Towing

[Julian]

If that is in front of your driver side windshield it would be your GPS antenna.

 

[jcyamaharider]

This ^^^^^^^^^

 

[AZ Native]

If that's in front of driver side windshield, it's the GPS antenna for the boat electronics. Speed and direction.

 

[Daren Humphries]

If that's in front of driver side windshield, it's the GPS antenna for the boat electronics. Speed and direction.

Aha! Perfect sense. Thanks so much. Still finding my way round the new boat.

 

[adrianp89]

If anyone decides to move the axels as opposed to the bow stop be sure you know what you are doing. Getting the axles perfectly square and aligned is a must do to prevent a blow out. Also one of those things where a little move will have a big impact. The bow stop move while perhaps not the best method is certainly the preferred method of the common end user without acess to the proper alignment tools and just as effective.

I still don’t understand why the tounge weight is so far off from the factory on what seems to be all the models. Perhaps it has something to do with shipping but this is a safety concern and should be rectified somehow.

My buddy's jet ski trailer got hit today and completely moved the axle. We tried to fix it, but adjusting the axle is a nightmare. Trying to do this yourself is probably the worst idea lol.

 

[Mainah]

My buddy's jet ski trailer got hit today and completely moved the axle. We tried to fix it, but adjusting the axle is a nightmare. Trying to do this yourself is probably the worst idea lol.

A good quality drywall T square may be good enough for a jet ski trailer.

 

[adrianp89]

A good quality drywall T square may be good enough for a jet ski trailer.

I was thinking something of that nature. I went and dropped tools off to him, we got the back of the trailer off the ground, the tire off and the axle loose, but I had to leave for a meeting.. last I heard they gave up and were getting it towed.

 

[Sbrown]

You square it off by measuring from the same point on the ends of the axle to a common point, such as the coupler. Make both measurements the same. Its not really all that complicated.

 

[PeterB]

On the dual axle Shoreland'r trailers the entire spring assembly is on a common rail on each side. The entire assembly can move easily backwards or forwards, and frankly stayed within about +/- 1/16" before I fine tuned it to exact equal distances. The two axles stayed perfectly even. Then carefully measure from the center of the tongue to the spindles, and make sure they match. There are clearance marker wires that may need to be moved, and you need to be careful of the brake line.
Of course if the trailer had been hit as @adrianp89 said his buddies trailer was, that could mean bent axles and should be checked further. You can put a straight edge on the tires (6-8' long) and measure from the ends to the frame to make sure the distance matches. That will tell you if there is anything out of alignment also.
I do agree with comments others made about making sure you know what you're doing before working on the trailer. If not, find a trailer service center.
A BoatUS tow club membership might be good insurance too just in case something goes wrong on the road.

 

[W3bexec]

Appreciating this thread! I just bought my new boat last week, much bigger than the old one. I'm not very experienced with towing and my last boat was the first thing I had ever towed before. On the drive home, it felt kind of weird compared to my old one. I can also see it is sitting pretty heavy on the tongue. I calculated out the guesstimate weight with what I've got on it to be about 5060 lbs. If my math is right I should be looking for a 303 lbs. at the tongue (using 6% for a target). Me and my 80 lbs kid total about 300 together. Which maybe squats my truck about 3/4 in. when we sit on the tail gate together. The trailer squats the truck about 2 inches. I have a Ram 1500 with the raked stock suspension and the trailer levels it. I'm going to give moving the bow roller toward the rear of the trailer a try. I was thinking 5 inches. Another guy I worked with suggested 8 inches. Any opinions on this?

Here is a pic:

AR240 and Ram 1500

• W3bexec
• May 10, 2018
• 2

 

[swatski]

Appreciating this thread! I just bought my new boat last week, much bigger than the old one. I'm not very experienced with towing and my last boat was the first thing I had ever towed before. On the drive home, it felt kind of weird compared to my old one. I can also see it is sitting pretty heavy on the tongue. I calculated out the guesstimate weight with what I've got on it to be about 5060 lbs. If my math is right I should be looking for a 303 lbs. at the tongue (using 6% for a target). Me and my 80 lbs kid total about 300 together. Which maybe squats my truck about 3/4 in. when we sit on the tail gate together. The trailer squats the truck about 2 inches. I have a Ram 1500 with the raked stock suspension and the trailer levels it. I'm going to give moving the bow roller toward the rear of the trailer a try. I was thinking 5 inches. Another guy I worked with suggested 8 inches. Any opinions on this?

Here is a pic:

AR240 and Ram 1500

• W3bexec
• May 10, 2018
• 2

I did 8 or 9" after many tries/an iterative process - I would go at least 8". But - each trailer/combo could be a bit different so it is best to experiment.
I also do the 5mph stop after retrieving - to push the bow up to the bow stop. The boat always moves some, even if it is pretty close or even sitting on the bow stop, there is always some flex in the trailer structure that makes the tie-downs go limp unless I do the trick.
However, not everyone here has the same experience.

