Improved Keel Guide

[dgholmes]

I own a Compac 16 with a Hutchins trailer.  The trailer was  equipped with redwood 2x4 bunkboards and keel guides.  The keel guides were cut at an angle to help catch the boat and guide it on the trailer.  

I like driving my boats onto the trailer with the outboard; however, when I tried to drive the Compac on the trailer, I missed the keel guide and it ran between the keel guide and the bunk board.  Resulted in damaged gelcoat on the keel.

I modified the keel guide and driving the boat on the trailer worked flawlessly. The guides are made of treated 2 x 10 and covered with marine carpet. I also replaced the bunkboards with treated 2 x 4s covered the same. Thanks multimedia _smith. Your pictures and directions on buffing under the bunk boards were valuable in replacing the bunk boards. The links are below.

I would like to say that I really appreciate the people that take the time to post pictures and discuss topics on this forum.  I would not have known how to change the bunk boards if it were not for the post in the image gallery.  I also did not want my motor riding on the transom.  Thanks to Bill Swart and Grace Period, I have a motor carrier on the front of my trailer too.  I have a Harken 205 swivel base coming based on what a person posted on these forums.  Thanks.

http://www.com-pacowners.com/4images/details.php?image_id=343
http://www.com-pacowners.com/4images/details.php?image_id=344

[Craig]

I'm intrigued...  I've got the really old style keel guides that are made out of PVC pipe, which over the years had gouged right through the gelcoat. i repaired the gelcoat last summer and really do not want to do it again. I also have had the problem of getting the trailer too deep and running the keel over the guide.  

Looks like you have the keel guides up much higher. Is that accomplished by the extra 2x4 under the guides? My galvanized pipes for the keel guide are already up all the way and would not raise a board that high.

I also noticed your rollers are not tapered like mine. Any problems getting the boat centered?

Craig

[dgholmes]

I also have had the problem of getting the trailer too deep and running the keel over the guide.  

This is what I believe happened to me last weekend that prompted the change.  I drove the boat on the  trailer and could not have been anymore centered.  I went forward to attach the bow hook and the boat jumped the guide when the boat tipped.  After seeing what happened, I now know how the original owner damaged the keel.  I too scratched it a bit.

Looks like you have the keel guides up much higher. Is that accomplished by the extra 2x4 under the guides? My galvanized pipes for the keel guide are already up all the way and would not raise a board that high.

That is exactly what I did.  The original brackets were made for 2x4 guides.  I used 2x4 treated lumber for this.   The 2x4 is centered underneath the 2x10.  I used liquid nails and galvanized screws to fasten the two boards together.  You could now actually raise the guide enough to touch the bottom of the boat, but mine set about 2 inches below the bottom.  Having the keel guides higher is important since the trailer is deep as you mentioned.  Mine are actually a little higher in back than in front.  I also angled the guides on each side of the keel to give a larger opening at the back of the trailer to  help catch the keel even if a little wind is blowing the boat sideways.

I also noticed your rollers are not tapered like mine. Any problems getting the boat centered?

In my case, it is not the rollers that center the boat on the trailer.  The keel guide actually centers the boat.  When the boat is loaded properly on the trailer for trailering, The keel guides should be close or touching the front of the keel.  If you look at my setup, notice how the boards angle in at the front.  This centers the keel.  When you winch the boat, this point is the fulcrum and the whole boat is then centered.

I like the flat roller because it spreads the weight evenly across the roller as well as the keel.  I do not like the fact that only 2 rollers support the weight of the entire boat on the Compac 16  even though there are 3 total rollers.  I may try to take some of the weight with the bunk boards, because my middle roller is bent from carrying the weight.

[Gil Weiss]

Hi Darrell,

Your new guide system looks very good. I keep my boat in the water all season so I only have to deal with one launch and one retrieval. The launch is easier than the retrieval, but we take it slow and watch how we line up the boat on the trailer. Sometimes it takes a second try.

Re the two rollers supporting the boat, I don't care for the idea either, but it seems to work out fine OK as evidenced by all the CP 16's on all the Hutch trailers out there. I was told by my dealer that the bunk boards should only be snugged upwards enough to keep the boat upright, not to really support its weight. From all the trailer pics I see that seems to be the norm as the front and back of the bunks are about two inches from the hull, only the center portions touch. I thought about adding a third roller, but depending on how one does it one could weaken the trailer. It has been done but probablt is not required. I just keep my rollers and bunks in good shape.

