Tilting Trailers

[doctormikek]

I need the tilt feature for putting the boat back on the trailer. Never tried it. Has any one else? I'm tired of wading in up to my hips to hook up and winch up the boat. Detrailering could not easier. Just back into the water,apply the brakes and away she goes! And hopefully, you remembered the bow line! Doc.

[newt]

Brack- I have removed the word changing. It was there largely as a way to get a past sailor to not be profane on every post. The last of the old republic has been swept away....

[whitecap]

Where I live the tilt is the only way to get the boat on & off the trailer without lots of drama as the ramps where I launch are long & shallow (my boat has never floated off the trailer) so even with water a third of the way up my SUV's rear tire & my exhaust pipe submerged (engine still running, of course) I still need the tilt feature.  Retrieving is great-I pull the boat up to where the keel stops against the trailer roller, then push up the bow & pull forward to get the keel on top of the first roller, then I connect the winch hook & i'm home free.  Funny thing is when I bought the boat the trailer was bolted where the quick release pin goes so I didn't know it tilted until I read about it online so I suffered for 2 yrs muscling it on & off the trailer.  My trailer has 12" rims so maybe that frustrates the problem?  other pics i've seen show smaller diameter tires then what I have.  I still need to get an extension to extend my sailing season, as Lake St. Clair's level drops so much in the Fall that my sailing season gets cut short, which really hurts on the "indian summer" days...

[David]

Whitecap,   I see from another post, you have a 16.  Might I inquire as to the year of boat and if you have the factory trailer.  I have often wondered if my trailer was original.  You make it sound so simple.  Do you worry about excess pressure on the bow eye.  My wood backing plate on the eye looks like it is not enough to haul the boat w/o it floating basically onto the trailer.  Have yet to launch or retrieve it.

Thanks,

David

[jpfx]

my 16 came with a magic tilt but it has 15" wheels on it and the pivot is way under the bow. I've driven my 23' rv close to where the water is lapping at the drivers door sill to launch and retrieve. Pipe is way under water. I haven't used the tilt feature though as a spare is usually there and prevents access to the mechanism.
I don't have a wooden block behind the bow eye but it's solid enough. It's not had to deal with dead weight of the boat though.