Another trailer problem.boat won't load right.

[bigeasy1]

I've had it,trying to get my 23 Tsunami,to load properly on the trailer(all roller model).It is a nightmare,beyond your imagination.

I asked this question a while back,and tried all the suggestions provided by many of you.Many thanks to all who replied.
Unfortunately,nothing works.I've tried everything from barely submerging the trailer,to partway submerging it,to completely submerging it.
No matter what we do,this boat will just not load on the trailer,in the right position.

It goes on straight,but it always,(yes always),tilts to one side.
When you look at the stern,it is way off.No matter what we try,it has a severe list to either the port or starboard side,when you look at it from the stern.

The only thing that helps,(a very little),is to get it on all the way,then back it back in the water,until it floats a bit.Only then,will it get better,but still not great.
You name it,we've tried it,and nothing works.

I've owned boats all my life,and never had any problems even close to this,when putting them back on a roller trailer.
It's to the point now,that days before i have to take it out of the water,I'm already dreading it.
It's no fun at the ramp,looking like an idiot,when lots of other boats are waiting to launch,or load.

What about a bunk trailer? I'm wondering if that would be better?
Has anyone ever converted a roller to a bunk model?
Any particular brands to look for when buying,that work well on the Seacraft Scepter/Tsunami hulls?

I only have to do this about five times a season,so I'd rather not have to lay out tons of money,but something has to be done,as it takes all the enjoyment out of the trip.

Any help is appreciated.

The boat itself is awesome,and rides and handles beyond my expectations,It is one amazing ride,and I'm more than pleased with it.

If only I could get this trailer thing fixed.

[bridgeman]

I never was a fan of roller trailers, if you can find a bunk your problems will end. I can load mine on in a couple minutes by myself, always goes on straight even when its windy.

[riptide]

I have an EZ loader roller trailer for my Sceptre and have no problems.
Are your rollers perfectly parallel to each other?
If not they could be "walking" it to one side as the boat moves up the trailer.
I would prefer a bunk over rollers but up here in the northeast rollers are more popular because of the tide difference.

[castalot]

i,ve always had roller trailers except for one bunk and hated it i've never had trouble with the roller bad tides ramps or wind
are you driving it on if so you might have wheel turned pushing the stern to one side or the other

does the ramp tilt one way?

don't give up on the rollers they help with poor ramps we new englanders don't have the greatest ramps to begin with

[dragin22s]

pics might help
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also have you checked the rollers to make sure they move freely, i had smilier problem with mine and the roller was to tight.

[Bushwacker]

John, Sorry to hear you're still having trailer troubles! I think the EZ Loader is the best design out there, but it sometimes takes a little tweaking to get them working right. I like being able to launch anywhere, anytime without dunking the trailer. Mine is over 25 years old and still going strong because I never have to dunk it! Sounds like you've tried all stuff I suggested earlier.

There is one other thing you could do, which I did initially when I was having similar problems: install a set of vertical rollers on the side, which will force the boat to come on the trailer straight. See picture below.

Rollers were leaving a mark on the hull, so I had them raised a little over a foot so they contacted the rub rail instead of the gel coat. I then discovered that they were NOT NEEDED because the outer rollers were already guiding the hull before it made contact with the side rollers, so I finally took 'em off! It sounds like they might solve your problem.

I was thinking about putting on E-Bay, but you can have 'em for just the cost of shipping if you want to try 'em. They're 2" steel tubing and probably weigh about 20-25 lbs total. Bottom of the rollers are located about 26" above side rail of trailer; top of roller would be about 37.5" above rail. Your 23 has more freeboard than the 20, so they'll probably contact hull instead of rub rail, but I'd try them as is first to see if they work. It's easy to just weld in a length of 2" square tubing to to raise them as much as needed. If you want them, just send PM with shipping address. Denny

[bigeasy1]

Thanks for all the replies,and thanks Denny for that generous offer,I may take you up on it.

