| Name: |
Maverick
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 6:40:06 PM
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Currently have an old rail/winch system and the rails are rusting out . Was thinking of just pouring concrete ramps out of the boathouse into the lake (APCo has approved) and using by boat trailers in place of the current 4 wheel trailer cradles used by the rail system.
My thoughts are if I pour the ramp level and it is square to the winch spool (18" wide) the trailer should track straight down the ramp? Plus on the trailer dolly wheel have one that is welded straight and cannot move side to side. But have been told by neighbors they have seen others around the lake having to guide their boats down the ramp to keep it from tracking off the ramp.
My thoughts are if ramp is level (not sloped to the left or right side) and square with winch spool and even as an extra precaution if I were to slope the sides of the ramp upwards the trailer should track straight down the ramp, correct?
Am I missing something here? As at low pool the ramp will be about 125 feet long. Any thoughts / feedback would be appreciated as I would really like to replace the rails and be done with this matter once and for all. Or I could it be sand build up on the ramp could keep the trailer from tracking straight maybe?
As with the rail system half the time the trailer gets stuck on the rail joints and I have to wade out while someone else operates the winch while I push and pull the trailer to free it.
Thanks for you input.
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| Name: |
JIM
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 7:30:50 PM
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Where is the Genus LTL .
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| Name: |
JohnGalt
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 7:31:11 PM
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will the cable winding on to the spool or winch change the direction of the trailer? If it is winding from side to side over 18 inches I would think it would change the direction of the trailer slightly from one side to the other and 125 feet is a long way. No expert just thinking out loud good luck either way
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| Name: |
JIM
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 7:37:14 PM
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Lord, we have found another Genus
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| Name: |
Chevy4x4
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 7:57:02 PM
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pending weight distribution of the boat I'm thinking even gravity could slightly effect the tracking of the trailer.
if your winch is slow enough, you should be able to guide it out no problem.
Best solution: concrete ramp with aluminum rails and the old school railroad trailer. professionally installed and leveled :)
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| Name: |
Chevy4x4
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| Subject: |
and Jim...
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Date:
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11/12/2007 7:58:25 PM
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shhhhhh!
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| Name: |
mckaygmc
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 7:59:39 PM
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You would also have to get the caster wheel on the front perfectly alighned so it won't go one direction or the other. i would think some kind of rail or guide system would be best.
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| Name: |
HOTROD
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 8:19:49 PM
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All kinds of things can keep the trailer from tracking correctly. Wind and wave action, getting it out of line when you drive the boat on, different tire inflation, imperfect axle allingment, dragging wheel bearings. the list could go on.
I know several peeps who tried it and they all gave up, except one guy who pull the trailer out with his truck.
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| Name: |
JIM
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 8:24:06 PM
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HOTROD, that makes sense.
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| Name: |
CAT BOAT
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/12/2007 9:46:40 PM
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YEA, IT DOES.
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| Name: |
Maverick
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| Subject: |
Thanks to All
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Date:
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11/12/2007 10:02:45 PM
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Think you are right, to many variables involved.
Guess I have to tear out the old rail system and install a galvanized one that will not rust out.
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| Name: |
Firefighter
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| Subject: |
One more comment
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Date:
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11/12/2007 11:08:55 PM
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HOT ROD is correct about the variables. I had a ramp and had a simple solution. When pulling the boat up the ramp (0n the boat trailer) it is always pulled toward the center without any problem. When lowering the boat it will track off center but I painted white lines down the ramp where I wanted the wheels to go and simply walked down the ramp with the boat and pushed it to stay within the lines while my wife operated the winch.
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| Name: |
Pontoonfisher
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/13/2007 7:22:56 AM
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I have the perfect solution. Do a search on cabelas.com for a trailer dolly. Adjust the position of the boat on the trailer so that the tongue weight will meet the specs of the trailer dolly. The trailer dolly will allow you to steer the boat as it goes down the ramp. You could either have someone at the top of the ramp operating the winch or you could have a cable reel system with a small control switch at the end to control the winch while you are steering the boat and moving down the ramp. The cable real would automatically reel up the cable so you won't have to deal with 125' of cable when your done. You could even go with a wireless control solution.
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| Name: |
F1Fan
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/13/2007 8:31:47 AM
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Gravity is definitely your friend in this exercise. On the way down your ramp, the bulk of the weight will be on trailer wheels, not the tongue wheel. Even if it's not, as long as the front wheel rotates easily the trailer will go straight down. Straight as in plumb, not some random direction you choose to build the ramp.
