Drive on Trailer

[Richard Sims]

I am a very new boat owner, TV18. What is the secret to going slow enough to "trailer" the boat, but fast enough to not lose steering while loading? Thanks.

 

[JEFF WHITE]

do you have side guide bunks on that trailer?



the best way i have found to load my big heavy aluminum is to keep the bow pointed at the bow stop and slowly at idle come onto the trailer.if needed burp the throttle and return to idle.i leave the top of my tires out of the water on the trailer which works out pretty good.



if you do have guide bunks on the trailer,try and adjust them so you have about an inch or so clearance between them and the hull. this will get you on the trailer to a certain degree.the best thing is trial and error on the trailer placement in the water.

 

[Richard Sims]

It is a new boat and I have the tracker trailer that comes with the package, and it does have the side guide bunks. Thanks for your response.

 

[Larry Harp]

Congrats on your new boat, I'm sure you'll love it. Looks like you broke it in at the right place. How did you do? By the way, I grew up in Big D and still think of it as home.

My best advice on trailering your boat is: back the trailer all the way into the water to get the bunks wet. Then pull up until you can see about 3 or 4 inches of the fenders. I bring it pretty fast to compensate for the confounded Okla wind. Just as the boat hits the trailer I pull back on the throttle to let it kind of settle down then power up until the bow hits the bow stop. Actually my 13 year old son usually is at the controls while I stand on the ramp yelling comands. Makes for quite a show.

Just be sure you don't have the trailer too deep in the water or the boat will float off when you pull out. We nearly learned that the hard way.

Good Luck!!

 

[Staci Matheis]

When I'm unloading the boat, I watch to see how deep the trailer fenders are when the boat first starts to float.



When I back the trailer in for loading, first I submerge the bunks entirely to wet them down. Then, I pull back out until the Fenders are maybe 2 or 3 inches further out of the water than when I unloaded; this assures that the bunks will be high enough to guide the boat exactly where it's supposed to go and push the nose up over the rubber bumper at the winch.



Steering while moving slowly is always difficult..... Start some distance back and be sure you are lined up as well as possible. Go slowly with a blip on the throttle at the very end to push you up and onto the bunks.



When loading in a wind or current, you will have to approach with the boat at an angle - but you will still be heading on a straight line up the trailer from some distance out. At the very last minute, just as you give the throttle a blip, straighten out. It will take quite a few loadings in these kinds of conditions to get the hang of it.



Don't hesitate to go around and try again..... Even if there are other people waiting; it takes less time to go around again than it does to get out and try and straighten out the boat when you've parked it on top of the fenders!



Don't get discouraged - everyone had to go throught the same learning curve! Except Mac and Mini - they were born Pros!



me!

 

[Staci Matheis]

P.S.



Always leave the winch strap a bit loose but connected and the winch handle LOCKED until you've got the motor started and are ready to pull away.



Always put the strap back on tight and LOCK THE HANDLE before you pull the trailer back out.

 

[Richard Sims]

Thanks to everyone for the tips. I am going to enjoy this board.

 

[Adam Murray]

Congrat's on the new rig! I've noticed a lot more people from Dallas stopping in here lately. Maybe we should have a mini-rally at Fork (or any of the other AWESOME lakes we have).



Will you be at Fork this weekend? If I finish unpacking and the landscape guys finish early enough on Saturday, I'll be there to fish Sat. night and Sunday morning (just gotta be home before the race at Bristol starts!!)

 

[Staci Matheis]

Tape it, Adam! Tape it!

 

[Mark Hofman]

TVGuy:



Congrats! I hope you get more enjoyment out of your boat than I've been getting out of mine (its been in the garage too much this summer). The TV-18 is an awesome boat.



I try to go as slow as possible when trailering, holding at idle or a bit more as I approach the trailer. As long as you have some forward motion, you'll have a small bit of steering. Right before I make contact with the bunks, however, I shift into neutral so that I don't break anything. Once the boat stops, I'll shift back into forward and use my steering to straighten the boat out for loading. It does take practice, though.



By the way: I put together two checklists that were pecific for the TV-18, but anyone can use. One is a winterizing/storage list (available in the Grab Bag), and the other is a procedures checklist. If this is your first boat, I would highly recommend copying/printing it. The link is below.
http://www.stlhofman.com/checklist.htm

 

[Adam Murray]

Scott, I'd love to be able to tape it, however...



I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROGRAM MY VCR!!!



