proper boat to trailer/bunk set up

[thedude306]

Hi all,

I am currently undergoing a major reno on our 18' 2000 Lund Alaskan and my weight distribution is going to change drastically. After removing the three batteries from the very front of the boat and having the bow eye unclipped the bow of the boat has raised approx 4" (from trailer flex)


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8f719e5f_c.jpg

Years ago I set up my trailer by blocking certain parts of the trailer to align the bunks and keel roller. My google foo must be weak as I can't find the thread/info I used back then, I thought it was on walleye central, but maybe the hull truth or iBoats???

I'm looking for that info again. Especially the part about blocking the trailer for flex

Can anyone help me out with the proper trailer/bunk to boat set up?

From what I can remember:

bunks flush or slightly proud of transom
Keel roller just touching keel with little to no weight
Winch strap pulling straight and should not "lift" bow of boat when tightened
Bow eye just below roller
bow eye to trailer strap to help eliminate flex/bounce
7-10 % tongue weight


thanks
Brad

[REW]

The -
With respect to blocking the trailer to compensate for flex, does not make sense.

When you are pulling your boat down the road the trailer will not be blocked or supported.

If there is flex in the trailer when loaded, there is flex in the trailer when loaded.

From a simplistic point of view, it seems to me that the transom of the boat need to be supported and the bow of the boat needs to be supported, and then the rollers or bunks need to be adjusted through the length of the boat to support the remaining weight of the loaded boat.

When I do that I just adjust the height of the transom to my desired height and I adjust the height of the bow to the desired height.

Then, I use a floor jack to lift each of the remaining support members to take up their share of the weight of the boat. Pretty easy to do and the method gives equal support for the full length of the boat.

But, even before doing that, I will use a tape measure to insure that the bunks and or rollers are correctly space side to side on the trailer. I will also take a straight edge and insure that the line from the transom of the boat measured forward is a level line with respect to height, and that corresponds with the straight line measurement on the keel of your boat.

These first measurements give you a very good starting point for the final alignment and height adjustment of the rollers or bunks on the trailer.

You can also go to the web site for your boat trailers manufacture and follow their instructions for properly setting up your boat trailer to match your boat's hull.

For example - this search title with respect to Shorelander trailers:

https://www.google.com/search?q=shor...hrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.shorelandr.com/pages/pf_trstep2.htm



Best wishes.