Tying down tight to trailer - how???

Neil Harvey · 05 May 2006, 21:01

Hi guys,

Trying to work out the best way to secure to trailer to stop bouncing about!

Have taken a ratchet t
strap from front tow eye round trailer, so front is tight, but worried about stern end bouncing.

Guess the best way would be to ratchet this down to trailer too using the rear tow eyes, but the ratchets are always in the wrong place.

How do others do it? Do people find ratcheting over the tubes is sufficient? Rear ratchet is actually going round the outboard to keep the whole rig forwards, so I'm probably worrying over nothing, but others' experiences/advice welcome.

Cheers

Neil

Nos4r2 · 05 May 2006, 21:25

Don't ratchet over the tubes. Straps are abrasive and will overpressurise your tubes.
Any small leak will make the strap come loose as an overpressurised tube will leak faster and if you have overpressure valves....need I say more?

What problems are you having ratcheting down via the tow eyes-what do the ratchets hit?

I personally winch the bow up tight to the post, lock off the winch and lock/chain the bow eye to the trailer. Stern is held on by 2 ropes in a dolly knot or 2 short ratchet straps and the outboard is down on a piece of wood through the bracket to stop it bouncing.

Neil Harvey · 05 May 2006, 21:51

That's the kind of thing I was worried about!

The ratchets currently hit the hull any way I've tried to do it! Not happy about that. Will have to have another go tomorrow. There has to be a good way to do it, just needs more time I guess to work it out!

She's real tight up on the bow, so no worries there now.

I'll take another look tomorrow, prefer to use the ratchet straps if poss, as they're so much simpler imho.

cheers

Alice · 05 May 2006, 21:51

Mine has two stainless tow eyes in the transom which I ratchet to the trailer with two short ratchet straps. The bow eye is hooked to the winch and treble loop tied to the trailer drawbar. I do worry about what would happen if the bow eye let go.

Nos4r2 · 05 May 2006, 22:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil Harvey

The ratchets currently hit the hull any way I've tried to do it!

Easy-wrap the ratchets in something (rag, foam etc...)after you've tightened the strap and lash it on so they don't do any damage.

Jeff Pike · 05 May 2006, 22:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Don't ratchet over the tubes. Straps are abrasive and will overpressurise your tubes.
Any small leak will make the strap come loose as an overpressurised tube will leak faster and if you have overpressure valves....need I say more?

What problems are you having ratcheting down via the tow eyes-what do the ratchets hit?

I personally winch the bow up tight to the post, lock off the winch and lock/chain the bow eye to the trailer. Stern is held on by 2 ropes in a dolly knot or 2 short ratchet straps and the outboard is down on a piece of wood through the bracket to stop it bouncing.

Nos4r2 - how do you ratchet down at the back? My RIB overhangs the trailer at the back by a couple of feet. Can't strap/ratchet straight down to the trailer. Runs from the 'D-brackets' on the transom down to the base of the transom and then diagonally back towards the trailer frame. I haven't felt comfortable doing this as I am rubbing the gel coat on the transom (even if packed there would be a risk of rubbing). Plus, because I can't run a straight line on the staps I worry about the back end not being secure and still bouncing. So I still use straps over the tubes aswell as tying off at the front end. How did you resolve this or can you strap straight down from the D brackets to your trailer without fouling the transom?

Nos4r2 · 05 May 2006, 22:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Pike

My RIB overhangs the trailer at the back by a couple of feet.

Mine doesn't-it only overhangs by max 2 inches but it still fouls a bit. Can you move your winchpost forwards so the ratchet straps are straighter?
Mine does touch but not at much of an angle and it doesn't move at all-up, down or side to side.

Biggles · 05 May 2006, 22:19

nos4R2

has hit all the right points on this one. Its amazing how many RIBs you see with straps over the tubes. That certainly can do no good.

Tie down on the front pulling down on the hull and tie down at the rear pulling down on the hull.

Stop the boat going back by making sure the ratchet on the winch strap is locked. Thats about it. I'm sure we all worry about the forces put on the boat when its being towed but so far my 20+ year old hull with overweight motor has survived the worst pot holes Hampshires roads can throw at it.

The other thing you can do is drive carefully, avoid every manhole cover and use motorways for the majority of your journey.

Nos4r2 · 05 May 2006, 22:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biggles

Stop the boat going back by making sure the ratchet on the winch strap is locked. Thats about it.

I go one further and lock/chain my bow eye to the trailer too. It IS only a crappy spring that holds the ratchet in place and I've had one of those springs snap before. It can't move more than half an inch when it's locked down now even when the winch strap is slack.

Of course, one of these days I'll be spotted after I forget to undo the lock before I launch...

Biggles is right about the stresses on the hull for sure- lets face it, they get a damn sight more of a pasting launching off waves...

Jeff Pike · 05 May 2006, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Mine doesn't-it only overhangs by max 2 inches but it still fouls a bit. Can you move your winchpost forwards so the ratchet straps are straighter?
Mine does touch but not at much of an angle and it doesn't move at all-up, down or side to side.

