Improving Winching (Roller) Setup Trailer Sailor

[Spot]

Good People of TSBB!
Photographic evidence supports that my boat has been retrieved with the bow eye abve the bow stop, with a straight pull on the winch strap to the winch drum. The hull has scratches to support this was 'normal'.

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As sitting from last retrieved last year, the strap and bow eye are lower than the bow stop and the bow stop is not engaged to the hull.

My theory is that the boat rests randomly on the bunks, based on depth of water and trailer, and affects the position of the bow eye.

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Would adding a v-roller at the red circle help to make the bow 'pop up' before the bow stop?

I am also planning on some keel guides to keep the boat better centered on the trailer. Goalposts might also be in the future as well.

I have only launched and retrieved this one a handful of times, and sometimes the late night retrievals are not glamorous and get adjusted in the driveway next day...

Thanks for reviewing and commenting!

[Charles Brennan]

Spot, Ya mean, one of THESE?!? 
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Although I no longer use it, due to making other changes on the trailer, bunks, and winch stand, before I got the winch stand changed, it helped quite a lot.
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Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Spot]

Yes, that is the sort of gizmo I am considering, to make the attitude/altitude of the bow less random on the trailer.

Seems like the bow stop being higher than the line of pull might help too, if a roller is not used.

The bumpers for the stop may need rework or be made new as well.

[Spot]

According to the good people at timeanddate.com and a time stamp from a photo...

From and including: Tuesday, September 3, 2024
To, but not including Friday, July 4, 2025
Result: 304 days

It is 304 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date.

Or 10 months, 1 day excluding the end date

...is how long it took me to reposition my boat on the trailer since my last outing.

Is this a forum record?

Two pipe stands with carpeted boards under the hull aft
One floor jack with plywood scratch guard under the front of the keel
Wrenches to remove the safety hook that did its job but was jammed in the current position

Once the boat was airborne with the scratch marks aligned to the bow chock, it was easy to pull the trailer 6 inches with the winch.

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I figured this was needed to begin looking for a roller setup or to consider launching in the meantime.

Temp and winds look good to take a smaller boat out Sunday. Today and tomorrow are hot with the wind blowing hard ashore at the preferred departure spot as well as hoping the lake is quieter from the previous two days of fun and sun-seekers.

[Spot]

Looks like I need between 16 and 17" above the main tube to kiss the boat.
I see some fabrication work needing to be done...

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[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Nice drawings.  I would round off the tops of #9 and #12 to make sure they cannot gouge the boat.

[Spot]

Nice catch Noemi!
Still trying to decide whether to order the roller subassembly or fabricate it.
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[Spot]

Some assembly required...

I was asked by crew when the boat would be ready for a quick run before her summer break comes to an end. I ordered the steel parts (tube cut to length, plates and bars to my CAD) and a bow roller online (3 vendors total). The bolts, washers, etc. are from the local home improvement chain. Having some weak second thoughts about making the upper 'fork' adjustable, even though I can alter the intersect height by siding the unit up and down the trailer tongue. The upper section of the 3" 975mm) square tube could maybe stand to loose an inch or so (2-3cm). Most likely will trim the tube and weld it without adding all the effort to double-up the height adjustment.
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[Riley Smith]

That'll work! Hey, you can always tell when someone gets serious about a project because new stuff starts showing up    Yeah, you'll find life a whole lot better with that roller.

[Spot]

Thanks Riley.

I shortened the long part and got things in place, tack welded, and pulled off the trailer without incident-other than burning a hole in the edge of the gas lens on the inexpensive MIG torch. With the assembly off the trailer, I can set it in pipe stands and make all the final welds staged as horizontal v-grooves.

I asked a powder coating place what it might cost to have this done, looking forward to hearing their answer.

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PS looking at the rusty trailer, maybe they should get a quick spray so they can 'patina' like the rest of the rig...

[Chris Muthig]

Looking good, but doesn't that roller in the last picture need to be bigger?

[Doug SC]

Looking good.

[Spot]

Looking good, but doesn't that roller in the last picture need to be bigger?

Yes, for sure

Thanks Chris, thanks Doug.

The arrangement above was to allow me to keep the spacing between the uprights and sneak under/up to the hull without the rubber roller being in the way. I designed the bits for a 5" (125mm) keel roller but I ended up liking the shape and price of a 4" (100mm) bow roller better. I am thinking about adding 1/2" (12.7mm) spacers to start and looking into some sort of rubber 'cheeks' to put between the roller and uprights to gain a little more cushion and guidance.

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Appendix 1
Amidst watching the crew digging up the street and my front yard for the town's new sewer system, I got some welds on the assembly. Looks like I may need to cap the top of the square tube and add some clips for the wires for the trailer's taillights.

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[Spot]

The bow chock cushions were problematic from day 1. I was constantly adding bit of foam to keep the starboard side hull away from the metal bracket. I finally removed them today. The material is putty-like and subject to tearing. I will have to locate a replacement and try to get the new ones better centered. I also need to add the spacers to the bow roller.+

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[Spot]

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I got a 2" bow stop and flipped the current holder around to use existing holes to check the overall fit. I may jut add one more bolt to keep the works from rotating and use as-is to get a sail or two in before end of season up here in the North. Option two would be to drill 4 holes , two per arm, and better position the stop towards the bow and pick up the other set of factory mounting holes on the winch tower. Option 3 would be to fabricate 2 new arms with (3) holes each from bar stock and freshen up the hardware, which would be a pleasant off-season job along with painting the new assembly with the roller.