Chris Walden (W1395) asks
what to do about Wayfarer-eating trailers

and gets answers from Bill Harkins, André Girard, Hans Gottschling and Uncle Al
last updated: 4 April 11
...
Subject: What can be done about Wayfarer-eating trailers??!!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 8:57 AM
Subject: trailer eating my Wayfarer!

Hello, Everyone!

I need to tap into your collective experience-wisdom for some W help: after a sail, retrieving by myself (I may have my kids along, but they're only 5 and 7 years old), my W doesn't line up to the trailer too well and sometimes is off and next to the back roller.  Being next to the boat's hull either in the water or balanced precariously on the trailer's frame, I can't always see this .. in addition to trying to stabilize the boat in a crosswind .. and as I attempt to pull the boat further on the trailer in prep for winching, I then hear the sickening scraping sound as the boat rubs against the roller's metal bracket.  That, I discovered, is the source of the strange "worm-tracks" in the gelcoat near the bow.  Imagine my horror as I push the boat back out into the water to line it up again and see a small cloud of boat paint and gelcoat wafting in the water!

I imagine through trial and error, several bruises and scrapes later, and many bouts of late-night brainstorming (fueled by hops or Capt. Morgan), I may be able to come up with a much-improved workable solution.  But, I figured that our collective experiences and ideas may do better.

Conditions and ideas already:
1) I've just purchased some PVC pipe guides (vertical pipes) to install at the back of the trailer, though I realize that they may only help if the trailer is very deep in the water..in which case I may be wading up to my bellybutton to stand at the back of the trailer to "capture" the bow and attach winching strap;
2) I'm often doing this solo, so plans involving other people .. unless I hire my own serf .. are out of the question;
3) lining up the boat so that it aligns perfectly with the 4 inch keel roller .. and stays aligned while I scramble back to the front of the trailer and winch it up; there must be a better way!
4) ways of wrestling the boat in windy .. even light winds, it blows around like a leaf .. conditions; I've thought of extended poles or railings that slide out from the trailer, then realize I've watched too many Batman episodes;
5) maybe a mushroom anchor off the stern that can be controlled via line led to the bow?
6) I'd like to sail in the wintertime/early spring/late fall (this is Georgia, after all), but not have to wade into the cold water past the knees..or ankles!

Aside from fantasies of simply getting a Sunfish for when I want to sail solo ("Honey, I really do need another boat!"), I would like to find a workable solution for the W that will save its gelcoat.  Maybe I should just armor coat the hull?

Thanks for all of your ideas.  I'm having a blast with my W, and my kids like the adventure of it, even asking to go camping (with the dog, of course).

Regards,
Chris Walden
W1395


----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 3:58 PM

<>Hi  Chris .  My  paint   got  scratched  too  many  times  .  I  bolted  pcs.  of  carpet-covered  wood  close  to  the roller  .  Have’nt  had  trouble  since .  Hans.


----- Original Message -----
From: William D. Harkins W2526
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 12:45 PM

Hello Chris,

Sounds like you and you kids are having a great time!   The jon boat style upright pvc guides have been used by some with success.  They won't keep the boat perfectly aligned, however. This is especially annoying in a good chop.  What I have done is simply reduce the chances of scraping by mounting lengths of 2X wood on either side of the keel rollers onto the
trailer frame.  This keeps the boat from scraping if it comes off the roller as I crank it up.  I haven't found a good way to avoid getting my feet wet.  If the boat is a little skewed, especially on the rearmost roller, its easy enough to straighten it out once you've pulled away from the ramp (lift while facing away from the boat, and use your leg muscles).  

Hope this helps, and the group would surely enjoy hearing how you solve this problem.   Good sailing!


Bill Harkins
W2526, Arlington, VA



Hello Uncle Al,

As always, I have been greatly enjoying looking at all the pictures you have put up on your excellent website.  It helps make the winter (the little we have)  speed by.  Thank you!





I'm sure Hans has a better picture than I do, but mine will at least give an idea.  Part of the protective 2X  wood is missing as I also use the trailer to haul canoes on a rack that fits on top of the rollers. Also, there is a good picture of the side roller set-up in #4 pre-regatta pics, 2011 Midwinters, on Pat Baldwin and Ed Rojohn's boat Wayward Wayfarer.  Perhaps they might have some comments on how well this works.

And yes, those are weeds in the photo; they  have begun to grow again.... Spring has arrived.   Soon you'll all be heading down this way for Rock Hall and Chesapeake Bay events.  I look forward to seeing you then!

Bill


... more preventive maintenance:
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 9:18 PM

I used to have a similar problem with mine. It turned out that it was due to the corners of the roller bracket scratching the bottom when the boat was not properly positioned. I solved it by filing the corners of the bracket. See drawing.


