Bob from Olympia, 28 GA build

[json]

Great info, thanks Rbob! Lindy, I sent you a DM...

[Rbob]

Json,

The boarding ladder just bolts to the setback bracket.  Its sturdy and easy to use. Its easy to climb up from the shop floor.

On edit, have to drill 2 holes, available for port or starboard mount.

Thats a great deal!  It looks like you drill a hole in the transom and slide it in. 

[json]

Thats a great deal!  It looks like you drill a hole in the transom and slide it in. 

Ya, really sweet looking ladder if I can make it work. I am gonna try, I think I have the right spot for it...

[Rbob]

I took a video of winching the boat onto the trailer today, it took 30 seconds which is pretty amazing.  I used my "anchor buddy" bungee to take care of aligning the boat while I hooked up the winch strap.

https://youtu.be/NfqgIKJe1Ak?si=0eekI5_74eslQ5gi

[json]

Dang! You almost don't even need to get your trailer wet. That thing is pretty sweet, definitely looks easier than hand cranking for sure.

[cj8mule]

I took a video of winching the boat onto the trailer today, it took 30 seconds which is pretty amazing.  I used my "anchor buddy" bungee to take care of aligning the boat while I hooked up the winch strap.

https://youtu.be/NfqgIKJe1Ak?si=0eekI5_74eslQ5gi

Wow!  I like that.  How did you get the rope hook onto the boat?

[Rbob]

I took a video of winching the boat onto the trailer today, it took 30 seconds which is pretty amazing.  I used my "anchor buddy" bungee to take care of aligning the boat while I hooked up the winch strap.

https://youtu.be/NfqgIKJe1Ak?si=0eekI5_74eslQ5gi

Wow!  I like that.  How did you get the rope hook onto the boat?

cj8mule,

The anchor buddy has a carabiner that I clipped onto the upper bow eye.

[Todd j]

I sure love mine. I?ve even used my remote while driving too.  I?ve noticed the bow not properly nested while going down the road. Just a bump on the remote and it sucks it right up.  It?s difficult to tell how much force is on the bow eye, so I release the tension on the winch while the boat is at home

[Dan Boccia]

Interesting! I've always strongly preferred to back my trailer into the water and float the boat up to the bow roller. Seems like the dry friction of the bunks on the bottom paint or graphite will wear the finish down. Just seems like a recipe for more bottom paint maintenance. Any observations about that?

[Brian.Dixon]

Interesting! I've always strongly preferred to back my trailer into the water and float the boat up to the bow roller. Seems like the dry friction of the bunks on the bottom paint or graphite will wear the finish down. Just seems like a recipe for more bottom paint maintenance. Any observations about that?

Agree ... but that gets tough on a shallow ramp or beach launchings

[Todd j]

When I winch on I usually have the fronts of the trailer fenders(we have same trailers) about 8-12? submerged.  I more or less use the winch to guide the boat forward as it floats.  I then back up as needed and winch again.  Usually have to adjust once on flat ground.  No more wet feet or need to change boots.  The shoulder muscles appreciate it too

[Rbob]

I could back in deeper, maybe a little but no adjustment is necessary as it loads perfect every time.  As far as wear, not much friction on these bunks but you can see slight rub marks but does not seem to remove material.  I suspect that 100 launches per year for 5 years I would probably recoat the graphite/epoxy at some point anyway, time will tell.  Honestly, I am more worried about beach landings causing wear on the epoxy.

The anchor buddy bungee pulls the boat perfectly into position, its the first time I tried it and leaving just enough bunks exposed for the boat to find center on its own and a little help at the aft of the boat was the easiest retrieval I have done on any boat.

BTW, per Brian's advice I give the bunks a light spray with silicone before retrieving.

My aluminum boat has a roller trailer and when I winched it on with trailer too deep the boat was never centered so I started not putting the trailer in not so deep and like magic it was always centered.  Thats the reason I do it that way now.

[Dan Boccia]

Good point about the boat not centering if the trailer is in too deep. I'll try backing in a bit less this summer and see how that works.

[Brian.Dixon]

Yeah ... if you're in a tad too deep, boats love to drift off to one side while you pull out and 'land' the boat on the bunks ... crooked every time!

[Todd j]

Dan, do you have 2 sets of bunks on your trailer?   My experience is just like Bob?s.  No matter what trailer depth, centers perfect every time.  As far as I know, myself, Bob, and Chuck all have the same trailer.