Just a Little Boat Upgrade & Towing Experience

[Jeff1024]

So wow, what a difference a custom boat trailer can make. Going forward I think we will just budget for a new trailer during boat purchases. A few pictures. First is the truck hooked up to the boat, boat still in the storage shed, but it illustrates the drastic drop in tongue weight. The truck is barely on the overloads.

We went from almost 900lbs on the tongue to 350. I'm pretty sure I heard the F150 say thank you when we hooked up the new trailer. 350 is about 5% of the total trailer. Have I read that 5% is ok on tandem axle boat trailers? Sure have. Do I wish it was a bit heaver on the tongue? Sure Do. Not much I can do though and we don't tow on the highway so I will look at it as a great way to save some payload.

Second picture is a great example of how poorly setup the original trailer was. Note how much further the rear tandems are up on the custom trailer as compared to the junk universal it was sitting on.

Hated spending the money, but think it will prove to be a great investment. It's crazy how many people buy six figure boats then put them on junk trailers. Doing it correctly isn't that much more expensive and will hopefully result in a much better and safer towing experience.

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[Gord0]

Personally, I'd want some more tongue weight on that trailer.

 

[Jeff1024]

Personally, I'd want some more tongue weight on that trailer.

Same, but not much I can do other than return it?

Cant move the boat up and cant move the axles.

We will see how it tows.

First issue was pulling up out of the Marina. We have a pretty steep hill to get up and out and it also turns as it goes up.

Got some wheel spin this last trip, which previously was not an issue. I assume not enough weight pushing down on the back of the truck. It could also be the road was wet and the truck is still on the crap OEM Hankooks Historically have done it in 2WD, looks like it's a good thing I bought a 4WD truck.

 

[powerboatr]

350 lbs on the tongue is a bit light
can you weigh the tongue to get a real weight?
but you may need to be closer to 500 lbs
a light tongue will be a wiggly one at higher speeds

i see you cant move wheels aft or boat forward
soo an easy tongue weight adder for those longer trips is a 80 to 120 quart cooler placed in the bow area floor and filled with water or ice ,etc
water weighs 8lbs a gallon
for example if you get 120 qt (30 gallon cooler) that would add 300 lbs of tongue weight
of course that means filled to top
which is impossible so say 25 gallons of ice or water , thats still in the 200 to 250 ball park and would settle the tongue down
how much fuel was loaded in the boat?
does nt have a 45 or 60 gallon tank ?
i would fill it to the top and weigh the whole thing to get best numbers and see if a less fuel load helps or hinders your tongue weight
iirc the fuel on those boats is center-line and a bit forward of where your rear axle is located
so it should be able to help with tongue weight...UNLESS your full now with the light tongue

then if all else fails
you have a free space under the bow winch, put a small tool box there and add some tractor weights. it wont take much to make a difference,
safe towing
the new trailer does look nice

 

[Jeff1024]

350 lbs on the tongue is a bit light
can you weigh the tongue to get a real weight?
but you may need to be closer to 500 lbs
a light tongue will be a wiggly one at higher speeds

i see you cant move wheels aft or boat forward
soo an easy tongue weight adder for those longer trips is a 80 to 120 quart cooler placed in the bow area floor and filled with water or ice ,etc
water weighs 8lbs a gallon
for example if you get 120 qt (30 gallon cooler) that would add 300 lbs of tongue weight
of course that means filled to top
which is impossible so say 25 gallons of ice or water , thats still in the 200 to 250 ball park and would settle the tongue down
how much fuel was loaded in the boat?
does nt have a 45 or 60 gallon tank ?
i would fill it to the top and weigh the whole thing to get best numbers and see if a less fuel load helps or hinders your tongue weight
iirc the fuel on those boats is center-line and a bit forward of where your rear axle is located
so it should be able to help with tongue weight...UNLESS your full now with the light tongue

then if all else fails
you have a free space under the bow winch, put a small tool box there and add some tractor weights. it wont take much to make a difference,
safe towing
the new trailer does look nice

So that was 350lb on a tongue weight Scale. And was with basically a full tank of fuel.

I have never weighed the boat, so I am guessing based on published weights.

Dry is 4880
48 Gal of Fuel is 300
Trailer is listed at 1300
150lb of stuff - for example I don't think the 4880 includes the arch as that was an option not a standard feature.

Round to 6750 for the boat trailer all in.

5% would be 340

Boatmate says they aim for 5% to 10% on their trailers, I just wish it was a bit closer to 10.

I thought about doing a spare tire and mount on the rail of the trailer. Wouldn't be all the way on the tongue but every bit in front of the rear axle helps. Figure 50lbs there.

We will see, but yes it does sit on it and load on it really well.

 

[powerboatr]

So that was 350lb on a tongue weight Scale. And was with basically a full tank of fuel.

I have never weighed the boat, so I am guessing based on published weights.

Dry is 4880
48 Gal of Fuel is 300
Trailer is listed at 1300
150lb of stuff - for example I don't think the 4880 includes the arch as that was an option not a standard feature.

Round to 6750 for the boat trailer all in.

5% would be 340

Boatmate says they aim for 5% to 10% on their trailers, I just wish it was a bit closer to 10.

