Extend Tongue Forward or Bunks Back?

[MrGiggles]

I'd say your bunk placement is pretty good. Further apart doesn't hurt as it helps keep the boat from rocking, but you are limited there by the width of the trailer.

Before you paint, make sure you've got some kind of eyelet set up for your rear straps.

I would also suggest adding a couple keel rollers. They don't need to (and shouldn't) support the boat, but when you're loading on a steep ramp they will keep the bow from slamming into the trailer, and keep everything centered. I think one tapered roller about halfway up, and one at the very back would be fine.

Some side bunks wouldn't hurt as well, a lot of guys like the tall guide poles, but I've found a couple of short 2x4 bunks to be sufficient. Just need to be careful and not back in too far so that the boat can float over the top of them. Keeping that boat floating over the trailer in even a slight crosswind or current is not going to be easy.

As long as the bunks are far enough apart to not hit an outboard (and yours look to be fine) you're good.

It's the little things like this that make all difference in how easy it is to load/unload. A poorly setup trailer can be a nightmare.

Lastly, I think every boat should have a safety chain for the winch. So while you've got the drill bits out...

 

[LDUBS]

I'd say your bunk placement is pretty good. Further apart doesn't hurt as it helps keep the boat from rocking, but you are limited there by the width of the trailer.

Before you paint, make sure you've got some kind of eyelet set up for your rear straps.

I would also suggest adding a couple keel rollers. They don't need to (and shouldn't) support the boat, but when you're loading on a steep ramp they will keep the bow from slamming into the trailer, and keep everything centered. I think one tapered roller about halfway up, and one at the very back would be fine.

Some side bunks wouldn't hurt as well, a lot of guys like the tall guide poles, but I've found a couple of short 2x4 bunks to be sufficient. Just need to be careful and not back in too far so that the boat can float over the top of them. Keeping that boat floating over the trailer in even a slight crosswind or current is not going to be easy.

As long as the bunks are far enough apart to not hit an outboard (and yours look to be fine) you're good.

It's the little things like this that make all difference in how easy it is to load/unload. A poorly setup trailer can be a nightmare.

Lastly, I think every boat should have a safety chain for the winch. So while you've got the drill bits out...

I think every point made here is well worth paying attention to. Great advice.

 

[Lost But Happy]

I'd say your bunk placement is pretty good. Further apart doesn't hurt as it helps keep the boat from rocking, but you are limited there by the width of the trailer.

Before you paint, make sure you've got some kind of eyelet set up for your rear straps.

I would also suggest adding a couple keel rollers. They don't need to (and shouldn't) support the boat, but when you're loading on a steep ramp they will keep the bow from slamming into the trailer, and keep everything centered. I think one tapered roller about halfway up, and one at the very back would be fine.

Some side bunks wouldn't hurt as well, a lot of guys like the tall guide poles, but I've found a couple of short 2x4 bunks to be sufficient. Just need to be careful and not back in too far so that the boat can float over the top of them. Keeping that boat floating over the trailer in even a slight crosswind or current is not going to be easy.

As long as the bunks are far enough apart to not hit an outboard (and yours look to be fine) you're good.

It's the little things like this that make all difference in how easy it is to load/unload. A poorly setup trailer can be a nightmare.

Lastly, I think every boat should have a safety chain for the winch. So while you've got the drill bits out...

Excellent post!

Your line about the little things making all the difference is exactly why I am doing my due diligence now so I won't have problems in the future!

There are already 2 holes in the rear of the trailer for the eyelets and I do have a safety chain for the winch. I have a "v" keel roller all set up and ready to bolt on once I can paint the trailer. I also have a stern roller as well.

Thank you for all your suggestions!!

 

[Lost But Happy]

I think every point made here is well worth paying attention to. Great advice.

Indeed!

 

[LDUBS]

Excellent post!

Your line about the little things making all the difference is exactly why I am doing my due diligence now so I won't have problems in the future!

There are already 2 holes in the rear of the trailer for the eyelets and I do have a safety chain for the winch. I have a "v" keel roller all set up and ready to bolt on once I can paint the trailer. I also have a stern roller as well.

Thank you for all your suggestions!!

