My parents 242 Formula is sitting on a roller trailer and has a hand crank winch on it now. To me it is a pain in the ass to have to winch it up the trailer about 8 feet. If I dunk the trailer deeper the boat WILL NOT center itself on the trailer, I have to just keep 1/2 the trailer in the water so the boat will center itself when coming up. I have thought about getting an electric winch and found a guy that has two Powerwinch RC-30 for sale on CL for a good price. My question is an electric boat trailer winch like the Powerwinch worth it? I trailer the boat quite a bit since I do not keep it in a well.

I personal don't think it's a good idea for bunk trailers unless there is a load setting, I'd be afraid it would pull the eyelet out if you don't have enough trailer in the water. Roller though seems like the way to go. I see a lot of trailers with electric jacks and only a few with electric winches. In your case I don't see why not. But don't know a whole lot about them, sorry.

If your winch pulls your eyelet out of your hull you have bigger problems The eyelet in a well built boat will hold the weight of the boat vertical

They work well. Make sure you install a water tight battery box that locks, and tap into the 12V hot on a 7 way plug of your vehicle and lead that to the battery as well as a ground. The vehicle will charge the battery when hooked up. Many install a battery tender in the box to keep the battery maintained when not in use for long periods of time, they are cheap. Most have a cut off if you are overloading them, if it trips back in further or upgrade to one rated for your capacity.

I installed a 5,000 lb winch on the front of my trailer for my 272. It is also a bunk trailer.

Where I boat, the launch is nice and the boat hand floats onto the trailer until the bow touches the front v-guide. Let out about 2 more feet of cable and snap it on, then just hit the button. I have never been afraid about pulling the u-bolt out of the boat, but I am carful to not bend my trailer in half. 5,000 lbs is a bit much for a 6,000 pound boat!

One thing I did is I removed most of the cable from the winch, that way it is always on it's first wrap which gives you the most torque with the least amperage.

4bus, I am curious why you say a water tight box. I thought deep cycle batteries had to have airflow so they do not build up hydrogen gas. Is water tight for if you are around salt water or if the battery will be submerged? Mine is in a standard battery box on the front of the trailer. The bottom will touch the water, but it does not go in. Fresh water only. Same setup as my travel trailer actually, except I never back that down a boat ramp! The locking part I get though.

Brian

Mine has started to slip as I pull the boat out. Any ideas of where I start with the repair of it?

I have an RC30 and use the included pully block. I have a bunk trailer and a 29' Fountain with twin smallblocks and Bravo 1 drives. Since I load and unload the boat solo the wench makes this do-able. It comes with a remote (like a car keyfob) so you can get your boat centered, be inside the truck, and backup slowly as you power wench the boat on the trailer. I can't imagine not having it.

BTW - I have the wench powered by the standard car battery, an Optima Red Top, and keep the truck running while I am using the wench.

Brian,

I said water tight for no maintenance. Of course you would need to run a sealed battery such as a vibration resistant AGM. I should have been more clear, maybe water resistant? And I was speaking more for road travel than launching. Our spring salt combined with rain will make quick work of exposed electrical connections on a trailer placed behind a vehicle. And yes sometimes we still have salt on the roads in May

That's good to know that it won't pop out. Not to high jack this thread but what is it that people have to stop the boat instead of the rubber v stop or grooved wheel, instead there's to small carpeted blocks the stop the boat a little lower on the haul. I've seen a lot of fountain boats have them.

i have an electric winch on my top gun trailer. its nice not gonna lie. but in your situation i think boat guides in the rear of your trailer would be a lot more economical and would center your boat on the trailer allowing you to back your trailer in farther. not to sound like a d!ck by any means but i think a electric winch on a roller trailer is a little overkill for a 24ft boat.