Centering boat on trailer during loading

On a previous boat (one that's not listed in my signature), I bought a longer PVC pole from Home Depot for the reasons mentioned above. I didn't have a "boo-boo" to begin with, but they just didn't look long enough to me to avoid that exact scenario. Every once in a while I "think ahead"... :smt001

KHE, you can, of course, do the same trick with winch it on, back the trailer in a little, winch it on, etc. without the engine running. Remember when you adjust those PVC poles for width that your boat is widest at the windshield. But, you don't need to adjust them that far out - the poles have some flex in them. I would adjust them so the poles are almost touching at the stern and they fine tune from there, if need be.
 
The one thing I have not seen mentioned that will ensure that the boat is loaded straight is front guide bunks. I have the poles on my trailer as well as front bunks. The poles do absolutely nothing other than allow me to see the trailer when backing up. With the front bunks I can bring the boat onto the trailer at quite an angle and as long as the boat is between the front bunks it will straighten out perfectly every time.
 
If I was going to keep this boat I would buy a combination trailer with bunks in the back and rollers up front. I think that's the perfect combination to load it then support it on bunks at the back when trailering
 
I wonder if it is even possible to winch a boat (which weighs several thousand pounds) on a bunk trailer. Guessing you have to either float it on or power it on.
 
Westie said:
The one thing I have not seen mentioned that will ensure that the boat is loaded straight is front guide bunks. I have the poles on my trailer as well as front bunks. The poles do absolutely nothing other than allow me to see the trailer when backing up. With the front bunks I can bring the boat onto the trailer at quite an angle and as long as the boat is between the front bunks it will straighten out perfectly every time.
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Can you post a photo of your trailer with the boat on it? I'd like to see your setup. Thanks.
 
Westie said:
The one thing I have not seen mentioned that will ensure that the boat is loaded straight is front guide bunks. I have the poles on my trailer as well as front bunks. The poles do absolutely nothing other than allow me to see the trailer when backing up. With the front bunks I can bring the boat onto the trailer at quite an angle and as long as the boat is between the front bunks it will straighten out perfectly every time.
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The guide poles, if set up correctly, do a great job of keeping the stern centered... but as you're referencing, they don't do anything for the bow as the boat can still 'yaw' withing the poles. BUT, he's got the bow under control because he's winching in, which is constantly pulling the bow to center. As the boat gets further into the bunks, it will only get better and better (more centered). But, of course, you can't go wrong with more bunks. But they really aren't going to help him until he gets further onto the trailer - until then, he's going to need the poles to keep the boat in place so the stern doesn't float away. Remember, he's got to manually winch it all the way - he can't can't power load.
 
FootballFan said:
I wonder if it is even possible to winch a boat (which weighs several thousand pounds) on a bunk trailer. Guessing you have to either float it on or power it on.
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I can promise you that there is no way I could winch mine on. If you had a winch with a low enough gear ratio, it would pull the winch stand completely off I think.

Bennett
 
What's every ones definition of power load? He should be able to drive/coast the boat onto the trailer to within a couple feet at least. It's when the boat stops and then the operator applies throttle to force the boat the rest of the way or leaves the motor in gear while hooking up, that is the destructive part.

It can vary a little ramp to ramp but generally speaking I always completely submerge the bunks. I drive the boat on it and shut it off, usually get within a foot or so of the stop, if I come in hot sometimes I'm right up to it. I crank the rest of the way, if it cranks a little too hard I back it in some more. When I pull out I do it real slow, sometimes even stop, letting the boat find center on it's own. This worked for me on my 200BR, 270SD, and 280DA.
 
Woody said:
It's when the boat stops and then the operator applies throttle to force the boat the rest of the way or leaves the motor in gear while hooking up, that is the destructive part.
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This is how I do it. Sometimes I need to give a lot of throttle to get it snug against the bow stopper then I leave it in gear until I strap. I don't leave it screaming at 3000 rpms or anything crazy...just enough to keep me in place while I lean over and strap but it takes no more than 5 seconds to snug it, strap it and drop back to neutral. It's all about having a system.
 
Woody said:
What's every ones definition of power load? He should be able to drive/coast the boat onto the trailer to within a couple feet at least. It's when the boat stops and then the operator applies throttle to force the boat the rest of the way or leaves the motor in gear while hooking up, that is the destructive part.

It can vary a little ramp to ramp but generally speaking I always completely submerge the bunks. I drive the boat on it and shut it off, usually get within a foot or so of the stop, if I come in hot sometimes I'm right up to it. I crank the rest of the way, if it cranks a little too hard I back it in some more. When I pull out I do it real slow, sometimes even stop, letting the boat find center on it's own. This worked for me on my 200BR, 270SD, and 280DA.
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For me, power loading was idle forward, starting up on the bunks. When idle did not move the boat forward anymore, increase the power on both engines until the boat pushed up the rest of the way until the bow was snug in the bow holder.

At that point, engines went back to neutral. On that particular boat, the engines stayed on until the Jet's were out of the water, then a quick advance of the throttles to blow the water out as the trailer was coming out the water. Total time the engines ran out of the water - 5 seconds.

I did not have to leave the engines in gear to hold the boat in place - it was not moving.

One note, the ability to float a boat all the way up on the trailer is very dependent on the slope of the ramp. I have been on some ramps where I just did not feel comfortable backing the truck any further in the water than it was - and some of the bunks were still shallow.

A steep ramp - very easy to get the trailer deep enough. Less steep - can be an issue getting the trailer deep enough.
 
Tonka Boater said:
It's all about having a system.
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Yes it is. Most trailer boaters only have one system, power loading. They get to our launches and can't figure out what to do. Lol

It really is easy, safe for equipment and people, all while feeling civilized to skip power loading if you have the proper type of dock/ramp configuration. (A tie up dock beside every ramp.)

MM
 
I think the question is not what WE think powerloading is, but more importantly, what the guy with the blue light thinks and what type of day he has been having.
 
Woody said:
In this video nothing destructive is happening until about .06, from then on is what I consider power loading and damaging to some ramps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVJ2eBofTyg
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Unfortunately it doesn't work to have a subjective rule, regulation, or law where ones power loading is not destructive while anothers is. The regulations in western Michigan are no power loading, strictly enforced.

Yes, the folks with blue lights are there a lot. Ever see a cop on a 4 wheeler pull over a boat? I did. Lol

MM
 
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Woody said:
In this video nothing destructive is happening until about .06, from then on is what I consider power loading and damaging to some ramps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVJ2eBofTyg
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That is definitely power loading....I have done it all of my life, but never had to push it that hard...Had he backed the trailer in another 3 feet or so, he would have had it first try. All of our ramps here are concrete. In the past 35 years, I have never launched a boat that was not on a concrete ramp. It is a "way of life here."

Bennett
 
We have concrete ramps in West Michigan but we're on a huge sand dune - the ramps don't go far enough into the water that the prop wash won't undercut the sand at the end of the concrete and then cause the concrete to settle.
 
bbwhitejr said:
That is definitely power loading....I have done it all of my life, but never had to push it that hard...Had he backed the trailer in another 3 feet or so, he would have had it first try. All of our ramps here are concrete. In the past 35 years, I have never launched a boat that was not on a concrete ramp. It is a "way of life here."

Bennett
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Same here.... we have concrete ramps and that video is a normal day on our lakes. Nothing in that video made me cringe or shocked me.
 
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