new trailer = narrower?

[Mr.Seaguar]

SO I got a 96 Alumacraft 190 Competitor. Like the boat, its payd4 and no really wanting to spend a fortune. Heres my problem: its too wide for my garage door. Not the boat but the trailer tires are. Is there an easy way to fix this? I wouldnt mind spending whatever a new trailer costs in order to put it in the garage in a timely manner. Because I have a driveway with 2 angles in it. Beleive me, when you have to hit a doorway with 1" clearance on either side and the pickup is at 2 different angles than the boat, it aint gnna happen. Newer boats are wide how do they make that work? Is the boat higher up or something? Thanks.

[jokerjim]

Why do you have to use the pick-up to back the boat into the garage ? Why not get it as close as possible and manaully push it in the rest of the way. It will be alot easier to control the trailer.

[Mr.Seaguar]

Truthfully I never thought of that. Are there any lucid people with coherent responses?

[Hot Runr Guy]

Yes, if you look at some of these really wide boats, they are sitting above the fenders, rather than between them. The only real downside I see if that you have to back the trailer in deeper, in order to get the hull in the water. If you do decide to go the new trailer route, try to get as long a tongue length as possible, so the tow vehicle doesn't have to get too close to the waters edge. If you look at most adjustable trailers, like EZ Loader or Shoreland'r, the brackets have multiple mounting holes, to allow you to raise the bunks or rollers up, to lift the hull higher. Is there enough height on the garage door to clear the windshield or outboard if the hull is set higher?
HRG
Here is a pic I found of a hull set above the fenders.

[Mr.Seaguar]

The boat is in storage so i dont really know. Looks like a good idea possibly andyour pic was really helpful Thank you.

[Phil T]

I've seen a lot of trailers whose wheels were under the boat's hull, instead of outboard of the boat. They always looked unstable to me.
It may be possible to fit a shorter axle under your trailer, it depends on the width of the frame.
If your tow vehicle has a steel (not plastic coated) front bumper, Bass Pro used to sell an L-shaped bracket that bolted into the license plate holes of a steel bumper and accepted a trailer ball. I have one. A real (over-the-road semi) trucker once called it a "sissy ball" at a boat ramp. He had spent the $$ to have a receiver mounted to the front of his motor home because the motor home was wider than his boat.

You can push your boat into any place it will clear when you can see what you're doing. It doesn't take long to get used to turning the steering wheel the opposite direction you would when backing. Just drive the trailer, not the truck, when parking the trailer.

[Lundexp]

Easy, just get a bigger door that the garage will accomodate and be done with it. At least that's what I did in my experience. But really, if you have just enough clearance to fit it through your door and are on level ground then you should be able to maneuver it in by hand.

[gdi]

Take a look at the trim on the door some may beable to be removed with no problem. OR Take a look at the power dollies that are out there, hook up to the trailer and let the electricity do the work.


gdi

[jokerjim]

Are these responces coherent enough for you, Mr. Seaguar ?

[Mr.Seaguar]

I did look at these options. The garage door looks to be a good one. The Power Dolly is about $900 before shipping, I have a 12* grade in the top portion of my driveway. I`m still studying on it. Thanks for the help guys.

JokerJim sorry for my response to you in my earlier post.

[Jesse-WI]

I have also seen folks add a trailer hitch to the front of a lawn mower or ATV and use that vehicle to move a boat around in tight places.