How you tie down?

[kurz]

Hello
How you tie down your boats?
And: Where you hook the straps in the alu trailer?
I am thinking about hook points...

thanks, kurz

[Obelix]

I drilled holes in the bottom of the trailer beams about at the positions of the side-guards. Then hook a 2" wide ratcheting tie-down strap in those holes and guide it around the back of the rear cleats and tighten it. This is providing downward force, with some force pulling forward. To secure the bow, I use the winch and back it up with a safety-chain.

Obelix

[NiceAft]

I use this around the stern and the trailer.

[Russ]

The aluminum trailer makes it easy. It is an I bar type of frame.
So, I use a standard ratchet strap and connect the hook under the frame up over the cockpit and back down the other side to the trailer frame. I don't like the idea of drilling holes.

[mastreb]

Drill holes? Just loop the hook around the aluminum rail, loop the other side of the ratchet strap around the cabin forward stanchion base, and ratchet strap. Easy peasy lemon breezy. Trailered 8200 mi. that way with zero issues.

[jimbo]

Obelix, do you have an Aluminium I beam trailer? I ask as drilling holes in the I Beam is not a good idea. I can understand the need if you are running straps aft from the trailer to the rear cleats as you need to stop the hooks slipping but still I would not do it. Keep an eye on the holes for stress cracks. I do the same as RussMT but also run a second similar strap around hull and trailer at the bow.

[seahouse]

I use this around the stern and the trailer.

This is identical to what I use. It hooks on the inside of the aluminum "I" beam of the trailer without the ratchet hardware coming into contact with the hull, so no protective cushion is needed to use it.

Care must be taken when using a heavy duty tie down to not overtighten the strap. It's easy to cause damage with these.

I haven't done it for the short distances that I trailer twice a year, but a half twist in the unsupported sections of the flat strap prevents the strap from vibrating against the hull at highway speed.

-Brian.

[NiceAft]

The difference in how I strap down is that I don't attach to the trailer at all. I have the ends meet inside the cockpit, and I attach them to each other. There isn't any contact of metal parts with the boat or trailer when I ratchet for tightness. I am just not comfortable with attaching hooks to the trailer. I just fear an unexpected jarring bounce, the fiberglass compressing enough for the straps to loosen from their connection to the trailer. Yes, I know that is a farfetched fear, but that is reason enough for me to go to extremes.

Ray

[EZ]

I just use dock line. Loop the eyes splice around the trailer rail. Pull the other end tight against the stern cleat and finish off with a cleat hitch. When I arrive at my destination, remove the dock lines and loop the eye splices on the stern cleats. Dock lines are now ready for boating.

I generally only trailer about 50 mi at a time. If I was trailering longer distances I might go with the straps others have mentioned.

[Russ]

The difference in how I strap down is that I don't attach to the trailer at all. I have the ends meet inside the cockpit, and I attach them to each other. There isn't any contact of metal parts with the boat or trailer when I ratchet for tightness. I am just not comfortable with attaching hooks to the trailer. I just fear an unexpected jarring bounce, the fiberglass compressing enough for the straps to loosen from their connection to the trailer. Yes, I know that is a farfetched fear, but that is reason enough for me to go to extremes.

Ray

Ray, that's an interesting idea. So you have the straps going completely under the trailer to make a loop? I can understand your concern and it makes sense.
I trailered my boat back from Seattle (900 miles) with the hooks attached to the trailer with just ratchet tension. This is how the dealer rigged it and I never gave it any thought. I did hit several really big bumps on the highway that caused the trailer wheels to make contact with the fender and tore the side marker lamps off the fender. I suppose it could have flexed enough to loosen the straps, but they didn't.

Also, I make sure the ratchet buckle is in the cockpit so no metal is touching fiberglass.

--Russ

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

I use 3/8" x 15' dock lines on my 4 mooring cleats. When trailering, I wrap the 2 aft dock lines around the trailer frame, back up around the cleat(s) and tie them. Forward, in addition to the winch line thru the bow eye, which pulls the boat forward, I also have a line tied to the trailer frame that I run thru the bow eye and back around the trailer frame and tied, to hold the front of the boat down. I just trailered my Mac back down to Florida (from Wisconsin) in January, for the umpteenth time, probably over 25,000 miles by now.
The only problem I've had while trailering this way was coming back from Key West in the early 90's after Hurricane Andrew with my Mac 26C. It was either get hit by an over-wide mobile home coming south, or go off the road, onto the shoulder, which had been blown away. I went to the right, the trailer tire blew, the boat stayed on the trailer.
I've also had one of my 26X's picked up by a tornado and dropped onto a 4 x 4 fence post thru the hull into the stern berth. The boat stayed on the trailer. A crane picked them both up together and set the trailer back on its wheels with the boat still on it.
I routinely trailer, launch, rig, and sail by myself. When ready to launch, I tie the ends of the 2 dock lines together on each side. I can then control both ends of the boat by myself.

[mastreb]

I too have used docklines to tie down routinely. I actually only went to straps for the big tow from the west to east coast and back, and that was because I felt that even a trucker's hitch stood a strong chance of untying over that period of time, in rain, etc. Ultimately the straps are easier, but not dual purpose.

[Baerkanu]

Last year we upgraded to a slightly longer Loadrite trailer, and put small aluminum brackets on the lower transom mounting bolts on the Suzuki DF70A. Standard boat tie-down straps now run from there to tabs on the trailer. It's almost worth the price of the new trailer not to have to run a strap up and over the cockpit and back down to the trailer anymore. No muss, no fuss -

- Clay

[Steve K]

I use this around the stern and the trailer.

This is identical to what I use. It hooks on the inside of the aluminum "I" beam of the trailer without the ratchet hardware coming into contact with the hull, so no protective cushion is needed to use it.

Care must be taken when using a heavy duty tie down to not overtighten the strap. It's easy to cause damage with these.

I haven't done it for the short distances that I trailer twice a year, but a half twist in the unsupported sections of the flat strap prevents the strap from vibrating against the hull at highway speed.

-Brian.

I use this one too. I removed the short pigtail and hook from the ratchet and bolted it directly to the trailer (custom bracket I made). Now it sits nice and low and no longer rubs the hull. I used to have to wrap carpet around it as a chafe guard.

I suggest washing the strap before use, as it tended to turn the gelcoat yellow, where it made contact. The wash water was very yellow, after doing this.
Tip: When washing straps like this, or the rigging ropes for your boat, dock lines etc. dropping a little fabric softener into the rinse water will make them a pleasure to handle.

Best Breezes,
Steve K.

[NiceAft]

Tip: When washing straps like this, or the rigging ropes for your boat, dock lines etc. dropping a little fabric softener into the rinse water will make them a pleasure to handle.

Now you sound like Madge, the Colgate Palmolive Dishwashing spokesperson; “your hands are soaking in it”

Ray