Anyone use a tilt trailer to launch where there were s no boat ramps?

[Jonathan Ellingwood]

Hi guys just curious if anyone launches with a tilt trailer. 

I got some spots I want to get to but there is no boat ramps. Thinking of getting a tilt trailer? Or would it be a wasted investment or would I do damage?

[Way2slow]

I've never seen one for anything much bigger than a lighter weight 15-16' boat.   I had one a 14" fiberglass fishing boat that weight about 300 pounds  and it came in handy a several times when loading it back on the trailer after launching it off the river bank.   If your boat is much heavier than a few hundred pounds, not too sure how well it would work trying to winch it all the way on at a very steep angle.  Might have to make some changes to that front eye.  A lot of those are either not strong enough or not mounted in solid enough to really apply a lot of winch pressure.  

[Catt]

Only once & it wasn't on purpose...talk about a picture show!

[12poundbass]

My stepdad has one with rollers and it works great! I wish I had one, 'cause I'm like you I fish small lakes with boat launches but sandy and if we have a dry spell and the lake drops I have to push my boat off the trailer or risk getting stuck. He does have a 16 or 17' tin boat so like Way2slow said not sure how a glass boat would work. I'm guessing by your description of the lake you fish you have a tin boat too.

[keeganzpapa]

I had one for a 12' flat bottom boat. Unless they have really good springs or shocks they really bounce around on back roads, and are extremely hard to see when you are backing because or their low profile.

[Jonathan Ellingwood]

I have a gheenoe Lt 25 with a Tohatsu 25 hp on it. Not sure how much it ways. If I had to guess no more than 600 .  Have you guys heard of just adding tilt bunk extension? 

[Way2slow]

Nope not me.  Mine was split almost in half.  Mine was built with a piece of 3x3 box steel for the center tongue section about 8' long.  A piece of round tubing was welded cross ways to it and that was the pivot point so the whole square part of the trailer would pivot up and down.

 

One area of concern I see, since you said it's 25' gheenoe, (I didn't realize they even made them that long) with almost 200 pound motor on the back and I'm sure TM battery, gas etc, is going to be the transom going under when you get the bow up very high.  They normally have a fairly narrow transom so when you start lifting the bow, there's not a lot of flotation area back there to keep it from taking on water.  I know on my 14' boat with a 52" beam width, it would come very close to having water coming over the back with a 25 Merc on the back when I launched and recovered off the bank if there was much of a drop.

 

With that rig, as long as it is, I think a tilt trailer would be make it easier to launch and recover off a steep angle, provided it's not too steep and dunks the transom.

[Way2slow]

One thing you might want to look at, depending on how yours is built, is just converting your trailer to a tilt trailer.  I'm sure a fabricator could do that very easily and a whole lot cheaper than another trailer.  Most boat trailers are built with the center beam going back and welded to a cross bar that goes between the outer frame rails.  All you need to do it cut the center beam loose, weld length of channel to that cross beam than will fit over the center beam and use a large 3/4" bolt as the pivot point right at the cross beam.  The length of channel will lay on top of the center beam when the boat is trailered and you can use a removable pin through them a few feet up toward the front. when you want it to tilt. 

[Glenn]

I had a boat with a tilt trailer that I used for years. Pretty cool getting in and out of lakes with all the car-toppers around. Felt like I was in an aircraft carrier.

 

I never had any problems with it, but cranking it on sometimes was a pain. Make sure you have a strong rope, strong knots, and the eye on the boat is strong enough to handle the stress.  It's a dangerous situation if any of those fail while cranking the boat back on.

 

 

[jeffh129]

Back in the day I had a tilt bed trailer and a 14 foot jon boat. I loved that rig. The tilt feature was so easy to use. At some launches , depending on the slope , I could actually launch and retrieve my boat without getting the trailer tires wet !!! Peoples jaws would drop over that !!

 

I don't think any major trailer manufacturer makes them anymore. Not sure if it was a cost issue or a safety issue. If anyone knows where I can purchase one new, let me know, I'd be all over that.

[Wayne P.]

I had a tilt trailer with a 12' jon boat fixed up like a bass boat. Used the tilt feature twice the same day--- first and last.

I think the trailer brand was Shorelander.