orkney longliner trailer

can anybody help or has ideas for making my trailer better the boats a rite pain in the arse to get onto it keel rollers keep splitting due to the weight of the boat even though i replaced them 2 months ago the trailer has 3 keel rollers up the centre and just a buffer pad on either side the boats a 16ft orkney longliner

MORE ROLLERS!!!!
if you double the number of rollers then each roller is carrying half the weight, this will also allow them to actually roll when you launch/retrieve.
You will get them at indespension in Mallusk or any number of similar places. personally i would at least double and maybe try for treble!!

Good point , Ray. No matter how good a bearing or bushing you have in a roller or how well you grease it, if the rubber flattens under load it won't rotate. More rollers will spread the load and will roll better. Can't win arguing against the laws of physics, I say.

Plus, it'll be better for your boat to have the weight distributed across more rollers when driving, rather than creating a pressure point in the middle of the keel every time the trailer chassis flexes.

Ray's right, 2-3 times more rollers....

rite lads so more rollers it is do u think i should upgrade to bigger ones the ones at the minute r 100mm long it aint that handy getting the boat aligned unto these the only way i can get the boat unto the trailer is to have the last roller abt 6 inches below the water then winch her up onto the trailer its a god awful thing would removing the buffer pads and putting wheeled rollers on benifit any this could turn out pretty expensive ive been to indesupension and rollers aint cheap just like everything else to do with boats!!

Well, I'm glad you've worked out that the word 'marine' or 'angling' is an industry code-word for 'multiply the price anywhere from 4 -10 times' :lol:

It's hard to say without seeing the trailer you have, but it might be a cheaper and better option in the long run to sell the trailer you have and buy a better one than spend a packet trying to mod it into something that better suits your boat and needs.

It might be an idea to get some experienced advice - maybe head along to one of the BAI meets and get some of the lads to give you a few opinions on what might be best?

i hear wat u say sandman another guy told me the exact same thing but im gona work with what i got doubt she'll b out much over the winter so times on my side its great having the boat but its like a moneybox with no arse got 2 more rod holders fitted today and nearley have the fishfinder sorted just need a battery!! im new to this site just signed in yesterday evening when do these meetings take place will definately have to go for a bit of craic

For a battery, cheapest and best place is often one of the agricultural Co-Ops or wholesalers. Get one of the tractor batteries with a good high Amp/Hour rating. It'll be dearer than your average car battery but will pay for itself in the long run.

was thinking more of a motorbike battery gona put all the electronics in a tool box along with the battery so they can b easily removed from the boat

Welcome Alistair,
You might consider the rubber used in making your rollers. You can buy nylon rollers to suit indespension trailers. You could always get them made locally.

For example, rubber rollers will not work with a Warrior 175. The trailer needs nylon rollers due to the weight of the boat. The effect of harder rollers will be more speedy launching and retrieving. You might want to check your trailer set-up to be sure that your pads are not set too low thus putting too much weight on your rollers.

Jim

the cheapest batteries are available from scrap yards find a newish looking car that has not been lying in the yard for months and start to haggle about £7-10 gets one aound these parts (get one from a diesel if possible)

do not believe all this tosh about needing a carvan (leisure) batteries 99% of boats are used more like cars than they are like caravans, think how you use your car, you start the engine put the radio on maybe the heating fan, the lights etc etc. compare this to how use use your boat, unless you use your boat as a floating gin palace or have MASSES of electronics its all much the same isnt it?

if you are worried have a small spare battery (from scrapped motorcycle) this will have plenty of juice to start the engine in the very unlikely event that you run your main down while at anchor.


for years i had a manual start engine with no charging circuit, i fully charged a 2nd hand car battery at the start of the season and it ran a fish finder, marine radio and an FM radio and bilge pump for the whole season with no further charging (boat on mooring). admittedly not a kindly way to treat a battery but even if it only lasted 2 years(and it my experience they lasted longer) so what? £7 got a "new" one.

hi jim i didnt know u could get nylon ones they mite b the answer lanching isnt a problem just let the car roll back and stand on the brakes boat rolls off as for the pads they r a complete bollocks to adjust them u screw a bolt in2 a nut welded unto the box section these r gona hav to b changed was thinking of welding a clamp just like the one thats on jockey wheels unto the axel at each side of the boat then use steel tubeing for height adjustment with a good set of wheel rollers the longliner has a displacement hull and all of the weight of the boat lays on the keel strip its no more than inch and a half wide

hi ray im running a pull start 15hp yamaha there is a charging socket on her but all this electronics is new to me the wee orkney doesnt hav that much room even gone off the idea of a steering console im happy enough at the back getting wet i like keeping the boat tidy as space is limited still think im gona go for the toolbox idea keeps everything together

since you launch and retrieve and dont need a battery to start I would go with a motorcycle battery ( but make sur its 12v!!!) this will easily have the juice for 1 trip and just recharge when you get home. They are small and much lighter than a car battery.