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Bringing my boat home I couldn't exceed 45mph before it started swaying. I know I need more weight at the bow. Its on the trailer in my back yard now and I don't feel safe driving it until I can bring it further forward on the trailer. The trailer winch isn't strong enough and I'm afraid I might pull out the bow loop.
Any suggestions?

If it were me, I'd crank the jack in to lower the tongue, block up under the stern, then crank the jack out to raise the tongue, block under the bow, then lower the tongue a bit to put some load on the front blocks. Then crank the trailer winch to move the trailer back under the boat. Leave space between the blocks and the trailer cross members so the trailer has room to move, though it doesn't have far to go.

A floor jack would work, too, or block under the stern with the trailer jack, then jack the bow with a block of wood on the floor jack.

You don't have to lift the boat clear of the trailer bunks, but you should be able to reduce the load on the bunks significantly. And the boat will remain stable because you're not lifting it totally off the bunks.

Then work the blocking out by using the blocking procedure in reverse.

Some trailers have this problem when loading on certain ramps, due to a combination of the trailer design and the angle of the ramp.

MacGregor trailers are so notorious for this - the correction at the marina is called the "Mac-Bump". This is done by driving in the marina and apply hard brakes which slides the boat forward on the trailer. Careful not to go too fast so it damages your winch post. We do this fairly regularly and you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Even your galvanized non factory trailer should work. Do a search for macbump and several threads will come up.

Ps
Empty the ballast first

Probably wouldn't hurt either, to spray the bunks with silicon lubricant. Waterproof, won't transfer to the hull and will last a while.

Wind Chime wrote:Some trailers have this problem when loading on certain ramps, due to a combination of the trailer design and the angle of the ramp.

MacGregor trailers are so notorious for this - the correction at the marina is called the "Mac-Bump". This is done by driving in the marina and apply hard brakes which slides the boat forward on the trailer. Careful not to go too fast so it damages your winch post. We do this fairly regularly and you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Even your galvanized non factory trailer should work. Do a search for macbump and several threads will come up.

Ps
Empty the ballast first

This is what I do .. the mac bump.

Doesn't work as well on gravel -but still kinda works.

What you do is tighten up the winch.. not crazy tight just tight, then you let the car idle forward walking speed or even slower... not even adding gas, just not braking ... then you SLAM on the brakes and the boat will slide forward, usually about 1-1.5 inch. Then repeat, tighten winch, roll, slam..... until it hits the roller.

kevinnem wrote:

Wind Chime wrote:Some trailers have this problem when loading on certain ramps, due to a combination of the trailer design and the angle of the ramp.

MacGregor trailers are so notorious for this - the correction at the marina is called the "Mac-Bump". This is done by driving in the marina and apply hard brakes which slides the boat forward on the trailer. Careful not to go too fast so it damages your winch post. We do this fairly regularly and you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Even your galvanized non factory trailer should work. Do a search for macbump and several threads will come up.

Ps
Empty the ballast first

This is what I do .. the mac bump.

Doesn't work as well on gravel -but still kinda works.

What you do is tighten up the winch.. not crazy tight just tight, then you let the car idle forward walking speed or even slower... not even adding gas, just not braking ... then you SLAM on the brakes and the boat will slide forward, usually about 1-1.5 inch. Then repeat, tighten winch, roll, slam..... until it hits the roller.

I guess I'm a bit more aggressive than that. I look for a spot where there is a moderate down hill slope, and I definitely go faster than idle speed.

If it were me, I'd crank the jack in to lower the tongue, block up under the stern, then crank the jack out to raise the tongue, block under the bow, then lower the tongue a bit to put some load on the front blocks. Then crank the trailer winch to move the trailer back under the boat. Leave space between the blocks and the trailer cross members so the trailer has room to move, though it doesn't have far to go.

A floor jack would work, too, or block under the stern with the trailer jack, then jack the bow with a block of wood on the floor jack.

