Gary Lewis Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 Had a bit of fiasco with the boat/truck today. Found out I can't safely launch it at my city's boat ramp due to it being too shallow: We backed it up a few feet into the water, but past that the concrete gives way to river bed. And with an RWD truck that's not going to work unless I want to end up in a youtube compilation. Long story short, I either need a lower/roller trailer (good luck, anything better enough to be worth buying is hard to find or $$$$ as I'm coming to discover) or a beefier tow rig with 4WD (which would likely be the end of the F150, as such would also be $$$$ and I refuse to take a car loan). We barely made the last place work. Very frustrating. There is a ramp that's across the river/bridge that's also free but it has no dock. No good for a boat of my size unless the truck driver stays on land or drives across the bridge to the other dock. Edit- apparently they make bunk slicks that can help with this... may be what I need to do. My bunks aren't in great shape anyway so not a terrible idea. I think you said on FB that you tried using reverse in the boat from the deepest spot you thought you could go and that didn't work either. Right? And you waded in and checked to see that you had the back tires of the truck as far in as you dared go? Obviously you don't want to drop off the concrete as you might not be able to recover. Is the river at its normal height for this time of year? If so then you might consider mods to the trailer. First, is the axle above or below the springs? If below you could put it above and gain an couple of inches. Second, see if you can adjust the bunks down. Some trailers have them welded but some are adjustable. If yours are adjustable then support the boat on the keel and bring the bunks down as low as you can go w/o the boat hitting the trailer as you bring it back on. Maybe you have a center roller that prevents the boat's bow from hitting the trailer. Third, if the trailer is sound consider replacing the bunks with rollers. That will reduce the friction so you might be able to roll the boat off the trailer. But any of these mods will make the outdrive lower so you'll have to be careful not to hit it on the river bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted June 29 Author Share Posted June 29 I think you said on FB that you tried using reverse in the boat from the deepest spot you thought you could go and that didn't work either. Right? And you waded in and checked to see that you had the back tires of the truck as far in as you dared go? Obviously you don't want to drop off the concrete as you might not be able to recover. Is the river at its normal height for this time of year? If so then you might consider mods to the trailer. First, is the axle above or below the springs? If below you could put it above and gain an couple of inches. Second, see if you can adjust the bunks down. Some trailers have them welded but some are adjustable. If yours are adjustable then support the boat on the keel and bring the bunks down as low as you can go w/o the boat hitting the trailer as you bring it back on. Maybe you have a center roller that prevents the boat's bow from hitting the trailer. Third, if the trailer is sound consider replacing the bunks with rollers. That will reduce the friction so you might be able to roll the boat off the trailer. But any of these mods will make the outdrive lower so you'll have to be careful not to hit it on the river bottom. Yes. But there are better solutions. Two options I'm exploring (after being given some words of wisdom on the other forum) are bunk slicks and a hitch extension. https://bunkglides.com/products/54-trailer-bunkslide?variant=45163934187800 https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/trailers-towing/hitches-receivers/hitch-adaptors/hitch-extender-with-step-97685.html Not sure on flipping the trailer axles as I'd be rubbing tires on the structural (step) fenders and I can't raise the fenders much without hitting the boat. The only reason the original trailer was low is that it was also wide. Keel is already on the rollers... so it can't go lower... but since there are 4 bunks all in the back, I can probably remove them one at a time to install slicks without having to get the boat off the trailer, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 Yes. But there are better solutions. Two options I'm exploring (after being given some words of wisdom on the other forum) are bunk slicks and a hitch extension. https://bunkglides.com/products/54-trailer-bunkslide?variant=45163934187800 https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/trailers-towing/hitches-receivers/hitch-adaptors/hitch-extender-with-step-97685.html Not sure on flipping the trailer axles as I'd be rubbing tires on the structural (step) fenders and I can't raise the fenders much without hitting the boat. The only reason the original trailer was low is that it was