I've been very interested in the tilt trailer discussion, as I have a Highlander trailer that came
with my boat and I've really never used it. I tried once or twice, but the boat seemed
stuck on the trailer when I lifted the tilt mechanism, so I figured it wasn't worth it.
I've been doing a little experimenting in the barn to try to see if I could improve things.
With the boat snugged up to on the trailer, I adjusted the bunks so that they
we're just lightly touching the hull. I gave myself about 6 feet of winch line to grab
the boat if it started accelerating, and tried to tilt it off onto the soft floor of the barn.
With a little bouncing and coresion, I got it down about 3 feet, but it seemed to get
stuck. A little inspection showed that the center skeg was off of the rear roller, and
the bunks were now supporting the boat, which would explain why the boat wouldn't
move easily.
When I winched 'er back up, I noticed that I had about an inch of space to between the
bunks and the boat with it resting on the rear roller. How do you guys adjust the bunks so
they don't grab the boat halfway down the tilt launch, but still provide *something* sturdy
to allow you on and off the boat while still on the trailer (it will rock like crazy with the bunks
any looser than I got 'em. Note I also pounded my roller brackets out so they would let
the rollers move freely. My trailer has three rollers, all located on the tilting portion.
TIA for any advice tilters can offer
Derek Jensen
p-15 #694 "El Nino"
Portland, OR