Moving boat on trailer

I'm going to be experimenting with my bow stop to try and get more tongue weight and need to move my boat forward while it's on the trailer.

Obviously I want to do this correctly and not stress the hull.

I guess I could lower the jack all the way and put blocks under the back end. Jack up the front, then support the front end. Lower the jack and move the trailer around.

But where are the proper places to put the supports? I would assume on the back I could place them directly behind where the trailer supports are. That's a problem on my trailer because I would have no room to move the trailer backwards, see pic.

Would it be OK to place the supports farther in? I was planning on using the jack stands with a 4x4 in between. I have know idea where to support up front.

Any idea?

Thanks!



The bungees are there to hold my tarp on by-the-way.

   I do the same thing as Dave when bringing the boat out of the water.... squash the brakes just hard enough to slide the boat forward into the bow stop.


    I've also used a come-along, hooked to the front winch ring of a boat, to pull it forward. Just make sure the ring is secured good. The bad thing with this is your usually pulling in a downward angle.

   When I moved my 68 cuda forward on the trailer to gain more tongue weght after I bought it, I lifted the boat by the two lift rings. I have an overhead I beam with chainfalls in one of my shops tho. Thats the best way to lift the boat. You dont know anyone in your area with any type of overhead?

I hooked the trailer up to the tuck and pulled from the hitch. Like I said, unfortunately, that will pull in a downward position. Not sure if you could block off of the bed of the truck for a straighter pull?
   

   Also getting the bed rails wet...maybe with a dish soap solution, could help reduce the drag?

If I remember right, your bow stop is welded? Can you just cut it off?

Your back jack stands need to be under the hull only, not the trailer. Maybe this was obvious to you, but I saw the trailer frame supported in the photo. Just do that & then jack it up on center under the front keel, you won't need a jack stand there if you are just moving it a few inches & no one is climbing under it. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes to move it!

I was not trying to lift it with the jacks on the trailer, they stay there to keep the boat level while I work on her. She's parked on a slope.

Plan one is to cut my bow stop in half, move it down and bolt back together. Yes it's welded. That would get me possibly six inches forward. See if my rough photoshop work makes any sense.




Step two if that doesn't work is to have my dad's buddy, a welder, build me one of these.



Now, back to moving the boat forward once this is done. I could try cranking it forward but I'm afraid it's not going to budge. I thought about using a lake but it would be easier to work on it at the house.

So would this be OK?



And it's OK to jack under the keel in the front?

Again, trying not to break anything here.

Thanks for the help everyone.

David,
Cut the bow stop off, wet down the bunks, Use the jacks at the transom and under the keel (about 2/3r'ds from the aft), jack slightly just to take some of the weight off the trailer and use your bow winch to pull the boat. I don't recommend the slam on the brakes method. The boat may move forwaed more than you want it to!!

Sounds like a plan. I'll give it a try this weekend and let y'all know how it turns out.

Thanks for everyone's ideas!

storm34 wrote: I wouldn't use the "slam on your brakes method either!!!

uuuhhhhhhhh, that looks more like "the trailer came unhooked/sudden stop" syndrome.

81nautique wrote: My guess is the pin wasn't in the swing away tongue, too bad thats a pretty good looking boat.

The tongue is missing!! Is that it laying next to the pole on the side of the road?

well you don't have to move the boat untill the bow stop is moved forward and welded back in place and that can all be done without moving the boat on the trailer.

Also I don't ssuggest lowering the bow stop as that is what your going to do as discriped, cut the bow stop where it meets the c-beam not in the middle of the plate.

Also if it was me I would junk the jack and wench post and redesign that whole area otherwise you are going to have issues with wench's handle hitting the boat.

62 wood wrote: storm34 wrote: I wouldn't use the "slam on your brakes method either!!! uuuhhhhhhhh, that looks more like "the trailer came unhooked/sudden stop" syndrome.

i like how the winch prevented of massive damage to the fin and keel area...
I wonder how the towing vehicle got through...

the handle to the wench is going to get in your way and something has to change. Either shortening the handle by drilling a new hole in the lever arm and moving the handle or cuttting the tube and moving the mounting plate back or down and removing the plate and mounting the wench on top with u-bolts.

just point it out and come up with a game plane before you move the boat forward and ram the handle into the gel-kote.

My photo above may be a little misleading. I already Photoshopped it and moved the boat about 6 inches forward.

I know what you saying Boat Dr. My dad has slowly started to take more time on projects and do them correctly. He used to be the fix it till it breaks again type of guy. So we pretty much spent all our time fixing things.

Maybe by the time I'm 40 he will be a genius. Who knows, he's still a crazy Cajun.

Oh that kind of brilliant

Sorry, been working too much.
Probably making me dumber.

Although my dad has definitely gotten better with his ideas. Guess when your retired you have more time to contemplate bow stops and the such.