How to stop boat bouncing on trailer

[OK Toon]

I don't think it's an issue of not enough tongue weight on the trailer. The trailer frame doesn't appear to be bouncing (at least from what I can tell since the winch stand doesn't bounce). It's more like the bunks bouce with the boat.

So if I use bigger ratchet straps to pull the bow of the boat (connecting to the lift eyes on the toons) down to the trailer frame, that won't run the risk of doing any damage to the lift eye or toons?

I'll weld something on the frame below both toons (and just slightly in front of the toons) to attach the ratchet straps.

I'd love to just get a new trailer. But at this point, that just isn't in the budget. So I'm going to have to do what I can to fix the issue I currently have.

Thanks again for all of the feedback.

[Bryden24shp]

So if I use bigger ratchet straps to pull the bow of the boat (connecting to the lift eyes on the toons) down to the trailer frame, that won't run the risk of doing any damage to the lift eye or toons?

Nope!

[Ray Jr.]

We tied down the exact same way on both the Yacht club and the Shorelander. A pair of transom straps on the rear, and the winch strap up front with a safety chain. On the Yacht club when ya looked in the rear view going down the road, the bow rub rail was moving 6" or more in relation to the bow stops. (exactly what OK Toon described) When watched from the side you could see the trailer frame flexing. The Shorelander does NOT move at all. I cant remember the actual frame rail size of the yacht club but it was very whimpy in comparison to the Shorelander, the Shorelanders main rails and tounge are both 3" x 5" box tubing with 1-3/4' x 3" box tube cross members.

Keep an eye out for a deal on a Shorelander, someone here recently posted about getting a great deal on a used Shorelander at an auction, I am pretty sure it was less than $1000, and it had the tri-toon kit on it too. There may be other brands that are built as well as the Shorelander, But I know Yacht club sure isn't I would not recommend anyone buy one.

[jimrs]

From the pictures I see here, one of the problems is that your strap is running straight or at an uphill pull. I think that your winch stand is too high. The strap should pull forward and downward Thus holding your boat down to the trailer. You can try letting out all your strap and wind it to the bottom side (backwards) and that should eliminate some of the bounce. Your strap coming off the bottom of the spool not the top.
Hope that will help you.

[screwball]

I'll just pile on here. I use transom ratcheting tie-downs at all 4 corners. They are relatively cheap and afford a little peace of mind..... and I don't trailer very for. Sure can't hurt any.

[OK Toon]

I'll just pile on here. I use transom ratcheting tie-downs at all 4 corners. They are relatively cheap and afford a little peace of mind..... and I don't trailer very for. Sure can't hurt any.

I'll have to try some beefier ratchet straps. I used some small ones and the bouncing caused the strap to pull back through the ratchet part. Then I switched to a set of straps that you just fold the clamp over to tighten up the strap -- that's the strap I broke this weekend. But it was only a 2" wide strap. I think I'm going to get the 4" wide ratchet straps like semi's use to strap down a load.

[BobG]

Holy Mother of ZUUL!!! If you're breaking 2 inch straps, I would say you have a serious issue! I use just 1" ratcheting straps.

That being said, consider this:

Ratchet straps depend on you having a certain amount of strap wound around the ratchet hub, to hold. If they're slipping, try starting with the strap looser, and taking up the slack by ratcheting rather than pulling more through the slot in the center of the spool. You ahould have at least a full wrap around the spool, or more, for it to hold correctly.

[OK Toon]

Holy Mother of ZUUL!!! If you're breaking 2 inch straps, I would say you have a serious issue! I use just 1" ratcheting straps.

That being said, consider this:

Ratchet straps depend on you having a certain amount of strap wound around the ratchet hub, to hold. If they're slipping, try starting with the strap looser, and taking up the slack by ratcheting rather than pulling more through the slot in the center of the spool. You ahould have at least a full wrap around the spool, or more, for it to hold correctly.

Now you really had me thinking about the strap that broke. So I went out and looked (still had part of the strap in the truck -- the other part is laying on the highway someplace) and it appears that it is only a 1" wide strap. And to be honest, it is a relatively old strap. So maybe it was just time for it to break. But I still have to get a strap that will prevent the boat from bouncing at the front till I can find a used trailer to replace this Yacht Club brand.

A buddy has a trailer that he doesn't use hardly at all (boat is kept on lift in a dock). He said I can borrow his trailer this weekend and use it for awhile to see if it is any better for me.

[ronb]

There are differences between 1" straps. Being that it was old, do you happen to remember what it was rated to hold?
-ron

[OK Toon]

The old straps were provided to us from the seller when we bought the boat from him about a month ago. So I don't know exactly how old they were or what they were rated for.

These were the same straps that he used to hold the front of the bimini top when it was opened. We also used these same straps for that purpose. I only used them to hold the bow of the boat the last couple of times we trailered it (after the ratchet strap pulled loose). I had no problems the first time I used these straps to secure the bow, but the second time I wasn't as lucky (but only 1 broke - the other is still fine).

[OK Toon]

Well hopefully this will take care of the boat bouncing issues -- at least till I get a different trailer.

I went to West Marine and picked up a couple 3/8" eye bolts, lock washers and nuts - installed on the trailer frame as a tie-down anchor points. But I'm still concerned with pulling down on the front of the toon like this -- there isn't really anything supporting under the cones for each toon (see 2nd pic below). This won't cause a crack in the weld for the cone or anything, will it?

[Bamaman]

Steve:

That's as good as you can do at tying your boat down.

I've been looking on Craigslist for used pontoon trailers for a reasonable price--in various southeastern cities and regions. They seldom even come on the market. There are plenty of other boat trailers, however.

I see decent new 22'-24' tandem axle bunk style trailers for $2000, and single axle 20' trailers for just over $1500. Sometimes, going new is just not that much more.

[Bryden24shp]

Looks Good! Now just take one and back up your bow winch with it, to keep the pressure off of the bow winch strap and you'll be set! She should trailer real nice! It won't cause any problems with the nose cones, as long as you're using transom straps, it will rest flat and secure! Looks real good to me! If it trailers nice now, why ditch the trailer?

[GregF]

On my boat I can get between the toons and the deck. I use "trucker" straps that hook under the trailer frame, go over the toons and hook on the trailer frame on the other side. They are somewhere between 2" and 3" straps (no doubt some commie metric size)

[ttcfan4476]

I have a shorelandr trailer and i use a two inch strap from the top of one toon under the tounge of the trailer to the other toon to stop the bouncing of the boat. I have some bad roads around here so it bounced pretty bad.