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[swatski]

Appreciating this thread! I just bought my new boat last week, much bigger than the old one. I'm not very experienced with towing and my last boat was the first thing I had ever towed before. On the drive home, it felt kind of weird compared to my old one. I can also see it is sitting pretty heavy on the tongue. I calculated out the guesstimate weight with what I've got on it to be about 5060 lbs. If my math is right I should be looking for a 303 lbs. at the tongue (using 6% for a target). Me and my 80 lbs kid total about 300 together. Which maybe squats my truck about 3/4 in. when we sit on the tail gate together. The trailer squats the truck about 2 inches. I have a Ram 1500 with the raked stock suspension and the trailer levels it. I'm going to give moving the bow roller toward the rear of the trailer a try. I was thinking 5 inches. Another guy I worked with suggested 8 inches. Any opinions on this?

Here is a pic:

AR240 and Ram 1500

• W3bexec
• May 10, 2018
• 2

And one more thing.
Forum rule, if you do the bow stop mod - you must send @Neutron a six pack of Fullsteam' Pale Ale.


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[biffdotorg]

I'll weigh in on this after we just made out first and last long trip towing the 242.

We spent 1700 miles coming back from SC to MN and over half of it was in the rain. Upon taking delivery of our boat, I was tempted to put the poles in, but used a trick from my trailering book and brought along two of our favorite 3-person ski tubes. Note the outline of the tube in the photo below.

Like the large beach ball, the ski tube laying down flat in the bow on top of the bow filler cushions added just enough even support across the entire bow to allow water to not pool. It also didn't add any un-needed pressure in small areas. The second tube, I set upright in front of the captains chair and bench seat in upright position. This offered a bit of additional support where a second pole would have. Again, spreading the weight out a bit.

We found the small cones on the cover, as with all the Yamaha covers I have ever owned pulled out air and kept the cover from billowing except in extreme side wind. I must say, the boat towed well, shed water and kept the inside in fair shape. I did spend some quality time with the 3m buffing compound on the corners to remove any cover rubs after our trip.

Anyone who second guesses a half ton truck towing these boats is probably just inadvertently bragging about their new ride, and not really concerned with it's capabilities. As they should have no issues based on the mileage and performance I saw with my 2018 Sierra Denali (blatant brag on my new ride! HA!)

Good luck all. If you choose to tow with poles in, it will work, if you choose not to, it will work. Everyone will learn the same lessons from experience. But all in all, the advice here is golden!!

Thank you,

 

[Neutron]

And one more thing.
Forum rule, if you do the bow stop mod - you must send @Neutron a six pack of Fullsteam' Pale Ale.


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I agree!

 

[W3bexec]

I did 8 or 9" after many tries/an iterative process - I would go at least 8". But - each trailer/combo could be a bit different so it is best to experiment.
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Took the boat out today since today we had a small window before 4 days of rain storms. While my wonderful wife waited at the dock I moved it back about 8 inches while in the parking area. It did make a difference and the truck for sure feels better. I can't tell yet if 8 was too much or not, I thought I saw a bit of sway when going past 60. Also with this storm moving in, I was getting 30 mph gusts on the highway going home.

 

[AZ Native]

It did make a difference and the truck for sure feels better. I can't tell yet if 8 was too much or not, I thought I saw a bit of sway when going past 60. Also with this storm moving in, I was getting 30 mph gusts on the highway going home.

I’ve been paying a lot of attention to these towing discussions and think you made the right move. And you have a great looking rig. I have a hitch with a scale built in because I’m fanatical about proper tounge weight and tow multiple types of trailers and loads. I’m going to go out on limb here and suggest that those with basic 1/2 ton trucks don’t have the stability over the rear axles that they think they have. And they tend to sway naturally. They also tend to sink more than I would expect with a load. It’s what happens when you try to make a truck ride like a sedan. So maybe a little more weight would help, but in strong side winds with a basic suspension you’re simply going to get moved around a little. I don’t think that means unsafe, just back off the speed. More advanced tow vehicles like my Infinit QX80 have lots of features like anti-sway, hydraulic compensating roll suspension, automatic load leveling and bigger wheels and tires. These tow vehicles are more forgiving, but I still like to balance my load with the proper weight on the ball.

 

[tdonoughue]

Hitch with a built in scale?!? Aw, crap. Now there is another thing I got to buy...

 

[haknslash]

Found one https://www.weigh-safe.com. They make some that are just the ball with a gauge and they also make an adjustable drop hitch with a gauge.

 

[AZ Native]

Weigh Safe is exactly what I have with the 8" adjustable drop. Again I have 4 different trailers and my 22' toy hauler is the biggest concern. Every trailer has a different ball height. The video on their home page is exactly why I bought it. When you have a car or toy hauler you never know what your load will be and the hitch lets you load and balance to the proper tongue weight every time. I think the kit is rated for about 8,500 lbs., which is about the max tow weight for my SUV.

 

[swatski]

x2 on Weigh Safe
https://jetboaters.net/threads/darned-tow-hitches-whats-your-favorite-anyway.17421/page-2#post-300449

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