also wide. Keel is already on the rollers... so it can't go lower... but since there are 4 bunks all in the back, I can probably remove them one at a time to install slicks without having to get the boat off the trailer, right? I hadn't heard about the bunk glides, but they would make a huge difference. And the hitch extension might get the boat back far enough, but I don't know if I'd want to drive very far with it on. Just don't know how solid it would be. If your bunks are adjustable then you might be able to remove them one at a time and put the glides on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBrother-84 Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 Two options I'm exploring (after being given some words of wisdom on the other forum) are bunk slicks and a hitch extension. https://bunkglides.com/products/54-trailer-bunkslide?variant=45163934187800 Larry, there is also this kind of bulk slide sold in roll, but I don’t know if it is as slippery as the rigid ones. Keel is already on the rollers... so it can't go lower... but since there are 4 bunks all in the back, I can probably remove them one at a time to install slicks without having to get the boat off the trailer, right? Not sure this is a good idea… Last time I tried to work on the trailer while keeping the boat on was almost a disaster. I’ll never try this again… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted June 29 Author Share Posted June 29 Two options I'm exploring (after being given some words of wisdom on the other forum) are bunk slicks and a hitch extension. https://bunkglides.com/products/54-trailer-bunkslide?variant=45163934187800 Larry, there is also this kind of bulk slide sold in roll, but I don’t know if it is as slippery as the rigid ones. Keel is already on the rollers... so it can't go lower... but since there are 4 bunks all in the back, I can probably remove them one at a time to install slicks without having to get the boat off the trailer, right? Not sure this is a good idea… Last time I tried to work on the trailer while keeping the boat on was almost a disaster. I’ll never try this again… Per a recheck the bunks aren't serviceable after all. And I'd need 1.5 of the sets of the linked pieces since two bunks are 4' and the other two are 8'. I read silicone spray helps so that may be something to do the next time the boat is off. I'm reading mixed things about the hitch extension... I only went with 12" but some places say they're no good for anything but the ramp. Which is not so good since the main parking lot is also a ramp! I'm skeptical of using the extension just from home to the local ramp as I do have to drive around town on a 55mph highway to get to the ramp. I'm too chicken to try it as I don't want to lose the truck and trailer because it fishtailed going down a hill at high speed. Yet I see pictures and reports of people using such extensions for even heavier boats without issue... Side note: There is a quick and direct route down a different hill that'll get me to the ramp very quickly, but literally burnt my brakes the one time I tried- to make the corners I had to ride the pedal and as a result I smelled them for a while after and had a lot of fade... not doing that again, at least not without a brake upgrade to the truck or trailer. I'll probably take the extension back off (and shorten the chains to match)... I only spent $26 on the extension/pin and I'll have it if I need it. I guess I could stop somewhere downtown and rehitch the truck there if I really want to use it, as annoying as it is. I'm told I used the wrong part of the ramp to launch... as there is a section marked "no parking launch only" that apparently has grooved concrete with no ledge. That'll allow me to back up further. Stinks because that negates the benefit of being able to pull up straight to park, but we'll deal with it, even if that means the boat has to be docked while I fetch the truck as my wife doesn't have the coordination to back a trailer any distance I'm coming to find out (trying to teach her, but she can't understand "steer with the bottom of the wheel to point the trailer" or any other way of explaining the concept. I hope this isn't too much of a word salad... I'm pretty frustrated as it seems no matter what I do it's the wrong solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 Per a recheck the bunks aren't serviceable after all. And I'd need 1.5 of the sets of the linked pieces since two bunks are 4' and the other two are 8'. I read silicone spray helps so that may be something to do the next time the boat is off. I'm reading mixed things about the hitch extension... I only went with 12" but some places say they're no good for anything but the ramp. Which is not so good since the main parking lot is also a ramp! I'm skeptical of using the extension just from home to the local ramp as I do have to drive around town on a 55mph highway to get to the ramp. I'm too chicken to try it as I don't want to lose