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Easy On - Boat Valet?

Chrisbert

Chrisbert

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Has anyone tried these here on the forum?  Particularly curious for those of us with SPS packages.


http://boat-valet.com/poontoon_easy_on_web_archive_8-16-16_002.htm


This past weekend the winds here in Texas got up while I was out and I had a devil of a time getting her back on the trailer.  In hindsight, I was a bit too deep and now I'm rebuilding both of my wooden guide bars and have a scratch on the inside of the starboard log to remember it by.  Rookie mistake I know, but our ramps here are steep (hill country) and our winds unrelenting.


I'm assuming these would float up to the surface and still clear the "splash fins" up front as well as have no issue with the strakes.  The strakes are pretty tough, but those fins are just sticking out there.  From what I can estimate, the fins should have clearance above the waterline / floaty guides.


Thanks in advance!
 
Chrisbert said:
Has anyone tried these here on the forum?  Particularly curious for those of us with SPS packages.


http://boat-valet.com/poontoon_easy_on_web_archive_8-16-16_002.htm


This past weekend the winds here in Texas got up while I was out and I had a devil of a time getting her back on the trailer.  In hindsight, I was a bit too deep and now I'm rebuilding both of my wooden guide bars and have a scratch on the inside of the starboard log to remember it by.  Rookie mistake I know, but our ramps here are steep (hill country) and our winds unrelenting.


I'm assuming these would float up to the surface and still clear the "splash fins" up front as well as have no issue with the strakes.  The strakes are pretty tough, but those fins are just sticking out there.  From what I can estimate, the fins should have clearance above the waterline / floaty guides.


Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

My previous pontoon trailer had the fixed guides and I hated them. There wasn't much adjustment and you only had about two inches of wiggle room so in the wind it was miserable to keep it from scratching. My new trailer just has the bunks and I leave it 1/3 out of the water after I back it all the way in the get the bunks wet then pull forward a bit. That seems to work better for me and the boat self centers easily. Of course I need to give the credit of the trailer loading to my wife who has better toon/eye coordination than me :blink: . The rubber tire idea is interesting and I look forward to hear what others have to say. 
 
I don't have any guides on mine but I only load it on the trailer a couple time a year max. If I was going to get guides it would be the tall ones that extend on the outside of the boat at the rear. I know that would put the boat/trailer over the 8'6" legal towing width but it would be worth it.


Currently I do the same as above. Keep a decent amount of trailer out of the water. Get the nose cones seated between the bunks. Give it a couple cranks. Then the wife slowly backs up while I get it centered and pulled the rest of the way up.
 
lakeliving said:
I don't have any guides on mine but I only load it on the trailer a couple time a year max. If I was going to get guides it would be the tall ones that extend on the outside of the boat at the rear. I know that would put the boat/trailer over the 8'6" legal towing width but it would be worth it.


Currently I do the same as above. Keep a decent amount of trailer out of the water. Get the nose cones seated between the bunks. Give it a couple cranks. Then the wife slowly backs up while I get it centered and pulled the rest of the way up.
Click to expand...

By cranks, do you mean from the bow winch or quick bursts of motor?
 
Chrisbert said:
By cranks, do you mean from the bow winch or quick bursts of motor?
Click to expand...

Trailer winch. Power loading is a no no here. Once the truck is backed up a little after getting the nose cones seated I crank the bow until it touched the guides. If you are finding it difficult to crank the winch, back the truck up a little more. I then walk back and hold the back of the boat, making sure it is going to sit centered on the bunks as the wife slowly pulls forward. Obviously if we had some sort of guides I would not have to stand back there and hold the boat as it is getting pulled out.
 
Those wheels look intriguing...  Might work really well...


On the bunk comments, when my carpet needed to be replaced, I tore it off and topped the wood bunks with PVC boards. Super slick. Easy to winch. I have valet service and the marina guys really like them. They have to make sure to keep the strap on when backing it down the ramp so the boat doesn't slide off before it's supposed to.  You can "power load" with hardly using any power. Highly recommend it. 


But also looking for better guide ideas, so interested in the rubber tires...
 
lakeliving said:
Trailer winch. Power loading is a no no here. Once the truck is backed up a little after getting the nose cones seated I crank the bow until it touched the guides. If you are finding it difficult to crank the winch, back the truck up a little more. I then walk back and hold the back of the boat, making sure it is going to sit centered on the bunks as the wife slowly pulls forward. Obviously if we had some sort of guides I would not have to stand back there and hold the boat as it is getting pulled out.
Click to expand...