I thought I had my trailer dialed in pretty good until I was trying to load the boat today. We continue with the drought. Lake is now down to that dreaded place where the ramp ends before the trailer can be backed in far enough. Concrete ends and drops off to some kind of large aggregate. Trailer sits lower on one side by so one side bunk is underwater and the other is about where it needs to be. Pretty hard to get the boat loaded. Fortunately I had some help. Not sure what I would have done if I was buy myself. What a mess. We need some rain.

OK, enough of my whining and back to the main programming.

 

[Lost But Happy]

I thought I had my trailer dialed in pretty good until I was trying to load the boat today. We continue with the drought. Lake is now down to that dreaded place where the ramp ends before the trailer can be backed in far enough. Concrete ends and drops off to some kind of large aggregate. Trailer sits lower on one side by so one side bunk is underwater and the other is about where it needs to be. Pretty hard to get the boat loaded. Fortunately I had some help. Not sure what I would have done if I was buy myself. What a mess. We need some rain.

OK, enough of my whining and back to the main programming.

Oh man that sucks. Yes, rain is needed everywhere!! We are not that bad here in the Midwest, but I know water levels have dropped a bit as well.

 

[airshot]

Oh man that sucks. Yes, rain is needed everywhere!! We are not that bad here in the Midwest, but I know water levels have dropped a bit as well.

A few years back, when everything was flooding it was blamed on "climate change" , now that it is dry, also climate change!! Next thing you know, ED issues will be due to climate change !!

 

[MrGiggles]

A few years back, when everything was flooding it was blamed on "climate change" , now that it is dry, also climate change!! Next thing you know, ED issues will be due to climate change !!

The whole premise behind climate change is that it makes weather more severe on both ends of the spectrum, not one or the other.

No matter which side of the argument you stand on, I think it's important to understand the counterargument from the other side.

You can't really deny climate change, the causes of which seem to be what spark the debate.

 

[LDUBS]

The whole premise behind climate change is that it makes weather more severe on both ends of the spectrum, not one or the other.

No matter which side of the argument you stand on, I think it's important to understand the counterargument from the other side.

You can't really deny climate change, the causes of which seem to be what spark the debate.

"No matter which side of the argument you stand on, I think it's important to understand the counterargument from the other side."

I agree and also the need to understand what is being done about it. For me, the voters already approved billions for water projects, and yet years pass the billions are spent and we have no new dams. Just a bunch of rich consultants.

Well, this thread is taking a turn that LostButHappy probably didn't expect. Haha.

 

[Tin Man]

Hello All

I have a quandry...My boat is 14' long and my trailer is 14' long as well. As it currently sits, the transom hangs off the back about 2'.

What is best practice in this situation?

1) Extend the tongue 2' (bolt on) and move the bow mount forward
or
2) Leave the tongue and bow mount alone and just extend the bunks rearward?
or
3) Dump the trailer and get a new one :lol:

I am currently tearing apart the trailer and painting various items and I will be purchasing new tires/wheels, bunks etc and figured I would get this sorted first before I go and procure said wheels and bunks.

Thank you kindly! :mrgreen:

A couple of pics for reference

View attachment 111607
View attachment 111606

I had a similar situation with my trailer. If you search this forum you will find my thread.

What I did:
I purchased a 4' piece of square metal tubing (3"x3"x0.125) and also purchased a Fulton swing away coupler. I ended up making the added tongue 3' and it now swings off to one side. I had the metal powder coated to match the trailer. You could do the same with a galvanized tube to match your trailer.
No welding required....coupler is bolt on and I shortened the tubing with my metal chop saw.

Once the tongue was added, I could then move the bow stop forward so bunks extend 2" beyond rear of transom. I'm going change bunks from 5' to 7' as I want more of the hull supported. The added 2' will extend forward.

As mentioned, be sure to achieve the 10%-15% of TW for best towing and safety. Perhaps a combination of tongue extension, moving bow stop forward, and longer bunks will help to achieve this.

 

[Lost But Happy]

"No matter which side of the argument you stand on, I think it's important to understand the counterargument from the other side."