AS for the trailer,maybe it's just not the right one.Someone once said that it looked too small for the boat.
Unfortunately the company(Shoreline),is out of business so I can't get any info from them.Rollers and Parts,being the same on most brands,of course are still available from all the trailer suppliers,so that's not an issue.

All the rollers move freely,and are parallel.Each set,is at the same location on each side of the trailer.I measured all,and the spacings are the same.

The boat is stored on the trailer,and used only on the Great Lakes,(Ontario & Erie),so there are no tides to deal with.
I don't trailer it any distance,usually less than a mile.
The boat ramps are perfect,all concrete,with nice long docks,you can launch six to eight boats at a time.They are all flat,and level,and at a very good launch angle.

I should clarify,that it comes on perfectly straight,meaning that the bow lines up exactly centered on the bow stop.
The problem is the list,or severe tilt to either side.I've tried shifting all the weight in the boat to no avail.

Part of me wants to just bite the bullet and buy a new trailer,but I only trailer about a half mile to the launch,and only launch and load about five times a year.the boats at a slip for a week to ten days at a time.
The wallet is a little tight,and it seems a shame to have to lay out a few grand for a new trailer,that gets so little use, but maybe it's the only solution.

I think maybe I'll try moving the roller assemblies out further to each side,That will drop the boat down a bit,but may spread the load a bit more evenly.

Unfortunately,I didn't take any pictures of it showing the severe tilt,but Here's a few of it sitting on the trailer before it was finished.
It's straight in the pics,but maybe someone can see something wrong.Don't be afraid to speak your mind,if you see some glaring goof,you won't hurt my feelings.

My apologies of constantly asking the same question,and showing the same pictures over and over.Thanks guys

Here's a few of it sitting on the trailer before it was finished,It's straight in the pics,but maybe someone can see something wrong.

[Bushwacker]

John,

Thought you had an EZ Loader, but it looks like you have the same roller setup as mine. The one thing that jumps out at me from your pictures is the lateral (side-to-side) spacing on your rollers. You don't have ANY rollers on the outer panel! The rollers aren't very far apart, so that would make the boat sort of "tipsy" on the trailer and also more sensitive to a list at the dock. Seems like that kicker on stbd side might also make it list a bit to that side.

Here's how my rollers are spaced at the transom:

Here's what I would suggest:

1. Make sure all groups rollers are spread as far apart as possible, i.e., stbd inboard rollers are as far inboard and stbd outboard rollers are as far out as possible, etc. (Mine are about 25" apart (distance between center of rollers); looks like I could spread them another 1.5" but they're working fine as is.) Can adjust roller spread by using bottle jack and a 2x4 between side rail of trailer and hull to raise one side just enough to unload the rollers. Then loosen the two small 5/16" U-bolts that clamp the bars supporting the rollers to the big beam that's clamped to rear cross member and slide the bars out as far as possible on each side. Do this for the gang of rollers on each end of the big beam, and repeat process for the forward crossmember/roller group also. Now repeat for other side of trailer.

2. Now loosen the big 1/2" U-bolts and move the big beams as required to place outermost rollers up against the outboard steps like above photo. Also check to make sure the big beams are same distance from side rails on each side to insure boat is centered on trailer. Repeat as required for forward crossmember/roller group.

The next time I go out on a weekday, when the ramp isn't busy, I'll try to remember to take camera and get a series of shots showing how deep I place the trailer (just far enough in to get the tires wet, with center roller on aft cross member about 6" above water, just below the bow eye on boat), and how the side rollers engage the hull as it comes up on trailer. I've been loading this rig single handed for over 25 years and it works great once you have it set up right! As usual, the devil is in the details! Denny

[BA17]

John,
Does the boat lean to one side when it is running or sitting in the water? If the weight is not even on the boat it will roll when the trailer is pulled out. Had a friend fight this until he figured out it was problem from running off of one saddle tank. He countered the problem with a cooler of water on the opposite side.
BA

[Rich]

John,

When you pull the boat out of the water and the list is evident to one side, what is the position of the rollers closest to the transom? Is one side riding on a different step then the other?