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Light tongue weight


Blue98RF19

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1 hour ago, jh141 said:

Been looking at my trailer and some others on the web. I think your tongue may be long enough to get things much better. I have seen many trailers now that you got me looking that have the bow stop/winch stand mounted front of the A- frame. I saw one trailer that had a roller mounted where the back of the tongue mounts to the cross bar to protect the front of the boat from ever hitting any metal. If it were me and I had to make this trailer work for now (feel free to completely ignore me, I am going by pics) I would remove the spare tire mount and tongue jack. I would winch the boat forward  until I get the proper tongue weight (10 percent of total weight) and then reconfigure the tire mount, winch stand and bunks so all is clear and happy. I think you can get that done with the length of tongue you currently have at no expense which means happy wife and more cash for fishing. 

The tip of the bow of my boat is only 4 feet back from the tip of my trailer. I have a factory rigged Ameritral.

Just my Opinion, maybe it will help LOL 

 

Yeah I like this option. Do I need to have the boat off the trailer for all these bunk adjustments or just jack it up off the trailer? I was thinking about parking it at a friends dock and working in the trailer w/out the boat on there at home. Measuring how much farther forward the winch moves and moving the bunks the same distance 🤷🏾‍♂️. Nothing to it but to do , it just trying to get it right. 

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Don't over think it. I replaced all my bunks using a floor jack with the boat on the trailer. Did not have a friend with a dock, LOL

Move the Winch stand first, With the winch pull the boat forward on the trailer to get the best compromise of the right tongue weight and best fit. Now make that position permanent. Be careful to not let the front of the hull hit the trailer when moving forward. You will likely have to raise the front of the bunks or put a pad or roller up there to protect the hull.  Do not guess, move the boat and check the tongue weight. 

It would be much easier to finalize the adjustments with no boat there, but now you have to be take it on the road...make sure it will travel safe. 

Take pics. show off your hard work

 

 

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43 minutes ago, jh141 said:

Don't over think it. I replaced all my bunks using a floor jack with the boat on the trailer. Did not have a friend with a dock, LOL

Move the Winch stand first, With the winch pull the boat forward on the trailer to get the best compromise of the right tongue weight and best fit. Now make that position permanent. Be careful to not let the front of the hull hit the trailer when moving forward. You will likely have to raise the front of the bunks or put a pad or roller up there to protect the hull.  Do not guess, move the boat and check the tongue weight. 

It would be much easier to finalize the adjustments with no boat there, but now you have to be take it on the road...make sure it will travel safe. 

Take pics. show off your hard work

 

 

 

33 minutes ago, smilemaker said:

Actually I  would  keep it  on the trailer.  Move the winch forward to just in front of the frame. Keep an eye on the keel and trim tabs.  If possible  just winch it forward on the bunks until you get the tongue weight right. Install winch post up tight and adjust the bunks. 

Makes sense but winching it forward dry on the trailer ain’t gonna happen. It’s a 23 year old boat and I’m worried that front bow eye would rip right through the hull. I know that shouldn’t be the case but it is what it is. It’s on the list of issues to address but I’m on the trailer issue at the moment. My other option is to take it to a local trailer repair and supply shop and see what their opinion is to remedy the issue. They will also have any replacement parts I might need if any hardware is rusty, rotted, or missing. 

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21 hours ago, jh141 said:

Been looking at my trailer and some others on the web. I think your tongue may be long enough to get things much better. I have seen many trailers now that you got me looking that have the bow stop/winch stand mounted front of the A- frame. I saw one trailer that had a roller mounted where the back of the tongue mounts to the cross bar to protect the front of the boat from ever hitting any metal. If it were me and I had to make this trailer work for now (feel free to completely ignore me, I am going by pics) I would remove the spare tire mount and tongue jack. I would winch the boat forward  until I get the proper tongue weight (10 percent of total weight) and then reconfigure the tire mount, winch stand and bunks so all is clear and happy. I think you can get that done with the length of tongue you currently have at no expense which means happy wife and more cash for fishing. 

x2  My winch stand in in front of the A with no real issues.  The only drawback for me is I can not drop the tailgate all the way.

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Alright fellers I think I got it done. I moved the winch/bow stop in front of the A part (14”). Raised the keel/ center bunks up in the front so I didn’t hit the end of the tongue with the keel. Moved the main bunks ahead 14” and up in the front to account for the raised center bunks. Did it all with the boat off the trailer so wasn’t bad at all. Much more tongue weight now and it trailers much better and don’t hear any hitch slop sounds. THANKS TO ALL HERE who offered advice helped me figure it out. I only posted here cause I knew the Maverick family of boaters would be help a fellow mgb owner out. Thx again!!!! Ps gonna add a keel roller at the end of the tongue just for good measure. 
 

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Looking good

A few tips 

Your boat has recessed trim tabs so I would check clearance on the bunks.  You do no want weight on them.  Give enough clearance so even if down they do not hit the bunk. Sometimes it is  a matter of trimming the bunk to an angle. 

Use it for a while but when backing up be aware  when turning hard. The boat and winch are closer to the car.

If length  is needed new tongue is under 200 dollars and cheaper than body work on the car. The extra length may make loading  and unloading easier.

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6 hours ago, smilemaker said:

Looking good

A few tips 

Your boat has recessed trim tabs so I would check clearance on the bunks.  You do no want weight on them.  Give enough clearance so even if down they do not hit the bunk. Sometimes it is  a matter of trimming the bunk to an angle. 

Use it for a while but when backing up be aware  when turning hard. The boat and winch are closer to the car.

If length  is needed new tongue is under 200 dollars and cheaper than body work on the car. The extra length may make loading  and unloading easier.

That’s a good idea for the end of the bunks. I have a slight adjustment to make on the winch so once that’s done I’ll cut the end of those bunks at an angle. Thx 👍🏻

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