PocketShip.net

I have set up my Trailex to have "running boards" and a centerline bunk that slopes by about 4" from the front crossmember to the aft crossmember. I think that this slope helps when launching although it makes recovery a little harder. I do not use the bunk carpeting on the centerline bunk. That bunk has cut into it a shallow "V" and has been waxed and greased. The running boards are very convenient, but they (and the other wood parts) add about 100 to 140 pounds to the trailer weight.

You can see that I have also added 2 x 3 "guide" boards to force the keel of PocketShip into the centerline bunk. This works quite well in combination with using the bow sprit to "line her up." Also note that I have adjusted the winch brackets low enough so that I don't have to remove the bob stay when trailering and/or launching/recovering.

I've had a little trouble launching/recovering from ramps that have a relatively shallow ramp slop. And at low tide, I've discovered that the ramps don't have a constant slope. Further into the river, they usually "shallow" out.

Also note that my side bunks are flexable! They are made of two 1 x 4s attached together (firmly) at the center with 5/16" carriage bolts (using 2 locking nuts) and (loosely) at the ends to allow "slipping". The end bolts hold the two boards together with a little slack so that the boards may slide against each other like leaf springs. It makes for a softer ride on the thin-bottom boat.

Pete McCrary
Tattoo's builder and skipper

Pete McCrary

I read this post with great interest. I am also having some difficulties launching and especially recovering my boat due mostly to strong crosswinds and quartering tailwinds. I have to walk about on the trailer to get the boat lined up, and I worry a bit about missteps leading to mishaps! So I'm thinking of making some similar modifications to my trailer.

I have a question though. What method are you using to attach all those boards to the trailer? I certainly would not want to drill holes in a trailer's structural parts, especially an aluminum trailer. And I'm a little concerned about attaching dissimilar metals together, which can cause electrolysis and thus corrosion in a wet environment. Although I believe this is much less of a problem with stainless steel/aluminum.

Dana,
The trailer frame is made of extruded aluminum. On both edges and both sides are "T" grooves. Trailerx has bolts with thin rectangular nuts that can slip into the grooves and held fast (i.e., kept from rotating) when the bolt is tightened. Some of the nuts are shaped so that they can be slipped into the groove at any point (not just at where the frame member is "cut off"). I'm going from memory (~ 4 yrs ago) and Tattoo & her trailer are not with me. I've consigned (the SALE of Tattoo) to my sister (Ginny McCrary) in Guntersville, AL. She manages the Sailing Marina in Guntersville. I obtained an assortment of nuts and bolts from Trailerx at a reasonable price. I think they are made of steel with some overcoating (anodizing ??). I haven't seen any electrolysis problem.

Thanks Pete. Yes I was aware of the t-bolts, in fact I have several that came with the extra rollers I ordered . I only knew of the type that requires an open end of one of the members.

When the trailer first arrived, several small blocks that were associated with packing materials were held in place by t-bolts that had one side of their heads ground off so they could be removed from the slots. I did not think they would be safe for permanent use though.

So, I purchased some "drop-in t-slot studs" that work pretty well. I had to grind the tops of the boltheads down though. They were made for a deeper slot. After that they worked just fine.

Thanks for all your wonderful and very useful posts. I have printed out several of them and keep them with my instruction manual. Thanks to your posts, I added some doublers to help support my removable tabernacle, and I installed similar lazy jacks, which are a huge help. Right now I just have the eyes "whipped" with small line until I master the art of the eye splice.