Why no power loading? I'm getting older! As for the boat valets,what will they think of next? I need to patent some idea. :huh:
 
My trailer came with the rear guides on the outside of the trailer.  They help but once I put the bunk guides on it power loading is a snap.  That's all we do out here.
 
Never thought of that about power loading, but we don't have that problem at our ramp as the concrete goes deep enough into the water that people power load all the time and has no ill affects :)
 
We've never power loaded. Just floated it on for years........
 
We have a current and crosswind that you have to power load it on many times.  Once your bow gets on the end of the trailer, if you are not giving it the throttle you will be looking at your stern right next to you trying to come all the way around.  I hate loading on the trailer in these conditions, but it makes for great entertainment for the people observing :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm posted something like this before, but I'll do it again. I only have the guides on the insides of the tunes. I like this set up because there have been a couple of times, mainly when I was green at loading a pontoon, that the boat got a little crooked and put some very minor dents in the toons. I hate them, but would hate them even more if they showed to the outside of the boat. 


I've also learned that if the wind is a little too strong to load without getting crooked, I simply pull up to the dock, get my wife to hold the boat out about 1' from the dock, and I back the trailer right up under the boat. There is no need to power onto the trailer in this manner, so all is safe. I only have to winch the boat up about 1' - 2', and tighten it down. 


If your trailer backing skills aren't too good, then you might find another way that works for you. 
 
I too have the guides on the inside of the outboard pontoons.  I also have two vertical PVC covered guide posts on the very outside of the trailer for lights, which help line up the approach.  I leave about 1/4 of the trailer bunks exposed so that I slowly power towards the trailer and simply float on until the boat comes to a stop - usually about 1' from the front stops.  From there I slowly apply power to move it the last 10" or so, then winch it the rest of the way.


The inboard guides automatically get the boat aligned with the trailer.  Being carpeted, they don't scratch up the pontoons, and I'm not hitting them hard enough to do any damage.
 
First time I loaded I had my seasoned BIL with me. I came in HOT about 5 MPH and hit the bunks perfectly and the trailer was out of the water and we slid right up to a perfect stop about 2 inches from the stops. I thought well that was easy... flash forward to the other 50 times I loaded... holy crap was I lucky!!!! Moral of the story? Take your time and don't worry about the others waiting. if they know anything about boating it's that you need to be patient and curtious when at the ramp. If they get lippy, get out the tazer.
 
Rockie69 said:
First time I loaded I had my seasoned BIL with me. I came in HOT about 5 MPH and hit the bunks perfectly and the trailer was out of the water and we slid right up to a perfect stop about 2 inches from the stops. I thought well that was easy... flash forward to the other 50 times I loaded... holy crap was I lucky!!!! Moral of the story? Take your time and don't worry about the others waiting. if they know anything about boating it's that you need to be patient and curtious when at the ramp. If they get lippy, get out the tazer.
Click to expand...

And don't be the guy that comes in hot in your boat and beaches right next to the ramp causing a huge wake to slam into the boaters trying to get theirs on the trailers.
 
Someone gave me good advice last year. Back your trailer down until the water just covers your fenders. You can still see them and the trailer is low enough that you can ease up onto it. I believe that was one of the local water patrolmen we call "Coach". 
 
Chrisbert said:
Has anyone tried these here on the forum? Particularly curious for those of us with SPS packages.


http://boat-valet.com/poontoon_easy_on_web_archive_8-16-16_002.htm


This past weekend the winds here in Texas got up while I was out and I had a devil of a time getting her back on the trailer. In hindsight, I was a bit too deep and now I'm rebuilding both of my wooden guide bars and have a scratch on the inside of the starboard log to remember it by. Rookie mistake I know, but our ramps here are steep (hill country) and our winds unrelenting.


I'm assuming these would float up to the surface and still clear the "splash fins" up front as well as have no issue with the strakes. The strakes are pretty tough, but those fins are just sticking out there. From what I can estimate, the fins should have clearance above the waterline / floaty guides.


Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I just tried to order the size for a 20' toon and the website says they are out of stock. So, just for grins, I tried to order the larger size and got the same response. Are they still in business?
 
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