Boat Trailer Question

I have a Spartan roller drive on boat trailer, it is the first drive on trailer I have owned. My boat is a 1650 Lund Angler, for the life of me I can not get the boat on this trailer straight
I realize that it takes some practice to get good at this but I even have a hard time getting it on straight when I pull it on the trailer. Has anyone else had this problem with Spartan trailers? Are Shorelanders easier to load? Is it possible that the trailer is not adjusted right?

Steve ,

I had the exact same problem and here is the fix….

When you back your trailer in , make sure the farthest back rollers are just under the water by an inch or so. Mine slides right up and centers itself like a brat in a brat bun !!

I have a Shorelander trailer and had the same problem. I invested in a set of guide rails which really helped. Most of the time, people tend to back to far into the water. I have the hardest time if the trailer is not sitting level. Once you find how far to back into the water, I will bet your problem will be solved. Good luck.

Thanks Dave, I will give that a try

Steve, does it look like it sits on the trailer straight after you have adjusted the boat after pulling it out of the water? Do you have close to equal weight on both sides of the boat? In other words- on the drivers side you have your weight. On the other side do you have any weight to help offset your body weight like maybe a kicker motor or maybe a livewell full of water or batteries or something. Also, and this comes from practice and learning just how far to back you trailer in the water, can make a big difference too on how well the boat goes on the trailer. When I had my Lund Rebel it came with a trailer that had 2 sets of 4 rollers [ 1 set on each side] on the back of the trailer. A year or two before I traded that boat in for my red Lund I put a different trailer on it that had 2 sets of 4 rollers on each side and that really helped as I had more rollers going up the trailer that slanted to help keep it going straight. Today I have an Eagle bunk trailer that is made for the haul of my boat and it goes up on it like a dream, well for Nate it does anyway. I am so use to having roller trailers for so many years that its a habit to slow down to a stop as I’m going up the trailer to make sure it goes straight that I sometimes have to give it more gas then to go up the last 6” to a foot distance. Creature of habit I guess.

Thanks, Bill

ps. by the time I finished typing my reply and posted it I saw a couple other people had responded too. Like Dave said, backing the trailer in too far makes a big difference as if your rollers are all under water how can they help guide and hold the boat in place on the trailer?

Hi Keith,
Looks like we were posting at the same time
I have guide rails but I took them off, I was worried about banging up the boat on them. I think you and Dave are right, I will have to experiment with how far to back the trailer in the water. Thanks

Lose the bunks Steve, I agree with you, all they do is make ware marks on the paint job…

Thanks Bill

Another trick to try when you see that your boat is loaded off center:

Let the boat “slowly” roll back down about half way into the water – the rollers tend to straighten the boat out in relation to the trailer. Then just motor up “slowly” and it will usually center very nicely on the second try.

Dave Gulczinski

That’s exactly the way I do it too Dave G. But I left the side guides on.

I have the same problem you have. Bill hit it right on when he said the weight in the boat needs to be equal from side to side. I have a single consul boat and am a big guy so I have the weight of the consul plus my weight (Total 350 to 400#) more on that side. The resort owner at Round Bay Resort told me to stand as far as I can on the other side while motoring on. That helps a lot.

Steve,
I have given up on “driving” the boat on. It gets real frustrating especially at a crowded ramp. I leave the back rollers (I have a Shorelander also)out of the water and winch it up when I’m alone. I can hit it straight by driving on only 1 out of 5 times. If the back rollers are submerged the boat can “float” back and forth. Virtually impossible to get on straight.
How damaging is it to trailer the boat when it’s not dead on straight? I have gotten so frustrated sometimes that I just leave it a little crooked and drive away. No visible damage but can anything bend when it’s not on straight?
Good question and I’m glad I’m not the only one who experiences these problems.

I have a Alumacraft Trophy 175 with dual console/Shorelander trailer.There can be times when it can be hard to get the boat on straight but keep trying.If you can have trailer in the right position it is not that hard to do once you get used to it.The more you do it the better it gets.Also if a few of you load by yourself and have a bow mount trolling motor,make sure you unplug it when you climb over the bow to step on the trailer tongue.I know a guy that almost cut a finger off trying to climb over the trolling motor and he turned it on by accident.Best of luck guys.
Ryan Hale

Seems like we all got problems at times now I don’t feel so bad. I have a Pro V and a roller Shorelandr, what I usually run it to whether I drive on or crank in the tralier has to be level on the ramp. If one wheel is a couple of inches lower in the water than the other wheel my boat will never be centered on the trailer. It can be level but always off to one side against the tire fender. I have talked to other Lund/Shorelandr owners who say the same thing. If the wheels are level in the water and I am only in to the steps of the fenders it comes on in the middle of the trailer and level driven or cranked. I have always thought it’s the hull design of the boat screwing me up.

I have a 1675 Lund Explorer with a Shorelander roller trailer and I have a heck of a time getting it on straight at times. I figured out that part of the problem is my Explorer is pretty much flat on the bottom so there is not alot of natural centering. I have just accepted that if it is between the fenders and not touching them it is good enough. If I taking a long trip I will center before I leave but my usual trip back and forth to Pool 4 I just leave it. One thing that needs to be considered when loading on the river is the current. I usually angle in a little from the upstream side and the current kind of centers it by the time I am motored on.

Thanks for all the tips guys, I just got back from Branson and two things that realy helped allot was to have just the back rollers in the water, just under a bit and to stand in the center of the boat to make it go on level. The boat loaded great every time