Boat moves on trailer

[chrisv]

Hi Everyone,
I just purchased a 1996 Mac 26x on the weekend and after towing it home noticed a small problem. Even with the boat strapped down across the cockpit and at the winch the boat shifted slightly to the right. We corrected this twice but after about 5 miles it was back. Any thoughts? I checked all of the bunks and everything seems good. The problem is that the tire and fender actually hit the boat and rubbed through some of the gelcoat. Let me know if you've had anything like this and what you did to repair it. The trailer is in great shape otherwise and I don't have the budget to buy a new one yet!
Thanks

[bscott]

Welcome aboard Check for a bent axle or broken spring.

Bob

[pokerrick1]

Please include this among the reasons that I:

1) don't like to buy used anything

2) don't like to trailer

Rick

[dennisneal]

I'd also check to make sure that the air pressure on each of the trailer's tires are up to standard and that they are equal.

[WhatKnot]

Just a lurker so far as I'm considering selling my powerboat in favor of sail, but I've trailered plenty.

Anyway, when trailering, try and keep your boat load equal port to starboard, fuel tanks, personal gear, batteries etc.
Also, 2 seperate straps dedicated to each side of the boat would be far better than one strap across that does not stop load shift.
Transom straps can be bought in various lengths, though you may have to reach far under the boat if your trailer to boat overhang is as large as it appears in pic's I've seen of your model.

[Divecoz]

Two cinch/ratchet- straps aft .. one each side- Trailer to rear cleats- .. done deal-..
Single strap across boat and mid cabin/or even cockpit... pretty much...useless.
Issue being cause by axel spring or tire pressure shifting contents? IMHO doubtful...

[raycarlson]

straps,tiedowns etc are all bandaids.your primary problem is a poor fitting trailer.you should be able to tow your boat just resting under its own weight without it moving or shifting in any manner.all the straps and tiedowns are for is securement in emergency loss of control and equipment failure situtations.take your boat and trailer to a good marine dealer and have someone who knows what their looking at give you some ideas on how to better fit your boat to your trailer.

[u12fly]

I disagree, no boat will just rest on the trailer and not move, unless you are driving on a super smooth road slow enough that the wind is not making any lift or effects on the boat / trailer. You must make the trailer and boat a single item and the only way to do that is to strap it down tightly. As a side, I would check your trailer suspension... You want a soft ride that won't bottom out.

[hoaglandr]

Mine is absolutely rock solid on the trailer. If it moves while being towed I can't tell. The trailer on the other hand starts swaying pretty good above 55 mph. I would tend to agree that you may have a poor fit, but I'm hardly an expert.

Russell

[mastreb]

I too have zero apparent movement on my trailer, and I tow at 65mph typically. I've not strapped down in the past, but I will be using the docklines and a trucker's hitch to tie to the trailer in the future, just because there's no reason no to. The freeways here in Socal are okay but not great. My tow vehicle has trailer anti-sway selective breaking that does a really good job of keeping things smooth and steady however, so that might be why I've not seen any issues.

[Retcoastie]

you should be able to tow your boat just resting under its own weight without it moving or shifting in any manner

I never thought our X moved on the stock, steel trailer, UNTIL the winch strap broke going down the road one day. I have often towed her with just the winch strap connected without apparent difficulty. This time, I had used the dock lines to tie from the trailer rail to the sail winches. I stopped at a rest-area on the interstate and Last Flight had moved back on the trailer about 14 inches. I shudder to think what would have happened had the dock lines not been there or I had went on to the next rest-area.

Now I winch her up tight to the snubber. Then I add a loop of chain around the top of the snubber through the boweye. Then I back off the winch strap a couple clicks. I now notice the winch tower snap froward when the chain is released. I don't believe the strain on the winch tower was visible before because the winch, with its constant tension, released more slowly. I firmly believe, and would wager a large sum on it, that an unattached X will slide itself right off the back of the trailer.

[Divecoz]

I towed mine as well , for awhile anyway.. with just the winch strap and a chain from bow to trailer ( the law is fickle state to state and when in doubt ??) It was repeated here and elsewhere.. Why not? Its insurance and its cheap insurance at that..Its now become a habit.. Two Ratchet straps one each side trailer frame to rear cleats.

[Catigale]

Dock lines on bow and both stern cleats to trailer cinched tight with truckers hitches

In ny, trailering without stern ties will get you a ticket for unsecured loads.

[Divecoz]

When in doubt? Just do it!!............. Do it every-time, do it , so it becomes a habit.. I just dont need, some hillbilly cop , pulling me over and , Ya'll ain't got no. I have 2 ratchet straps at the stern to the trailer Frame.. I have the winch strap.... I have a bow eye to trailer, chain... I have a proper spare tire... I have a jack... I have reflectors triangles with flags and ..... @#$%^& Flares!! Guys every state is looking for income and non-moving violations are Cash Cows $$ Cha Ching Cha Ching.
On Edit:
When it comes to tow issues? When that Cop says, open the drivers side door? He may well be looking to see if your tow vehicle is even Legal.. To Tow these boats...
There are a lot of fancy looking Tow vehicles out there that just wont cut it.. Our Little town has a set of portable scales and finding a scale isn't all that hard for cops..


.

Dock lines on bow and both stern cleats to trailer cinched tight with truckers hitches

In ny, trailering without stern ties will get you a ticket for unsecured loads.

[Tom Root]

Well, there is something wrong with your trailer. There was something wrong with mine as well. I tried everything I could to figure out if there was something I was doing wrong. You are not! I was going to raise the bunks by putting more material on top but didn't see anything but replacing the whole bunk. Wider stance via different offset wheels might work. Spacers between the wheel and the hub might work too?

You could be overloaded...perhaps? Put it on a scale. Again, I had the very same issue, and I'd imagine many more do as well, properly loaded and balanced.

There is road rash on BOTH sides of my hull, 6" long, and 2" wide, cosmetic issues I have resolved BTW. Gelcoat is an easy, but a bit time consuming fix!

I went and finally bit the bullet and invested in a much better trailer though....and happy as a clam now!

I was going to sell that trailer, but it now hauls 6 kayaks....just fine.

I know the ad for that trailer is still up there, for sale on this site, I tried to get it removed just a few days after putting it up....but it seems perpetual?