-ADAM (not a high-tech redneck)

 

[Mark Hofman]

My link above didn't work. Let's try it again.
http://www.stlhofman.com/checklist.htm

 

[Staci Matheis]

Adam, you're a disgrace to men everywhere! :^)

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Adam,



At least tell us that is is not blinking 12:00!! You want connections, I'll give you connections, I just put a new entertainment center in my remodeled lower level and I had to hook up and integrate a 57" high def. Widescreen TV, Home theatre system w/powered sub, progressive scan DVD player, digital cable, and finally a super "s" vhs. I still haven't got it right after 2 months of trying. I've got remotes on top of remotes. It's getting to the point where I turn on the TV and the blender upstairs starts.



TOXIC

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Toxic, Magnavox makes a univeral remote that can run up to like 6 or 7 components at once and eliminates a lot of the remote clutter and confusion. I want to say it's around $50. Wally world has them. I think it does, TV, VCR/DVD, receiver, CD, Aux 1 and 2, and a preamp or something like that. You have to program the frequencies though to eliminate that blender problem. With me the toilet flushes, and my remote car starter kicks on! LOL Almost got it set now!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Rob,



Yeah GREAT product IF it covers: 1- all of the components. 2- all of the brands. 3- all of the functions. It's a nightmare. My TV for example has settings for how you want to watch it: zoomed, stretched, angle adjustment, cinima mode, broadcast mode, 4:3, 16:9 and on and on and on. I have yet to find a universal remote that even comes close. There's one called "Pronto" that does a lot but it's $200. I think I just "Upgraded" myself beyond my level of comprehension. I'm about ready to put the lazy boy in front of it and give it the old TOXIC Torch!!



TOXIC

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Cool, or actually, that would be pretty hot, What is the combustion temp? 2500 degrees farenheit? Hey, just send it all to me, I'll trade ya even for my 27" with college left over stero surround sound. It does have two 10" and two 12" subwoofers, and 150 watts. It's loud! But old! Wanna swap?

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Not a chance Rob!! Even with my limited abilities, Braveheart in Widescreen with the 650w home theater, 150w sub, and 5 surrounds, makes you feel like someone is going to hit you in the back of the head during the fight scenes. The pod race in Star Wars is AWSOME and the chase scene in Gone in 60 Sec, rattles the windows. Grab a case and head on down, the fun don't stop when the fish quit bitin'. After all, ya gotta have something to do when you're not fishing. ........BESIDES THAT!! I feel myself sliding twords the gutter again. Oh well, welcome home.



TOXIC

 

[TrepMan]

TOXIC - So when you watch the FLW weighin or those Roland Martin videos probably feels like YOU are catching the FISH!!!



I feel so small (no comments ROB) just a 25inch tv, 50w sub 5 surrounds and 200w theater system.



Hey TOXIC - How's the Security scene in The Matrix, that has GOTTA ROCK!!!

 

[Richard Sims]

MOFish:



Thanks. It is my first boat, thanks for the links and information.

 

[Mark Hofman]

You're very welcome. Andy Z., Marke, BruceY and several others on this board own TV-18s. Andy Z gave me some very good advice when I first brought mine home.



What year, engine and options did you get?

 

[Richard Sims]

It is a 92 TV18, with a 90 hp 93 model Merc. I added an extra hummingbird and SS prop. I really enjoyed last weekend at the Fork. Spent most of the time breaking the boat, but fished a couple of hours.

 

[Richard Sims]

I meant to say breaking IN the boat, not breaking the boat. Hopefully, I will perform better on the lake than at the keyboard.

 

[Marke Cicero]

Hey TVGuy,



Congrats on the new boat and welcome to the board!! Loading does take practice. The advice above is all good. You will LOVE the boat. I have the '01 with 90hp and it ROCKS. MO has a 150 and we are all jealous, however we get to use ours and he doesn't....LOL Just kiddin MO.



Don't worry about your typing....You WILL break something, we all do, it's part of boating. As long as know gets hurt, there is usually a good story behind breaking things. We've all spent hours on this board laughing at each others goofy stories.



Stick around you'll have here.



Marke

 

[Mark Hofman]

Marke:



You don't know how RIGHT you are! I won't get to take it out on the water until late next month, and then not again until the last weekend in October. This bites.

 

[Marke Cicero]

Unfortuneatly MO, I haven't been much better. My boat actually had spider webs on the TM and Trottle lever earlier this year. It's not that I haven't been fishing, I've just been doing all of my fishing on Curtis' 901. Thanks to the Rally I've spent more time on other peoples boats than I have in my own.

 

[Richard Sims]

Marke & MOFish:



OK, I must be loosing my mind. I have a 2002 TV-18, with a 2003 90 HP Merc. I just read my post and for whatever reason I flashed back to the 90's???? Of course on the bright side, I would only be in my mid 40's if that were true. I am looking forward to the board, it has already been a help. I have a good friend in Tyler, TX that also has a year old TV-18 (that would be a 2001, right? I am getting better) and he loves boat.



TVGUY









TVGuy