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I welded some square tubing (its all I had kicking around) to the flat area behind my fenders and wraped them in rope so it wouldn't damage my boat. they seem to work alot better than anything you can buy at the store.
DZ
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I thought about welding something to it but I like the thought of being able to remove it, I don't know why yet..
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you can either bolt or weld a pole to the back of your trailer and get some boat trailer rollers and put them on the poles so your boat will slide on the rollers. I know a guy that has done this and he can drive his boat right on in a bad wind with no problems. later chuck
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You should see what Fish1on used for guides. CB antennas man what a REDNECK!!!
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CB antennas hmmmm...good idea![cool]
Anybody use the soft wraps that go around the poles, like on ski boat trailers? I was wondering if they even work or if its better on the boat. Whatever I do, I'll do on Saturday and put it to the test on Sunday but still looking for suggestions.
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I thought about using some foam pipe insulation to wrap around the guides but I'm afraid that they would be a little too boyant and would slip off when I'm docking and retrieving my boat or would blow off going down the road. The rope has been on there for 3 years now and still holding up well.
DZ
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Can you post a pick? How do you keep the rope from unravelingeling....coming undone?
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my old boat had steel pipes welded on with rope wrapped around it. The top and bottom had a couple of wraps of electrical tape to keep it from unravelling. The rope was finally starting to rot, so I yanked it off and just slipped some PVC pipes over top of the steel pipes.
My newer boat trailer now has bunker boards.
As long as there isn't a wind, the best thing to do to get the boat on straight is make sure the trailer is backed in straight. No matter how good the bunkers are, they can't be tight enough to the boat that you won't get some drift on the boat if the trailer isn't straight in the water.
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you can wrap the rope just like a guide is done on your fishing pole.
the start is wrapped over it self so the end is under the main line.
stop wrapping with about 10 wrapes left. take another piece of rope and double it up with the loop end towards the end wrap, hold it in place and wrap the main line over that rope up to where you want to stop, then insert the main line thru that loop you made. then pull the other end of the looped rope so the main line pulls up close to the wrap, cut off the main line kinda close so when you pull the rope under the wrap it dosen't stick out. if you can't understand my wording I can send some pics this week in a pm. later chuck
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I am thinking of adding this to my trailer, How much space should i allow on each side of the boat.
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I used 1/2 inch rope (thick nylon) and wrapped it as tight as possable. then I put some wire around the ends and cut some strips of fiberglass mesh around it. I mixed some jelly resin and put it. after the fiberglass set up I added several more layers to give it some stregnth.
My boat is in cache vally at the moment so I cant take any pics of it but I'll get it hopefully next weekend when I go up that way I'm going to try to get it here to my house so I can get it out and ready for the year.
I hope this helps
DZ
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I've been wanting to do the same thing. My boat is easy to load but it would be nice to have guides when its windy or dark. I saw an article where they recommended buying a ladder brace from a hardware store. I don't know if you've seen one of these but its lke a big, long U shape, made of aluminum. Just cut it in half, mount each one to the trailer frame using some U-bolts, and provide the upright extension using PVC pipe. It works pretty slick and the cost was under $40. Hope it helps!
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I had a problem keeping my boat in place on the trailer before I could pull the trailer out of the water. I solved the problem by purchasing some bunks from cabela's. They bolted on to the frame of the trailer. They are carpeted so they don't mark up the sides of the boat. This a fairly easy solution for those of us that don't weld. gshorthair
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I did the ladder support idea and it worked great. I had a link to the site but lost it somehow. It worked really great at DC Sunday when my starter motor would'nt engage and had to use a rope to pull the boat on the trailer with a little breeze. Talk about a long haul back to the stae park with a 55 lb. thrust.
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The guide-ons are nice in current or cross winds, but the real issue sounds like you're loading with your trailer too deep.
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One thing I forgot to mention with the rope wrap thing: make sure not to leave the top of the metal posts exposed at all. If you run your trailer in a little deep, or if you have a really steep ramp, those guides will be a bit lower and the metal top can make a helluva gouge down the side of your boat. If you can't get it covered, a PVC cap might cover it. In the long run, the carpeted bunk guides are probably a bit easier to install if your trailer is compatible.
The best thing is to practice loading with the trailer at different depths until you get a feel for your boat and the trailer. Some ramps aren't as steep and you will need to back in a little further.
Just don't do like the guy I saw at chicken creek (Strawberry) a couple of years ago that backed his whole truck into the water. If you know Chicken Creek, you know that is some sticky mud there. His 4x4 got stuck good and spun to the point that he was high centered in the mud under water. We ended up daisy-chaining 2 trucks together to get enough traction to pull him out, and these weren't little trucks. Mine was an F250 with a 460, running it in 4-low. The other was an older full-sized Jeep Cherokee with the v8. It wasn't a pretty site and went through a couple of tow ropes before we got him out of there.
It looked like it was a company truck....I wonder how he explained that one to his boss......
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Trust me, I have tried different ramps and trailer depths with the same results but I have the problem solved now-Thanks for the help guys.
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What did you decide on for your guides? Do you have any photos of what you did? I have been looking for something to do on my trailer and would like to see what you came up with.
Thanks.
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]) over the top to protect the boat. 
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