 
Hoping that this helps,
 
André


----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 12:48 PM

Hi, Chris:
 
In addition to Hans' and André's suggestions - which pre-suppose that you will slide off the roller, the following ideas spring to mind to try to address your problems:
 




My trailer is a Pamco tilt-bed that I back up until the tires have just begun to touch the water - see pics above. Once the trailer is in that position, I put the bed into tilt mode and unwinch my winching rope out to the second-last roller (near the axle).  In your position, Chris, I would try leaving that rope a bit shorter and "locked" so that I have to manhandle the bow a few inches onto that roller before I can snap the winch line onto the bow eye. With my trailer, this would be a must, regardless of which of my three ways I would suggest proceeding from this point:
 
1. Find any person who looks capable of winching and at the same time telling you what you need to do to keep the boat's bow aimed straight at the winch.
2. Failing human help, I might be inclined to see if it might be feasible to instal an electrically motorized winch (removable and rechargeable??!!) with a remote. That way I could guide the hull while the motor does the winching. In which case I would need to develop a good eye for seeing from the side, when the boat is correctly aligned
3. Tie a 50-foot low-stretch line, perhaps 4 mm in diameter around the sheave of the mainsheet block on the centreboard box such that 25' are available on each side of the knot. Set up brackets at the aft outer corners of the trailer frame each of which will accept an easily removable steel tube that rises 2 - 3 feet above trailer level and has an eye at the top through which one of the 25' rope ends is led. Come to think of it, 25' should be far more than enough to run the rope end(s) to where you are winching. This way you can winch with one hand while using the other to pull one or the other of the rope ends to keep the boat aligned. I would likely put a short cross-piece about 2 feet above the winch that would have eyes for the rope ends on each side which would keep the ropes easily accessible.
 
For what it's worth??? Do keep us posted, Chris!!
 
Best regards,
 
Uncle Al (W3854)


----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Walden
Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2011 10:17 AM
Subject: solutions to trailer eating my Wayfarer!

Fellow Wayfarers,

Greetings and a special thanks to all of you (Tom, Ken, Al, Andre, Bill, Hans, Richard and Tony) who sent your suggestion for solving the problem of loading-a-Wayfarer single-handed and not tearing up the gelcoat on the back-roller.  Suggestions included the following:
1) pvc pipe guide-ons mounted to back of trailer;
2) steering or control rope on either side (mainly windward) of boat, able to pull from bow;
3) deck on sides of trailer, for standing;
4) wooden "cradle" mounted against back of trailer to guide boat hull to center rollers;
5) 2x4 pieces mounted on either side of back roller to keep boat from slipping down alongside metal bracket of back roller;
6) newer back roller that has rubber/plastic on outside of metal bracket as well;
7) recruiting unsuspecting passers-by and wenches on the winch;
8) mounting radio-controlled boats to bow and both sides of stern (okay..no one really suggested this, but it sounded cool, if not workable).
<>I've already purchased (mail-order from Eastern Marine) some Fulton trailer guide-ons, so I may try them out.  I definitely will do a better job on rigging the control lines; beats tugging on the bow-stem or jumping in for a swim to guide/rescue the boat!  I think I will also rig up some sort of wooden cradle-crosspiece to keep the bow-hull from contacting the metal bracket that holds the roller. Maybe one day I can get one of the those electric winches so I can stand on the back, guiding the boat while clicking the button to engage the winch. However, I'd probably knock myself off as the boat came up on the trailer. (Remember, I'm trying to avoid a swim in cold water.)

Now, my new challenge: the courtesy docks at the launching ramps on Lake Lanier are never near the ramp!  Usually, 30 or more yards away, with rip-rap rocks in between.  So, getting boat from ramp to dock, and dock to ramp, without hitting all the rocks (drift..wind..wakes) and holing my boa will be the challenge. My current solution has been sitting on the bow and paddling to either side; silly-looking, but it works.  I've thought of using a trolling motor, but it seems such a waste of time and effort to haul a motor and battery around for such a short-term use.  Wish they simply had grass-beach-mud that I could just pull the boat alongside the ramp, but Fate had other plans, I guess.

Regards to all!
Chris Walden
W1395


----- Original Message -----
From: richard watterson
Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2011 11:31 AM

Here is another one in the spirit of RC boat bow/stern thrusters.  Install floatation on the trailer (get some of the big boat bumpers and inflate them and tie on the support members of the trailer).  Disconnect the trailer and float it over to the boat dock and winch the boat/trailer together (your new guides will be quite handy for this), then paddle the combo over to the ramp and as far up the ramp as you can then attach to the car and off you go.

But seriously, coming from someone who loves Rube Goldberg solutions, Occam's razor is at play here (the simplest answer is usually the best).  I cannot see how aft guides will help since it is the boat's pivoting about the aft roller (presumably where the guides will be placed) that is the problem; since the guides will be in line with this pivot point they will not keep the boat on the longitudinal axis of the trailer.  So, the simplest solution is a line attached to the windward transom which you can use to keep the boat lined up once the bow is up to the roller and held in place with the winch line.

It sounds like the dock/ramp arrangement really necessitates a two-person operation even if you have a motor.  If one person goes to get the car, you would have to have another person to move the boat to the ramp from the dock.  Things must not be too busy there. Otherwise this back-and-forth operation would really clog things up.

Richard W.


----- Original Message -----
From: KEN-Krist. H. Jensen
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2011 1:16 PM

Moving W. about without sails or engine.

Trial and error and correction to failures will be the recipe, but with a few yards/meters distance to anywhere W1348 will be rowed (Frank Dye rowed a lot - up Chesapeake Bay and in N.Norway!) with positive control in wind and waves (without oarlocks you can still have oars, or ONE such,stowed along the CB case on the floorboards as a standby emergency rudder), paddled and/or punted with one oar, standing, with spread sealegs, over the CB casing and assisting in steering by boat tilt in order to get the right/correct banana-shaped  top-side deeper into the water.
W1348 climbs straight(-faced) forward over the aft pivot-roller, where correctly the 'Rabbit- or Hare guide-ears' are placed.  Presumably because of the powerful winch wire-pull at her nose.
Best- and kind W-regards. Ken, W1348"Maitken"