the truck and trailer because it fishtailed going down a hill at high speed. Yet I see pictures and reports of people using such extensions for even heavier boats without issue... Side note: There is a quick and direct route down a different hill that'll get me to the ramp very quickly, but literally burnt my brakes the one time I tried- to make the corners I had to ride the pedal and as a result I smelled them for a while after and had a lot of fade... not doing that again, at least not without a brake upgrade to the truck or trailer. I'll probably take the extension back off (and shorten the chains to match)... I only spent $26 on the extension/pin and I'll have it if I need it. I guess I could stop somewhere downtown and rehitch the truck there if I really want to use it, as annoying as it is. I'm told I used the wrong part of the ramp to launch... as there is a section marked "no parking launch only" that apparently has grooved concrete with no ledge. That'll allow me to back up further. Stinks because that negates the benefit of being able to pull up straight to park, but we'll deal with it, even if that means the boat has to be docked while I fetch the truck as my wife doesn't have the coordination to back a trailer any distance I'm coming to find out (trying to teach her, but she can't understand "steer with the bottom of the wheel to point the trailer" or any other way of explaining the concept. I hope this isn't too much of a word salad... I'm pretty frustrated as it seems no matter what I do it's the wrong solution. Just take it one step at a time. Try the other part of the ramp, and it may solve the problem. And Jennifer may be ok with pulling the truck and trailer up into a parking spot but not backing up. Tell her that's what Janey did, just pulled up into the parking spot. But I agree about the extension - it isn't something I'd want on when traveling at speed. Put it on in the parking lot if you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted July 1 Author Share Posted July 1 Just take it one step at a time. Try the other part of the ramp, and it may solve the problem. And Jennifer may be ok with pulling the truck and trailer up into a parking spot but not backing up. Tell her that's what Janey did, just pulled up into the parking spot. But I agree about the extension - it isn't something I'd want on when traveling at speed. Put it on in the parking lot if you need it. Which is what I did yesterday. Extension + correct part of the ramp made the difference. Had personal (idiot) issues with docking but otherwise it was a good outing. Ran about 50 miles or so according to the GPS odometer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 Which is what I did yesterday. Extension + correct part of the ramp made the difference. Had personal (idiot) issues with docking but otherwise it was a good outing. Ran about 50 miles or so according to the GPS odometer. Congrat's! Glad you figured out how to get on the water, safely. As for dumb mistakes, I've had more then my share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 Which is what I did yesterday. Extension + correct part of the ramp made the difference. Had personal (idiot) issues with docking but otherwise it was a good outing. Ran about 50 miles or so according to the GPS odometer. That's great! And good job! I had someone tell me driving a boat is like driving a car. Not to me. It's a learning curve as you go. Keep at it. I would be concerned about doing things right and knowing the rules of the water. We were beached with another family and our kids and we watched a guy put his boat on the trailer, (the most expensive boat on the lake IMO), pull up the launch ramp and the boat slid off the trailer and landed on the outdrive. He forgot to secure the boat to the trailer, a costly mistake. You'll be fine! Edit, I forgot. As we watched that unfold, my friend says what are you so worried about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 That's great! And good job! I had someone tell me driving a boat is like driving a car. Not to me. It's a learning curve as you go. Keep at it. I would be concerned about doing things right and knowing the rules of the water. We were beached with another family and our kids and we watched a guy put his boat on the trailer, (the most expensive boat on the lake IMO), pull up the launch ramp and the boat slid off the trailer and landed on the outdrive. He forgot to secure the boat to the trailer, a costly mistake. You'll be fine! Edit, I forgot. As we watched that unfold, my friend says what are you so worried about? ^^^ Why the first thing I do once the boat is within reach is hook the winch to the bow eye. Even if I have to back the truck up a few times to walk the boat on the trailer, as long as the strap is hooked (and the winch doesn't break), it's not going too far and can be retrieved somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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