We trailer our NT 26 all over the NW. I built trailer midpoint guides that positively locate and guide the hull as she lowers onto the trailer. We float her on and off without issues and only use ramps with floats. Our only problem ever, was a ramp that was too short at low water, it pays to check first. Our trailer has bunks not rollers.
The cuddy cabin fishing boat we also have has a roller trailer. The boat self centers when at the correct trailer depth of having the tops of the wheel fenders just at water level. I figured that having a full keel, that the trailer for our new to us boat will be a bunk style. I have a few pics of trailers that have elevated bunks and a keel rest on the trailer frame. I would think to make things easier, there would have to be guide rollers to locate the keel as I nose up to the winch stanchion bumper. I hope to ease her forward out of the water as the guide rollers plant the keel on the keel rest. This is what I was thinking as a proposed design configuration of the trailer I would need.
You are thinking like a fisherman skipper thinks where they drive onto the trailer and their forward motion on rollers literally lifts the boat onto the half submerged trailer. With bunks and heavy boats you are risking all sorts of bad things. 6K 7K 10K is common for a small trawler and will fold your trailer in half if allowed, so I go slow pulling the boat along with lines. Once the bow is aligned and hooked, the stern is still floating two to three feet above the submerged trailer. The direction of the floating boat is downward not forward when pulled up the ramp. This means the guides must be parallel to the hull, at the widest point and at least as tall as the distance the boat is when floating above the bunks. On my NT 26 I have a small, heavily reinforced bunk on each side very near the winch stand. Those bunks center the bow only. On each side at the hulls widest point, I have a 2" water pipe bent to match the hullcurve and the chine. The galv pipe is attached to the six inch trailer frame with heavy clamps that slip (no damage) when the boat hits too hard. The pipe is topped with a three foot padded carpet that extends to the gunnel when the boat is floating. I marked the carpet for proper depth after trial and error. I have done this system on several large transportable boats including 33 foot sailboats with 6 foot draft. RE: Custom trailers. I have owned and used both double and triple axle rigs and much prefer two heavy 8K axles over three lighter axles. The greasing system is another stickler for me but I will let that go for now.
Um, yes that would be how I would do it with a roller trailer, but I know I can't do that with a bunk style. I have no intentions of running the trawler up onto the trailer. I realize that the bow would be in closer proximity to the submerged trailer than the aft, that would still be floating higher because of the angle of the trailer on the ramp. My thought would be once the winch is attached to the bow eye, I would have to slowly and carefully pull the truck ahead and as the trailer rises then the boat would lower and rest on the keel and elevated bunks on either side of the keel on the flat portion of the hull. I also think that depending on how the winch is set up, the bow may pivot upward during the process. I do appreciate your description of the set-up you had and your description of how you loaded your boat. Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your insights and experience.
