Why I don't like my Rolls and how I have tried to "fix" it a bit...

[Lenny]

Scot Van A has "prodded" me into relaying some of the troubles I encountered with this trailer and a DONZI 18. Seems like a hot topic lately. Anyways, without slandering, I will try to show some things that would help in its' design for use on these boats.

THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO SLAG THEM, ONLY MY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND TO POINT OUT SOME ISSUES WITH THESE HULLS.

First, of issue to me is the length. I have the Model 1935S, good for 3070 pounds and a larger boat than the 18. As you can see, the end of the boat is unprotected, hangs out over the bunks for over 30". Why not run the aluminum I-beam back a bit more, add an additional cross member and beef it up a bit? http://www.donzi.net/photos/00510009.JPG

The front cross member and its' adjustability don't even come close to supporting the boat. In fact, they create a wedge that jams the hull between the two bunks. I had this welded and made up to help here. It is perfect. When the time comes for something different, I will simply remake the front support to accomodate it.
http://www.donzi.net/photos/bunks.jpg

Also, I added a keel roller so that it is a little nicer than driving over the carpet and offers some support under the hull as opposed to letting it twist side to side. http://www.donzi.net/photos/00510018.JPG
http://www.donzi.net/photos/00510019.JPG

Then I added this piece of 3/4" polystyrene so that it is impossible to drive on and get out of whack. It will make the boat fall on top of the keel roller and align you so that you can drive forward and hit the bow stop and also be locked between the carpeted supports.

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

http://www.donzi.net/photos/00510022.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/00510023.jpg

Then, to get the bunks to fit the rear perfectly, I had 2" aluminum machined in 1/16" increments, 1/2" hole, in order to get a perfect rake to the bunks. http://www.donzi.net/photos/00520005.jpg

Keep in mind I have an overhead hoist in use here and have raised and lowered it about 20 times. The fit is perfect with what I have to work with.

Everything on the winch stand is in the most forward position and you can see how close the winch handle is to hitting the bolts that hold the winch to the stand. It is like an 1/8". Also I had to cut about 6 inches off the stand support so that it didn't hang down towards the ground and redrilled it. Watch the fingers. http://www.donzi.net/photos/00510016.JPG

I do not like this style of winch, maybe it is just me. http://www.donzi.net/photos/00510017.JPG


Below is from their website and my comments.

Quote:
Stainless Safety Cables and Hooks

These were NOT(and still not) on mine

Quote:
4" x 6" Carpeted Cypress Bunks Adjustable Spacing in 2" increments, Angle 0° to 30°

NOT enough and additional spacers are required to be made in order to get it to accept the hull perfectly. Also, once you get the rake desired for supporting the hull, the long bolts have to be "tweaked" as in they get a long curve in them to compensate for the angle. This keeps the nut from sitting flat against the underside of the "C" channel and SS being brittle, you can snap a bolt once you get the required angle. Been there...:rolleyes"
http://www.donzi.net/photos/bunkadjuster.jpg

Quote:
Front Adjustable V Guide With Carpeted Cypress Bunk Boards

BARELY ADJUSTABLE, not even remotely close for the entry on a DONZI. Here is how mine looks now.
http://www.donzi.net/photos/goodbunk.jpg

Quote:
Tripod Design Winch Stand for Ultimate Strength

It does wobble a bit to Port and Starboard and all that secures it is two small "L" angles and the raker supports back. There is a lot of lateral movement due to having to bring an 18' footer so far forward and you lose the support by the trailer width on the two angled back tubular supports since now there is only about a foot between them.
http://www.donzi.net/photos/support.jpg

Quote:
3,000 lb. Tongue Jack Milled into the Center of the Main I Beams

IT is a pain to remove wheel when trailering and if your hitch is low you can't get it off without help...you have to raise it enough to get it on top of the ball, then lower it on top, then keep lowering it to the point where there is enough room underneath to pull the wheel off the shaft. Then reverse all this again. A swing-away is ten times easier.

