Trailer Depth

Hey guys,

I am curious as to how deep most of you put your trailer in the water when loading? I have always had just the tip of the first bunk out of the water but that does not seem to be the sweet spot on my new MXZ. I have had a tough time figuring out where the sweet spot it.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Shane

Every trailer/ boat combo is different. Your just going to have play with it unless you can find someone with the exact boat trailer combo as yours. Start shallow and work deeper.

Even ramps effect it. Whether your ramp is a steep drop or shallow incline makes a big difference.

I've owned literally hundreds of boat(used to flip them). Keep this in mind, not all are created equal. Some combo's work well together and make launch retrieval a breeze. While other never seem to be easy. I've had both. Sometimes there is a trick or certain depth(sweet spot). Others they just suck no matter what you do. The issue many times with all bunk trailers is getting the boat to center. I've had much better luck being shallow and powering on slightly then floating and hoping it centers correctly as you pull out.

Top of the fenders just out of the water has always been very close to the sweet spot on all the boats/trailers I've used, with minor adjustments for steep or shallow angled ramps. Once there, I splash some water on any parts of the bunks that are still dry/out of the water while my wife drives it on.

Same as Tom for my Supra 24V. I dunk the whole trailer to get the bunks wet. Then pull it out until the top of the fenders are about 2" out of the water.

X2, fenders just above the waterline

Seems to me each boat is different. Our Supra SE needs the whole trailer submerged. If i submerge to the fenders then the boat slides back a couple feet after you let off the throttle.

Only way to get it up to the stop is to submerge the whole thing, clip strap and crank tight while in the water. This makes it hard for me to get the boat center since it is still floating but its the only way to get it fully on the trailer

When you say it slides back, do you mean after you've got it clipped and snugged to the bowrest? Or just you drive on, let off the gas, and it settles back? I would expect a big boat like the SE to settle back without some throttle or the winch attached.

The way we load is my wife comes in at idle and drops to neutral as soon as she feels the bunks grab the bow and start centering the boat. That usually puts her around 3-4 feet off the bow-stop once the momentum bleeds off. I clip on and start cranking while she gives me just enough throttle to help me crank easily, but no more. I don't like full power-loads as they make prop-eating mounds off the end of the ramp, but enough throttle to make cranking easy does no damage. If I'm in too deep, the boat doesn't like to stay centered, as you note.

Originally Posted by TomH

When you say it slides back, do you mean after you've got it clipped and snugged to the bowrest? Or just you drive on, let off the gas, and it settles back? I would expect a big boat like the SE to settle back without some throttle or the winch attached.

The way we load is my wife comes in at idle and drops to neutral as soon as she feels the bunks grab the bow and start centering the boat. That usually puts her around 3-4 feet off the bow-stop once the momentum bleeds off. I clip on and start cranking while she gives me just enough throttle to help me crank easily, but no more. I don't like full power-loads as they make prop-eating mounds off the end of the ramp, but enough throttle to make cranking easy does no damage. If I'm in too deep, the boat doesn't like to stay centered, as you note.

Tom, You basically summed everything up that I was trying to say lol. I guess I actually use both tactics depending on the boat ramp. If the ramp isn't very steep then we usually go with the idle on, catch and then light throttle while I crank it.

If the ramp is steep then I have to fully submerge and hope it comes out straight/level. Too much throttle required to get that big boat up the bunks on a steep ramp.

So many variables !!!
As mentioned previously most of the time it seems like powering on a little seems to be the sweet set up for us . I have my wife drive it on and as soon as she hits bunks we make sure its straight and ever so gently power it on the rest of the way . The only time its not centered is when we use a crappy uneven dirt ramp .

As others have pointed out, it's really ramp and trailer dependent. Both of my bunks just barely have to be completely submerged to get the boat all they way on easily on my current (somewhat shallow) ramp. I don't throttle all the way on. My girlfriend gets the boat between the bunks and lets it coast to a stop while I hook the bow eye and reel it on. We could probably have the trailer up a little higher if we drove it all the way on, but we have our routine and we're fast enough to not be holding up the ramp so we go with that. I think spending what probably amounts to hours of my life waiting for a ramp while watching boats go back and forth and back and forth trying to power load just right has given me a distaste for it.

Originally Posted by hal2814

As others have pointed out, it's really ramp and trailer dependent. Both of my bunks just barely have to be completely submerged to get the boat all they way on easily on my current (somewhat shallow) ramp. I don't throttle all the way on. My girlfriend gets the boat between the bunks and lets it coast to a stop while I hook the bow eye and reel it on. We could probably have the trailer up a little higher if we drove it all the way on, but we have our routine and we're fast enough to not be holding up the ramp so we go with that. I think spending what probably amounts to hours of my life waiting for a ramp while watching boats go back and forth and back and forth trying to power load just right has given me a distaste for it.

Getting off the ramp quickly is the key !!! I hate to be THAT guy lol