Correct Fitting of Boat on Trailer

[LadyGT]

We just brought our brand new 22' pontoon home and I was inspecting it in the driveway. I noticed that the bunks extend 17 1/2 or 17 3/4" past the logs in the back. Is this the way the boat is supposed to fit? I also noticed that the transducer for the fish finder was almost resting on the bunk. I am afraid it will be ripped off if loading on windy days. We had the dealer install the fish finder for us because we thought they would do it better than us.

Could some of you show me how your boats look on the trailer from the back as comparison? I would post pics up but I don't think you can load directly them directly from the computer to this website.

[Themacdadt]

From what I understand the bunks should stop where the toons stop

[COTTS4x4]

It's probably a 22 or 24' trailer so its adjustable. My bunks were long out the rear on mine too, I recently trimmed them down... but when they were hanging out the back it made it easy to step up on them while washing the boat.

Before you do any cutting, make sure the tongue weight is correct incase you need to move the boat forward or backward. Tongue weight should be 300 or so. I think mine is 350lbs.

[LadyGT]

You are going over my head because I do not understand the meaning of "tongue weight".

I am not happy because I have a nice rusty rectangle on a brand new painted trailer. Rust means corrosion and for the price I paid for a new trailer, I should not have rust already.

[Hawk_308]

Tongue weight is the weight where the ball goes with the trailer loaded . In other words it how much weight is on the back of your vehicle on level ground , not enough tongue weight you get fish tailing with the trailer and run a high risk of the trailer jumping off the ball , to much you over load the hitch and tongue of the trailer possibly damaging them plus you are reducing your front end traction which could result a loss of steering .Most trailers you want to set for 10 - 25% of the total weight of the trailer. Most vehicles that you would tow are with equipped with class III hitch rated for 500 lbs tongue weight , class IV hitches and higher are rated for 1000 or more are on some trucks .

[curtiscapk]

LadyGT,

you can post from your computer just browse to it through your file system. It is at the bottom of the page where it says upload attachment.

I would have the dealer double check it on the tongue weight as posted above.

Here's mine. I don't have that much hanging over, but my transducer is the same way. 5 years and no issues with jacking it up.

[jimrs]

17 1/2 inches is a bunch way too much. I would make sure the boat is loaded on the trailer in the right position for proper weight distribution first. If it is then I would cut off the almost foot and a half of the bunk. I think that it would cause some problems down the road.

[babock]

Can you post a few pictures? One of the entire rig and one of the closeup of the stern would be a good start.

[ron nh]

as was said trailers are made for 2 size boats if you have the smaller of the 2 you will have extra bunk. no problem, cut them if you like but if you get a bigger boat or sell it to someone with a bigger boat you may have an issue.

[LadyGT]

Thank you for the explanation. I need to find out if the boat is fitted properly. How do I find out? We spoke to the dealer today and was told that the boat would tow better if pulled all the way to the front towards the tongue which explains the 17" of rear bunk. They were doing us a favor they said.

We looked at as many pictures of pontoons online with trailers to compare with ours. Our dealer was the only one who did not have the logs flush with the bunks at the rear. I do not have a problem with an inch or two, but 17?

I am also worried about the transducer being so close to the bunk. There is about 4 pieces of paper between it and the bunk. I am worried that the transducer will be damaged on a windy day.

If pictures can be loaded directly from the computer to this forum, I will try to get some tomorrow. I am electronically challenged so I may need some assistance. Lol

[lakerunner]

How about the front of pontoon? Are they hanging over or supported by bunk boards. IMO they didn't have the correct trailer or ordered the wrong one and didn't want to be stuck with it. 17" is way to much to me. Have dealer either replace trailer with correct one or fit the one you have. Most tandem trailer axles now are moveable.

[zoom650]

You bought from CGM, right? When I pulled my boat out for cleaning a few weeks ago, they had stacks and stacks of Mid America Trailers on their lot. Certainly, there was a correct one to fit your boat.

About posting pictures: Pick a free site, like Photobucket.com. Create an album and upload your picture(s). Then click on your picture. Look to the right of your picture where it says "Share Links". Under that, click the "IMG " and you will have copied the link to your picture. Paste that link in your post here.

Use the "Preview" button below and check what your picture looks like before posting. Try not to post really huge pictures. 600x800 is plenty.

Hope this helps.

[grouser]

It's all about tongue weight. You are getting an education on that here already. The bote needs to be positioned where-ever it get's the right amount of weight on the tongue. The bunks sticking out the back are only a problem if you want them to be. Keep them of lose them AFTER you know the bote is positioned correctly. If the transducer dos'nt hit the bunk now,,, then it never will unless you get a stick or something under there. Work with your dealer. If he is worth a hoot then he will work with you and alleviate your concerns. Be patient with him and tell him your concerns. Let him explain what is goin on. He should know what he's doing. Have fun !!