Best Trailer Guide – on

I’m looking at buying a set of guide ons for my Shorelander 2400# roller trailer. My Crestliner does not have strakes on the hull so the back end is at the mercy of how level the landing is when you winch her on the trailer. Looking at what Cabela’s has and thinking about the Shorelander carpeted bunks vs a set of Cabela’s rollers, or maybe a set of PVC tubes. Wondering what works best, in particular at landings that poorly leveled.

Thanks in advance,

Pete Yake

Personally I haven’t used any yet, but experimenting with my trailer, I found there is a perfect amount of the way in the water it needs to be to get the boat on right, too deep and it doesn’t go on straight, too shallow same thing. After finding this out after 3 years, I might not put them on any more. YMMV

I’ve got a Crestliner also with the same trailer and installed the Cabela’s guide ons. My boat always wants to load to the right when I drive it on and with the guides I just turn the engine and give alittle thurst the other way and I center it every time. Leave some space between the boat and the guides so you don’t rub off any paint.
Mitch

Pete , Check out the ShoreLand’r deluxe bunk load guide on at Cabela’s web page . I have about the same trailer and had the same problem . I added the deluxe to my trailer end of problem . Pricey but heavy duty .

Pete,
I put the deluxe Shorelander Guide-on available from Cabela’s also. My trailer is the same as yours only a 3000 lb. version.
I chose this design because they attach too and pivot with the rear trailer cross member. I load a 1775 Pro-Vee and they are a help in wind and current.

I am definately leaning towards the Shorland’r delux bunk guides. The reason being is that most of the PVC tubes that I have seen are not as stiff as I would like for loading in a heavy current.

I noticed a trailer at the boat launch parking lot this weekend that had some very heavy duty pipes with PVC sleeve that I liked. These bolted to the cross member of the trailer. The pipes were probably about 1.5″ diameter and very stiff. Not sure who builds the guide but the trailer was a Karavan.

Anybody have any idea who else other than Cabela’s has a selection of guides on-line?

Thanks

Take a look

http://www.shorelandr.com/pages/o_access_pdf/o_access_pg13.pdf

Hope this helps.

I bought the Shorland’r guide ons and have to say that they look really sharp and should solve my problem. Just in time since the water temp is approaching 50 deg! I set them up so that I have a 1/2″ gap between the boat and bunks withe the boat dead center on the trailer.

Being that the bracket is an original equipment accessory I am more than a little dissapointed in the ease of installation and compatibility with the trailer. The U brackets and supplied nuts were torture to install since the galvanizing bunged up the threads somewhat I had to make a trip to the hardware store to get some hex cap screws that would attach the guide on base to the pivot bracket of the trailer. Also had to put a spacer underneath the inside U bolt to make the bracket stay on the same angle as the cross member. If my boat was a few inches narrower, I wouldn’t have had any problem since the guide-ons would sit inside of the pivot brackets.

Looking forward to putting the guides to use. Any suggestions on how deep to back the trailer in for optimum loading?

I put my in about 3/4 way up the tire (at a deeper ramp). With the current on the river I come in at an angle (against the current) get the nose set in the trailer, jockey around by sterring and with throttle until you feel the boat set in the middle and goose it. Up she’ll go.

Good luck with the new guides, I really like mine.

My trailer is perfect for loading somewhere around after the first rolers go in the water and the second ones stay out, but you’re trailer is different than mine so who knows. If I’m on ramp that has a lot of current across it (river) then there is little chance I’m going to get it on straight anyways, on the lakes this has worked fine.

I use PVC on my shorelander and they don’t center the boat because I leave clearance so they don’t rub. The main benefit I get is loading in wind so the boat doesn’t go way off to the side and it helps to back up the empty trailer since I have something to see and reference. I like the idea of bunks centering the boat but I’m more afraid of rubbing off the paint while trailering.

I put the bunks to use for the first time yesterday. They definately made it much easier to trailer the boat. Since the ramp was not even, my boat touched one bunk and not the other which was easily corrected before pulling out by giving a little tug in the other direction while standing on the fender. I’m more worried about what would happen if the bunk vibrates against the freeboard of the boat than what happens at the launch as far as paint damage.