Q&A

Q:

Doc, I have a 2018 27-foot Sea Ray. Every time I trailer it, I get the boat snugged against the bow stop, and as I pull the trailer from the water, the winch strap seems to stretch, and the boat slides back a few inches from the bow stop and leaves a gap too large for trailering.

So, I back the boat and trailer back in, and tighten it again, usually with a similar outcome, until I have repeated this cycle three or four times, or the people waiting at the ramp display their impatience. I am thinking of changing from a winch strap to a winch cable—thinking it won’t have stretch. Any answers or ideas are appreciated.

Doug Biette Via email

A:

Jim Hendricks was manning the email when

your question hit. We’ve reprinted his private reply to you here: I suspect that you are putting the trailer too deep in the water while loading the boat, so much so that the back of the boat is slightly afloat above the trailer. When you pull the boat up the ramp, the stern settles on the bunks, tilting the bow upward, creating the gap between the bow and the bow stop. There’s nothing wrong with the winch strap is my guess. Instead, try putting the trailer in shallower, and also hook up that bow safety chain before pulling up the ramp, just in case the winch strap fails.