needing to add a brace for my keel board

[BruceW]

I upfitted a trailer, and for the most part it worked out fine for retrieving my CP 23. The keel board crosses 4 crossbeams. The aft  are about 2.5 feet apart, leaving about 4.5 feet between the 3rd and the front crossmember. When the boat is balanced on the trailer, with not too light of tongue weight, the keel sticks out between 3rd and front member and bows it down. This tells me those crossmembers are too far apart, or I need some support.

I think I'd like to put some angle iron, etc under the board between these two cross members, and there are bolts I can use.

My issue is that I can't find the metal that easily.

Any of you have a source of 4" x 2" channel, 3" x 2" angle (galvanized), etc?

So far, the best I have is 1/8" zinc steel x 1 1/4" x 1 1/4",  long enough for 25 bucks, and I'd want 2.  I think this is a bit high, but there's only one place, Agri Supply, that has it.

Ideas?

Thanks,

Bruce

[relamb]

Replace the keel board with something thicker, perhaps a treated 4x6.  Or you can get various shapes and sizes of galvanized material, like erector set pieces, at an industrial supply place that sells pipe, or electrical equipment.  contractors use this to hang pipes and electrical conduits and make brackets and frames and braces.  You can buy it in galvanized, stainless, fiberglass, or painted steel.
Look for something like Unistrut or B-Line.   http://www.unistrut.us/index.php?WP=cat_detail&S=S03&P=PA158
It's somewhat expensive unless you have a contractor account, or get somebody with an account to buy it for you.  Home Depot sells limited types of this stuff.

[skip1930]

Look up a Ryerson Steel sales office. Should be in stock. Have them saw cut it to size for you.
They have lots of competition as well. Here in Sturgeon Bay I have three steel houses to pick from.

With a roller trailer the keel only sits on three rollers ... never touching all at the same time.
I have no keel board.

If I crank on the winch hard the keel lifts off a roller.
By releasing the force, the keel lifts off a different roller.
This is by Performance Trailer design. IMHO.

She'll never sit on all the rollers at one time.
No big deal.

More importantly the hull bunks need to be curved to the shape of the hull, IMHO.

skip.