Moving winch post back and forth

[BoarX]

Hello all,

As a new owner of 2009 Telstar 28, I am sort of baffled by the requirement to move the winch post (and the jack!) of the Venture trailer forward one foot for the boat retrieval and moving it back for towing. I have some experience launching and retrieving boats, but I have never come across such a strange issue. It seems to me this is the result of the winch post not being tall enough, am I correct? Looks like moving the winch attachment point higher would be equivalent to shifting the post forward, no? Looks like to be retrieved properly the boat needs some extra upward pull on the bow line and both geometries should provide that. Have anyone attempted to rectify this with some modification to allow the boat to be pulled in "in one go" - i.e., into the right position on the trailer with the main hull bow already snug against the winch post roller?

Thanks,
Alex

[Ron]

The angle of the floating boat and the trailer sitting on the bottom is the cause. I've had other boats which were similar but not as much. One of the reasons is the weight and flotation of the folded trimaran. It's sitting higher in the water, hence the angle is greater. It's also sitting higher on the trailer when loaded than most, which are sitting in the trailer. Add a few degrees for that as well.

A taller post may help a drop, but you'd be lifting the bow up out of the water to accomplish this. That could cause some damage to the eye and surrounding fiberglass.

[BoarX]

Thanks Ron! I got your point, simply moving the winch up is not equivalent to moving the winch up and forward, which is accomplished by shifting the winch post (it moves up in respect to water level due to the incline of the ramp). Maybe mounting the winch or a block onto a one foot extension to the post, parallel to the tongue? This will position the winch/block exactly where it would be on a shifted post. Or shift the post forward permanently and place the roller onto suitable extension? This will add extra weight (bad for the already heavy rig), but would place that extra weight on the tongue (good as the rig typically seems to be tongue-light). Have to think more about it. It seems almost silly, that one needs essentially to dive into the water in order to verify that the boat has been pulled into correct position instead of simply making sure that the bow is pressed against the roller.

Thanks,
Alex

[Ron]

You don't have to dive into the water. Just look at the two stainless hoops attached to the underside of the main hull's ama extension at the back of the boat. They should be sitting on the middle of the high mounted pads at the back of the trailer.

[BoarX]

Here is the current position of my winch post:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jjKt99cRHSgb1a2H6

I presume this is "transport" position and it is from here that it has to be moved forward by 1' for launching/ retrieval, correct?

Thanks,
Alex

P.S. I think I finally understand why this peculiar operation is necessary. The issue here is that the Telstar, unlike smaller boats, cannot be pulled onto the trailer - it is too heavy and if pulled the U-bolt attachment in the bow may not hold (not to mention scratching the bottom by rigid supports). Thus, at least ideally, it has to be literally floated into position above the fully submerged trailer just touching the front support. During retrieval while the hull lowers itself onto the rear support, the bow line attachment point (U-bolt) inevitably swings up. If the winch post and the winch are in "transport" position, there is very little length of the bow line between the winch and the bow, apparently not enough to let the bow attachment point swing up without causing undue stress to the U-bolt. This stress is substantially minimized is there is a foot or so of the bow line left, which is accomplished by moving the winch post 1' forward prior to retrieval. However my hunch is, this may not be necessary for launching, if the trailer winch is loosened in advance. Am I correct?