Help launching with a drive on tralier

[Fvee91]

Hi All

Recently picked up the pictured boat and am having a little trouble knowing how far to back the trailer  into the water to launch and retrieve?

 

Cheers

 

[Rey05]

trial and error mate, usually I start with the front lower lip of the wheel arches under water and go from there.

I don't like getting the cars wheels in the water, and you don't want to totally float the boat off....

 

id go to the ramp you would most use at a quiet time and practice and work out what is best for your setup.

 

 

[noelm]

What makes that trailer a "drive on"?

[the skipper]

2 hours ago, Rey05 said:

trial and error mate, usually I start with the front lower lip of the wheel arches under water and go from there.

I don't like getting the cars wheels in the water, and you don't want to totally float the boat off....

 

id go to the ramp you would most use at a quiet time and practice and work out what is best for your setup.

 

 

I didn't think drive ups had rollers ... I could be wrong.

[Rebel]

Welcome aboard.

Take somebody with you when you are launching the boat.

[Rey05]

3 hours ago, noelm said:

What makes that trailer a "drive on"?

I thought any trailer was essentially a drive on, so long as you got the centre rollers on the keel?

 

why wouldn't a roller trailer be drive on?

[noelm]

Technically I guess any trailer is a drive on, however, purpose built drive on trailers have guides that make it pretty hard to go on crooked, can't see enough of that trailer to see if it's a "drive on" or in fact just another trailer.

[Rebel]

@Fvee91

Mate,

Go to a ramp that is wide and concrete and practise. Keep an eye on the weather. No windy days.

Good luck.

Cheers.

[noelm]

Yep, trial and error on a quiet day is the best bet, it will only take a few goes before you work it out, too deep can be just as bad as too shallow.

[JonD]

There are a few variables to driving on trailers. First would be the boat ramp angle itself, not all are the same, in fact ours has a totally different angles for the high tide section compared to the low tide part.

Also where the boat is setup on the trailer in regards to its axel which will be different for different length boats and weight distribution.

A common fault when driving on is people putting their trailers in too deep which can make the first alignment difficult if the boat isn't slotting into that first section correctly. 

Ive used Ezi-boat loaders on several boats and found these to greatly help and can be fitted on most trailers. 

Depending on the ramp angle I would of thought your wheels would need to be anywhere from water just covering the top of the bearings to the top of the tyres (ramp angle depending). Take note of how high above the ground your engine sits when hitched to the vehicle which will help you get an idea where your trim should be when you drive on. 

One other point is do all of this slowly, simply putting the engine in and out of gear so that you are moving at snails pace will allow you to get very precise at loading. Take note of wind and tide direction and head into both of these dead slow putting the hard turn in when you are almost at the trailer.

If Im at my ramp at high tide with the ramp at its least angle I don't drive completely on, rather stopping about 40cm from the winch post. I have the winch cable played out about 50cm and locked. I then drive to about 40cm from the post and leave the boat running in gear while I pop up the front and hitch the winch line to the boat and then ease the throttle so the boat slips back onto the tension of the strap. I then shut the engine and wind the boat on that final bit. This is when Im alone at the low angle, at lower tides on the deeper angle I drive all the way to the post and again make my way to the front of the boat to connect the strap. 

Another tip is getting the trailer close enough to the jetty so you can simply step off the boat onto it when you are solo once the boat is hitched.

Edited December 2, 2020 by JonD

[TunaSickle]

The mechanics told me if you can have the water just below the centre cap where the bearings are your wheels will last a lot longer. A 4.3m boat is easy to do this but this one might be too big. The less water on your trailer and electrics the better.

 

[JonD]

5 hours ago, motiondave said:

I'm not sure what the mechanics are smoking, but I've never seen a trailer backed into the water where the wheel caps are above the water line. 

Same here, bearings are normally under the water a fair amount on all the boats I see using our ramp, unless they are being slid down the concrete!!!!!....it happens.

Something I like to do after driving to any ramp is let the bearings cool down a bit before dunking them underwater, which I believe many boaters also do. 

One more thing in regards to launching is leave the safety chain on until you are in enough water to release the boat. Before releasing the boat wrap the hand rope around the top of the winch post a couple of turns, then wind the winch strap out until it becomes tight on the hand rope. Once the hand rope is tight and not wrapped around anything that could catch it, release the winch strap and steadily let the boat back on the rope. 

[jeffb5.8]

On the two ramps i use, Rydalmere and Parsley Bay, I can stop just before the centre line of my wheels and launch my boat,

i usually do this after a long drive only (Such as down the freeway), to stop the cold water hitting the hot brake rotor and potentially sucking water past the seal (Quenching?)

Some ramps if they are too steep i cannot do it and i just wait a few minutes while setting up.

Retrieving is a different story as i drive on 95% of the time, then the trailer goes all in, 

 

P.s

I have the Skid trailer with the V Shape Skid at the back which means as long as I'm + / - 400mm either side of the centre roller it will catch the boat and slowly centre it before i touch the throttle and ride 4/5 of the way up the trailer. Walk through to the bow and hook on and then turn off the motor and raise it.

 

[Fishop]

On 12/6/2020 at 8:41 AM, motiondave said:

I'm not sure what the mechanics are smoking, but I've never seen a trailer backed into the water where the wheel caps are above the water line. 

I went fishing with a bloke who had a haines 635 with a 225 on the back.  Big boat and he never let either of the dual axle trailer axles into the water and had an electric winch to crank it up on the roller trailer.  😂😂

[zmk1962]

I have a haines 635 (that used to have a 225) .... and I have always had to dunk my axles and wheel hubs. Whether I drive on or use the cordless drill electric or hand wind .... were you using a steep ramp?? 

The trailer has been going strong since 2001... I have changed the original brake rotors and hubs just two weeks ago. Still run original springs. Bearings are changed around the 5yr mark - whether they're noisy or not. I run bearing buddies and keep them correctly loaded with grease. Wash the trailer down with lots of fresh water after each salt dunking. Spray the disc rotors, hubs with WD40. Spray the springs with RP7 or similar.

Cheers Zoran

Original post re cordless electric -  

 

[dunc333]

would like to see fishop. maybe a rocket launch drive down ramp hard and hit the brakes lol .have seen it done and work  and have seen boats high and dry on the ramp with no trailer underneath lol 

[JonD]

Marine bearings are sealed and should last a few a couple of years in most cases. They aren't expensive and not toobad to fit yourself. But hey you could just hit the brakes then push the boat down the concrete to save the bearings!!!... hence why I leave the safety chain on until last.

[jeffb5.8]

Just waiting for the tide to come in, she will be right

[JonD]

6 hours ago, jeffb5.8 said:

Just waiting for the tide to come in, she will be right

It's a regular occurrence especially during the holiday season. We've already had one boat tip on the bar and sink on the weekend, a few days before that one drove into the bar putting a huge hole in the boat. Conditions were good on both occasions. 

[jeffb5.8]