Use a strap. That cig would have to be able to do a back flip to pull the bow eye out. I use one on my aluminum trailer (35 TG) and have no issues. It reduces the bounce on the highway as well which is probably more likely to cause damage that what you're seeing on the ramp.

The bow eye is designed to support 3x the weight of the boat. It will leverage the back of the boat up off the bunks before it pulls the bow eye out. Don't stress about it. The boat is what adds rigidity to an aluminum trailer. Strap the Shi% out of it and forget it.

Don't worry about it. ALL trailers flex, even steel ladder trailers.

Once I get the boat on the trailer the way I like it for tongue weight (forward/backward adjustment), I usually set the winch stand up so that is "very snug" against the hull; by lowering the trailer away from the boat (lift the tongue jack up as far as it will go, place wood under keel of boat, lower trailer away from boat). Slide the winch stand and bow catcher back as far under the keel as you can get it; and then raise the trailer back up to meet the boat, putting the boat's weight on the winch stand/bow catcher as the trailer flexes to pick the boat up off of the wood when you raise the tongue jack back up.

Has anyone ever had a bow eye pull out or seen one.

No... and especially not in a Cig. Climb up in the nose and take a look. There should be a big ole chunk of wood that is glassed in the the bow eye though bolts to. It's not coming out! ;)

On my Scarab when I looked at the backing plate for the bow eye, it looks like a metal plate. That SOB is very strong!!!!

Youlll tear the nose off the boat before you'll pull that eye out.. Its usually backed with metal, wood and glass..

yes. Back when I had my 40ft formula, I was using a very steep ramp. The safety chain on the trailer had been missing, so I rigged up my own chain. Apparently I didn't leave enough slack on the chain. So, when I began pulling the boat out of the water, the stern wanted to lay down on the trailer and bow wanted to rise up, as boat and trailer were becoming one going up the ramp. Problem was, the chain didn't want that to happen. Something had to give, and it was the bow eye. It didn't completely rip out, but I heard a pop, and the truck shook. Went back to find the bow eye partially ripped out of the hull. From the inside, it actually crushed the fiberglass a bit, and started pulling thru. Bow eye was bent also. Fix was new bow eye, and made a better reinforced plate to spread the load a little better. Most bow eyes just have a thin little plate that goes over the two studs.

That was just a stupid mistake on my part, and not thinking it thru. Now, whenever I use different ramps, I mark the winch strap, and the winch stand. When the strap lines up with the mark, I know its right where it needs to be. Sometimes the hull can be on the bow stop on a steep ramp, but when you pull out it ends up too far back.

winch will pull off before pulling the bow eye out !!!!

Aluminum trailers flex,,,,,just the way it is.