Don't think so - RIB fills the trailer & its a fixed post. Could cut & shorten the bar with the V rest for the stem but would only give me a few more inches and I suppose this would give a potentially weak weld. Move it much further forward and it wil be in the car! Could buy a new trailer! Short of this I don't see how I can aviod Biggles comment about strapping down over the tubes.

Nos4r2 · 05 May 2006, 22:34

A fixed post? That's not too good

Could you cut it off and u-bolt an adjustable one on there?

It actually sounds as though you could do with another trailer- the more support you can get for the transom the better, and with 2 feet overhanging the forces have to be a bit much on the rearmost point of support.

<edit. Just a thought but hypalon is probably abrasion resistant enough to bostik a couple of pieces to the transom/running surface join to stop the ratchets rubbing the gelcoat. It'd be cheaper than a new trailer or tubes and if you didn't key the gelcoat first it'd peel off easily if you wanted to remove it.

Jeff Pike · 05 May 2006, 23:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

A fixed post? That's not too good

Could you cut it off and u-bolt an adjustable one on there?

It actually sounds as though you could do with another trailer- the more support you can get for the transom the better, and with 2 feet overhanging the forces have to be a bit much on the rearmost point of support.

Just gone to get a photo to check. Think it's fixed but can't be sure. Trailers down at the boat yard & I can't see from the photo I've got here if its adjustable. Even if it can be adjusted along the box girder running front to back, it is at the very front anyway.

The rear rollers are at the very end of the trailer and with the engine raised and on its rest a lot of its weight is inboard of the transom. I don't think there will be too much of a cantilever force stressing the hull. Perhaps a foot of overhang from the rearmost support. From the rear transom to tie off at the first available place on the trailer though is further. Which ever way I cut it I have to dog leg the strap around the transom bottom edge to reach the trailer and I don't see this stopping the bouncing. I reckon my RIB is right on the limit for this trailer. Having said that - well over 500 mile round trip to Loch Lomond at Easter without any trouble from the trailer. Will post a vid of the boat towing some toys when I've got time to work out how to do it.

steedthrust · 06 May 2006, 08:47

Be careful of also stopping the boat going forward aswell. I manage to get mine to ride up the 'v' and touch the spare wheel of my car (drawbars too short, new trailer coming). At a guess there's more change of force braking quickly then pulling away. Took for ever to sort the transom dropped into the gap between rear rollers a nightmare!!

I now ratchet the boat backwards & forwards on the bow eye bolt then forward on the transom d rings.

Northern Tim · 06 May 2006, 09:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

I go one further and lock/chain my bow eye to the trailer too....

Of course, one of these days I'll be spotted after I forget to undo the lock before I launch...

Nos, been there done that - felt stupid.

I had put the trailer in deep enough to float the boat off without any trouble, done all the usual checks, began to let the winch out and the boat wouldn't move. after several minutes of trying to push the boat off, I finally remembered to unlock the bow eye....Doh!

Tim

jyasaki · 10 May 2006, 20:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

I go one further and lock/chain my bow eye to the trailer too. It IS only a crappy spring that holds the ratchet in place and I've had one of those springs snap before.

True, the spring holds the pawl in place, but the pawl on the cog tooth is what is doing the holding. If you've ever tried to release the ratchet while its loaded, you get an idea of the force needed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Pike

Nos4r2 - how do you ratchet down at the back? My RIB overhangs the trailer at the back by a couple of feet. Can't strap/ratchet straight down to the trailer. Runs from the 'D-brackets' on the transom down to the base of the transom and then diagonally back towards the trailer frame.

Don't your bunks extend beyond the transom? Ideally, you should have some form of support back there, and you can tie the rear of the boat down by going from your tow eyes to the bunks (or roller frames, or whatever you have there.)

jky

wavelength · 10 May 2006, 20:19

strapping over the tubes-I tow miles and miles each and every week, always strap them down over the tubes, and tight. Not a mark on any of them thru strap marks, pad them if you worry about it. Seen a small rib and trailer turn over on the road, strapped tight down. Owner rolled it back upright with virtually no damage as the A frame saved the engine and the straps kept it on the trailer.
Secondry fixing of bow eye to the trailer-ok ratchets go but also winch straps break quite easily. Without a secondary fixing then you are relying on the rest of the straps etc to hold it. The rule with us is the boat and trailer are not towed from the waters edge until the second fixing is attached to the winch eye, after all at this stage you have no other fixings on and are probably on a sloping slipway.
Bunks-wouldnt touch 'em with a bargepole. Ok if you wanna, or indeed can, float the boat off but a lot of isolated beaches/slipways I visit will not give me the water to do that even if I wanted to.

Jeff Pike · 10 May 2006, 21:27

Quote:

Don't your bunks extend beyond the transom? Ideally, you should have some form of support back there, and you can tie the rear of the boat down by going from your tow eyes to the bunks (or roller frames, or whatever you have there.)

Got no bunks on this trailer. Just the rollers. They are right at the back of the trailer but the transom still overhangs too far to fix down vertically.