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trailer launching #16098
02/23/15 04:48 PM
02/23/15 04:48 PM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
danallen78 Offline OP
Senior Member
danallen78  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
Hey everyone. I purchased a J30 last summer. I haven't gotten it in the water yet because I had to rebuild my dock to handle it. I'm getting excited to get it in the water as soon as it warms up a little. My question to the community is how many of you trailer launch your boat? It's the only option at the lake I sail. For those of you who do, do you have any suggestions, trailer mods, etc you recomend? My trailer has a keel stop on it but no bow stop. anyone have any experience with that? I'm getting ready to weld a long toung extension together.I'd appreciate any wisdom you have to offer. this is my first big boat after sailing a chrysler 22 for the last 15 years.

Thank's
Dan

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Re: trailer launching [Re: danallen78] #16099
02/23/15 06:02 PM
02/23/15 06:02 PM
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 164
Portland, ME
JBiermann Offline
Senior Member
JBiermann  Offline
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 164
Portland, ME
Post a picture of your trailer, keel stop? An extension bar and a steep launch ramp will be key to get the boat floating free of the trailer.

Re: trailer launching [Re: danallen78] #16102
02/23/15 08:10 PM
02/23/15 08:10 PM
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,234
Newport and Naples
Cap'n Vic Offline
Senior Member
Cap'n Vic  Offline
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,234
Newport and Naples
keep an eye on the underwater length of the ramp. a few years ago we were launching a different keel boat, and the trailer wheels dropped off the end of the submerged concrete ramp. which then we had to go underwater to pry the wheels back up onto the ramp.

don't know what would be a good depth to float off depending on the angle of the ramp. will the trailer wheels have to hit 6 ft below water line or more?

v

Re: trailer launching [Re: danallen78] #16104
02/24/15 02:57 AM
02/24/15 02:57 AM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
danallen78 Offline OP
Senior Member
danallen78  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
I got plenty of ramp now. Our water level varies quite a bit from year to year, the lake is fairly full now. That doesn't sound like much fun prying the wheels back on the ramp. Our ramps here aren't very steep unfortunatly. I'm planning on welding a 50' extension together with wheels and a ball hitch to connect to the trailer and a coupler to hitch to my pickup on the other. the waterline on the boat is about 6'6" above the pavement so i'm guessing that's about the depth I'll need. I'll see if I got a pic I can post, if not it might be a day or 2 before i get one. thank's

Re: trailer launching [Re: danallen78] #16105
02/24/15 03:05 AM
02/24/15 03:05 AM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
danallen78 Offline OP
Senior Member
danallen78  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
Here is what I have. If you need a better pic let me know

Attached Files
IMG_20140530_211346.jpg [1198.56 KBytes] - (162 downloads)
Re: trailer launching [Re: danallen78] #16106
02/24/15 09:07 AM
02/24/15 09:07 AM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 26
Maine
J
Jangles13 Offline
Senior Member
Jangles13  Offline
Senior Member
J
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 26
Maine
Not on a J/30, but for a similar situation (5ft draft, 5'8" water needed) we used a 30ft, 2" tow strap and modified a hand cart as a trailer nose wheel. If you can line up the trailer for a straight shot, there's no need to mess with 50' of steel... hand carts are cheap and easy to come buy, can be rated for big loads, and allow quick attach/removal.

Using a winch would be another option, better management of the speed, particularly at 50ft.

This is all assuming your ramp is steep enough for the trailer to roll down when empty. Obviously the weight of the boat will cause it to roll down, but for retrieval, you may be right in needing something to push with.


Last edited by Jangles13; 02/24/15 09:08 AM.
Re: trailer launching [Re: danallen78] #16107
02/24/15 09:12 AM
02/24/15 09:12 AM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 26
Maine
J
Jangles13 Offline
Senior Member
Jangles13  Offline
Senior Member
J
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 26
Maine
After looking at the photo, I'll add that you should modify the forward pads to be easily adjustable. You want to bring the boat bow down as much as possible for the launch. Screw-type, i.e. jack stand, style is suitable.

If you leave the bow supported as it appears to be (that poppet all the way forward) then the boat won't slide off the trailer and instead will pivot with tremendous load will be on that one bow chock. Along with needing even more water depth to get the boat to float...

Re: trailer launching [Re: Jangles13] #16109
02/24/15 03:51 PM
02/24/15 03:51 PM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
danallen78 Offline OP
Senior Member
danallen78  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
thank's for the idea jangles. I mesured the angle of the ramp with a 4' level and it's about a 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" drop per foot I'm not sure if the empty trailer would roll down that. We get sand bars that wash onto the ramp in storms sometimes too, it would have to roll through that. I guess I could try it and see what the trailer does after I launch it. In any case I have enough scrap steel around to build the extension if needed.
The forward poppet will fold back. I'll make sure and fold that back. I can drop the forward pads too, the're the set screw type so I probably won't do it unless i have to. that might be a summer project to modify them though.
Did your trailer have a bow stop on it?

Re: trailer launching [Re: danallen78] #16110
02/24/15 09:24 PM
02/24/15 09:24 PM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 26
Maine
J
Jangles13 Offline
Senior Member
Jangles13  Offline
Senior Member
J
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 26
Maine
Our ramp is probably 2" or 3" per/ft, quite steep really. Yours is rather shallow, so I bet you likely will need the tongue extension to get through the sand traps.

My trailer doesn't have a bow stop. I put the trailer under the boat a few times without one, then thought it would be nice to have. So I welded up a stand (with steps!) and affixed it to the trailer with the boat in place. Launched o.k. but then when floating back on I couldn't get the boat close enough nor attached without slack such that when out of the water the boat was actually against the chock. The rope would stretch, or the tower bent under load, I'm not sure which, but once out of the water she was always at least a couple inches away, if not more. I guess this is why the powerboats have winches and rollers, to snug up after hauling... or at least put major tension on.

I removed the bow chock/tower because it was largely ineffective, and if the boat stood off the stand it would be bad for my tongue weight.

I found that sinking the trailer so that the pads hitting just forward of the keel were slightly higher than I want, I can get her to set well as a result of slight forward momentum (takes a bit of getting used to). The biggest problem for me is getting the stern to stay straight as she came out of the water, but I don't have keel guides.

It's even easier if you can be aboard and use your body as movable ballast. If you are in the stern and line her up and in straight, then move forward to the bow, she'll settle down on those pads nicely. Seems silly, but it only takes a fraction of waterline to go from float to not!

I always have a long bow line that is tied to the truck during any movement on an incline. That's my insurance to keep the boat on the trailer, but I've never seen it even slip a little, though the boat in question is lighter than a J/30.


Re: trailer launching [Re: danallen78] #16111
02/25/15 12:06 PM
02/25/15 12:06 PM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
danallen78 Offline OP
Senior Member
danallen78  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 21
North Platte NE
I wondered if the bow stop might have that problem. I've got keel guides and a keel stop I think I'll try those first. Thank you so much for all the info. You saved me a lot of welding and steel.

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