You don't have to lift the boat clear of the trailer bunks, but you should be able to reduce the load on the bunks significantly. And the boat will remain stable because you're not lifting it totally off the bunks.

Then work the blocking out by using the blocking procedure in reverse.

Thanks Tomfoolery. Where is a safe place to block under the bow? Right on the keel line or two blocks either side? How far back?
This is probably the only suggestion I can use now since I forgot to do the 'Mac Bump'. This was the first time I retrieved the boat and I just walked the boat onto the trailer since there was a dock beside the ramp. I was single-handed. Just wanted to see if I could do it on my own. I leaned over the gate of my truck and hooked the winch. It was easy and I never got my shoes wet. There was no wind. Took me another two hours to drop the mast and get ready to trailer. What I did wrong: left the trailer jack down, left my wrenches on top which I lost at the first tern, the Mac Bump, not using a 4WD truck on wet grass, forgot the trailer spare wheel.

I guess I can still do the Mac Bump just before I trailer again. But take off the straps first.

I second that. I'm also doing the "Mac bump". Increase progressively the spread till you get the effect you want.

The “Mac bump” is the first act I do after cranking Nice Aft securely onto the trailer. After the “bump” there is always boat movement forward on the trailer. Crank it again to make it tight.

Forgive me for asking, but warren631, is your boat also strapped to the trailer around the cockpit. This won't stop the trailer from swaying, but it will stop a boat from leaving a swaying trailer.

Ray

I've never been able to get the bump to work with my boat. I think the bottom paint is too rough.

What I do that seems to work somewhat well is after getting the boat hooked up on the trailer, back the trailer deeper in the water to float the eye up level to the v-block. Once the boat settles down onto the bunks there is only about an inch or so of space.

I've never had any swaying issues with my stock '96 trailer. I tow it at 65 mph and sometimes more downhill.

Max Entropy wrote:Probably wouldn't hurt either, to spray the bunks with silicon lubricant. Waterproof, won't transfer to the hull and will last a while.

There's that spray called "Liquid Rollers" that some swear by, but in keeping with the "nautical markup" it really is a little pricey for what it is. Some reviewers say it almost works a little too well, with their boats suddenly slipping off their trailers at awkward times...though I imagine a good bit of that sort of thing may be ascribed to "user error": namely, folks used to a "grabby" trailer not properly fastening their boat before lurching up the ramp and so on. I had read in a couple of places of other folks also using "lemon furniture polish spray" on the bunks too, so I got myself a couple of cans for a buck a pop at the local Dollar Tree (also a great place to pick up other cleaning supplies and moisture absorbers), and just soaked down my own bunks with them. It seems to have helped "just enough" in my case. I am now able to get my 26X right up and snug every time with the rubbery bow bumper (say that three times fast!) on its factory trailer. But then my launch ramp is pretty much an ideal slope, so your mileage may vary. Still, for just 2 bucks it seems to have really helped. At least my trailer smells "lemony fresh".

warren631 wrote:Thanks Tomfoolery. Where is a safe place to block under the bow? Right on the keel line or two blocks either side? How far back?

Remember that you don't need to lift it clear; just reduce the load on the bunks to make it slide easier with the trailer winch. So I would block anywhere under the bow that's reasonably horizontal (not too close to the bow where the curve starts getting tighter), and maybe right under the transom and slightly forward. I don't see why you need to brace against tipping, as you shouldn't really take it fully off the bunks, so it can't actually go anywhere. Remember that the suspension and tire deflection will bring the trailer up as the load comes off. You can also rock the boat (literally) with tension on the winch line to help it along. Just take your time and be patient. You may have to remove more bunk load, which is easy enough to do with blocking and landing gear jacking.

warren631 wrote:This is probably the only suggestion I can use now since I forgot to do the 'Mac Bump'. This was the first time I retrieved the boat and I just walked the boat onto the trailer since there was a dock beside the ramp. I was single-handed. Just wanted to see if I could do it on my own. I leaned over the gate of my truck and hooked the winch. It was easy and I never got my shoes wet. There was no wind.

