26S Trailer measurements needed Please..

[martyr]

Last fall I purchased a 26S and towed it on a generic trailer and I feel the boat is not sitting right on the bunks.

I was wondering if someone could get me the distances to the following
(Using the hitch ball as the starting point)

Distance to the bow tow hook / V-block for the winch = ???
Distance to the middle of the front bunk = ???
Distance to the middle of the back bunk = ???
Distance to the axel = ???

Right now my boat teeters with very little weight on the back bunk and looking at photos online my bunks are WAY OFF

Sumner and Whale thanks for the previous help with bunk angles....

[grady]

I still have the 94 stock trailer and will probably be able to get you measurements this week end.

[martyr]

Thanks that would be great!
As I've been working from a very compressed JPG
I linked to a picture showing my 26S sailboat sitting on my 26X trailer.

Red dots are my current bunk locations and yellow are my guess where a 26S trailers would be.
My Axel and Winch look pretty close to the lower image of a 26S on a 26S trailer.


http://martyytram.tumblr.com/image/49537415340.jpg

[cruiser]

Hi Martyr,
My trailer dimensions are as follows:
- Centre of tow ball to bow at V: 500mm
- Centre of tow ball to centre of axle: 5,200mm
- Centre of Axle to rear of trailer: 1,050mm
- Centre of axle to rear of boat transon: 3,190
- My back bunk is 100mm wide and is centred on the back trailer beam - back edge projects 30mm past the back edge of trailer.
- My front bunk is centred 1,160mm forward of the axle centre

[martyr]

Hi Martyr,
My trailer dimensions are as follows:
- Centre of tow ball to bow at V: 500mm
- Centre of tow ball to centre of axle: 5,200mm
- Centre of Axle to rear of trailer: 1,050mm
- Centre of axle to rear of boat transon: 3,190
- My back bunk is 100mm wide and is centred on the back trailer beam - back edge projects 30mm past the back edge of trailer.
- My front bunk is centred 1,160mm forward of the axle centre

That's great as I can get additional bunks fabricated to meet your measurments, Thanks again.

Marty

[cruiser]

The critical bit is the distance of the bow V from the axle centre and the distance of the bunks either side of the axle. Don't take too much notice of the position of my tow ball as it was probably modified when imported into Australia.

I am going to eventually install an adjustable V-support up the front, along the lines of what Sumner has done. I see that as the only way to get the bow up tight against the V-support due to flexing of the trailer. It also means you can undertake fine adjustment of the balance on the trailer, in order to get the optimal weight on the vehicle tow ball.

[Tomfoolery]

Don't forget to allow for elevation differences between bunks. My front vee bunk is a few inches higher than the other two, which are in the same planes.

[cruiser]

Martyr, I think you will find that extra trailer length you have comes in handy. Sumner extended his trailer for better support and I will probaly do a similar thing eventually as we have some crazy trailer regulations that make it easier for me to comply with the regulations if I have less overhang from the rear of the trailer - plus I agree that the extra support is probably desirable when travelling long distances.

[grady]

Ok here are the mesurments on my trailer.

All mesurements from ball

Bow V 3ft 3in

first bunk 14 ft

second bunk 21 ft

[martyr]

When I get this conversion done I'll make another post listing the distances and bunk angles I've come up with.
Needless to say the angles on the S-Hull are a lot steeper than on the X-trailer, so I've used

http://cesmith.com/product/664/bolster-bunk/10000G

To match the angles so far but I definitly need a support further forward as your distances prove

Thanks for all the help guys.

Marty

[cruiser]

Ok here are the mesurments on my trailer.

All mesurements from ball

Bow V 3ft 3in

first bunk 14 ft

second bunk 21 ft

Would be interested in knowing the distance from your axle centre to your bunk centres?

I am thinking of making my bow V-notch laterally adjustable and would be good to have some comparative measurments before doing this job. My bow V-notch currently appears to be about 8" further forward than yours, so I would be interested to see how that compares with the distance from the axle. Your tow ball is about 500mm (or say 300mm allowing for my V-notch being further forward) further forward than mine but I suspect my ball hitch was rebuilt when the boat was imported in order to comply with local regulations.

[grady]

Ok here are the mesurments on my trailer.

All mesurements from ball

Bow V 3ft 3in

first bunk 14 ft

second bunk 21 ft

Would be interested in knowing the distance from your axle centre to your bunk centres?

I am thinking of making my bow V-notch laterally adjustable and would be good to have some comparative measurments before doing this job. My bow V-notch currently appears to be about 8" further forward than yours, so I would be interested to see how that compares with the distance from the axle. Your tow ball is about 500mm (or say 300mm allowing for my V-notch being further forward) further forward than mine but I suspect my ball hitch was rebuilt when the boat was imported in order to comply with local regulations.

I did not measure the axle due to the fact I moved the axle aft about 11 inches. When I got the boat I probably had less than 50 lbs of toung weight. After 2 years of short towing and realizing 55 mph was max speed before possible sway I moved the axle back. But after another couple of years of sailing I realized the trailer was not the issue the boat balance was. Now that I have moved the CG of the boat at least fwd my toung weight is kinda high but not going to move the axle again just add 20lbs more air to the airbags on the truck. At this time my best guess back of tire is around 1 ft fwd of rear bunk.

[vizwhiz]

I have a stock S trailer also, not modified to my knowledge. I'll try to remember to get some additional measurements this coming up weekend for you. My boat is on the trailer, but I should be able to take some measurements.

Grady, along the lines of stock trailers, do you have the stock serial number label on your trailer still? Is it legible, and can you take a picture of it please?
Thanks...

[cruiser]

................ I did not measure the axle due to the fact I moved the axle aft about 11 inches. When I got the boat I probably had less than 50 lbs of toung weight. After 2 years of short towing and realizing 55 mph was max speed before possible sway I moved the axle back. But after another couple of years of sailing I realized the trailer was not the issue the boat balance was. Now that I have moved the CG of the boat at least fwd my toung weight is kinda high but not going to move the axle again just add 20lbs more air to the airbags on the truck. At this time my best guess back of tire is around 1 ft fwd of rear bunk.

Grady, that makes your axle about 2 foot forward of your rear bunk. My axle is about 3' 5" foward of the rear bunk. That explains some of the difference in our V-notch locations.

Vizwhiz - yes that would be really appreciated. I find the easiest way to measure between any 2 trailer points is to drop a plumb line down to a brick on the ground, then just hook the tape around the brick and measure to the other brick - saves a lot of frustration . I have drawn mine up on paper and keep re-measuring and doing all the in between calculations so I can figure out the real dynmics of what to shift where. I will replace the springs soon with locally made ones as I can't get an exact replacement of the US springs that are currently on the trailer - may have to do some shifting and adjusting with those as well. Currently I have a maximum TARE of 1,450kg but hopefully a new spring and axle set will be able to lift that up to about 1,650kg whilst still keeping the single axle.

[krisrasm]

Hi,

I currently have a 26S 1994 and my original trailer is so rusted and that we are really nervous driving it to the bay everytime. Do you know what the brand your replacement trailer is?