Trailer Hitch Extender

[Gil Weiss]

I tow my CP16 with a 2WD V8 Ford F-150 Supercrew. To retrieve the boat I need to get my rear wheels in the water about a foot or so which doesn't please me. Despite not having any problems at the ramp at Lake Nockamixon, where I keep the boat, I ordered an 18 inch hitch extender for my 2" receiver. I will use this just as insurance for retrieval and remove it once the boat is pulled out.

Do any of you use hitch extenders?

[spaul]

Gil, another way to alleviate anxiety is to mount a hitch on the front of the truck. I've seen this several times and it works well. Keeping the rear drive wheels out of the slime does seem comfortable to me. I fortunately have a Suburban with 4W dr for my cp 27. It is always in 4L when we launch and retrieve. Thank goodness that's only twice/year.
Steve Paul :idea:

[Gil Weiss]

Paul,

Your Suburban should be fine with the CP27. Your idea about the front mounted hitch is a good one but with today's vehicles I am not sure of the mechanics to accomplish this. Luckily, I too, only go in and out of the water one time each year and my ramp is a good one that has grooves in the concrete and is generally free of slime. I did find that to take the CP16 out I need to put the rear wheels in. I figure the 18" extension should almost solve the issue. Onc off the ramp I will remove the extension.

Ironically our second vehicle is a Jeep Grand Cherokee but I never put a hitch on it. That might be a better solution as it gives me 4 WD.

[Craig]

Front hitches are great for seeing what you're doing as you put the boat in the water.  Since I launch and retrieve everytime I sail I have gotten somewhat proficient at backing up with the trailer, and know how much of the trailer needs to be in the water to get the boat to float.  Front hitches do not allieviate the problem of getting too much of the vehicle in the water if you have 4WD.  My brother (the mechanic!) got his old Bronco's differencial submerged while launching his power boat.  It lasted another 300 miles or so.  Not good!  An extension is helpful if you do not know the ramps.  Power boat ramps are not good sail boat ramps.  When my father has his Mercury 14 (3 foot draft) launched the marina uses a pontoon boat trailer (about 20 feet long) with a ball on the back as an extention to get the boat deep enough on their ramp.  I would have water in the cab of my Ranger if I tried to launch my boat on their ramp.

[spaul]

Hi guys, the front hitch thing is for girlymen.  :twisted: Actually my Suburban does do an excellent job. I have a 19' extension on my Triad trailer that does a wonderful job. Craig you are so right on the ramp thing. We use a powerboat ramp and find even with an extra 19' I must put two wheels about up to wheel rim. I'm aware of the differential water problem too, but not from a bad experience thank goodness. I think Gil will be just fine with his extension. I think simple is best. Use the KISS system when possible. (keep it simple stupid!).
Gil, I'm unfamiliar with your boat weight. Will the tongue weight tend to bow the hitch extension where connected at the trailer ball socket? I have airplane wheels on the front of my trailer. Of course we're talking about 8k lbs boat and trailer.
I find ramps are the best entertainment, although dangerous places with most powerboaters. I used to think we were hard on them but sit at the ramp for awhile and you'll change your mind. I'm sure you'll agree.
Happy launching Gil,
Steve

[Gil Weiss]

Steve,

My CP16 weighs bare 1150 lbs so with some gear and the trailer I am at 1600- 1700 lbs, far light than you. I found that to easily float the keel and boat onto the trailer I needed to have the rear truck wheels in the water. I think with the 18" extension I will be right at the water line on the ramp rather than in the water very much. Luckily the ramp is a good one.

I agree with your obeservations of ramp activity. Unfortunatley, it can be very scary. I trailer boated a lot in the 80's and gave it up. This time around I stay in the water all season. There are pluses and minuses so it depends on each individuals situation. The CP16 is such a comfortable baot that we lounge on it at the marina quite frequently.

Last year a woman and a small child sailed up to the pier at the ramp at Lake Nockamixon in a still breeze and she didn't know how to stop the boat. she slammed into the pier and another boat and the child flew out landing on the far side of the dock. Powerboaters are not the only ones having fun at the launch ramp!

