Notes on Retrieving

 

Just have to put a note in here on sliding the boat onto the trailer. I have fought this for a long time (well, 3 years to be exact). Each time the scene was the same. Sometimes I back the trailer in too far and the bow eye of the boat ends up below the bow stop on the trailer and you cannot "winch" it around and over the top. Meanwhile the entire boat is still floating (no, this can't be right!).

 

Other times (and most often now), the trailer is backed into the correct position (mine works best with about 1/3 of the bunk boards out of the water, and the boat is winched up snug with the bow stop on the trailer.

 

Well, the geometries are such that no matter how tight you winch up the boat, it will always be about 6 inches back from the bow stop after you get out of the water. The only way to get it up to the stop while on the ramp is to winch it up with the trailer way out of the water and only about 1/3 of the bunks in the water. This is not good.

 

Up until this year, we had the best luck with the dishwashing soap thing. This is where you back the whole trailer into the water to wet the bunks, then squirt dishwashing soap (biodegradable, of course) on the bunks before winching up the boat.

 

Those last 6 inches were always done on flat land, after the water ballast drained out. It was always the same. My wife on the transom, heaving with all her might, rocking the boat as I clicked the winch at the appropiate point in the resulting sinusoid, one click at a time. This was nerve-racking to say the least. I could just see the bow eye flying out of the fiberglass, shooting across the parking lot like a bullet from a rifle.

 

Then...... I found a miracle.

 

Let me state right off that I am not endorsing anyone or any companies or specific products. I came across some trailer bunk slides in a local store called Overton's (they do mail order 800-334-6541). These are teflon-impregnated plastic strips that you just screw down right on top of your carpeted bunks. I had seen them before but only at super high prices and was not willing to take a chance that they would not do anything at all.

 

I bought the ones at Overton's ($29.95) and put them on in about 15 minutes while the boat was temporarily in the water a lake. After the day's sail I put the boat on the trailer as usual, but (on purpose) did not open the water ballast valve. As usual, the boat came up about 6 inches short of the bow stop when I pulled it out onto level ground. I got out and began turning the winch handle and absolutely could not believe what I was seeing. All 3000 lbs of boat (with water) was sliding along effortlessly on the bunks!!! I would have paid $500 dollars for these things!!!

 

Again, I am not endorsing anyone or anything. I have had the slides on the trailer for only 3 months, so I don't know what the long term reliability is. For now, however, they are nothing short of a miracle.

 

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