I thought about doing a spare tire and mount on the rail of the trailer. Wouldn't be all the way on the tongue but every bit in front of the rear axle helps. Figure 50lbs there.

We will see, but yes it does sit on it and load on it really well.

50 lb spare will help
awesome that you do have an accurate tongue weight to go by
that puts you 10 plus above a good many people.
it will be easy to strap on 200 in a blink, you have a plan
5% is really way to soft,
your arch was folded or upright when you took tongue weight?
folded might add a few lb folded forward,
every little bit counts
my thinking is to add weight to the trailer vice boat, except the cooler, you may already have a cooler that you take and could stow it in the bow when trailering

great job

 

[Jeff1024]

50 lb spare will help
awesome that you do have an accurate tongue weight to go by
that puts you 10 plus above a good many people.
it will be easy to strap on 200 in a blink, you have a plan
5% is really way to soft,
your arch was folded or upright when you took tongue weight?
folded might add a few lb folded forward,
every little bit counts
my thinking is to add weight to the trailer vice boat, except the cooler, you may already have a cooler that you take and could stow it in the bow when trailering

great job

Agree - I am going to see how it tows then go from there. Its crazy we started /w that Yacht Club Trailer with far too much tongue weight now we are fighting to add some back. My wife is thrilled

I think part of the issue is the boat does have the optional 8.2 Big Block in it. Engine options range from a 5.3, 6.2 or a 8.2.

The 8.2 is considerably heavier than the small blocks and I think having that weight behind the axles is throwing things off a bit.

Regardless adding the spare tire at 50lb may get me where we need to be and having a spare isn't the worst idea in the world. Historically we have kept one in the truck bed for longer trips but I can easily do the side mount on the trailer frame.

The sherline scale is paying for itself. I just wish I had an accurate weight for the entire package. We are nowhere near a CAT Scale, and I am not towing it just to weigh it.

We will see where we get next weekend, most trips are 5 miles to and from the ramp at 35mph tops. If it sways doing that then I have a world of problems on my hands lol.

 

[Gord0]

Spare to add some weight is a great idea. You can pretty easily add some weight to the front of the trailer to get you there.

 

[powerboatr]

You got this licked
Using the noggin
2 spares may be the easy answer
8.2. Plus the outdrive puts a good tq arm back there
Hug your wife...tell her it's all for safety and longevity of the boat. If it sits right on trailer.. the hull is happier

 

[LD50]

As mentioned, a spare tire and mount will bring your tongue weight up. Also, check your trailer for level while hitched. If you're dead level or slightly nose down, you can pick up some tongue weight by raising your hitch a few inches. Caveat, If your trailer is on leaf springs that are linked together, that may not work as well. If it's on independent torsion bars, it will definitely have an effect.

Another thought is where are your batteries located? If you can, relocate them farther forward and if you only have 1, consider adding a second. Anchors or anything else you take with you that's got some heft, move to forward storage comartments.

FWIW, my boat on trailer is about 8000-8200 and tongue weight is 6-7%. I've never had the slightest indication of sway. That's after I loaded my stuff into. When I picked it up, it didn't have a spare tire and no gear stored ahead of the axles. That was a 250 mile trip and it was probably at 5% but handled fine.

 

[Jeff1024]

You got this licked
Using the noggin
2 spares may be the easy answer
8.2. Plus the outdrive puts a good tq arm back there
Hug your wife...tell her it's all for safety and longevity of the boat. If it sits right on trailer.. the hull is happier

So some follow up. I thought that before I decided I was smarter than the folks who built the trailer and started making changes I would just tow it as is.

Towed it about 60 miles - all Kentucky Backroads but did have the opportunity to hit 65 to 70mph a few times which is plenty fast enough with 7,000lb of boat behind a 1/2 Ton.

Trailer was solid, no sway, tracked well, overall pretty easy experience.

Not sure how it would be on the interstate, but it will also most likely never see the interstate so for now it stays as is. If we did a long trip for sure would throw some cases of water or a tool box in the bow, but not messing with what isnt broken for now.

Thanks for the help and advice.

 

[adyaro77]

Personally, I'd want some more tongue weight on that trailer.

Boats trailers don't work that way. Much lower percentage.

 

[Gord0]

Boats trailers don't work that way. Much lower percentage.

I know how boat trailers work. You"ll also get a different range of percentages from many different sources. I said "personally, I'd want some more tongue weight on that trailer". As in what I'd want, not what he has to have

 

[Jeff1024]

Boats trailers don't work that way. Much lower percentage.

I know how boat trailers work. You"ll also get a different range of percentages from many different sources. I said "personally, I'd want some more tongue weight on that trailer". As in what I'd want, not what he has to have

Why cant we all just get along lol.

I agree boat trailers work with much lower tongue weight. This one is surpassingly light. I wish it had a bit more also, but it tows ok as is so I am not going to mess with it.

 

[adyaro77]

I know how boat trailers work. You"ll also get a different range of percentages from many different sources. I said "personally, I'd want some more tongue weight on that trailer". As in what I'd want, not what he has to have

As long as you don't go over the manufacturer's recommended percentage you are fine. You can't just add weight because you think it's better.

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