Thread: Need some advice please

Jack sounds to me like you need taller guide rollers and with a little heavier material in the roller supports.
The taller guides would allow putting the trailer in deeper with out jumping over the rollers.

What kind of angle is the ramp?
I suspect you have a steep ramp and thus why your only getting about half-way up the bunks when the trailer is shallow, too much bunk out of the water. Sounds like when you go in deeper (trailer further in the water) so you can load all the way your floating off and damaging things. Do you have side guides?
If this is a deep ramp, is the nose of your boat hitting the trailer before the bunks? If so, you may need another roller where the nose hits the trailer.
Maybe I misunderstood your dilemma.

The object of bunks is to float on and off the trailer, means the trailer must be deeper in the water.
The object of roller bunks is to drive on/off the trailer and makes for shallower trailer.
On this trailer I have roller bunks and put the last roller just under water. The rest of the trailer is out of the water and I power load all the way up to the bow eye. Unloading is just as simple. Although I can't unhook until I am ready to launch, I climb on the bow and unhook, then push myself off the trailer.

when I had a smaller boat and trailer with bunks, I had to float on and off. No way my 10hp motor was pushing me to the bow eye. Also meant my feet got wet or I walked the tongue and climbed on my SUV's rear bumper to keep my feet dry. I could crank the boat on the bunks, however that was a pain in the butt.

Having said that, sounds like you have a hybrid of each system, couple rollers and bunks. Sounds like something need adjusted, you need another roller, of the ramp is too steep for your set-up. Maybe side guides will help too?

A trick you can try is to submerge the bunks to get them wet before loading and unloading. It will help make the boat slide easier. Some also install poly material, which is slick as snot. Be careful with that stuff, don't drop the boat on the ramp.

A picture of your setup might help us diagnose your problem with more confidence but I think Lowe installs vertical/angled roller guide-ons for their Stinger trailers. With your explanation with how your boat loads on your particular ramp, I would look at doing the same thing that I did and replace your guide-ons with taller aftermarket ones. This would allow you to load easier, while keeping your hull centered on the trailer and between the fenders.

My Triton 2072SC sits on a 2 bunk trailer and I've replaced the factory shorty horizontal bunk-style guide-ons with taller aftermarket ones to keep the boat from moving left/right when loading on steep ramps. On my primary ramp I have to back in to wet my bunks, then pull up until my guide-ons are 3-4" above the waterline. I may have to hook up to the bow eye and crank it the last 2 feet during low winter pool by myself or have my partner back the truck up slowly as I take up the slack on the winch if I'm not alone. I also added a short set of guides closer to the bow that serves as an additional contact point making loading easier on the river in high current or heavy winds on the lake. My last bassboat would load no matter what was going on ,so long as the guides were above the waterline, so each boat will have its own slightly different trailering personality based on ramp angle, trailer setup, hull design and outboard power.

I have a Seaark XV180 that used to give me fits trying to trailer it. If I put the trailer in the water far enough to drive the boat on, I had similar problems to yours, with the boat going over the fenders,and alignment was difficult, but at least I could drive it on, if I could get it aligned. If I didn't back the trailer as far into the water, alignment was easier, but couldn't drive the boat onto the trailer very far, and had to winch it on, sometimes having to back the trailer a bit farther into the water to make it easier to winch it on. My solution was to put plastic teflon bunk pads onto the bunks. I am not kidding when I say I can drive the boat all the way onto the trailer with the bunks out of the water, if I put the back of the bunk at the edge of the water. I actually pushed the boat off the trailer with the bunks out of the water. My son didn't believe me when I told him I could. One thing I have to be careful is not to unhook the with before I get the boat to the water. they have a low coefficient of friction, and people have had boats slide off trailers going down the ramp. The instructions warn about this. The pads have made launching and loading a breeze. You might try them, I got mine at Cabelas.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/boati...ads/737191.uts

I am guessing here but... do you have a set of guide bunks installed on the trailer? IF not, I would consider getting them. Put the bunks on while the boat is on the trailer and adjust them so the fit is within 2 or so inches of the boat on both sides. This will eliminate any sway of the boat, ensure it goes on straight, and not allow it to move out of position.

You may have to play with how far you back to the water. For my boat (18ft deep V) I back my trailer until the tips of the fends are just out of the water. I can drive on (without hitting the back roller) at idle speed to within a few feet of the post. In Michigan we cannot power load so I then get out and crank it the rest of the way. Most of the time I can pull it to within an inch or two of the post.

The rear roller on most trailers (bunk trailers) is there to ensure the bow of the boat doesn't slam in to the cross beam in certain angle situation. I don't think I have ever hit mine with the bow.

Just to add to the fun of getting your boat on and off the trailer...it has been my experience that every ramp is different. How steep is it??? How deep or shallow is it???? But the biggest factor for me seems to be how many guys are waiting impatiently to use the ramp???? The more guys waiting to use the ramp, the worse I get.

Generally shallower centers the boat better. It can take a lot of throttle to go the last few feet to the bow stop. Every trailer and ramp combination has a sweet spot that is just shallow enough to self-center and just deep enough to load easily. Most of the time you want to start with the front edge of the fender just at the water surface and adjust from there.

If you have a somebody else to drive the truck, you can drive on until it hangs and then have them ease back as you drive the rest of the way up.