[Craig]

Larry Bracken has a tongue extension on the trailer for his 23.  It does not use extra wheels.  It is literally an extension of the trailer tongue that pulls out.  It extends about 10 feet.  Pretty slick.  You can pin it to several different lengths.  The tongue weight on his is probably about 400lbs and it handles it just fine.  BTW he tows with a 2WD Suburban.  I don't think Gil will have any weight problems with an 18" tongue extension on the hitch.  While I have not officially weighed how much weight I have on the hitch, my guess is about 100 lbs.

[wmswart]

I made a tongue extension for my 16 about two years ago, used it once or twice and then quit using it.  Mine was a 10' length of thick walled 2.5x2.5" tubing.  I drilled a hole roughly 3' down the tube and mounted a hitch ball.  The ball went into the hitch on the trailer, then I pinned the aft end of the extention between two metal plates bolted to the trailer tongue.  I had a hitch on the opposite end that attached to my car.  This set up gave me around 7' of extension.  

It worked well - never had to get my tires wet.  The problem was that the blasted thing is really heavy.  I got sick of carrying it around in my van, and never came up with an effective way of attaching it to the trailer.  So, for now, I let the tires (and my legs) get wet to launch and retrieve.

In a perfect world, I'd fabricate an aluminum extension that would slide into the existing trailer tongue.  I'd pin it with hitch pins, then simply slide it out when I needed to use it.  If I could find (and afford  :cry: ) the right sized stock, there would be minimal play inside the exsiting tongue, and I could tow with it as well.  For now, though, more pressing upgrades (and less money) are demanding my attention.  

Fair winds ...

Bill

[Dan Hill]

When I put my CP16 in at a shallow ramp, I lower the tongue jack, unhitch the trailer, and use a block and tackle to slide the trailer deep enough to float the boat.  When retrieving, I use a 6' 2x2 bar with a ball one one end and a hitch on the other, I leave the wheel down on the trailer jack and slowly pull the boat up the ramp.  It's not my favorite part of sailing, but even using a tilt trailer the local ramps are too shallow for a smooth launch and retrieval.

[Gil Weiss]

Dan,

You provided some cleaver and easy to accomplish ideas. Those ramps you use must really be shallow. I don't like launching and retrievng either which is why I keep my boat in the water all season.

I like your multi color jib.

[multimedia_smith]

http://www.com-pacowners.com/4images/details.php?image_id=173

[Gil Weiss]

I have seen that hitch extender advertised. I have also seen it being used with some 23-25 foot sailboats and it is very clever and easy to use.

If one needed that magnitude of an extender for a CP16 on a stock Hutch trailer I would be concerned about the additional weight. The standard Hutch trailer is about at its weight bearing limit with a CP 16 and some gear.

[multimedia_smith]

The one that we saw advertized had a channel it slid out of and was quite massive.
This one is home made and consists of basically one piece of 2X3 box beam with a hitch adapter and is relatively easy to make as there is no welding... it weighs around 20lbs total.
The boat floats on and off easily... I can pull it almost all the way on by hand... I then walk out of the back of the van (the hatchback is open anyway so I can see what I'm doing) and walk down the trailer tongue and hook on the bow ring to the winch and crank the remaining few inches in.  Walk back (two well balanced steps grabbing the edge of the van hatchback) and into the van and up the ramp I go.
I never get the tires wet... but it's a front wheel drive anyway.

[Gil Weiss]

It sounds good not to get your feet wet. I was referring to the commercial extender. Your home built sounds better. Typically I get my feet wet on retrieval. We are hauling for the season this Friday so I'll see how my 18" extension works. It should be just long enough to keep my back wheels dry. Luckily the ramp I use is a good one with generally no slime and grooves cut in the concrete.

[wmswart]

Saw your post here and on the yahoo group - looks like a great idea.  Simialr to what I built a few years ago (note my email a few posts back) but with a much better way of attaching it to the trailer.  Only problem is that I would have to give up (or redesign) my outboard carrier on the trailer tongue, and I'm not sure I want to give that up.  What I'd really like is an extrusion that slides inside the trailer tongue.