My Trailer / My Build ...

[The Gurnard]

I only eased the axle forward an inch ..as Im still undecided on its best position..trial and error will decide.

The next mod I wanted to make..was to use my old winch post. There is nothing wrong with the new one..but my older one has a larger capacity tape drum ..and slightly lower gearing which makes a bit easier winching. I also like the adjustable snubber on my old one. Its a bit higher too..as the OEM snubber was sliding under the SIB bow when it was on the trailer.

With the old winch post secured to the trailer..it was then time to get the boat back on the bunks. Its not an easy job for one person.. even with all the gear and experience I have of doing it.
Never pull a heavy SIB onto a trailer with its bow ring..or PVC attachments. Chances are..they will rip clean off. I use a length of rope with a karabiner on each end. These are clipped to the transom rings. Knots tend to tighten..which is why I use karabiners. The rope is fed around and under the boat so the middle of the loop is at the bow position.

I needed the larger winch to allow extra tape to be stored on the capstan..the OEM tape was too short to extend to the start of my “ramps”. The tape is clipped to the rope coming from the transom and the boat is winched on. Lifting the trailer front reduces the angle the boat is being lifted so helps with winching. Its still a difficult heavy job for a pensioner..and I felt old gut wounds tighten as the boat slid slowly up the ramped bunks.

But that is the reason I wanted a new trailer..and specifically a galvanised one.. its easy peasy even for a poorly pensioner to float a brute of a boat on and off a trailer.

The transom rests on the end of the bunks.. the winching rope is easy to remove because of all the clearance. I have not decided yet..but I may also trailer with the engine permanently mounted. Anything for an easy life at my age.

New trailer..with old winch post and snubber in a nice position for The Gurnard

To be continued...

[Martin]

Looking great Donny and well modified for "your" requirements

[kaman]

Looking good Gurnard
I'm all for anything that makes life a little easier.
In years gone past I would happily employ the brute force approach to many tasks.
Unfortunately I'm now experiencing the physical damage of my previous actions.
The permanently mounted outboard and floating on and off the trailer notion does definetly appeal to me now .

[The Gurnard]

Thanks again Martin ...and Lucky you Kamam..heading for some heat.

Its turned bitter again up here ..so its taken an extra day to get the trailer setup finished.

Only a couple of minor changes were done to finish it ..I preferred my old trailer ball hitch. Again the new one is fine..but my old one is cast iron..and has a good secure lock for keeping to attached to the car when I go away for a day or two. Dont want to come back and find the trailer unhitched and off ..on my return.

Last was to fix the spare wheel and final balance of the loaded boat. Im still going to transport the OB in the car.. means I can still haul the boat off in shallower water when launching .. but that may change later. How do you guys secure the wheel to the trailer ?..I can always remove it and keep it in the car..but a lock would be a better option ?

The drawbar hitch weight is now a gentle lift of 35KG. I can move weight around when packing the boat if I want a bit more. My old trailer was brutal to lift as it had a fixed axle and designed to have the outboard on the transom. It was well over a 70kg lift.

It is extremely important to have nose weight on a trailer ..as this simulator video shows.
Hope you found this trailer build of interest..thanks for reading my witterings.

[Paul B]

Great read Donny, Just one question on the nose weight, do you think 35kg I will be enough if you decide to trailer with the outboard on the transom, as I feel it might be a tad light, and maybe you will need to move the axle again to gain a few extra kg

[The Gurnard]

Yup..I would move the axle back a bit if fixing the OB permanently. Its only a case of jacking the trailer onto stands ..which I do anyhoo..to keep weight off the tyres when not in use. Slacken the four U bolts that hold the axle to the chassis..and slide it along.

The indespension manual that comes with the trailer mentions nose weigh of 25-30 kg is recommended while 50-70kg is quite acceptable ..subject to size and style of towing vehicle..and also the boat.

Trial and error soon finds best but I'm happy for present

[Paul]

Great topic Donny and thanks for sharing
With regards to the spare wheel security I'm using a wire cable combination lock sold from Tesco
It was cheap but reasonable quality to protect bike theft ....... most importantly I'd not forget my favourite numbers but dam good at loosing keys
It's not corroded after a year+ fully functional and hopefully makes the opportunist 'walk on' unless he has all the tools for the job

Spare lock

[Cliff]

Thanks for the info and the photos Donny, I've just bought a trailer frame, which I'm going to adapt for the rib, which I'll use when not towing the caravan, always good to see other peoples ideas and solutions before I start Cliff

[The Gurnard]

Glad it is of interest Cliff ..I have had it a year now..and no issues with it at all..its still set up as shown