[Rhodes22-list] placing the boat on trailer

[James Nichols]

 Peter,
My 2 trailerable sailboats that I have only came with the eye ring, so no transom eyes for strapping down the boat the way I have seen fishing boats strapped.  

When I first started hauling them, I thought it needed to be strapped has well as the fishing boats I saw and used a 4" strap over the stern of the boat.

What I found was that the strap rubbed finish of the boat and didn't stop it from shifting slightly due to the normal movement that road vibration causes.
The weight of the boat, the friction of the bunks and driving like I have a load behind me instead of like I'm in the Indy 500 got me the same or better results with just the bow strap compared to having the additional strapping.
I've also done the math on the collision forces involved.  I'm not likely to strap the boat down sufficiently to keep the boat on the trailer should I get in a collision.  So you are right, the literal and the practical meaning of securing your boat are two different things.
Regards,
James
    On Tuesday, December 10, 2019, 02:52:35 PM CST, Peter Nyberg <peter at sunnybeeches.com> wrote:  
 
 Roger,

I use a pair of 2” ratchet straps to secure the boat to the trailer, which I’m pretty sure would prevent the boat from shifting forward during a hard stop.  

My trailer has several safety stickers on it stating: WARNING: BOAT MUST BE SECURED TO TRAILER AT ALL TIMES.  I have to chuckle every time I try to imaging what it would be like to follow that advice very literally. 

—Peter

> On Dec 10, 2019, at 1:48 PM, ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:
> 
> Mary Lou,
> 
> If you trailer your Rhodes 22 W/O having the bow up against the stop on the trailer, what would happen in a sudden emergency stop or accident?  What stops the boat from sliding forward forcefully into the bow stop in such a scenario?  This adds impact forces to the other issues the boat and trailer would have to endure.  Besides greater damage to the boat and trailer, the additional impact also might cause loss of control of the tow vehicle, potentially causing all manner of bad consequences.  Although, you’ve gotten away with it so far, it seems like bad practice to me.
> 
> Roger Pihlaja 
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium 
>