Centering boat on bunks - too deep? too shallow?

threelapfancy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:51 pm **Posts:** 25

Hi everyone. To my own regret sometimes, I am a self admitted perfectionist.

Anyways, my boat is a 2014 H190, Four Winns OEM trailer. 2 bunks total.

About 50% of the time I can get the boat on the bunks perfectly, and the boat rests centered on the trailer. The other 50% of the time it is favoring 2-3" towards one side.

It's really not a problem, the boat does not hit the fenders, or anything like that, but, I'd prefer to have it centered.

So, currently, I back the trailer in and leave about 4-6" of the bunk tips above the water, drive on, power load to the roller, attach bow strap and crank tight. The bow is always perfectly centered in the roller, but the rest of the boat is not always centered between the fenders.

Anyways, do you think my problem may be that I have too much of the bunk tips exposed? Not enough of the bunk tips exposed? Any other ideas?

The ramps I frequent are very nice, concrete, and level ramps, and from what I can tell the same amount of bunk tip is exposed on both sides when I back the trailer in.

Thanks everyone.

Steve

Berger · **Posted:** Wed Oct 01, 2014 7:31 pm

Can't say for sure, but I bet the power loading may be causing most of your issues due to prop torque. The 4-6" of bunk left out of the water appears about right, but I would recommend not power loading if you want it centered every time, the first time around. I get off the boat at the ramp dock, take my bow line and pull the boat up on the trailer as far as I can, then I attach my trailer strap and winch it up the rest of the way. I'm never more then 1" off center, which is very rare. On the occassion I am off a little, the boat will settle and center itself by the time I get home anyway.

robopath · **Joined:** Thu Aug 29, 2013 10:34 am **Posts:** 35

Hi Steve, I think part of the problem is that our boats have a very small tolerance between the hull and the fenders. Mine is exactly 1 inch on both sides when perfectly centered. I stressed about the first few times, now I only do when taking a long road trip. When it's crooked a little, I noticed the boat actually sits above the fender so I don't think they are in danger on hitting. Depending on the ramp, I get the fenders just under water and then winch up about 2-3 feet. If it's dead calm its easy, but any wind makes it frustrating.

fi.na.tine · **Posted:** Wed Oct 01, 2014 10:25 pm

I have an H180 and I have the same problem. I will be installing some trailer guides this winter - which according to another H180 owner I met - was the solution to the problem.

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Thu Oct 02, 2014 2:15 am

Berger wrote:

I bet the power loading may be causing most of your issues due to prop torque.

^This. Power loading is frowned upon here, because it washes out the end of the ramp and causes muddy water at the docks where peeps swim and fish. Do you always launch/recover alone? Like Berger, I walk mine up to the trailer, attach bow eye strap, crank it up to roller, then have the admiral on a stern line help center, she gives me the OK when it is centered and I drive away. The times when I'm alone, I have to judge when it is centered by eyeing the side rails of trailer in relation to the stern. Usually it works great, but waves/wake can make it a pain.

babbot1 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:46 pm **Posts:** 570

Its tricky to say how your trailer is designed. My last 17' had a "custom" trailer. The bunks were just outside the chines so if it was off I would wobble the boat the best I could until it fell in between.
Before you spend the $$ try putting the trailer in just enough to walk the boat about 4-5 feet from where it is going to be on the trailer. For me it was when the water was just over the trailer wheels. then crank up the rest. You should be able to get it straight from walking it up and it shouldn't be a back breaker to crank. If it is go a little deeper and try again. In this case the guides would help but if you power load and it is crooked it is going to stay crooked.
One other trick that may or may not work is when you tie down start with the side that is higher. You may be able to pull the boat a little straighter. All depends on how the straps are attached too.
I think trial an error will help, plus the excuse to get out of the house and out on the water.

FrenzyLenz · **Posted:** Thu Oct 02, 2014 4:57 pm

NiagaraChillin wrote:

Berger wrote:

I bet the power loading may be causing most of your issues due to prop torque.

^This. Power loading is frowned upon here, because it washes out the end of the ramp and causes muddy water at the docks where peeps swim and fish. Do you always launch/recover alone? Like Berger, I walk mine up to the trailer, attach bow eye strap, crank it up to roller, then have the admiral on a stern line help center, she gives me the OK when it is centered and I drive away. The times when I'm alone, I have to judge when it is centered by eyeing the side rails of trailer in relation to the stern. Usually it works great, but waves/wake can make it a pain.

