Loading a ski boat Problem
Adam Helmer
Is there a secret to loading a ski boat onto a trailor. I have a
mastercraft tristar 190 with a mastercraft trailor, and I have only
trailored it a couple of times. Both times I have had trouble loading
it. The manual states to "back the trailer into the water until the top
of the wheel is even with the water.... approach the trailer ina straight
line from at least 50 feet out....Use "bursts" of propeller thrust to
move towards the trailer at the slowest steerable speed.... Guide the
boat between the alignments posts and onto the carpeted support bunks (
at this point should the boat actually be resting on the carpeted
bunks?)....Using a very light touch on the throttle, ease the boat
forward until the bow comes to rest against the bow stop".
Is this the proper procedure?
I seem to have trouble guideing the boat through the guides while keeping
the boat heading straight towards the V bow stop. Any advice would be
helpful.
Thanks
Adam
Does anybody else have trouble
Adam Helmer
Paul T. Meier
The procedure sounds ok for loading from a lake, although the "burst"
of thrust is really just putting it in gear at idle speed for me. I
generally get the boat on the bunks and then stop, gather my thoughts
and then give it a little gas rocking the steering wheel to "walk" the
boat up to the bow stop... I don't get much practice, since my wife
generally does the loading and unloading, she just drives right up to
the bow stop.
If you are loading from a river with some current, the procedure is a
little different. I hope you get lots of practice i.e. once after
every ski outing :)
Paul Meier - ptm...@lucent.com
Bill Walker
In article <3221A8...@cigna.e-mail.com>, Adam Helmer
<hel...@cigna.e-mail.com> wrote:
>Is there a secret to loading a ski boat onto a trailor. I have a
>mastercraft tristar 190 with a mastercraft trailor, and I have only
>trailored it a couple of times. Both times I have had trouble loading
>it.
It _will_ take practice.
>The manual states to "back the trailer into the water until the top
>of the wheel is even with the water....
This may vary depending on the slope of the ramp. On a steep ramp, you'll
need it a little deeper so the boat doesn't have to climb too much of a
hill to get to the bow stop.
>approach the trailer ina straight
>line from at least 50 feet out....Use "bursts" of propeller thrust to
>move towards the trailer at the slowest steerable speed....
As somebody else mentioned, this really means alternating between in gear
and out of gear, to keep your speed down. You can only do your steering
while in gear, of course. I tend to turn the wheel to where I know it
needs to be for the correction I'm trying to make while out of gear, then
shift briefly into gear and back out. But the best thing is to get lined
up as straight as you can, from as far out as you can, and drive on an
imaginary straight line. Don't look down at the trailer as you get close,
as you'll tend to overcorrect (similar to driving a car while looking down
at the line on the road instead of well ahead of you).
>Guide the
>boat between the alignments posts and onto the carpeted support bunks (
>at this point should the boat actually be resting on the carpeted
>bunks?)....Using a very light touch on the throttle, ease the boat
>forward until the bow comes to rest against the bow stop".
You'll make contact with the bunks somewhere in here. Depends on the
slope of the ramp and how deep you have the trailer. You definitely want
to hit the bunks before you hit the bow stop, so you get some braking
(though I've seen others, with different trailers, use the technique of
just nosing the boat into the stop with the trailer in very deep, and
using forward thrust to keep it there as the trailer is pulled forward.
This only works if the ramp is steep enough to get the trailer in that
deep without submerging the tow vehicle, if you have a strong bow stop in
case you hit it too fast, if you have long boat guide posts, and if you
remember to cut the engine before the prop clears the water).
----------------------------------------------
Bill Walker, QUALCOMM, Inc., San Diego, CA USA
WWa...@qualcomm.com
Chip Broecker
Adam Helmer wrote:
>
> Is there a secret to loading a ski boat onto a trailor. I have a
1. Make sure the trailer is level, and put it in until 3 inches of the tire is
above the waterline. Too deep was bad for my 88 Tristar and tandem trailer.
2. Approach from a good distance (100 feet) so you can get the boat lined up for
a straight entrance. Whatever minimum distance you can use to get the boat on
the centerline of the approach and not turning is fine.
3. Take the boat in and out of gear on the approach, keeping enough speed to
control the boat on the centerline with the wind, current, etc.
4. Just before you contact the trailer (if it looks good!!) put the boat in gear
and leave it in gear. Then steer for the centerline and correct for the first
bounce of the bow. The Tristar in particular has a tendency to hit one bunk and
then skew sideways in the trailer. You need the power behind the boat to drive
the bow in , not giving enough time for the bounce to occur, and letting the
bunks narrowing catch the other side of the bow. No big throttle here, just in
gear will do to give you steerage.