I agree and also the need to understand what is being done about it. For me, the voters already approved billions for water projects, and yet years pass the billions are spent and we have no new dams. Just a bunch of rich consultants.

Well, this thread is taking a turn that LostButHappy probably didn't expect. Haha.

LOL No worries. Ill throw a couple of memes in on this subject...

 

[cyclops2]

YAWN

 

[Lost But Happy]

Thought I would revive this thread...

These stupid fenders are going to be the death of me. lol

I wanted 13" wheels to replace the 8" that came with the trailer; we will be going on fairly long trips and didn't want to cook the bearings. Sooooo I install the wheels and wound up having to buy 1.5" spacers so the wheels don't scrape the trailer.

Then I fit the fenders...

The boat is too wide to clear the inside of the fenders now.



The original bunk brackets were 6" and after much measuring, I determined the brackets needed to be a minimum 10" for the boat to clear. I purchased 12" brackets so I wouldn't be short (story of my life lol). With the new brackets, she will clear (and I can cut off any excess bracket hanging too low).

I am now at the point of drilling out my Ultimate bunk boards-2x4x6' laid flat- and install them.

My question to the esteemed members of the board is...is there any advantage to having more bunk (and therefore more boat) hanging off of the back of the trailer to make loading/unloading on crappy and unkempt ramps easier, or should I just drill the boards with an 1.5" or so past the rear trailer cross-member? My concern is she sits quite a bit high on the trailer now (to my eye-pics to follow) and it may make it difficult to unload/load the boat. FWIW I have a newer Ram with air suspension and a 4" drop hitch from Weigh Safe.

I much appreciate any insight on my bunk situation you Gents can provide.

------------------------------------------------------------

Pics on the progress for your perusal...





Full gut and paint for the trailer with all new grade 5 zinc hardware, ny-locks, led tail and running lights, the whole 9.

I used Rust-Oleum Pro 7000 cold galvanized paint. Holy moly is it expensive! $70 a quart from Zoro. So far I have used a quart and a half.






For the axle I used off the shelf brush-on oil-based Rust-Oleum in gloss black with a rusty metal primer underneath.






I used Star-brite aluminum cleaner on the boat itself the other day and it works great!




Im pretty happy with the progress so far though. Re-engineering a boat and trailer ain't as easy as people make it out to be.

 

[airshot]

Thought I would revive this thread...

These stupid fenders are going to be the death of me. lol

I wanted 13" wheels to replace the 8" that came with the trailer; we will be going on fairly long trips and didn't want to cook the bearings. Sooooo I install the wheels and wound up having to buy 1.5" spacers so the wheels don't scrape the trailer.

Then I fit the fenders...

The boat is too wide to clear the inside of the fenders now.

View attachment 114973

The original bunk brackets were 6" and after much measuring, I determined the brackets needed to be a minimum 10" for the boat to clear. I purchased 12" brackets so I wouldn't be short (story of my life lol). With the new brackets, she will clear (and I can cut off any excess bracket hanging too low).

I am now at the point of drilling out my Ultimate bunk boards-2x4x6' laid flat- and install them.

My question to the esteemed members of the board is...is there any advantage to having more bunk (and therefore more boat) hanging off of the back of the trailer to make loading/unloading on crappy and unkempt ramps easier, or should I just drill the boards with an 1.5" or so past the rear trailer cross-member? My concern is she sits quite a bit high on the trailer now (to my eye-pics to follow) and it may make it difficult to unload/load the boat. FWIW I have a newer Ram with air suspension and a 4" drop hitch from Weigh Safe.

I much appreciate any insight on my bunk situation you Gents can provide.

------------------------------------------------------------

Pics on the progress for your perusal...

View attachment 114983

View attachment 114984

Full gut and paint for the trailer with all new grade 5 zinc hardware, ny-locks, led tail and running lights, the whole 9.

I used Rust-Oleum Pro 7000 cold galvanized paint. Holy moly is it expensive! $70 a quart from Zoro. So far I have used a quart and a half.

View attachment 114981


View attachment 114974View attachment 114975

For the axle I used off the shelf brush-on oil-based Rust-Oleum in gloss black with a rusty metal primer underneath.