Quote:
4" x 6" Carpeted Cypress Bunks Adjustable Spacing in 2" increments, Angle 0° to 30°

On the innermost hole locations front and back they should be on 1" increments to get inside the inner strakes nicely. Being that they are on 2" centers and you want the boatcentered on the trailer, you have a choice of "where it is" or 4" wider. We need an option of two inches wider. this only affects the innermost 2 holes.
http://www.donzi.net/photos/holespacing.jpg

Quote:
Stainless Steel Fasteners 100% Standard

Yes, but no washer on anything and many of the nuts are tightened so that the shoulders carve up the aluminum upon tightening
http://www.donzi.net/photos/nowasher.jpg
http://www.donzi.net/photos/support.jpg

Quote:
10,000 lb. Winch Strap Standard

My winch handle was not even tightened up, and with the amount of deflection that is thrown on the offset, you miss the winch stand by about 1/8". You can hit the support while cranking a boat on unless you're carefull.

And just to prove that I have this one, and it is not some unconstructive slander, here is my registration. http://www.donzi.net/photos/scan001.JPG

[RedDog]

Hey Lenny - what ya hiding in this photo?

http://www.donzi.net/photos/00510009.JPG

Think I know..... :cool:

[Lenny]

;) Bingo Rick. I have no interest in making clones, hence the sale of the X molds. I have a real one somewhere in the USA right now on a tractor trailer. I WILL however make these ones 'cuz they are different and they require "new" molds.

Hope the Rolls conversation doesn't get taken the wrong way. I am trying to help them make a single axle trailer for our 16's and 18's that actually fits and is a little more resceptive to the hull. Or at least allow for the mods' through movement of existing parts.

[TuxedoPk]

Lenny- Very well written explanation of the problems and solutions. Having pics showing each of these points really helped me understand what you where going thru much better than in previous posts. Great looking work on your part also.

[Forrest]

Dan Gallagher at Rolls told me not to buy the 19xx trailer for an 18 Donzi but instead buy the 21xx trailer - and I found that to be a good move. I think that Chris (CDMA) found the same to be true for his 18. RickR was one of the first people to buy a Rolls and he ordered a custom length.

I never thought that the V-blocks at the front of the trailer were for support, but rather just guides for alignment when loading - especially under power - like it is on most aluminum I-beam "Florida built" bunk trailers. Also, since the bow is so deep on an 18 Donzi, an added roller or slider is necessary to keep the keel off of the cross member when loading; however, this modification is not necessary under most hulls including the one on the Rolls 26100 under my Magnum.

As for the 2" increments in bunk-location, I ignored the pre-drilled locations and placed the bunks where they needed to be for my 18. I always thought that bunks on any trailer should be cut at the correct angle for the hull as opposed to being shimmed to match the hull angle. The folks at the old Hitchhiker trailer company in Miami in business back in the mid-1970s to mid-1980s actually cut the cypress bunks to match your hull - can't get a better fit than that, but I don't think any trailer builder does that now.

The wench stand on the Rolls could stand a little redesign to accommodate the lower bow of a Donzi and other low bow boats. These things are made for high-bowed center consoles like Grady Whites and such. No problem with the wench stand on the Rolls under the Magnum, but on the Rolls under the X-18, I had to take a Sawzall and a drill to make the wench stand just right. Also, I won't disagree that the stainless fasteners should all be installed with washers. Hay Dan how but putting in an order for a few thousand 3/8" washers!

Now that I think about it, a swing-away tongue jack is easier to use than a fixed jack. I have a swing-away on the old EZ Loader under my 16 Donzi - just clear the ground and swing it up. I guess that some trailers come with fixed jacks some have swing away - not that big of a deal, but I'll take a swing-away if given a choice.

Finally, Rex and Dan of Coastal Trailer should have never let that trailer out of their shop without the safety cables installed. They are both nice guys, but then again I found that when I buy a trailer from them, I just make sure that it's all there and get it to go, even though they always want to do the adjustments for you at no charge.

[BUIZILLA]

I have a new single axle aluminum Extreme trailer under my 18, built EXACTLY to my spec's. 15" big radial tires. I just towed it 3,600 miles, in 9 states, in 3 weeks with ZERO issues. I'll have the BigDog post a pic soon. I have a 20' setup under my 18.

JH