5. The boat will come to a rest partway on the trailer. With the Tristar, you
still have a long way to go. You need to use a lot of throttle to lift/drive the
bow up to the closure, and back off quickly if you get too much speed. For the
final hooking in of the ring, I had to use a *Lot* of throttle to hold the ring
up high where someone else would attach the hinged bar, clip the bow ring, and
crank. If you have a locking pin instead of this stupid hinged bar, the helper
may be able to hook the bow ring and crank while you power on.
6. Once cranked up, let off the power gently and use the wheel to center the boat
between the guides. I walk to the rear and hold the trailer boat guide to make
sure the boat settles in the center of the trailer.
Best of luck, Chip
Kevin R. Clark
In article 6A9F...@bert.ih.att.com, "Paul T. Meier" <p...@bert.ih.att.com> writes:
>
> I don't get much practice, since my wife
>generally does the loading and unloading, she just drives right up to
>the bow stop.
And you, I assume are backing down the trailer...
My wife, when given the choice between learning to back the trailer and
learning to driving the boat on chose the trailer. She's actually become
quite good at it now, and friend's are often surprised when I refuse their
offers to back down the trailer, and hand the keys to my wife...
A couple of hints in case you want to teach your SO to back a trailer.
Practice in a parking lot first, and then avoid busy times at the ramp. My
wife did fine from the beginning as long as their weren't people waiting...
If the ramp was busy, though, she didn't like the "pressure" of having to
get it right the first time...
Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
David Burton
Adam Helmer wrote:
>
> Is there a secret to loading a ski boat onto a trailor. I have a
> trailored it a couple of times. Both times I have had trouble loading
> of the wheel is even with the water.... approach the trailer ina straight
> line from at least 50 feet out....Use "bursts" of propeller thrust to
> boat between the alignments posts and onto the carpeted support bunks (
> at this point should the boat actually be resting on the carpeted
> bunks?)....Using a very light touch on the throttle, ease the boat
> forward until the bow comes to rest against the bow stop".
> I seem to have trouble guideing the boat through the guides while keeping
> the boat heading straight towards the V bow stop. Any advice would be
> helpful.
> Thanks
> Adam
> Does anybody else have trouble
Virtually all of the ski boats I've looked at which have been
loaded under power show some (minor) hull damage (scuffing,
hairline gel coat cracks) where the hull tends to strike the
frame. I wade out and pull mine in by hand using a little
power only when it's aligned correctly.
Look at the outside hull edges about 4-8' back from the bow
tip and you'll see what I mean.
DB
Art Schroeder
I find that having the trailer too deep into the water causes more
problems than not being deep enough. This allows the bunks and
rollers to do their work sooner. Also, I always move my head to the
centerline of the boat, visually lining up the windshield center post
and the bow with the bow stop.
Don Merritt
Chip Broecker <chip.b...@cbn.org> wrote in article
<32232A...@cbn.org>...
> Adam Helmer wrote:
> final hooking in of the ring, I had to use a *Lot* of throttle to hold
the ring
> up high where someone else would attach the hinged bar, clip the bow
ring, and
> crank. If you have a locking pin instead of this stupid hinged bar, the
helper
> may be able to hook the bow ring and crank while you power on.
> 6. Once cranked up, let off the power gently and use the wheel to center
the boat
> between the guides. I walk to the rear and hold the trailer boat guide
to make
> sure the boat settles in the center of the trailer.
Your approach to this point seems pretty standard, but I must say the above
description sounds extreme. I have never trailered a Tristar before, but
it sounds like there is a miss design between boat and trailer, or boat
ramp. Actually it sounds down right dangerous having someone attach the
bowring while the boat is under a *Lot* of throttle.
For my Nautique, I just power up the last 4 feet from the position where
the boat rests on the trailer, and that is where it stays. The trailer can
be pulled out of the water without any throttle, and without the boat
sliding off the trailer. I hook up the bow ring when the boat is out of
the water. Does your trailer have rollers? Perhaps you should consider a
winch?
Don
hamster
In article <3221A8...@cigna.e-mail.com>, hel...@cigna.e-mail.com
says...
>
Eveyone has sent good suggestions. I just bought my boat this time last
year, and have trailered it about 40 times. Three words for
you...PRACTICE, PRACTICE , PRACTICE. Find an object floating in the lake
such as a trout line marker or bouy. Assume it is a dock or trailer and
practice very slow manuevering approaching the marker. No pressure, no
hassel practice will help you feel the nuances of low speed operations.
A little practice such as this will help you zip on the trailor without
thinking, and no damage to boat or rig.
