Trailer sailer Retrieval in Crosswind failure

[tbodine88]

I went sailing in Lake Somerville Texas. The ramp runs North/South.
The wind was from the Southeast.
My trailer has no guide poles, since I knocked them off the first time I tried to retrieve.
I have since tried to retrieve on a ramp that has an adjacent Dock, Somerville has none.

I had difficulty lining the boat up with the trailer and as a consequence I ran over the left fender with the keel.
Once I finally gotten the boat on the trailer and haul the boat out and taking it all down and proceeded to drive home I smelt burning rubber when I looked through the rear view mirror I could see smoke coming up the left hand side of the boat so I stopped and after investigation found that I had creased the rear of the left fender.

I was very tired and found it hard to even lift the trailer so I could take the wheel off. I was rescued by my friend Khy Chapman and a stranger Paul Ammalang.
Khy is a fellow captain and Paul also has boat.
Paul makes music for a living.

It took them at least 2 hours to remove the rear bolts from the fender so they can lift the fender up and I could drive home.
Then it took me 3 weeks with all the other events that were happening in my life to finish cutting off the front two bolts so I can remove the fender and this is the result.


Commiseration and Criticism accepted.

[Norm L.]

I'm sorry to hear that. Everyone has a crosswind story many ending up with dings and scratches. You have more windage with the deckhouse. Uncontrollable windage.

[Captain Kidd]

Sorry for the mishap. There are worse things.

One of my retrieval stories:

I'd seen sailors power their boats up on their trailers (specifically Macgregor 26's), so I thought I'd be smart and try it too. I approached the trailer and gunned it. Unfortunately I missed the bow stop and gouged my bow pretty good. Oh, well. That was the last of that.

[Charles Brennan]

tbodine,  I suspect you probably had those goal posts where the PVC tubes sit on a galvanized formed metal frame.
While there is a pair on Short Ribs, my RIB, I'm not generally impressed with them and Urchin's trailer and the SCAMP's trailer have molded PVC goal posts.

Here's why I distrust PVC tube over metal brackets.
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And here's an example of why I squared off my goal posts where they bolt to the trailer:
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Round ones slip, as soon as they're smacked.
Squared-off ones spring back into place.

I made a point of squaring off my PVC home-made goal posts.
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You can see the same thing on the commercial goal posts on Urchin:
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And on the SCAMP's home-made trailer goal posts:
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They take an amazing amount of punishment/abuse, simply because the PVC tubing is so springy.
All of my trailers except the kayak trailer have PVC goal posts and I'm thinking of putting goal posts on the kayak trailer, not for guiding boats on and off, but to get the lights up high enough that people will quit smacking into me in traffic, because they can't see the trailer! 
Another reason, is because I can't see the trailer at all, to back up without goal posts. 

Seriously, consider giving them another try, with the above-mentioned caveats.

One guy's opinion,
Charles Brennan

[noelH]

Like the idea of dual purpose. My trailer lights are tucked a bit under Vela's hull. Some people up here are getting a little too impatient. Major detour through Washburn for the next few years that is actually nicer than the more or less straight shot on Hwy13 through the town.  Detour like the highway is a 25mph zone. But unlike through town the detour speed limit is strictly enforced.  Ask the person who managed to get a +$1200 speeding ticket. Too many people too close to my truck's trailer hitch. Doubt if they would even see Vela's trailer lights. Next ball extension is going to be a longer one.  Right now it is just a shin banger. Next one . Grill penetrator.