The key will be getting the top center and bottom center of your ramp as closely aligned as possible, and both on a plumb line. Think of it from an extremely steep ramp design and a winch off angle at say 30 degrees and off center by 4 feet. The trailer is going to natually track towards a line straight down from that winch no matter what. Well, unless you had some crazy guides in place.
I'd be sure just to give yourself an extra foot or so on either side of the ramp for insurance. And, eventually, a bigger boat. Speaking of that, I've always been curious how some of these setups have gotten trailers into what seems like impossible spots to reach by land.
LOL at the guide system suggestions on here........
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| Name: |
JIM
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/13/2007 8:57:11 AM
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You dont untie the boat from the trailer when you put it in at the ramp.
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| Name: |
F1Fan
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/13/2007 9:03:16 AM
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BTW - rather than getting the front wheel perfectly aligned, I think I like the idea more of getting it actually off the ground. Not by much, but with the winch mounted a foot or so higher than the tongue height I think you can get there.
Without knowing how steep a run we're talking about it's a little hard to figure out. I was assuming it was not super-steep, so the winch being higher shouldn't end up with the trailer tongue in the ceiling when pulled all the way up. If this is a steeper setup that may not work, but won't be as important since gravity will be helping you more then.
In any event, you could pull the trailer up, chock the wheels, then lower the tongue back down to take the load off the winch while stored in the house......
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| Name: |
Nutin Bitein
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/13/2007 11:27:10 AM
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I saw a rail system in a book that used treated 4x4's and just the rims not the rubber part of the tire. It also said to attach wheels to the front of the boat trailer. So it would track better.
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| Name: |
Webmaster
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| Subject: |
Boathouse Ramp Question
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Date:
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11/13/2007 12:46:48 PM
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This winch setup is all I have ever had to deal with. As HOTROD said there are too many variables. If you leave the trailer in the water for a period of time during a busy weekend the waves will move it slightly. A very slight angle of variance from center can make a big difference 30 feet away. It is impossible to tell this visually, especially if your point of reference is not centered. If you don't have a two-way motor you'll have a tendency to let the boat out too fast and that can get it off.
What I have is a wheel on the trailer tounge that does not turn. Also leave the small crank wheel on the trailer for maneuvering back to center, otherwise it can be hard to puch the front of the trailer over (depending on the weight of the boat)... Put a mark on the concrete at the center of the door(s) and use that as a guide to center the boat as it enters the boathouse.
My two cents
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| Name: |
Maverick
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| Subject: |
Have Another Idea
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Date:
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11/13/2007 2:25:00 PM
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First off appreciate all the feedback. Have one other idea and that is to place a small channel in the center of the poured concrete boat ramp in which the trailer dolly wheel fits then again also:
- Weld trailer dolly wheel straight
- Plumb ramp with center of winch location
- Place an small eyelet for the winch cable to run through, hopefully eliminating the 18" winch spool variation from the equation.
- Pour ramp exactly level with the exception of the left and right sides and have them slope downwards toward to the middle of the ramp.
Think by adding the center tracking channel to the center of the ramp for the dolly wheel will resolve the tracking straight issue??
Thanks again for everyones feedback.
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| Name: |
Pontoonfisher
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| Subject: |
Have Another Idea
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Date:
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11/13/2007 3:00:44 PM
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I don't think that will work. The problem will be when you are lowering the boat down the ramp. The axle/axles on the trailer will go where they want to go when you are lowering. If the trailer starts to turn and you have the jack wheel in the channel the trailer will start to torque the jack and will either pop it out of the channel or break the jack. Think about it. When you back staright down with a trailer it will have a tendency to turn to one side so you turn the vehicle to staighten it out. By doing that you are moving the front of the trailer either left or right. If the trailer starts to turn you have no way of turning it back. For your idea to work the trailer must be able to run perfectly staright down the ramp. Having the jack wheel in a channel does you know good if it starts to turn.
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| Name: |
rude evin
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| Subject: |
Mav.........
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Date:
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11/13/2007 4:42:50 PM
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Agree with Pontoonfisher, seems the only way to make your idea work is to also have a channel for each of the two wheels to ride in. Free up some of the money you got and put yourself in one of those new rail systems that will be trouble free for the first year. And, after that, your beer drinking friends will come over every year to help you with the maintenance.
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