Boat rollers or keel board?

[MacGyver]

I know i asked something like this sometime, and My neighbor got me thinking again about it...
I am trying to decide to either put a keep board on the trailer or replace the 3 V rollers.......

I have a CP19.  the 3 rollers are spaced out pretty lengthy, even had a thought to add 2 more..... but then pondered the keel board.......

Also, If you have one, do you carpet keel board or not?

I figure I would post this here to get a range of people opinions and boats that they use whatever option on.

Thanks everyone for your input!

Mac

[Billy]

There has been lots of discussion about this in the past. Do a search. I've even posted pics. Some here like rollers and some (myself included) like the bunk.

[MacGyver]

I did that, but nothing came up except boats for sale and nothing specific to the question. I tried several different ways, not sure why the results were the same......

[skip1930]

If you ever want to lift [jack] the CP-19 off the trailer for painting, or repositioning the boat/vee block-winch-trailer jack, or the single trailer axle for more tongue weight with a roll a round floor jack you'll want the rollers.

Additionally place the boat's weight more on the hull bunks and less on the rollers. That way the rollers will still be functional next season. You can calculate the moment of bend-moment of torque on the steel roller shaft if you want to. But rule of thumb is...

-->Shaft diameter in decimals x 10,000 lb divided by four. Divided by number of rollers that the boat sits on into the weight of the boat.<--

Lets say the boat is 2300 lb and it sits on three rollers...so 833 lb per roller? Minus whatever the hull bunks hold up? That's nothing.

It's easy to do and only a floor jack and 18 inch long 2 x 4 is needed. Do you really need a board the whole trailer/boat keel length? What for?
With three rollers you really only are using any two at one time depending on how tight the bow is drawn into the vee block. it's the way the trailer was designed.

skip.

[Billy]

Where are you searching? Go back to the home page and do your search there.
I just found this....

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=4984.0

And there were lots more. Just search "trailer"

[MacGyver]

I must have searched for too many things, I searched for "trailer keel roller"

It was my hopes to weed out the posts just saying they had a trailer, etc.

@skip
Good points, I was thinking along the same lines.
we have a boat in the shop I am working on and the board the keel is sitting on is still wet......
It has been a week since it was pulled and the keel is similar to the CP keel........

V rollers dont do that....

[Billy]

Rollers also bend and break. I've noticed, when I had rollers on my trailer,while retrieving that the front of the keel would get stuck b/w the 1st two rollers due to the angle of the ramp and I couldn't pull the boat all the way up. Switched to a bunk and haven't regretted it since.

Except for being able to paint the bottom of the keel I don't see the benefit of rollers. And after all, isn't the purpose of bottom paint to prevent growth? Pulling the boat on and off a bunk would scrape the bottom anyways.

And the factory uses bunks now too.

Just my two cents.

[MKBLK]

I've had the same issue as Billy with the bow getting hung up on a roller (CP16). However, when using the "tilt" feature, the problem goes away. I'm sure the geometry can be improved, but it isn't easy to determine exactly what is causing the hang-up. Recently, I launched at low tide with no problem although I had to use the "tilt" feature. Upon returning to the ramp, the tide was even lower (shoulda checked the tables!). My trailer wheels were down in the muck but the "tilt" feature did its job and out she came! I have had to jack the boat up a little a couple of times and I can see where a keel board would get in the way.

Also, I've had to replace/repair all 3 rollers. The problem with the rollers is that only 2 of them actually support the boat (see Skip) and bear the brunt. If the little plastic end sleeves fail, the roller is sure to fail soon after by becoming sloppy because too much space is left on the axle and the roller is out of alignment.

Marty K.

[MacGyver]

What is this tilt feature? My toungue looks as if some kind of tilt is possible...... but my trailer isnt a Magic Tilt.

Any one have a pic of this tilting?

Mac

[MKBLK]

Jason - I don't know if the Magic Tilt feature was ever offered for a CP19. If it was, I'm sure someone on the forum will let us know. Anyhoo, the way it works is after you've positioned the trailer as far down the ramp as you dare, there is a lever that releases a stud from the trailer tongue and gravity does the rest! Works best on steep ramps. A chain (like the safety chains from the tongue to your hitch) keeps the tilt feature from occuring as you're cruising down the pike! Somebody, please post a picture!

Marty K.

Found some pictures on the following post: Rescuing a Compac 16!!! Okay, the link didn't work. Just go to the "search" box and type in: Rescuing a Compac 16!!!

[Salty19]

I'm not sure either.  Our performance trailer for the 19 has the tilt feature, but we've never used it. 

[Billy]

Mine has it, and I only used it once. It was more of a pain than help.

[JTMeissner]

For a good example of how to use the tilt feature, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-tTyZr6wtA

We have to remember that we have to be deep enough for the keel to set on the rollers/board, but then the rest of the action is pretty much the same.  Granted, our boats have a slight bit more ballast/displacement than the one in the video.

Here's where a board that extended aft of the rear of the trailer could be useful, when tilted it would be much deeper in the water than the rear roller and may assist with lifting up the keel as the boat is winched up the trailer.

In my little experience with the tilt feature, I only needed to use it when the water level at the reservoir was low, and therefore the ramp was shallow (not steep) as I have to back the truck a great deal further.  When the ramp is steep, the boat is off before I get the rear wheels wet, when shallow, I'm in to the exhaust pipe and the keel is the only thing wet.  With some effort (and wet down the bunk carpet to reduce friction) one or two folks can manhandle the 16 off the trailer by lifting the bow, which allows the trailer to flex/tilt at the pin, and let gravity pull the boat back in the water.  A 19 would take a bit more hefty folks...  One must also be sure that the rear of the bunks are lower than the sides of the boat at max beam for that height or there is a "hump" that must be overcome. 

For retrieval, be sure you didn't skimp on the strength of the cable/strap, winch stand, and connecting bolts!  Retrieval is like the video, but the trailer is in the water or the keel can't get on the first roller.  Sometimes the keel then hits the next roller (which is why some like the board), so I have to stand on the trailer frame near the hinge to decrease the tilt which raises the nose of the keel, and then get back to winching. 

I suppose, in theory, this should allow you to launch/retrieve in about a foot of water at the rear of the trailer (with appropriate drop off to reach draft requirements).  As long as the keel can get over the end of the board or roller, that's technically as deep as you need to go with the trailer.

-Justin

[skip1930]

I remember seeing a photograph of a CP-16 sitting on a guy's grass lawn with him standing along side of the boat's hull without a mast, just-smiling-away.
See the boat was standing up by it's self with nothing but air all around it. Just standing on it's keel.

And: Rollers bend and break if you put too much weight on them. They are not suppose to hold the whole darn boat up.


skip.

[Billy]

You mean like this?



I'll post a pic of my tilt feature late, but I would have a hard time putting that kind of load on my bow eye....

Ps. Used my tongue extension for the first time yesterday, worked great! I'll post some pics of that later too.