the bells, but aren't you concerned that you could miss the stop while loading and catch that big bolt with your bow? I'm assuming you do not have to power load without having bells?

@CAM212SS admittedly, I could have been more diligent with lubricating the bow stop, but I didn't think it needed it.

 

[Ratket]

@Dan_NC we have a steep ramp and so far the sweet spot is the wheel well tops just under the water.
I’ve found that the front bunks engage the boat and guide it typically 3-4 feet before I get close to the Winch strap post. Even when in rough conditions I have never come close to hitting the winch post, I think once I came in a little crooked, but I just backed up, it did dawn on me I should prolly trim the bolt, and I may do that this weened with a hack saw.

I’m also thinking about “ Lubricating my bunks” as it may make loading a little easier.

When I Power load it’s just the last 2-3 feet I need to get, and to be honest, living the bunks may solve that and I may be able to just crank it up with the winch, as it stands now I don’t try and crank that last two feet, I try to get it to within 8” and crank the rest, but with our steel ramp, if I don’t make contact with the roller after I pull the boat out it settles about 3-4” away from the roller.

Going to try and get on the water tomorrow, if we are able to I will take pics and upload them.

The 446 roller is like 3”3/4 inches wide, on my 2014 212x it appears to make “ More contact” rather than just shoving the two side fins of the bells into the boat.

My way may be the wrong way, but it’s simple, cost effective, and works for me. There may be a better way, I dunno.

I’m not familiar with the 242x now shape, but I feel like the roller should adequately fit the bow. A guy like 4 doors down from me has a new 240, and I’m sure they are the same, I may go look at his. You should ask the guys with 240”s to post up their Pic”s


Here is a link to a thread from when I did mine, but again, your 24 foot will likely have a different Bow shape.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/boat-trailer-bow-roller-scratches.18961/page-4#post-410614

 

[Neutron]

My Stoltz roller looks like ass after its 3rd season. It doesn't scratch but leaves plenty of Orange marks on my boat

 

[JDRacing]

I have a 21 foot boat and just went to the 446 and 335 end caps.. it’s gonna fit perfect.

Now isn’t sucked up to the roller as I just changed it, haven’t been to the water yet.

I have almost this same setup (although with the 325 end caps), and it looks great after a year. No marks on the hull at all. Still trying to get the scratches out of the bow that the original roller left just delivering it to the dealer.

I wouldn't run anything else on a 212 hull.

Jeff

 

[PJ73]

I didn’t realize you could order from Stoltz direct. Every time I’ve ordered (twice - 2 boats), I’ve ordered from more of a hardware type site I think. I forget what it was, but I can’t believe they would mess with any reviews.

I’m sorry you’re having a tough time with them. My current one has only been on 1 season and is still holding up fine.

@PJ73 i think got a blue roller to match his boat. Don’t recall the brand, but wasn’t a Stoltz.

Correct, I ordered what I thought was a good roller to match the boat... Big, huge mistake. It was way too soft of rubber and I ended up damaging the gelcoat. That said, I believe it was a combination of that blue roller and the ramp at a lake we frequented. The ramp was at an odd angle and had changed its angle twice (once on the concrete leading into the water and then the ramp in the water was at a different angle). Talked it over with Winnebagoland in Oshkosh, we decided because I trailer all over and hit dozens of different ramps during the season, we would stay with the "big bell" type roller but a bit more stiff (not like the factory one) and put a bow plate on to help. We took it out a number of times since the install and so far all is well. I guess it comes down to whatever works for you, your boat and your boating style.
Old Roller

New roller with bow plate

 

[Ronnie]

View attachment 106069
New

My Stoltz roller deformed like yours the day i installed it or after the first time I loaded the boat against it. I quickly replaced it with a boat buddy ii (these used to come stock on the trailers my local mastercraft dealer sold). I’ve since upgraded to the ramp n clamp which seems to be made of the same orange material but as the Stoltz roller but denser/harder. Whether you use a traditional roller or a spring activated device I highly recommend the large bow scuff plate also pictured, it looks good initially, protects against future scratches and covers past scratches. It is also relatively cheap at $35 or so.

 

[Liveto99]

Wow I can’t believe I read a thread with products in it and am glad I stayed stock. I never save money reading this forum. There is a first time for everything, I guess I’ll go read a thread on trim tabs I don’t think I’ll be as lucky over there.

 

[Dan_NC]

My Stoltz roller deformed like yours the day i installed it or after the first time I loaded the boat against it. I quickly replaced it with a boat buddy ii (these used to come stock on the trailers my local mastercraft dealer sold). I’ve since upgraded to the ramp n clamp which seems to be made of the same orange material but as the Stoltz roller but denser/harder. Whether you use a traditional roller or a spring activated device I highly recommend the large bow scuff plate also pictured, it looks good initially, protects against future scratches and covers past scratches. It is also relatively cheap at $35 or so.

I had to google the ramp n clamp and found your video on You tube. Ever have any issues with it?

EDIT: Never mind, I just saw the disclaimer on their website.

 

[Ronnie]

@Dan_NC , Disclaimer aside I have not had any major issues with the ramp n clamp. The one problem I had involved the scuff plate. The first scuff plate I installed was not shaped to match the hull curve closely (my fault for not spending more time bending it to fit better). As a result when I launched the boat the ramp n clamp caught an edge of the scuff plate and bent it away from the hull. I eventually replaced the scuff plate with a new one that I bent to more closely match the curve of the hull. I have not had any issues since and it’s been years since.

The boat buddy ii is another viable option but I’ve found that it is more prone to its cover cracking or the locking pin bending when compared to the ramp n clamp whose cover is made of harder and thicker plastic and which does not use a locking pin but instead a thick latch.

 

[Dan_NC]

@PJ73 what brand of roller is that? The new one.

I don't think I have ever seen something so deformed as your blue one.

 

[Dan_NC]

@Neutron That is pretty much what my bow roller looks like currently, just change your hull to black. While launching this weekend, I did discover that the bells do not rotate anymore and are "frozen" into place; probably from being deformed. That may explain why it leave so much residue when I have to throttle up and over.

On a separate note, I redid the bunk carpet on my bow bunks this weekend and added liquid rollers. I cannot believe I didn't do that a long time ago. It isn't slick as ice, but I don't need full throttle to back off my bunks anymore.