I always question the few support points typically used on boats out of the water stored at marinas and boatyards.  Where I keep my boat all winter I see 40 foot cruisers sitting on three sets of blocks under their keels with a few sets of jack stands under each side of the hull to keep it upright.

[dgholmes]

Gil,
Thanks for the compliment on the guides.  Yes, it really makes the difference when you trailer all the time as I do.

Another reason I wanted to take the weight with the bunk boards was not only to take the stress from the keel but also because both of my roller shafts are bent.  This would indicate that the almost 600 lbs. each axle is trying to support is too much.  Since I do trailer exclusively, I worry a shaft might break while trailering.  Hopefully the bunk boards would keep anything bad from happening.

Well, I worked with the trailer quite a bit and did finally support the boat the same way you mentioned.  I didnt think it would be good for the hull to support too much of the keel weight.  This could result in too much stress on the hull.  I did, however, lower the rollers by 1 bolt hole and moved the boat forward to yeild a more desirable tongue weight of 125 lb.  This doesnt help on the roller loads, but might help in launching and trailering the boat.  I will just change the roller axles periodically if necessary.

[Gil Weiss]

Your adjustments all sound good. My boat and trailer were both built in 1990. When I bought them thre years ago I replaced the rollers but the roller axels were fine. They have managed to stay straight so far without any bends. I use the heavy black angle down rollers sold in most boat stores. It appears that they help center the boat and the weight of the boat forces the roller to flaten a bit in the center.

I do admire your new bunk/guides. I replaced my bunks last year along with replacing the wheel bearings and upgrading to higher load rated tires. I only trail my boat about 80 miles each year but I still take all possible precautions. The trailer is "home" to the boat October through early May.

[bro t]

Hi Darrell, I did a lot of work on my trailer two years ago, and it made a huge difference!   I suggest you NOT put any pressure on the hull with the bunks, they are for support to prevent tipping over, not to carry weight.  Before fixing, my trailer was carrying weight on the bunks, it was very difficult to launch and retrieve with the tilt & rollers, and I got really concerned one day when I noticed the hull deforming from the contact.  I used the acetylene torch to free up the keel roller hardware, and replaced the shafts and rollers, all packed with copious grease.  My only regret is that I should have spent the extra money on polyurethane rollers instead of black (rubber?).  The black only have bearing surfaces on the shaft at their end caps, whereas the polyurethane rollers were constant bore diameter.  I wouldn't go flat, I like the taper, and the way it contacts the keel has no bad effect on weight distribution, unlike the constant bore vs. end caps only.  In fact, after trailering late that first season of changing the rollers, I discovered that the endcaps were actually popping out of the rollers, allowing the rollers to drop.  This was fixed with 1 1/2" square by 1/2" thick plastic washers I made, drilled to shaft size, to prevent the keel rollers from dissembling themselves!  Go with poly rollers, new steel shafts, and lots of marine grease, you'll not regret it when you see your boat roll off and on at a shallow ramp some day!

[dgholmes]

brot t,
Very good information!  I will take your suggestions, but could you elaborate on a one point?  Why do you prefer the tapered rollers?  Given that the keel is flat on the bottom, I worry the weight would not be distributed evenly across the keel and that it would put more stress on the outside edges of the keel.  I am an engineer and may be overthinking things a bit.  

[bro t]

Darrell, I may be wrong, but I think that the tapered rollers do have somewhat of a centering effect, not perfect, but the keel does seem to want to follow the center point of the V-taper.  I don't do a lot of trailering, but have sailed several lakes with very shallow ramps where the tilt and roll actually worked very well.  It's a bit of work to lift the tilt (50 pounds +/-), but I prefer to not soak the rear axle, though I must admit to having the minivan exhaust burbling underwater one time...  To your point, a flat roller probably WOULD work very well, especially where you have done such an awesome job with your bunks and keel guides.  I don't have a close tolerance on my keel guides, they seem to be more of a preventive to hopping off the rollers.  However, I would not blink twice at buying a solid-bore diameter roller of any shape, for extra money, this adds strength, durability, and improves the roll performance.
   On another note, I took a bunch of 8th grade boys  skiing last Wednesday, about an hour away (Saddleback, Maine), there was an inch of fresh snow, covered with heavy rime-frost which didn't melt all day in the shade, and the view of two of my favorite lakes for sailing (Rangeley and Mooselookmeguntic/Cupsuptic) was striking, beautiful, and extremely white (hardwater sailing is next on my list of new sailing possibilities).  Take care, enjoy your spring winds!