setting up a boat trailer

[paz]

bought a second hand 12ft allycraft and trailer not to long ago..along the keel has been cracked due to what i think was the old roller set-up..these were the 4x4 wobble roller,,,they used to run along the hull,,either side of the keel,,meaning it was constantly flexing the alloy every time the boat was put onto the trailer..now i have bought some new rollers and set them up(run on the keel),,but,,,it seems a lot harder to roll the boat on and off the trailer..any sugestions,,,maybe i havnt got everthing the right height...all up..it has 2 skids at the rear,,running along each side,,3 rollers on the hull and a vee block up front....
paz ???

[basserman]

if possable post a pic paz so we could see how and what can be done
you may have too much weight on the skids you want most of the weight of a alloy boat on the keel rollers (blue ones the softer ones are no good)
a set of retiver mates will help you get the boat on with out constin ajasting ;D

[NQCairns]

Wobble rollers and pressed alloy boats do not mix very well. Buy some skids and as mentioned keep all of the weight on the keel rollers. a pic would be good.nq

[dazza]

paz
had the same problem with my 4.1 meter stessco. hull kept splitting due to poor trailer set up.
overcame the problem by welding a 4mm plate bottom in and putting full length skids on the trailer, plus an extra keel roller towards the back of the trailer.
pressed alloy boats and rollers do not mix. imho trailer set up is the most important thing in hull presevation.
good luck
dazza

[paz]

i'll get a pic as soon as a mate drops my digi camera back ::)...
dazza...any chance you can get a pic of the plates you welded into your stessco,,thinking im going to have to do this to mine as well,,,its been welded up a few times by the previous owner,,and still leaks..
paz

[dnej]

Chuck away any rollers that are not directly under the keel. This is important.
Use skids ,with the blue skid material, and only snug these up to the bottom of the boat, after you have it sitting on the keel rollers.
Make sure the skids are along side a pressed rib.
Take care, that the shape of the bottom doesnt raise up towards the stern, otherwise when loading, you will have a lower part of the bottom passing over a skid that supports the raised up section of the boat.This puts a great deal of pressure on the skids, and subsequently on the bottom of the boat.

Always tie down the boat when travelling, at a point where the keel is actually sitting on rollers, not after where the keel stops, as this can cause bucking. Make sure your motor is supported with a brace.
Hope this helps
learnt the hard way
David

[SNELLY]

Here is what I have seen done up here a few times

Get a 6in wide hardwood plank than nail/screw piece of 1X1 timber down both sides of the plank bolt to trailer pour some sump oil on the timber and you are in buseiness and your whole keel is supported all the time

Snelly

[dnej]

Hey Dazza, did you put a complete new plate bottom on your boat? If so how much did it cost you? A mate of mine wants to do the same thing to his 1980 cuddy cab. Who did it for you?
David

[dnej]

Hey Snelly, a better way is to use 50mm galvanised angle iron,one for each side of the rollers, drill holes for the rollers,
( I have 12 on mine, use the blue ones only), and clamp the angles and rollers to your cross members, using U Bolts.
Hang on well when you are launching, all you need is a couple of fingers to push her off.
This is absolutely magic
David

[The_Walrus]

Hi David,

I like your idea. Any chance of a pic of your set up.

My trailer has only 3 keel rollers, one at the front where the keel starts, one roughfly in the middle and the last one at the back of the trailer. This one only comes into use when launching or retrieving. Effectively the bulk of the weight is on the middle roller.

I've been thinking of ways to add two more rollers to spread the load and increase the support. Yours seem nice and straitforwards.

Where your rollers sit in the holes drilled through the angles, how do you adjust their height? and how do you stop them from being lifted out?