Not usually a "power loader", but over the past couple of years, I've gone through two winch straps because as I wind the boat in, the strap comes off center on the winch and starts to rub on the sharp outer edge of the wheel. With that much tension on the strap, it almost immediately starts to fray and tear. I've started to have my wife power the boat onto the trailer so that I can take the tension off of the strap and NOT tear it.

Any advice on keeping the strap centered? I've already tried hooking the bow eye in the opposite direction.

ric · **Posted:** Thu Oct 02, 2014 5:35 pm

Power loading? Shame on you.

It's called a "float on" trailer for a reason. Get to know the trailer, usually just leave a few inches of the bunk out of the water and you can idle right on, not even "winch" the winch strap but maybe once. Drive away and it's on the trailer perfect.

If you gotta goose the gas to get on the trailer, then winch like there's no tomorrow... you're doing it wrong. Put the trailer deeper in the water.

If current is a problem, get some trailer guides.

FrenzyLenz · **Posted:** Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:31 pm

Don't think that you understand what I'm talking about. I've got the trailer in perfectly and my wife glides on the trailer until its on the bunks. It's that last 3-4 feet to get the bow up onto the stop. When I crank the winch, the nylon strap seems to want to pull off to the right side of the winch until it starts rubbing on the larger sides (which has a relatively sharp edge). Over time the strap starts to fray and cut. I've gone through two straps in two seasons.

I've had the wife power a little bit so that I don't have to pull that last 3-4 feet with the winch strap...which I don't want to do, but I'm getting tired of replacing the torn strap.

The winch is aligned straight, so I don't know why it pulls off to the side.

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Fri Oct 03, 2014 1:56 am

FrenzyLenz wrote:

It's that last 3-4 feet to get the bow up onto the stop.

I think your prob could be remedied by backing the trailer in another 2-3 feet, that way you won't have the 3-4 feet of strap played out, and in theory, it wont pull to the sides. I walk my boat onto the trailer until it is about 1-2 feet from bow roller, attached the strap, crank about half dozen times, and its snug.

ric · **Posted:** Fri Oct 03, 2014 6:10 am

3-4ft??

Yeah, the trailer isn't deep enough. I winch my boat maybe 6in. Back the trailer in the water more. A lot of new boat trailers are not even coming with winches anymore, they're pointless and useless on a float on trailer if you're doing things correctly.

babbot1 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:46 pm **Posts:** 570

Your winch may be slightly off center. If it always pushes to one side try to adjust it so it rolls perfectly center.
Also, you need a little tension on the boat to keep it centered. You can't float it all the way to the bow stop because when you drive the trailer out of the water the boat moves and that's what causes the off center. I had a true float on trailer for my first boat. it was the worst setup ever. It didn't have a winch and you really need that winch on some of the ramps out there. Not all ramps are created equal. But the winch should be easy to crank. Back down the ramp a little more and keep testing.

Berger · **Posted:** Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:24 am

I agree, sounds like your winch is not centered. Mine wasn't centered at all, but with some persuasion, I was able to bend the post in a near centered location. Also, if the strap starts to bind up to one side. Stop winching, back it off a little to remove the tension and re-center the strap back on the winch. You may need to do that procedures several times as you winch it up, but that will help. I was doing that constantly until I finally straightened up the position of the winch itself. Problem solved. However, this issue never caused my boat not to be centered on the trailer though. It was just more of an annoyance that slowed me up a bit having to stop, re-center the strap and then begin to winch up again.

rpengr · **Posted:** Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:56 am

I would also shorten the strap when you put a new one on the winch. You don't need more than 10-12 feet on there. The less strap on the winch, the more stable the spool of strap stays (and also, the more leverage you have because of the smaller spool diameter).

I replaced my strap with a 10,000# strap, and only installed about 12' of it for a 24' boat.

fi.na.tine · **Posted:** Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:20 pm

If your winch reel is sharp, why not grind it and round it off? My current strap has a small spot of wear, and is also on the list for replacement this winter. However - I think I will round off the reel while it is off to prevent the wear in the future.

www.iFourWinns.com

Centering boat on bunks - too deep? too shallow?

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