BYYB Forums

This weekend I came up with a pretty decent system for tying the boat down to the trailer. I made some wooden blocks with slots cut out of the bottom to accomodate the rub rail. That channel is lined with the same material I have on my bunks which should protect both the rub rail and the edge where the block meets the deck. I then fashioned an aluminum plate that covered three sides: top and the two verticals. I then through bolted with a hefty eye bolt. This then is attached to the trailer below. I like the way it's feeling and I feel very confident in its ability to do the job. Today I also attachd a piece of that lining to the inside of the gaff jaws as it was doing a job on my mast. What I did was cut a piece that attached to the top of the jaw and just hangs over the inside edge like a tongue. It is only attached with a metal plate and screws. I can easily keep an eye on it and replace when needed. I just tried it today and it seems to work just fine. Here are some pics of my strapping system.

Wouldn't you be afraid of the torque on your rails under stress? I'd be concerned that it could really put a twist on them and snap something.

I use tie straps that go all the way over the stern and the winch strap/safety chain up front. I've had a few violent incidents while trailering and never had any problems. If you want to protect your finish, you can put a towel or something like it under between the strap and the paint.

Todd

I don't know, what's to stop side slippage? What about even a small collision? Let us know how that works, but I would never feel safe.

I'd be afraid that that would rip the sides off my boat. I've been putting a strap across the cockpit and down to the trailer since I built her and other that a rub mark on the rub rails theres never been any damage. You might think about keeping your idea about the blocks but run the strap all the way to the other side of the trailer instead of pulling down on the sides like that

Keith

The cool thing about gravity is that it always pulls in the same direction. With the amount of tension you need to keep these boat on their trailers, those look like they'll work just fine.

Most folks over torque their straps anyway. All the straps need to do is keep the boat from jumping up and scooting one way or the other on her bunks. This requires about 10 pounds of force, that's it. You don't have to crank down the ratchet until the boat literally crushes into the bunks, it just needs to be snug.

If the boat is in a keel box then side to side shifting is imposable, unless you're off roading with the thing in tow. A single line from the to the lower gudgeon and a "sprung" portion of the trailer is all you need in this case, though tossing a strap over the rails is easy enough too.

Personally, I tow without his contrivance all the time. I don't go on long trips, but do drag the old girls around the area with only the bow eye keeping things on the bunks. I have a 6,000 pound powerboat that I tow all over, with only the bow eye to keep it in place. If I drive wild enough to get this puppy to shift on her bunks, I pretty much deserve it.

Hmmmm....all this has been at the back of my mind. In earlier conversations on this topic I discovered that you shouldn't torque her down too tight and that straps running across can cause a lot of damage. I see where you are all coming from and I'm glad I posted pics. I've been thinking of alterations and I do have a couple. One, on the back pair I could connect another strap to run across the top across the cockpit, torque that down a little and thereby spread the stess more evenly. On the front pair I could attach a strap to each one and lash it to the mast stump, again torquing that down a little. Or I could pull them back some and run it across the cabin roof. Another option could be to remove the metal plates and eye bolts, cut a channel for the straps to ride in and simply run each one across. My thinking about the rub rail was that it has to be very strong there as it is such a short distance from the deck. It would be weaker the further you move out. Also, at that point, you have plywood along with the rub rail, plus the strength of the deck and stringer right there. I had convinced myself that would "probably" be OK. I really don't have any idea as to what kind of stresses will be placed there.

Well, another weekend around the corner and I'll go back after it. I also have to get the wiring into my wife's truck. Found great info through Google. Beats the heck of tracking things down with a meter, etc.

You don't need a forward and stern strap to keep the boat down. If the back of the boat is firmly pressed against the bunks, the front can't go anywhere without overcoming the friction of the rear strap. One strap, about where the cabin bulkhead lives, will hold her down nicely.

A friend has a J-24 that he trailers to class races. He has a clever idea which requires no straps, but makes it imposable for the boat to move. His fin (keel) slides into a short length of U shaped channel, much like what folks here have done. The aft end of the fin has a 1/2" hole drilled in it, which aligns with a similarly sized set of holes in the U bracket. Once out of the water, he inserts a "captive ball" pin, through the bracket and fin. It can't leave the trailer. The pin is rated for about 3 times the weight of the boat, so you could literally lift the boat, trailer and all if the pin was left in place. He knows this, because once, he left the pin in and launched. The boat and trailer floated nicely as a unit.

He's a bit anal about drag so the hole in the fin receives a barrel bolt to seal it during races, but I suggest it wouldn't make a hoot of difference if he left it off, particularly considering it's location at the bottom trailing edge of the fin, where tip vortices live anyway.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one, Paul. It would appear I'm headed in the right direction. I was also thinking of gravity when I went with this design. I mean, it is about 500 lbs, I think and the only major force I can think of outside of a traffic accident would be being buffeted around by wind. We do get some howlers around here from time to time and they have to close a bridge or two down on the bay, but those days are pretty rare. I figured with that kind of weight and her sitting on the bunks right there under the cockpit she should be okay. Hopefully I'll be able to try it out on Sunday and head over to Tomales Bay.

It would be a pretty rare Weekender that weighed in at 500 pounds on the trailer. The dry hull weight is likely more then that, which doesn't include batteries, trolling motor, rigging, coolers full of beer, anchors, etc. 1,000 - 1,100 pounds including a crew of two and ready to go is more accurate, with many tipping the scales over 1,500. If you check out the gallery here and over at Frank's site (MessingAbout), you'll see Weekenders underway. Very few show them sailing on their optimum lines, with most being well down at the stern and an indication of an over loaded (or over built) boat. Usually this condition is so prevalent, that many have felt the need to trim them down by the bow, with weights and gear in the forepeak (further decreasing capacity), which does "settle" them down a bit in a chop.

One of my main concerns, in building my first boat, was the weight of the crew. I weigh just over 300 so I envision the weight of myself and 2 others to be over 600. I will probably pass on a motor and use a small battery or set of batteries if I ever need lights but misc gear could easily add another 50 pounds. The boat should weigh about 175-200 dry. Incase anyone reading this is not familiar mine is not a Weekender.

I am posting this in response to the boat attitude comments by Paul. I anticipate having to position crew to try and off set my weight? I chose the Triad as it was described as able to handle 4.