Bad Thing Happened

[Cathyalan]

While pulling the Cathyalan out of the North Channel, Lake Huron, on a very steep boat ramp. The bow ring pulled out. Picture below. I have noticed at other pull outs that there is a tremedous amount of tension on the bow ring as the boat comes out of the water. I have to pull the boat up to the roller to get it on the trailer properly but need to loosen the winch on the bow ring cable so the bow can go up as the boat comes out. Which leaves the boat a good 2 inches away from the roller. This time we didn't release the pressure in time. The damage is repairable, of course, but I need prevention so this doesn't happen again. As I look at the winch from the side and it's height relationship to the bow ring, it appears to me that raising the winch so the winch and the bow ring are well above the roller should prevent this from happening again. Picture below.

Also, because of the steep slope we had to remove the two front struts that sit under the foredeck. Since we got the boat, one of those struts never touched the boat anyway and the other just barely. We drove 550 miles on level, good road with no forward struts. I did not see a problem with this...is there one?
Picture below

Any and all recommendations are welcome.

bow2.JPG (37.4 KiB) Viewed 130 times



bow3.JPG (35.95 KiB) Viewed 130 times

[Ron]

Alan -

There is a well doumented procedure in the owners manual that concerns unbolting the trailer winch stand, moving it forward around 1 foot, and then tightening the bolts before you retrieve the boat. You then have to move it back to support the bow when towing for longer distances. Pain in the neck, but you need to do it to reduce the pressure on the eye and hull. I use the stainless steel braces at the stern bunks to align the boat on the trailer. The angle of the boat in the water causes some real problems when you start pulling it out, because the angle changes as the hull gets dry. And you should never try to move a non-floating boat forward on the trailer using the trailer winch. The guys with their 1500 pound bass boats can do it, we can't.

I put tape marks on the trailer frame for both positions of the winch stand.

[Cathyalan]

What about the front strut supports? Is not having them a problem?

Alan

[Ron]

Not really. They help stabilize the boat for longer trips, and when the ama's are out when you're working on it.

[Cathyalan]

We have de-launched a number of times over the past couple of years. I have always been concerned with the getting the bow to the roller and attaching the winch wire to the padeye, I have never winched it to that position. As the boat comes out of the water, the bow goes up, putting a lot of angle/downward pressure on the padeye. We have been backing off on the winch a couple of times as we pull the boat out. The damage this time was a combination of a very, very steep launch and not backing off on the winch...my mistake. My logic is to move the winch UP on the winch post and as the manual says (and I did not read) moving the winch post forward and letting the rear posts be my guide on how far forward the boat goes on the trailer. In lieu of the back posts I may put a simple stop mark with a feeler on the trailer "tongue" so I know how far forward the boat should be.

On a similar note, I have many sailing friends with cruisers and the seriously question the engineering of having the bow padeye AND the forestay couple into the same bracket. I have pointed out the lack of fastening space on the bow because of the holding tank/anchor locker floor. Any comments on this? When I fix my damage should I consider re-engineering this set up?

Thanks for all your invaluable opinions.

Alan

[onremlop]

We ended up just having it hoisted onto the trailer. This made our task really easy.

[Ron]

Alan -

After looking at your photo's again, I realized that the boats bow ring padeye did not seem to have a backing plate on the inside of the bow. I recall that mine does, but I can't verify that until I get back down to Florida in a month or so. Maybe I'm thinking of other trailerable boats that I've owned? In theory, any hull or deck fitting which gets this kind of force applied to it should have something solid behind the fitting. This applies to chain plates, stanchions, winches, etc. On the other hand, I recall hearing or reading that Tony does not always use them because he'd rather a fitting rip small holes in the fiberglass than tear out an entire section.

I don't think that using the same stainless steel assembly for the bow padeye and forestay chain plate is a problem. The angles of pull and times of usage are different. Do you expect to pull the boat onto the trailer with a loaded genoa flying?

[Cathyalan]

Correct, there was no backing plate. I plan to put in a white oak backing plate.
Thanks for comments about forstay and padeye in one...makes sense.
I do not intend to "pull" the boat onto the trailer ever again. A little tug and then it will just hold it in place until there is enough pressure on the bunks to keep the boat from sliding.

BTW - I've started a web site for the Cathyalan: www.cathyalan.com It's about half done or so...another couple of weeks as I get time. I would welcome comments and suggestions.

Alan

[Ron]

Alan -

As I said before, float it onto the trailer using the aft stainless deck supports and trailer pads as a guide, after moving the winch post about 1 foot forward. These pads should have marks on them where the deck supports have landed before. You can't get the bow up to the roller with the winch post in it's normal position. Move the winch post back so the roller will hold the bow if you're towing for more than a few miles. You can push the boat off of the trailer but don't try to winch it on. Too much weight considering the bunks and other solid supports. I've done this about 3 dozen times over the last 4 years and never had any problems.

I admit that it's a pain in the ___, but I hope to never do it again with the boat retired to Florida and living on my 4 post lift. Just downloaded this photo (house is covered by web cams) and it's patiently waiting for me. About 1 month to go.