Is your boat / trailer keel roller or wobblies?
I have always had a bow rope, one each side, long enough NOT to go under a trailer wheel iff ever comes loose.
If you have ever had a trailer rope go under a wheel at speed, you will NEVER left it happen again... accidentally or not.
Any way up date from the last 2 trips out..
Most keel trailers are tilt.. which we used many yrs back.. once, from a beach retrieval... great but when that tilt goes full height and doesnt come down till the boat is near full on is a hell of a wind uphill....2 4 lettered words come to mind.. one is "work"
Since then never used it...
Till since last post above..
This time we limited the amount of tilt with the tilt safety chain to only a couple inches.
Had a side wind taking the boat away from the ramp pontoon, ignored it and hooked the winch rope onto the bow eye,
then pulled the bow to the centre of the 1st centering roller, holding in place with the boat at near right angles...
Tilt released, but limited to about 3"
Then just started to wind....as the boat came in, it hit the right (looking rearwards) side guide post, and the momentum of the swing it kept on centering as continued to come up
, and wind took it back to hit the left pole again.. bow is now over the centering roller heading to the 1st roll that NEEDS to hit square on... The side curve of the bow hits the pole, cant go full right angles again, then pulls straight.
At this point the 'holding points'.. the bow winch rope, and the center roller its sitting on, are in a straight line, which as one pulls on the winch, the boat swings, nps against the wind straight.
At this point we put the 18v electric drill on the hand winch, and the boat comes up text book
Would never have thought that getting the alignment would be as easy.
Lot ppl have chopped the side poles on tilt keel trailers..welded up the tilt
After seeing the above...it is obvious ppl today have no idea just how a tilt roller trailer is so damn good in side currents, winds, and lifting off the beach/ ground.
So the centereing part is sorted.
The part from pulling into the ramp , mooring, then hooking winch rope onto bow hook
This thinking, considering above posts...
Got the bungy cords, to stretch and moor bow and stern while still on trailer to the pontoon.. side boat off drive way.
And possbly use these when coming in also ???
If next friday (nice window) can get out again, and ramp not busy.. well MT will have another play.
Oh and don't forget to put the motor in neutral and turn it off and raise it as high as possible.
nearly done it a couple times.. now routine is before getting in to close.. good distance, now have the trim gauge 'marked' at a point still have cooling inlets below water but as high as possible.....come in, kill engine, and it is still more than high enough when pulling out, towing out etc.
When off the plain, chugging in the water level at the stern is way a way higher, so can tilt higher.