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Trailering my 238 Vista
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Author:  fun2bethad [ Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Trailering my 238 Vista
I've got a "new to me" 238 Vista that I've gotten on the water twice this year. My question is.....how do I get the boat all the way onto the trailer? This boat is MUCH larger and heavier than my previous Bayliner and I haven't been successful in getting the eye hook on the front of the hull to seat between the two rollers on the trailer (I'm including a photo below). As a result, the boat sits loosely on the trailer and I have to tie it down firmly for fear of it moving around too much during the ride home. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Image

Thad
Author:  erie cruiser [ Wed Jun 08, 2011 1:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
I had that problem with my 238, you have to get the trailer in deeper than you think, it should seat nicely if your in deep enuff. I used to stand in about 3ft of water while winching to get it to rest properly.
Author:  jvalich [ Wed Jun 08, 2011 1:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
You always have the option of applying a bit of power to assist the winching. Just enough to aid the person winching to get her tight to the bow stop. I have to "power" load my 288 Vista in order to get her all the way up, she is just too heavy to winch the last little bit. You do have to be careful in not getting int to deep at the ramp too. What will happen them is the stern will be floating off the bunks and then getting the stern square in the middle on the trailer can be a crap shoot especially with any wind or current.
Author:  Cap'n Morgan [ Wed Jun 08, 2011 1:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
Welcome back John !
Author:  fun2bethad [ Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
My biggest challenge is that I tend to be a solo boater. Not an issue with the Bayliner but this boat is considerably taller and heavier. The last time I tried to load it, the back of the boat was floating high enough off the bunks that the first time I pulled up the ramp, the boat sat crooked on the trailer and I had to back down the ramp, get out and reposition the boat. I will get the tall trailer guides and that should help is stay squared up on the trailer.
Author:  Obie [ Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
I have the same problem with my 255 Sundowner. Even if the boat is tight against both bow stops while in the water, when the trailer is pulled up the ramp the boat pulls away. I have considered driving about 5 MPH and hitting the breaks to get the boat further forward but concerned that the boat is too heavy to try this.
Author:  boater50 [ Sun Jun 12, 2011 8:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
I have a 96 238--and I need to back in far enough so the gunwale guides on the trailer are just below the water surface. One other thing I noticed is about your winch strap.....it is "above" the wind....my winds from "below", you know? so what that will do is put more downward force on the bow, but when you get to the part where the bow hook reaches the rollers...you really have to crank it hard. Once the hook is centered between those 2 rollers it is good to go. I also added bunk "slicks"--plastic strips screwed to the bunks which really helps in the loading and unloading of the boat....got them at Overton's.. I would highly reccomend them.
Author:  shipfaced [ Sat Jun 18, 2011 7:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
I had run into this issue last fall. you have it hooked correctly to your boat however with the boat above trailer and in the water turn the winch handle further and the rocker arm will pivot up where both rollers will make contact with the bow then attach your bow tie down and your good to go.
Shipfaced
Author:  fun2bethad [ Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
Took the wife out with me this last weekend and when we went to trailer the boat, I revved the engines a bit and tried to "drive" the boat a little farther up the trailer. No luck. I still don't seem to be able to make contact with both rollers. Even if I get close, the boat slides back a bit as I'm pulling the boat up the ramp. *sigh* Of course.....then we blew a tire on the ride home. Nothing like limping with a 6,000 lb boat on the shoulder of the highway for several miles. Fortunately we were able to save the rim and get the tire replaced.
Author:  LouC [ Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
make sure the bow roller can flex so that it can conform to the angle of the bow, which will make it easier to get it all the way up.
Something concerns me, I do not see a safety chain, there should be one in case the strap breaks.
In addition, I have a chain and shackle that goes from the bow eye down to the trailer frame, that keeps the bow from bouncing up and down and in combination with the safety chain and rear straps, is a very safe hold down system. A boat as heavy as that should have all three....safety chain, shackle, rear straps...
Author:  jnizi [ Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
When we trailered our FW, we had the same issue. The bow eye would always catch on the lower roller. We devised a strap to hold the roller in place as we drove it up and this solved our issue. We did find that angle on the ramp was important and being too deep or too shallow.

Image
Image

The strap as show would slide as the boat makes contact but holds the roller assembly at the proper angle long enough to get the bow eye between the two rollers. We just used a ratcheting strap with steel hooks.
Author:  fun2bethad [ Wed Jun 29, 2011 12:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
LouC wrote:
make sure the bow roller can flex so that it can conform to the angle of the bow, which will make it easier to get it all the way up.
Something concerns me, I do not see a safety chain, there should be one in case the strap breaks.
In addition, I have a chain and shackle that goes from the bow eye down to the trailer frame, that keeps the bow from bouncing up and down and in combination with the safety chain and rear straps, is a very safe hold down system. A boat as heavy as that should have all three....safety chain, shackle, rear straps...



OK....took a long time to look over the bow rollers and the front of the trailer and there is NOWHERE to attach a safety chain. I tried to be as creative as I thought the engineers might be but I literally couldn't come of with a single attachment point. Does anyone have this trailer with a chain in place?
Author:  Obie [ Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
I have a high-strength chain loop between the bow eye and the winch post. The chain ends are connected to the boat with a heavy link that screws shut. Both the chain and the link are rated for over 5,000 lbs. I wrap the chain in foam pipe insulation to keep it from scratching the paint. On a recent trip, the separate nylon trailering strap between the bow eye and the trailer eye broke because of the bouncing between the boat and the trailer. The only thing holding the boat on the trailer was the bow chain. A bow chain is a cheap investment, easy to install, and parts available at Home Depot. The only problem is that under normal trailering I have three hooks into the bow eye: the chain, the electric winch strap, and the separate trailering strap.
Author:  97_245_sd [ Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trailering my 238 Vista
I did the same thing with a pre-made safety chain made for a tow hitch. On my trailer there is a flange with a hole at the bottom of the winch post for tie-down.
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