# Getting boat on trailer straight?



## bucksrus (Oct 9, 2006)

Newbie boater guy question! Any tricks of the trade to get your boat lined up straight on your trailer when pulling it out of the water? 

I fish alone a lot and 90% of the time when I pull out, my boat is resting up against the drivers side fender of the trailer ( I have about two or three inches on the other side). Not sure if the rubbing on the plastic fender while traveling would hurt anything or not? But just in case I've been backing up to let the back of the boat float again and pull up once it drifts the other way to try and get it centered. Sometimes this takes me numerous times of back and forth to have it not touch! Luckily up to this point the launch has not been busy when I'm having to do this. 

Any input appreciated!


----------



## Elk5012 (Mar 27, 2008)

Don't back your trailer so far in. Let the bunks and rollers guide it up as you are wenching.


----------



## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

That's exactly what I was going to say. When I was launching/retrieving my boat, more often than not I was alone. I never had a problem getting it lined up. Just let your bunks/rollers guide it into position. If the you're in too deep, the boat will want to float around and settle in the wrong position on the trailer. Try not backing in quite so far and let the trailer do the work. Once you get it to work, take note of how deep the trailer is. Take a look at where the water line is in relation to a particular part of the trailer and you can use that as a guide for the next time. Once you've done it a few times, it is pretty easy.

John


----------



## Quack Wacker (Dec 20, 2006)

Elk5012 said:


> Don't back your trailer so far in. Let the bunks and rollers guide it up as you are wenching.


----------



## tinmarine (Nov 19, 2007)

I was at the st clair launch one time waiting our turn to load my boat. Up at the ONLY load dock was two couples trying to get a boat on a trailer. The guy in the truck kept backing so far back that the bumper was touching water. I was fifth in line and needless to say people were not happy. One guy was in the water trying to keep the boat straight on the trailer, but no matter how many times they tried it always ended up resting on a chine. Finally I had to yell at him to let the cable out and drag it onto the trailer. They thought that since the trailer wasn't made for the boat they were going to struggle(and they were). As soon as they pulled it out it loaded straight. As soon as they got it on the trailer all the other boats started cheering. Only good thing about waiting for them was there was a HOT brunette standing on the dock in a very small bikini waiting for them to get the boat on the trailer. That was worth the wait, but I don't think the wife cared much for it. Funny thing, when it was my turn to load another boat cut in front of the other and tried launching on the other dock and went head first into it.


----------



## bucksrus (Oct 9, 2006)

Thanks for the replies...I will not back up so far next time (not that I back up to my bumper...or tires for that matter) and give it a try! 

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk


----------



## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

I got mine so its no more than 1" either way off center.
Straight as can be 100% of the time.

Mine has side bunks (guess they are called that) that run along the fenders. I increased both sides about 3" each to close up the gap. Now I have only 1" max either way. Winch the boat up and take off, no need to even look to see if its straight. Took 5 years but my buddy finally did his.


----------



## TrackerPro (Jan 1, 2010)

Hi, I have a 06 21Ft Tracker Tundra. Had the same issue. Launched the boat 25 times the first year I owned it and only got it straight on the trailer once by using the go to deep and pull out fast method. I could not figure out what was wrong with the trailer. I adjusted the winch mount several times, moved the 2 batteries to the other side of the boat to compensate for the kicker motor weight, looked at the bunks for signs of misalinment or warping. Once I used bunk silicone spray and the boat would just slide to the fender regardless of what I did (That was the clue something was wrong here). My boat bent my fender inner pannel. After the wife scraped her leg and fell in at the dock I went to Cabela's this spring and bought there brand of roller guide ons (Black rollers that are about a foot long at a angle that attached to rear of trailer) and never had a issue since. It's still not straight and always pulls up touching the Port Side roller but I'm out of the water going solo as fast as you can move. Best $100 I ever spent! Good luck and I hope my advise helps.


----------



## double trouble (Nov 20, 2003)

On most boats you only have to back up until the trailer fenders are barely under water. That is a good general rule. Then winch it up the rest of the way. Your boat may vary a bit , but if you start there you will get a good feel of what is right for your rig. 
I learned the hard way too. A guy in rondeau bay straightened me out after I backed down too far , went off his launch dropoff and had to have him pull the trailer out. Now that launch reminds me of alter road. If you go too far, the launch used to be poorly maintained and there was a big washout hole where the concrete stopped. 
Now I know better. Let the winch do its job so you do not smoke tires or blow a transmission trying to get the boat out of the water on a wet ramp.


----------



## Topshelf (May 24, 2005)

I have a verticle guide on post on each side of my trailer. Mounted my lights at the top of them also. No blown light bulbs from forgetting to unplug the lights. Like Mike I have it set up so there is only a couple inches of gap on each side. So now I just back it in, hook up the strap, winch it up and its good to go every time.


----------



## huntingmaniac45 (Nov 22, 2005)

Problem solved!
http://www.cabelas.com/trailer-accessories-boat-guide-ons.shtml


----------

