Bill,
I guess it depends on how far away from the yoke you are. I can generally
crank mine up so the bow is within the "V" of the yoke, so it
can't slide off to one side. I think the wings of the V-stop would allow
me to be maybe 4 inches back and still hit the "V". Plus, my
side bunkers are adjusted such that the bow can't get too far off-center.
On the Performance brand trailers, there is not only a 2x6 running the
length of the trailer that the whole keel rests on, but two 2x6
"bottom bunkers" sitting vertically along each side of it, all
carpeted, which may help the boat slide easier, especially when they're
wet. They are adjustable in width for the keel. I think I'd have to
completely miss this slot for the bow to miss up front. I made the chore
of hitting the slot easy this past summer by adding keel-guides at the
rear of the trailer.
Even so, I'll slide it up only a couple of inches at a time, then crank
in, which keeps the bow in line. That means two quick stops and you're
there. Works for me, anyway. Used it many times on a 26' trailerable of
similar weight with no ill effects.
I agree of course that leaving the bow too far off while running
down the road could cause problems. Maybe another solution is to get one
of those two-speed trailer winches that would make cranking the boat all
the way up possible.
Doug King
At 07:16 AM 11/29/02 -0500, you wrote:
Jerry
Williams,
Go carefully with this
technique. The first and only time I tried it, the boat missed the
yoke and badly scratched the gel coat while gliding by. If
you leave the boat a few inches away from the yoke, this could happen if
you need to brake unexpectedly in traffic. Unless I am moving the
boat only a short distance, at slow speeds, I make sure the bow is
nestled into the yoke.
The previous owner of my
rig felt the bow was not adequately supported and mounted an auxilliary
roller to support the bow. However, lifting the bow onto that
roller is a chore, so I like your idea of an intermediate roller to guide
the bow upwards.
On my trailer, the post
on which the winch and yoke are mounted is adjustable. Can you move
yours back?
Bill Riker
M-15 #184
Storm Petrel
-----Original
Message-----
From: montgomery_boats-admin@mailman.xmission.com
[mailto:montgomery_boats-admin@mailman.xmission.com]On
Behalf Of Doug King
Sent: November 29, 2002 1:01 AM
To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com
Subject: Re: M_Boats: The yoke's on me
I don't know how much it really matters as long as
the weight distribution to the trailer hitch is enough, but one option
that I and a few others here do routinely is, once the boat is cranked up
as far as it will go, get going a few miles an hour in the tow vehicle
and hit the brakes. The boat will slide forward pretty easily, especially
if contact surfaces are still wet from hauling out. You can get to where
you gauge the speed pretty well to push it up a few inches. Crank it snug
and you're ready to go.
Doug King
At 03:04 PM 11/28/02 -0500, you wrote:
It still did
not fit snuggly into the yoke. I am beginning to think the boat
sits in its most comfortable position in the bunk boards and the snug fit
to the yoke is not that important. It trailers smoothly even thogh
the bow is a few inches away from the yoke. Am I correct that this
is a non issue?
I like the extra roller and mounting plank and will definately keep this
set up. As the photos show, the roller is ownly there to help lift
the boat to the angle of the trailer. Once it sits in the bunk
boards the boat is several inches from the additional roller.
------------------------------------------
Doug King
M-17 #404 "Vixen"
Montgomery Sailboats Owners Group Web site:
http://msog.org
Email:
mailto:msog@msog.org
------------------------------------------
Doug King
M-17 #404 "Vixen"
Montgomery Sailboats Owners Group Web site: http://msog.org
Email: mailto:msog@msog.org