View attachment 114982

View attachment 114978


I used Star-brite aluminum cleaner on the boat itself the other day and it works great!

View attachment 114979View attachment 114980


Im pretty happy with the progress so far though. Re-engineering a boat and trailer ain't as easy as people make it out to be.

That all depends on experience, skills and availiable equipment to use. But, yes I can be a job!!

 

[Ray Clark]

Thanks for reviving the thread. I have a 14' Lund on a trailer that was probably made for a 12' boat. I had decided to lengthen the tongue to make launching and recovering easier. I also need to solve the underweight tongue issue. I was struggling with the "how" of the project.

3X3 square tube is easy to get, be it online, local scrap yard, or even a new iron dealer. A 2.75" square tube to insert the two pieces to be joined is more of a challenge. I have plenty of angle iron already in the shop, so this thread gave me the final piece I need to pull this off.

Welding will be done by son-in-law or my fishing buddy.

I may not do it this season, but I'll plan to pull the boat off after the season and do it then. Then I'll be able to repaint the whole trailer, flip the boat over and finally clean up the hull under the water line. New bunks, properly set, will top off the update.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Here are the pics as promised...



As it sits right now there is 4.5" of overhang.

And my question from the post above...

My question to the esteemed members of the board is...is there any advantage to having more bunk (and therefore more boat) hanging off of the back of the trailer to make loading/unloading on crappy and unkempt ramps easier, or should I just drill the boards with an 1.5" or so past the rear trailer cross-member? My concern is she sits quite a bit high on the trailer now (to my eye-pics to follow) and it may make it difficult to unload/load the boat. FWIW I have a newer Ram with air suspension and a 4" drop hitch from Weigh Safe.

I much appreciate any insight on my bunk situation you Gents can provide.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Bump. Anyone?

 

[thill]

That looks like very good work to me. With that light of a rig, you shouldn't have any problems at all.

Get it back together and ENJOY!

 

[LDUBS]

Bump. Anyone?

I'm not 100% sure I am following your question. If I'm not, the following is going to sound kind of dumb! Haha. The bunks should extend back far enough to completely support the boat's transom (maybe 1/2" to 1" beyond the transom). I guess I can conceptualize how having more bunk under water could help with loading but wonder if it would be that big a difference. And, it seems a lot of loading problems happen when the trailer is too deep, so maybe the same dynamic would apply, IDK. On those really shallow ramps, maybe put a roller in the center of the rear cross frame to help the bow over the "hump" so to speak.

Too bad the boat doesn't sit down between the new fenders. I wonder how close you are -- could you slightly reduce fender to tire clearance to gain a little? BTW, I added 1" wheel spacers so mine could sit down just a little lower.

 

[Lost But Happy]

I'm not 100% sure I am following your question. If I'm not, the following is going to sound kind of dumb! Haha. The bunks should extend back far enough to completely support the boat's transom (maybe 1/2" to 1" beyond the transom). I guess I can conceptualize how having more bunk under water could help with loading but wonder if it would be that big a difference. And, it seems a lot of loading problems happen when the trailer is too deep, so maybe the same dynamic would apply, IDK. On those really shallow ramps, maybe put a roller in the center of the rear cross frame to help the bow over the "hump" so to speak.

Too bad the boat doesn't sit down between the new fenders. I wonder how close you are -- could you slightly reduce fender to tire clearance to gain a little? BTW, I added 1" wheel spacers so mine could sit down just a little lower.

LOL nope, you understood it perfectly. I do have a roller for the rear cross member and a bow roller as well. I put the boat on the bunks (not drilled out as of yet) and I've been fooling around with placement in the past few days and as it stands, the bunks are 1" past the transom and the bunks themselves extend 6" past the rear cross-member. From the looks of it, I can lower the boat + bunks around 1" closer to the fenders (which I will be doing today-ill report back).

The trailer going too deep is what Im trying to avoid. Though the Olde Ram shouldn't have any problem dragging it out of the water.

When I installed the fenders, I gave them 3" of clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the fender. I think that may the least amount of clearance I want. Btw, I also added wheel spacers to make the new wheel/tire combo fit-1.5".

Thanks @LDUBS!