Trailer setup

[Hanker]

There's a post in "whatever you want to talk about" (White Wedding), that has me a little concerned. Flatracer brought up that his trailer may cause a hook in the bottom. My trailer setup is exactly the same.

Anyone have a good article, or any info on setting up a trailer correctly for a pecticuliar boat. I have found lots on tongue wieght, but nothing on properly supporting the hull.

I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering.

Thanks

Rob

[RickR]

I feel the beams (I or channel) should go all the way to the tramsom and the bunks should run past the transom a few inches.
A tandem will also offer more support for an 18 Classic.
A Rolls trailer must be special ordered to be set up this way.
http://www.donzi.net/photos/rryan19wheels.jpg

[Hanker]

Thanks Rick, but what I am concerned about is the support for the bunks. Flatracer pointed out that the last bunk support was just under the Donzi name. And that the bunks extended pass the end of the trailer, without support. He was saying that the bunk will bow without the support. And I think he might be right - there's a lot of weight after the N in Donzi (about 3+ feet, mine extends further than the photo).

http://www.donzi.net/photos/Trailer.jpg

I have experience bowing a hull with an incorrect trailer in the past. So, I'm thinking about selling this excellent trailer to an 18 owner (I have Poodles old 22), and buy a new one. Haven't talked to Poodle about this yet - he may think I'm nuts, wouldn't be the first time. BTW, I've know Scott for way too long, this does not reflect on badly on him. This is the trailer from his new Criterion, and is excellent. I'm just not sure it is the best fit for a 22.

Is there something else I can use for bunks, that wouldn't bow? I saw some other material somewhere the other day - just can't remember what or where (I've noticed this forgetfullness a lot lately).

All input would be appreciated.

Rob

[Hanker]

Just talked to Poodle (somewhere in Joegia). He agrees, something we need to fix.

Any ideas on aluminium bunks?

[harbormaster]

Poodle and I had spoke before I bought my aluminum trailer and he was adamant about the trailer extending to the transom. The trailer guy was sorta surprised at my request but had no problem complying.

[FlatRacer, aka BarrelBack]

Here's what I was told by the guy who rigged my raceboat: Fiberglass never stops curing. Obviously, most of the curing is done in the mold, of course, but the resin is always getting harder, more brittle, year by year. With the raceboat it was crucial, especially in the early years to have a properly fitted trailer under it. In fact, I was told to remove any intermediate supports under the bunks (leaving only the front and rear) as they could put a depression in the bottom.
The other thing that was crucial was to not leave the engine in the boat for extended periods (within reason of course), so out it comes every fall.
The third thing was that when a fiberglass hull encounters temperatures HIGHER than what they were when it was laid up, say over 100 degrees, it begins to "cure" again and will conform somewhat to the shape of the trailer bunks and generally be affected by whatever stresses are acting upon it. For this reason I was also advised NOT to crank down tight on the tie-down straps when securing the hull to the trailer for transport, and to loosen them whenever the rig wasn't on the move.
Now, keep in mind the raceboat's bare hull is only 450 lbs., and it's more or less built to be "disposable", so it's far more sensitive to these factors than a Donzi which is built to last. Still, the principles remain the same for all fiberglass hulls.
Don't panic, though. Whatever warpage may have occurred is sure to be negligible, and any performance lost is surely not worth the expense of having the bottom blueprinted. However, I would look to eventually replace a questionable trailer. Roller trailers are a definite no-no, and bunk trailers where the bunks hang off the back of the frame are not 100% either. The perfect trailer rigging would be one in which the bunks extend to the transom and are mounted to the rear trailer crossmember which is directly under the transom of the boat. If the boat's bottom configuration (strake placement) allows for it, the inner pair of bunks should have the same distance between them as the stringers inside the boat, so that they sit directly under the stringers thereby supporting the weight of the engine without calling on the fiberglass bottom to do so. The outer pair of bunks should bear little weight and be there only for anti-rocking stability.

FR :p

[Cuda]

Hankersea, I have some big cypress beams that you are welcome to have. I had them when we were building trailers a couple years ago.