Problems loading our boat onto trailer………..

We have a 16′ older Alumacraft Classic that we do enjoy using. It seems that launching it is easy, but every time we loadout it turns into a real adventure for us.
Our trailer has rollers and it seems hard to get the boat straigt on it.
I have to make several tries at it and this seems to always involve some sort of screwup on my part.
Yesterday, I clipped the light on the trailer and broke it,on the outing before I nicked the dock and loosened up a thingie on the corner of the boat.

All this is embarassing to me to and gives both my wife and I a lot of consternation ( what ever that means).
It is quite a job to hand wench it most of the way up on to the trailer, so I power load it.
I am wonder if a trailer that uses a carpet with the guides might be better for us. I dunno.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Thanks for reading my rant here.

Iowa Roger

Do you have side bunks ??? I might be worth a try.

Also I have always had to play with the depth that you back in the trailer.

Not being there to see exactly how you load it sounds like you may have the trailer too far in the water. Try to just get the back back side of the fender wet. Drive the boat on slowly. Let it settle on the trailer after you touch it. Then push it up with the motor. You can have someone help direct nose of the boat into the front roller once you get it up that far. The boat doesn’t need to be exactly perfect either. A few inches one way or the other won’t hurt anything.

Most common mistake people make is putting the trailer in to deep. Set the trailer so the rearmost roller are at or just below the water.

If your roller trailer is canted one way or the other its almost impossiable to get a boat on sraight. I bet the landing your using is tilted

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Most common mistake people make is putting the trailer in to deep. Set the trailer so the rearmost roller are at or just below the water.

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This. I had problems loading onto my bunks for a long time, then realized I was way too deep!

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If your roller trailer is canted one way or the other its almost impossiable to get a boat on sraight. I bet the landing your using is tilted

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I am a newbie to the roller trailers and had the same problems you have on my first few outings. The biggest problem I found was the launches I frequented were not level. Once i figured that out and adjusted the position of the trailer, dead on straight. Also finally found the sweet spot for depth of rollers in the water for each launch and things are much better.

I feel ya but it can be resolved.

D

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Most common mistake people make is putting the trailer in to deep. Set the trailer so the rearmost roller are at or just below the water.

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This. I had problems loading onto my bunks for a long time, then realized I was way too deep!

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BINGO!!! This is the number one problem when loading on a roller trailer. Forget the side rollers all they will do is mar up your boat. Like was said before if you get your rearmost rollers just under the water you will notice a huge differance in loading your boat like night and day.

Here is a link to an old post on loading your boat in high water with some good tips that can be used anytime.

How to Load Your Boat in Swift Current – Video

If you have to resort to winching it on the trailer maybe put a 2 gear wench on it. Super easy to wench mine on when needed. My kids can even do it.

I appreciate all the tips that you folks have given me.

I think that I am putting the trailer too far into the water is probably my biggest of many mistakes.

THANKS A WHOLE BUNCH GUYS.

Iowa Roger

Putting the trailer too far in is what threw me off when I first got my boat. It took me a while to realize that. Now I put the back rollers so they are just under the water. I can get it all the way up the trailer using hardly any power at all and it’s always straight.

That was mine too, learned quick that with mine, back it in so that the steps on the trailer tire fenders are just below the water level.

but, then some ramps are really shallow while others are very steep, just practice and more practice and you’ll find the sweet spot for your rig.

I have an Alumacraft classic 165, WOULDN’T HAVE ROLLERS..

easy on the wenches. they can ruin your day! happened to me many a time.

I used to have a 1986 16 foot Alumacraft Classic and what everyone is saying about putting the trailer in too deep are 100% correct. It took me a while to figure it out as well, at the end I would back it in until the first rolled was just at water level. That boat has a pretty flat bottom and just rolled up nice and easy once I figued out where to back the trailer in. If you have a place to launch were it is not very busy spend some time loading it put the trailer in at different depths and figure out which one works for you. Good Luck!!

I like bunks, not rollers ever since I punch a roller through the bottom of a 17ft Mirrocraft. Bunks are better for me to power load, since on steeper ramps. I don’t get the rollback that rollers can have.

You could also go into Cabela’s and buy yourself a self centering roller which I have installed in the middle of my trailer! Work’s for me! DIRTBALL2

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easy on the wenches. they can ruin your day! happened to me many a time.

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if ya got the right wench, she should be able ta winch yur boat up onta the trailer no problem

I also think guide-ons are a must…especially in wind, waves or current. I switched this year from side bunk style of guide-ons to the upright poles. I go on straight every time and the posts really help backing the trailer in to get the boat out of the water. The poles serve as “goal posts” that you can see even when you back down the ramp hill and the trailer goes out of sight – you can still see the “uprights” for a straight route down to the boat.

Roger

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