I almost always launch and haul single-handed, even when I have 'help'. It's a skill, which improves as you experience all the little things that go wrong, or could be done better. And FWIW, I have a set of 'water shoes', made for walking in water, with white soles with queebly tread for good grip on ladders and such, and mesh top, that I keep in my dedicated 'launch/haul' box that rides in the tow vehicle. The box also contains a spare 5/8" hitch pin I can use to lock out the brakes if the solenoid fails (not applicable, as you don't have surge brakes), the stern strap (required by law in most States), and bridle lines that go from the trailer bow bumper wye to the trailer goal posts, which make it easier to haul the boat in the stiff current of the Erie Canal ramp I sometimes use.

warren631 wrote:Took me another two hours to drop the mast and get ready to trailer. What I did wrong: left the trailer jack down, left my wrenches on top which I lost at the first tern, the Mac Bump, not using a 4WD truck on wet grass, forgot the trailer spare wheel.

That's the 'skill' I referred to above. Including developing a routine, so you don't forget things like wrenches (mine are staged on the starboard cockpit bench, and I have only two sets (5/8" and 3/8"), so I know exactly what I need and bring it all up before starting work, and I know instantly when something's not in its place, to be returned to the box below decks when everything is cleaned up prior to hitting the road. One bow dock line wraps the mast and terminates on the winches to brace the mast against side to side wiggling. The other runs from stern cleat, around the two rudders, and terminates on the other stern cleat, as backup to the rudder lines. And I know where they are for launching, where one goes on the bow cleat and the other on the stern cleat, and the bow line is loosely tied to the trailer ladder in case I make a mistake and lose the boat because I was hurrying and not paying attention. With no help holding the lines. Self-contained.

Landing gear is down under load, or it's up once the hitch is on the ball and locked - all the way up, with no wheel as it hits the sharp break in my marina's ramp (I leave it home unless there's a reason to have it). No in-between, like an overhead door in an industrial building - too likely someone will drive through in a dump truck and take it out (from personal experience, many moons ago ). Two spare tires (2-axle trailer), mounted to the pole tongue, and locked in place with a cable, forever. Routine.

warren631 wrote:I guess I can still do the Mac Bump just before I trailer again. But take off the straps first.

I employ the 'Mac Bump' every time I haul the boat. I also use Liquid Rollers, so only a very gentle bump is needed. Without that stuff, I have to go downhill and hit it much harder. Which I don't like to do, as it's hard on the trailer when it hits hard, and one time the centerboard actually got hooked on the middle bunk (I hadn't retracted it fully, though it normally will just sit on the bunk) and I had to remove the hanger to free it.

I'm only suggesting you block and winch because it seemed from your OP that you wanted to shift the boat where it sits, without using the tow vehicle.

Tomfoolery wrote: ... so you don't forget things like wrenches (mine are staged on the starboard cockpit bench, and I have only two sets (5/8" and 3/8")

Did you do a wholesale hardware change? All mine are either 9/16" or 7/16".

paul I wrote:

Tomfoolery wrote: ... so you don't forget things like wrenches (mine are staged on the starboard cockpit bench, and I have only two sets (5/8" and 3/8")

Did you do a wholesale hardware change? All mine are either 9/16" or 7/16".

Oops. That's right. I was thinking either side of center (1/2"), but got the magnitude wrong.

The trailer winch is easily replaced with a stronger one - might want to keep the handle.

Liquid rollers is pretty good.

warren631 wrote:Bringing my boat home I couldn't exceed 45mph before it started swaying. I know I need more weight at the bow. Its on the trailer in my back yard now and I don't feel safe driving it until I can bring it further forward on the trailer. The trailer winch isn't strong enough and I'm afraid I might pull out the bow loop. https://www.dropbox.com/s/gqds3b0wpo5z7 ... 0.JPG?dl=0
Any suggestions?