DIY trailer rigging? 26' Panga on bunk trailer.
 

DIY trailer rigging? 26' Panga on bunk trailer. What is the chance that a couple of diyers, one a surveyor, could make any adjustments required to get a first load in the water(no lift) w/o damaging the hull. Addnl adjustments could be made and then boat launched and recovered.

Boat has a 15 degree deadrise at the transom, and weighs 2,200 dry, with 175 OMC power.

Trailer is typical alum, double axle for 24' to 26' boat. Assume a couple of floor jacks available and bathroom scales with simple lever set up to measure tongue weight.

How figure lateral location of bunks, winch stand, etc. Any publication with good guidance on setup?

Why try this? Boat coming in from Bahamas and used but as new trailer coming down from NC.

Re: DIY trailer rigging? 26' Panga on bunk trailer.
 

Find out what the center of gravity is on the boat and then set that a little forward of the center of your two axels. Then trial and error form there. I would do it on a week day at the ramp instead of jacks and what not. Make sure that the first time you have tounge weight. My 2 cents

Jon

Re: DIY trailer rigging? 26' Panga on bunk trailer.
 

where you at gene. i live in eden nc up from greensboro .

Re: DIY trailer rigging? 26' Panga on bunk trailer.
 

Find a boat yard that will loan or rent to you a couple of yard arms or boat stands. You will actually need 4. Explain to them your purpose and make sure they know you will accept all liability. Perhaps even take them off of their property if they will let you to reduce/remove their liability.

If you use the yard-arms and/or boat stands, you don't have to do so much of what I just described. Just lift, adjust and lower.

Lifting with boat stands is not exactly preferred, but it is possible, in an effort just to hover a boat high enough to adjust bunks. You may have to combine the boat stands with the method I describe below.

Hydraulic yard arms are the ticket for lifting and adjusting though.




Eyeball/measure the bunks and get them as close as you can.
Make sure you pay specific attention to the chines that you want to rest the boat on. Also, make sure you know how tall the bunks are away from the trailer, as you need to make sure the chines that you are going to rest on the boat, are not going to allow the deepest portion of the boat's hull, to come in contact with the cross-members/axles of the trailer.

Then load the boat onto the trailer.

Use the yard arms to lift the boat about an inch or two off of the trailer, and then move the trailer back and forth, and bunks into correct positions.

Technically, you don't even need the bow/winch stand to support the boat on the trailer when the trailer is on level ground. The bow/winch stand should be placed as a REST and not as a SUPPORT.






You can also do a redneck version of blocking the boat once you have it on the trailer:

Block the trailer wheels.

Remove the trailer from the truck, and lower the tongue jack all the way to the ground. Then take a floor jack and jack the back of the trailer up a few inches via a cross member or center of the axle. (Two floor jacks might work best). Not enough to lift the wheels off the ground, but enough to extend the suspension most of its travel. Stack solid (not hollow) concrete blocks up to meet the boat, and use pieces of 2x4s or 4x4s or 2x6s for the actual contact to the boat. If you have access to large cubes of wood, this will work too.

Remove the floor jacks, and you should see the weight of the boat transfer to the blocks.

Then, raise the tongue jack to its highest position. You may want to even raise this higher than it is configured with a block under the tongue jack. After this is complete, CAREFULLY, slide under the trailer and block the boat in the center of the keel; about a foot or so before the keel starts to arch up toward the nose of the boat. Again use wood to contact the hull.

Now you can lower the tongue and you should see the boat now hovering a inch or more off of the trailer and the bunks. Now you can feel free to move the bunks and winch stand where ever you need. You should also be able to move the trailer forward and backward a few inches, being careful to not allow a trailer cross member to knock the block out from the keel. All of this is assuming the rear corners of the trailer allow you to place blocks next to the trailer, on the outside of the main beams, and meet the hull of the boat. Much of what I described will trial and error, on getting just the right config to get the boat to hover.

Just be careful, and don't allow yourself (fingers) in a point of peril if the boat shifts and slips. You are fairly safe in that the if the boat shifts/slips, its going to land on the trailer.

Don't compltely remove or over-loosen the bunks when adjusting. Just loosen them just enough to slide, etc. This will also make your task a little safer.

Reverse the above process to place the boat back on the trailer. Remember, you want the main bunks EXTENDING AT LEAST 1-4 inches past the end of the transom provided there is no conflict with the drive, speedo-pitot, trim tabs, etc. You want the bunks extending past the end of the transom so as to not develop a hook in the bottom of the hull over time, if the hull is not fully supported.





Anyone else, feel free to critique my suggestions. I was typing at a pretty fast clip.

Re: DIY trailer rigging? 26' Panga on bunk trailer.
 

Thanks, Sydwayz. Excellent description of procedure. Have done similar to reset tongue weight on a Boston Whaler 17 but a 26 is another matter.

Re: DIY trailer rigging? 26' Panga on bunk trailer.
 

I used 2 post lift "4 arms" in an auto shop, it worked great.

Re: DIY trailer rigging? 26' Panga on bunk trailer.
 

I'm in Raleigh. This boat belongs to my son, J. D., in Wilmington.