Trailer Guides for a 2010 AR240

[Amar Nanduri]

Hi Guys. Yesterday was my first experience ever in taking out the boat and getting familiar with the controls. It is my first boat ever. The boat rocks pure and simple. Putting the boat in the water from the trailer is not that much of a problem. The real problem was in getting the boat back onto the trailer. The wind is not much help either. It took me an hour and half and that too with help from a couple of other boaters to finally get the boat onto the trailer properly. The boat was slipping away from the trailer to the side as soon as it got halfway onto the trailer. It got knocked up a few times also.

There should be a better way to get the boat onto a trailer without issues. The first thing I thought about was the Trailer Guides at the back of the trailer. The boat is wider than the trailer it is on. So I will need guides which can accommodate the boat. What are the best DIY ones out there in the market ? Something that I can easily install by myself. Also are there any other things that you recommend I purchase for the trailer so that the hull does not get damaged during loading / unloading the boat from the trailer ?

Also which oil do you recommend to grease all the joints on the trailer. The tongue is stiff and requires quite an effort to swivel it around. The springs look like they badly need oil. I am basically looking for things that will make my life easier in trailering the boat. Thank you for all of your help.

Best
Amar Nanduri

 

[Crlos16]

I just installed these on my trailer last week, took 30min. for the install.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/ce-...yle-boat-guide-ons-2-pack#repChildCatid=13218

 

[Amar Nanduri]

Thanks for the info Crlos . Will definitely go for this.

 

[Julian]

Exactly what I installed...but be sure to get covers for them too!

 

[Amar Nanduri]

Cool. I ordered a pair from etrailers website. https://www.etrailer.com/Boat-Trailer-Parts/CE-Smith/CE27760.html
Where do I get the covers from Julian ?

 

[Port0222]

Did you have your trailer in the water too deep? I guess I prefer to crank the boat onto the trailer a decent distance rather than fight the back end. I typically get the fenders wet and call it good. Once the bow is settled into the center guide bunks, It typically stays there, long enough for me to hop out and crank it up (If I am by myself) or have someone else crank it up with me still on board. I have never had a problem with needing guides. I am surprised how many people jumped in and said they had them.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

First boat in my life, first time learning to drive one, first attempt at putting the boat on the trailer . I will take all the help I can get in ensuring I do not damage the boat or anything else nearby

 

[Port0222]

Well, I did not want to assume you had it in too deep as there are some pretty experienced boaters who had the guides on their trailer too.

My rule of thumb -- back up until the fenders are fully under water to launch (Typically my vehicle is at the edge of the water) and to pull it out, I leave just a touch of the top of the fender showing. Your boat should be able to slide on the bunks of the trailer and not damage your hull. (the bunks are also wet when loading, so there is enough lubrication)

 

[Amar Nanduri]

Thanks Port0222. I will keep these suggestions in mind for my next practice attempts the coming weekend.

 

[JC6275]

@Amar Nanduri , Welcome aboard and congratulations on the boat and joining the forum. We have all been the new boater at one time or another. This site if full of awesome people and awesome information. For launching and retriving every boat and person is a little different, as mentioned above I as well put my fenders just below the surface when launching, and just the tops above when loading. It just takes a little practice to find out what you and your boat like. Also when you wish to respond to a certian member use the @ symbol in front of their name, they will get an alert that someone has tagged or replied to them. Again welcome and enjoy your summer.

 

[JC6275]

@Amar Nanduri , I did notice you said in your post that the wind did not help much either, If you are loading in an open launch, not a marina or harbour the rear guides will help immensely with keeping the stern from floating off the trailer.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@JC6275 Thank you

 

[Julian]

I've been boating for decades (crap I'm old) and just put guide posts on my brand new 242X trailer....steep ramps, currents, wind and all cause havoc with keeping any boat centered on a trailer. Posts on the back make it a cinch. Just be sure you put covers over the pvc as it leave nasty marks on your boat otherwise!

 

[jawsf16]

Cool. I ordered a pair from etrailers website. https://www.etrailer.com/Boat-Trailer-Parts/CE-Smith/CE27760.html
Where do I get the covers from Julian ?

https://beyondthewake.com/Boat-Trailer-Guide-Pads.php

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@Julian Where can I buy the covers ?

 

[Amar Nanduri]

@jawsf16 Thanks a bunch

 

[Julian]

@Julian Where can I buy the covers ?

Bought mine at Overtons during their memorial day sale
http://m.overtons.com/modperl/produ...Vd35xkaB88rftHzAs0xO7QdOs04RdHA3N4aAg4Y8P8HAQ

Pretty sure other sites have them too. There are also vendors that make upscale ones in more colors.

 

[bronze_10]

If it is windy and it is blowing my boat around a lot I take down the Bimini top to keep it from acting like a sail..

 

[Amar Nanduri]

Good tip @bronze_10

 

[Ronnie]

How deep to sink the trailer may vary depending on how Steep the ramp that you use is but following the just getting the fenders underwater guide is a great place to start. Once you figure out how far to put your trailer in at the ramp you use most/normally consider marking that spot on the trailer with sharpie, paint or tape.

The trailer guides should help tremendously, like fins (thrust vectors or Cobras) some people don't need them but they only help and can't hurt to have them. An additional benefit of the trailer guides is that they make seeing the trailer easier when backing it empty down a ramp, putting lights on top of them only increase this visibility.

If you don't power / drive your boat onto the trailer and instead walk it on by hand with lines just be sure to use two lines (one at the now the other at the stern) so that you can control the drift of the rear end it helps if you can have someone else work at least one of the lines for you.

I trailer my boat everywhere and after having a really bad experience recovering my first Yamaha jet boat I started using trailer guides and it made a world of difference. To make as much of the trailering aspect of trailer boating easier I also put some money into trailer upgrades like a boat buddy II which automatically locks the bow eye in place once the boat is in the correct position on the trailer. Some members are using the ramp-n-clamp and love it, it is very much the same thing but with sturdier material and over twice the cost. I also upgraded the stock winch and trailer jack and added a rear view camera to the trailer so I could see what is behind the boat while I am trailering it. Of all of these upgrade the ones I recommend most in the order of priority are the trailer guides first followed by the boat buddy II (whether you power load or walk the boat on during recovery). All of these products are demonstrated in videos on you tube just search that site for the names above. If these alone don't help consider one of the automatic recovery systems that can also be seen on YouTube, the one I recall uses canles and an electric winch along with trailer guides to pull the boat onto the trailer once the hook that replaces the bow eye snaps onto the cable between the trailer guides.

Her are a few videos to get you started:

As for trailer maintenance, there is t much to do. Consider loosening the nut holding the the bolt which the tongue pivots on to fold. I wouldn't do this myself but would just work the tongue back and forth instead. Make sure the bearing buddies are full of grease and you have the correct amount of brake fluid in the reservoir as well as keeping the tires properly inflated. For the leaf springs I sprayed rust inhibiting paint on mine I'm told the rusty look is common but I didn't like the look and it didn't make me feel confident that the trailer was in good working order.

We have all been where you are now regarding boating. IMHO, The experiences you can have boating are worth the effort, if you are strong and tenacious enough to endure them. Good luck.