Kevin R. Clark
In article 3b19...@stealth.iinet.net.au, "Don Merritt" <Do...@merak.com> writes:
>
>Your approach to this point seems pretty standard, but I must say the above
>description sounds extreme. I have never trailered a Tristar before, but
>it sounds like there is a miss design between boat and trailer, or boat
>ramp. Actually it sounds down right dangerous having someone attach the
>bowring while the boat is under a *Lot* of throttle.
Believe it, Don, my '86 MC ProStar has the same hassle... It has a long bar
that swings up w/ a slot in it and you have to have someone stand there and
make sure it slips over the bow ring as it goes by. It's a *REAL* hassle, and
I have yet to find a better way (in 4 years)... I will go on record as an MC
owner as saying I love my MC boat, but I hate my MC trailor..! MC changed this
design after a few years... I assume the new design is better, but I've no
1st hand experience w/ it...
>For my Nautique, I just power up the last 4 feet from the position where
>the boat rests on the trailer, and that is where it stays.
Yep, my brother has a Nautique and that's what he does, too....
Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
Steve Kachelmeyer
Kevin R. Clark wrote:
>
>
> Believe it, Don, my '86 MC ProStar has the same hassle... It has a long bar
> that swings up w/ a slot in it and you have to have someone stand there and
> make sure it slips over the bow ring as it goes by. It's a *REAL* hassle, and
> I have yet to find a better way (in 4 years)... I will go on record as an MC
> owner as saying I love my MC boat, but I hate my MC trailor..! MC changed this
> design after a few years... I assume the new design is better, but I've no 1st hand experience w/ it...
>
Kevin
I have a '92 MasterCraft Prosport and since '92 MC has had a standard
feature on all their trailers to help with this problem. It is also
available as a an aftermarket accesory. It is called a "Boat Buddy".
This device is mounted at the point where the bow eye sits when the boat
is properly positioned on the trailer. It has a pin that latches through
the bow eye for transportation. When you want to load the boat, the pin
is pulled back and set in a position that allows the bow eye to release
it when it enters the boat buddy. To park the boat all I need to do is
pull onto the trailer and slowly drive up the bunks until the bow eye
contact the back of the boat buddy. The latch pin releases and snaps
across to lock the boat in place. No Winch, No rope, No Hassle!!!! Most
of the time my wife actually drives the boat on and soon as we hear the
"Clunk" of the pin going in place she shuts the boat off and I pull the
truck off the ramp. We can generally be on and off the ramp in less then
5 minutes if we are both there. This makes the whole trailing experience
much easier, and I would highly recommend this to anyone who has issues
with loading their boat.
Steve
Kevin R. Clark
In article 3...@bmerhc5e.bnr.ca, Stephan Varty <sva...@bnr.ca> writes:
>
>I love my Mastercraft trailer (1991). I put it down in the water until
>the wheels are about 3/4 deep in the water and then aim the boat at it.
>Even if I REALLY screw up and hit the trailer at a steep angle it will
>straighten out the boat perfectly every time. When the boat straightens
>out I give it a bit of a shot which will push the boat up to the
>automatic bow ring lock. <snip>
>
>Stephan
In article 3C...@msbg.med.ge.com, Steve Kachelmeyer <ms1...@msbg.med.ge.com> writes:
>
>Kevin
>I have a '92 MasterCraft Prosport and since '92 MC has had a standard
>feature on all their trailers to help with this problem. It is also
>available as a an aftermarket accesory. It is called a "Boat Buddy". <snip>
>
>Steve
Steve/Stephan,
I was pretty high on this Boat Buddy idea until I talked to a service
guy and he told me he's seen many, many Mastercrafts w/ the gelcoat all
torn up around the eye-bolt from these things. He said it's not just
from loading, but even driving down the highway there's a plastic housing
that rubs against your gelcoat. He recommended that I go with something
like the Nautique trailors use instead...
Now I'm all confused as to what to do, and I'm hoping some MC owners
car tell me if they have had problems w/ their Boat Buddy tearing up the
front of their boat, or is this just from people who recklessly load their
boat..?
Maybe I should just live w/ the big bar and the hassles I currently
have on my '86 MC trailer..?
Any advise is greatly appreciated...
Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
Mark Kovalcson
One of my ski buddies who I have been skiing with for over 3 years has a
1992 MaterCraft with boat buddy. He trailers his boat everywhere, has
over 600 hours on it and bought it new.
The boat buddy will leave scratches, but it works. On a cold 43 degree
water day who wants to step in the water to load a boat. Or when you
may happen to have some joy riders coming along who don't know how to
help load a boat it sure makes trailering easier.
I think they are worth the scratches and the scratches aren't too bad
anyway. I wish I could put one on my trailer, but it's not worth the
cost to install the winch necessary for the boat buddy.
happy skiing and happier boat loading !
