CP 16 Trailer Extension- the result!!!

[Garyandjoanlee]

Yo' Trailer sailors:
BOAT TRAILER EXTENSION PROJECT:

I have made a major modification to my CP 16 ll trailer in an attempt to gain more distance between the tow car hitch and the bow- but only for the launch. The design allows a fast 5 or 6 feet of strong steel extension without even touching your trailer hitch. I wish to share the results with my fellow Com Pac sailors.

I had some minimum feature requirements for the design-
1. Add at least 5 feet of trailer extension.
2. Maintain trailer strength
3. Design so that the hitch does NOT need to be disconnected from the towing vehicle.
4. Design so that no new hardware gets mounted under the trailer.

Here is what I came up with and built:  (I will post pics and a video later)
First, I removed the female portion of the hitch from the north end of the trailer and pulled the trailer light wires from the cavity. (My trailer frame is 3" x 2").
Then I bolted the removed section of the hitch to a 10" section of 2" x 3" square stock (rectangular) 1/4" steel. I re-used the existing 1/2" bolts, drilling through the steel with a 1/2" carbide bit (and foam cutting oil). Now it gets good~~~ I inserted one end of a 7' steel        2 1/2" x 1 1/2" square stock inside of the 10" hitch steel. I double bolted this together and though perhaps overkill- welded the south end of this bolted combination together.  So to be clear- I now have the female part of the hitch well secured to the end of a 7' piece of steel that will fit / slide nicely inside the cavity of the front center of the trailer. I then slid the unit into said cavity until the mounted hitch section stopped it. With the 1/2" cobalt drill bit, I drilled through the trailer frame with the sliding extension steel in place inside about 6" back from the hitch, then at 18" back and 6' back from the hitch. These holes secure the 7' extension steel in place in the "towing position" secured with 1/2" x 4" tractor pins. You could use bolts.  To use the "Extension" park at a level section before a ramp, block the trailer wheels, unplug the trailer lights and pull the tractor pins out.  Drive forward 5' until the back hole in the extension meets the frame hole that is 18" back from the hitch. While there are a number of ways to tell when the holes are exactly lined up lets assume you have someone watching for your.  When the holes in the frame line up with the holes in the extension, insert the tractor pins (or bolts, etc) and enjoy the extra 5 feet of strong trailer extension!  Just to be super clear: This design is never intended to tow with in the extended position. Just in and out of the ramp.

Fine print you need NOT read unless you are followng this step by step to build it:
Obviously, you will need to re-attach the trailer light wires outside the frame with quick ties and waterproof heat shrink wire connectors.
Actually, the 7' section slides into the 10" section where the hitch attached after you remove the back bolt of the hitch and slide the 7' section up to the front bolt. Then drill through the 7' section using the back holes from the removed bolt as a guide. This secures the 7' extension directly to the female portion of the hitch, in addition to the other bolts you will add mentioned above.
I elected to go with a 5' extension but you can get 6 or 7 feet by starting with an 8' raw extension and leaving only 1' or so double pinned at full extension.  These 1/2" tractor pins have handles and cotter pins. Tractor Supply sells them.
Drilling through both sides of the trailer frame with the two sides of 1/8" steel inside takes time. Keep the drill medium slow, lots of cutting oil (I used the foam cutting oil) or a teflon spray. You really should use a $15 - $20 cobalt bit.

[bruce]

Looks good, Gary. I can think of a number of ramps I've seen in Maine where that would make all the difference.

[Garyandjoanlee]

Thanks Bruce. It worked amazingly well in Northern NH yesterday at a lake that dropped the water level

[tmw]

great design.  This looks like a feature that trailer manufacturers should offer.

Do you have any trouble loosing the light connector in the extension tube?  I'd wager that forgetting to unplug the lights is possibly a weak point for forgetful minds like mine.

[Garyandjoanlee]

Apparently, I am not the only scatterbrain out there. Actually, you have to unplug the lights to expand the bar anyhow. I hope this fact is  one way for me to remember to unplug! At least with this system, it isn't underwater anymore.