Total Noob. First Boat. Rib Question

First boat. Zero experience. Will start hunting around the archives as well.

1995 Sea Nymph 1648MPT

First question:

On new boats I noticed there is an intentional indentation in the ribs at the floor, I presume for strength, on this boat, those indentations also appear halfway up the sides in a straight line, equal on both sides but are not present on rearmost ribs. I can't seem to find an example of where they do this on boats today halfway up the sidewalls, seeking additional guidance as to rationale. No damage present externally, no cracks and no leaks.





Second question:

The transom as-is sits a little too far back off the axle for my liking. How close to the receiver can I get when adjusting the bow winch post(sic)?

DaYooper14 said:

How close to the receiver can I get when adjusting the bow winch post(sic)?

Click to expand...

For your trailer post, short answer is as close as needed to fit YOUR tow vehicle, but not so close you can't turn OK or otherwise hit the tow vehicle with the boat whilst backing up, etc. Also might need room for a tailgate if truck or liftgate if SUV, to open.

The dimples in the channel are most likely just the place where they needed to bend the channel to follow the outer curvature. To do that you need to cave in the sides and force the channel to bend.

The farther forward the boat is on trailer, the farther you have to back your tow vehicle into the water.

You might want to consider just adding some support the the rear of the trailer. 2x4s are cheap, at lest they were before 2020 started.

Another factor is trailer balance. It should have between 5-10% of the towed weight on ball. This should be the #1 factor in deciding placement.

Thanks Lads