--
***********************************************
* Check out the Skiers of Knoxville Web Site *
***********************************************
It's moved !
http://www.public.usit.net/kovalson
Stephan Varty
cla...@aud.alcatel.com (Kevin R. Clark) wrote:
>I will go on record as an MC
>owner as saying I love my MC boat, but I hate my MC trailor..! MC changed this
>design after a few years... I assume the new design is better, but I've no
>1st hand experience w/ it...
I love my Mastercraft trailer (1991). I put it down in the water until
the wheels are about 3/4 deep in the water and then aim the boat at it.
Even if I REALLY screw up and hit the trailer at a steep angle it will
straighten out the boat perfectly every time. When the boat straightens
out I give it a bit of a shot which will push the boat up to the
automatic bow ring lock. The only complaint I have is something that I
cause myself...I'm too timid to hit the lock hard enough every time so
sometimes I need to give it a crank or two with the winch to get it the
last few inches. Loading and unloading the boat is definately a 1 person
job with this trailer. The only thing you can do wrong is to put the
trailer too deep in the water.
Stephan
Sskier
Bryan Carnathan wrote:
>
> Kevin,
>
> I have a '92 MasterCraft ProStar 190 on a '94 MasterCraft Trailer - with a
> Boat Buddy. I bought both used in spring '95. I love the function the Boat
> Buddy provides - it works great! I have not noticed any gel coat damage to
> date. I think they could improve the design somewhat. If the boat comes in
> fast and not perfectly centered, the plastic housing will get a gash in it
> - allowing the boat's eye ring to go through the plastic of the Buddy. This
> might allow some damage. I replaced the original boat buddy because the
> plastic was damaged. Once there is a gash in the plastic, the boat tends to
> go to this point instead of the center. Right or wrong (?), my technique is
> to put the trailer in until the fenders (over the tires) are 1" deep, then
> bring the boat in. I approach the Boat Buddy AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE. When the
> boat is hooked, I make sure the winch is tightened so that the ring is not
> rubbing against the front or back of the Buddy. If it is, the ring will
> grind the Buddy away while traveling. I have had some welding done the the
> release trigger (front) on the Buddy. In summary, I think the Boat Buddy is
> a so-so implementation of a great idea.
>
> Bryan Carnathan
> bry...@redrose.netKevin, I Have had my boat for 5 summers now,(If you can call what we get
in Wisconsin Summer) and there is no scratches in the Gel. There is some
wear on the front edge of the bow eye, presumablely from it rubbing on
the boat buddy while in transit, but other then that no other damage. I
would agree that the damage is probably from careless loading. Some
people probably feel that you need to pull the boat on at warp speed to
get it to latch. I can generally pull the boat on, (so can my wife), so
that the trailer hardly bumps when I pull on into the boat buddy. I
always put my strap on the bow eye, but NEVER crank the winch up. The
strap is just for psychological reasons. By leaving the strap loose the
boat moves back against the pin in the boat buddy as I pull the trailer
out of the water. In this way, after the boat is out of the water about
two clicks of tension on the winch pulls the bow eye off the boat buddy
pin, but leaves the Gel about .5 inches off of the plastic of the boat
buddy. Therefore, nothing is rubbing on anything while in transit. The
rubber roller that is in the front center of the trailer has left more
marks on the Gel then the boat buddy has. I would guess that it takes
about 3-4 times to the lake to get the feel for how hard to pull onto the
trailer, but after that, it's a breeze.
Good Luck!
Steve
Bryan Carnathan
Stephan Varty
cla...@aud.alcatel.com (Kevin R. Clark) wrote:
<snip>
>He recommended that I go with something
>like the Nautique trailors use instead...
(obviously a follower of rec.sport.waterski ;-)
I have never seem anyone with a Nautique actually fasten their boat to the
trailer before pulling it out of the water. I think this leaves more
opportunity for torn up gelcoat than any locking device ever will.
> Now I'm all confused as to what to do, and I'm hoping some MC owners
>car tell me if they have had problems w/ their Boat Buddy tearing up the
>front of their boat, or is this just from people who recklessly load their
>boat..?
>
There are no scratches on the front of my boat from the boat buddy, I
think that any damage caused by it are the fault of the owner from coming
in too fast. Like I said before though I take it pretty easy when loading
the boat, I don't hit the boat buddy very hard if I hit it at all. As far
as scratches during travel go, I trailer my boat about 400km each week and
have not got any scratches yet. I would tend to blame damage during towing
on a bad fitting trailer. I also don't know how viable the boat buddy
would be with a roller trailer. Judging by the description of your tailer
lock mechanism I would definately get a boat buddy.
Stephan