keel support

[roland cobine]

   being winter i spent some time in my garage looking over my boat and trailer and thinking up possible improvements. the last couple of times i took my  boat out of the water the front of the keel tended to bump the front roller. i know a lot of you have fabricated tounge extentions but i thought maybe a way to cure this problem is to build a wooden carpet covered skid between the front two rollers. it would be a bit lower than the rollers but would stop the keel from smacking the back of the front roller when you retreive your boat. i havent built it yet, been to friggen cold. when i do if it works out i will post pics. anyone have any other ideas id love to hear them.

[Salty19]

Hmm...do you think either roller is set to high?  Perhaps the boat is pivoting forward and down when it passes the balance point after the aft roller, thus hitting the fore roller.   Meaning rear is low and front is high or both are too high. Is there a lot of weight in the fore portion of the cabin (ie all of your gear, anchors, tools, etc). Perhaps that is creating the problem. Just a wild guess here.   
I suppose it cannot hurt to implement what you describe.

[roland cobine]

    my boat sits on the trailer pretty much level. should the rollers be set so it is tilted forward? would that make it float off and on the trailer better when its sitting on the ramp. i think all of the pictures ive seen of compacs on the trailers appear level like mine. any help will be appreciated

[Paul]

Seems like I saw a version of your idea in the photo gallery.  Look in the "older" photos and I think you'll see it.  While you're looking I'm certain you'll find other good ideas for projects and sailing adventures to carry you though the winter.  Enjoy.

[NormD]

FWIW, I owned a Suncat for a while last year - (long story!) - Anyway, I had problems with the keel roller brackets cracking so I removed the keel rollers and replaced them with a 2x8 treated lumber plank. I re-adjusted the bunks to the slightly lower height, and adjusted the keel guides slightly closer together. The boat floated on or off the trailer just as easily as with the rollers. When the plank is wet, it seems to be slipery enough so friction isn't an issue.
I see no reason why something similar wouldn't work for a 16. Unless I'm mistaken, the new Legacy trailer has a carpeted keel support plank.

[roland cobine]

i had gotten new rollers with 5/8 shafts for my birthday. being a gift from a close friend im going to use them. ive fashioned a wooden support beam with a carpeted 7" wide top and installed it between the front two rollers. it is slightly below the rollers so the boat can still roll on and off. im gonna try that first. if it works or doesnt ill post the results. if it doesnt ill go to the wood bunks. i appreciate all the advise and help.