Couple of trailer question's for a 33ft Boat!
 

First off, Does anyone else tie down the back of their boat to the trailer? (With ropes, straps, etc.)? I started doing it after going to a few races and all the race teams did it. I thought it was just for smaller boats.

2. Does anyone tie their drives up to keep them from moving back and forth during transportation? I never really gave it much thought until I followed my own boat to the lake while a friend pulled it for me. Or Should they not be moving? I have twin TRS drives w/ full Hyd steering, could there be a leak that is letting this happen?

3. I have a 33ft Fountain with a trailer that look's like it would fit a 31ft great!! The Beak is all the way to the front (almost over the Ball of the truck) and the buddy that towed it for me said he thinks it still doesn't have enough tongue weight??

Anyone have any ideas?

Like a 33ft trailer they would trade for a 31ft?

Do any of the trailer mfg's take trades?

I think if I get one I would like it to have a drive guard. What do you think?

Funhome, to answer your question as to strapping down the boat at the transom. In most states if a trooper were to stop you and it wasnt properly secured you could be fined for improperly securing a load. I do not secure mine when I pull from the ramp to my house which is to say, no highway speeds and around 3 miles. But on a long trip where highway speeds are reached and you are traveling over bridge expansion joints, or even bumps in the road ,you could have some damage or even shifting on the trailer. if you were in a situation of heavy breaking or swerving you could flip the boat out of the trailer. My trailer is a South Florida Bunk style with torsion arms in liue of springs and rides great. If a roller style trailer is not secured the boat would surely be on the road if any of the above were to happen. As to your boat maybe bieng to long for your trailer it really depends on how much tongue wieght you can achieve. If the tongue wieght is light with the boat all the way forward you will have a problem. Your drives shouldnt move too freely ..Check that ASAP. But bunjie cords couldnt hurt. Check out www.southfloridatrailers.com and talk to Jay he is on OSO and will answer you honestly. Good luck, Mark

Look at the OSO Photo section (bloopers) of the boat that ended up in the back of the pick-up and you will know why they strap the boats down. Everyone is worried about them shifting backward, what about forward??

OSO

maybe your axles could be moved rearwards on the frame of the trailer for more tongue weight?

I usually strap down the stern of my boat while its under tow.
I've seen and heard too many stories...it ain't worth the risk!!
A strap cost $25.00??

As far as the drives go, I invested in a tie bar and don't think they move too much if at all (I don't have to trim the drives up at all when I put it on the trailer)

I do the exact same thing as Troutly... Just started with the vertical strap on the bow after noticing it bouncing up and down over RR tracks and the like:mad: Also because I've noticed my power winch back off a little bit. Your better off keeping the boat in constant contact with the trailer as opposed to bouncing on rollers or bunks:cool:.

I'm with Troutly on the two bow eye deal. When I towed the last boat, a 27'r, I put a saftey chain through the bow eye hook... Not so much to keep the bow from bouncing, but more so just in case the winch strap/hook ever gave way. But it helped hold it down too. I always used the transom straps.

the OSO adm. is wright,saw one on top of a station wagon one time......not a pretty sight.....the guy standing there scratchin his head....you do need about 400-500- lbs of tonque weight to prevent the trailer from swaying,we sell american high performance and always make sure customers trailers are under loaded to compensate for all the crap(including fuel) people carry in there boats,and definetly strap these down,with a 33' boat a 25$ strap may not be enough,try and find a sling company in your town,theyll know what size strap youll need.(overkill is a good thing in these situations).when certified spring instructed me about distrubution of weight I was amazed and now can better help our customers..what kind of steering do you have,a call to them about your cylinders allowing your drives to sway would be a good thing,if they cant help you I'm pretty sure bing at marine machine will give you the answers you need. 305-681-1815

Brad,

I strap my Skater on the transom, and twice on teh bow. Once with the winch and once verticaly with another strap. These extra straps really help secure the boat especially god forbid inteh case of an acident.

A good starting point for tongue weight is about 10% of total weight (boat & trailer). A drive guard is a fantastic idea. With regard to individual trailer selection, South Florida makes sweet aluminum trailers with rinsable brakes for when you dunk it in salt water. Aluminum trailers don't rust either. The downside...their aluminum and cannot be painted. If you are looking for a beautiful steel trailer with impeccable quality, try Performance Trailer, in Lake George, NY. They do gorgeous work and are VERY REASONABLE!

Good luck.

I had TRS drives on the Scarab. Didnt have hyd steering but they did move while towing. My solution was to moves drives to one side and use a short piece of rope or a tie-strap from the tie bar to the corner cleat. No more moving. :D

I always strap the back end down. After seeing a 35' cig going over a bumpy set a train tracks and watching as the back end came about 6" off the trailer....that was good enough reason to strap it down!! :eek:

As for your tongue weight.....can you move the bow catch/lock forward any? I know the one on my eagle was adjustable. You may gain some tongue weight by just sliding it closer to the truck and next time you launch the boat it should be moved forward.
Not sure about the trade thing...you may get lucky and find a dealer that will do it if they happen to have a customer ready to buy one in your size.