Trailer Guide-On Placement?

[JimBuck]

I recently installed a set of trailer guide-on's for my boat trailer. Between the amount of time I fish solo or fish in current I hope they do the trick at the launch. After buying the guides I found out that the back end of my trailer doesn't have the space for these guides to fit.

I ended up installing them just in front of the fenders (as seen below).

My question is, how effective is the placement of these guides? It seems like a decent spot since I can use them as guides to get the front end of the boat on straight and then the back end will hopefully follow suit. Any suggestions or advice is appreciated as I don't want to spend the money on something that isn't effective.

[marine_man]

Can you mount them to the crossmember that holds your rear rollers?

If you can't I don't think you have many other options, you made the best of what you had to work with, and they should work decent, especially after you nose the boat onto the trailer.

marine_man

[Tom7227]

I'm sure not an expert but it seems to me that your trailer is a bit short for that boat and that the wheels are awfully far back. Does it trailer OK or does it start to sway at certain speeds? I agree that you did what you had to, just sort of curious what others think.

[marine_man]

Good catch Tom... what's your tongue weight like on that trailer?

marine_man

[Ralph Wiggum]

I'm sure not an expert but it seems to me that your trailer is a bit short for that boat...

Looks like the rear roller is right at the back of the boat to me.

[JimBuck]

The rear rollers do extend nearly to the bottom of my transom when the boat is fully cranked on to the trailer. As for tongue weight, where should it say that Marine_man? The trailer is a 88' Shorelandr and is what I've been using for the past 5-6 years since I purchased the boat . I did chop off 14" of tongue in the front and put in a fold away tongue on to fit in the garage. The actual weight of the tongue (according to my back) is rather light and I have no problem lifting it on even ground. The boat tows nicely and other than a broken bolt on one of my right roller axle when leaving a gas station she's had no problems. Boy, now you guys got me wondering about my trailer.

[marine_man]

I think you're just fine then. When I say tongue weight, it's how much it weighs on the front end, or, how heavy it is to lift the tongue by the trusty back-o-meter (like you mentioned).

As ralph pointed out, the rollers are at the end of the boat, where they should be, and if the tongue weight is fine, and it trailers fine then you're just fine.

marine_man

[JimBuck]

Cool. Thanks for chiming in guys. As for guide-on placement. That's really all I could do that I could think of. I guess I'll have to wait until April 1st and see how they turned out. Cheers.

[marine_man]

Does that include mounting them to the crossmember that goes across the trailer frame that the rear rollers are mounted to?

marine_man