Thanks

Luc

[dnej]

Luc, they are not adjustable, but there are so many of them it doesnt matter. My keel is pretty well flat in any case. I only have one roller that I can turn by hand under the keel when its loaded. I was very accurate with my drilling when I built the unit. Do you have a drill press?
When you do this job, you will be amazed with the result.
I looked for the photos the AM couldnt locate , but will try again tonight,and try and scan same tomorrow. Not understanding your question about lifting out. You can buy the angle galvanised, and 1 x 6 meter length didnt do the job in my case. Use 3 or 4 mil thick angle depending on your cross member spacing.
David

[dazza]

paz,
i put a complete new 4mm plate bottom in. once your hull has started splitting it will be very hard to stop.
dnej,
a mate and i did it. it was the second one he has done. the first was his 16 foot quintrex, and the second one mine. the first one was done by an ex tinney builder so he knew what he was doing, it was not that hard though, just need the right gear. mine was alot easier as the alloy was newer.
to remove the old bottom, cut along the chine and use the sheet as a template, you will have an approx 5mm lip to weld your plate onto. i will try and post photos ( having trouble getting them under 100kb.) which will explain it alot better.
i think it cost me about $1200 for materials,
photo is with bottom removed and sheet of 4mm plate cut out

[dazza]

this is the sheet sitting in place

[dazza]

tacking the sheet, use a bit of pipe tacked to the hull to pull it onto tyhe chine for tacking

[dazza]

one side tacked

[dazza]

close up of the job.
tack and trim, tack and trim. started from the centre and worked out each way

[dazza]

finnished product.
by boat is absolutley bullet proof now, if you've seen me drive that is a big advantage ;D ;D
sorry the photos are a bit small.
i can e-mail them to you if you want or come and have a look, i live at bribie island.
hope this helps
cheers
dazza

[paz]

daz mate that looks the go...im going to weld mine up once more,,and see how long it lasts,,then next time it starts to leak out comes the saw....3mm plate.....
paz

[dazza]

paz,
it really makes a difference.
2 things i have noticed is that it is a bit wetter. the spray seems to throw up a bit more and it is not as stable at rest. the stability is very minute, but i can notice it.
dunno why tinnie manufacturers haven't been doing this for years, maybe cost and competition, who knows. i guess if you were going to plate from new, they would be full plate.
preparation is the most important part of the whole job
good luck
cheers
dazza

[The_Walrus]

David,

Thanks for the reply. My comment re lifting the rollers out is about how you prevent someone from removing the rollers from the angles when you're out fishing.

I have access to a drill press and welding at 'mates rates'. I am thinking of using lenghts of gal box sections either u-bolted or welded to the trailer frame. The keel on my boat is straight so making the rollers level would not be a problem.

Luc

[dnej]

Dazza,
That would be great to email the photos. My old girl cant last forever, and I will need to do the same thing. Any trouble bending the sheet?Do you reconn you could go to 4 mm?
David

[dnej]

Hey,
Dazza I am having trouble posting some jpg photos. The board says they are to big. Any help with posting
David

[The_Walrus]

Hi David,

The photo has answered my questions. A simple and economical way to give more support along the keel. ;D

Looks like lining up the drill holes is the thing.

Thanks [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

Luc

[dazza]

hi david,
mate asking me for computer advice ;D ;D. there is a technical question topic on the boards and i think there is something about that. someone might post a link to the thread. if i knew how i would ;)
have a look at pic 3. we tacked a bit of pipe on and used a block of wood to pull the sheet down. pretty easy when you get going.
i used 4mm plate because it is a bit thicker and easier to weld. 3 mm would be ok. recon it added about 25kg of extra weight to the hull.
pm me your e-mail address and i will send them through. i welded a couple of strakes on as well, which i will take a photo of as well. sure makes a bloody strong hull.
cheers
dazza

[ba229]

dnej try this link http://www.ausfish.com.au/cgi-ausfish/board/YaBB.cgi?board=Chathelp;action=display;num=1075561 453

[dnej]

Luc, The U bolts are not shown in the picture, but you can make out the drill holes in the angle iron ready to accept them .This saves drilling holes into the cross members.
Launchung and loading is such a breeze.
David