Frustrating Boat Loading Problem

[JPascavage52]

Hey guys, I have a 2009 Bass Tracker Pro Team 170 TX that came on a Tracker Trailstar trailer with two bunks, no guide bunks (I am thinking about purchasing some). I tow it with a GMC sierra 1500, I bought it in 2013, and it's my first boat, so far love it, it's great to be able to fish tournaments as an owner, and run up and down lake to spots I wouldn't be able to reach in my kayak that I fished out of before I bought the boat. It has been easy to maintain, operate, and add things on to. I am saving for something a little bigger and fancier with a larger motor over the next couple years, but being that I'm in my late twenties age with that "boat vs home down payment" decision looming, I'm waiting for the time to be right. 

Now, starting towards the end of last season, I have noticed that when I try to drive my boat up the trailer, even with the motor straight, it always seems to want to turn/ list to the right, to the extent that I stopped trying to drive it on, and usually just winch the boat up, which really isn't a problem with how some people look down on power loading, but when you're in a big tournament with some angry skunked fisherman waiting to load and go home, it does tend to draw some annoyed glares. Towards the end of last year, it would do this about 50% of the time, but even when I would get it on straight, it seemed I would have people remarking how my boat didn't look straight on the trailer. Fast forward to this year, it is doing this every single time I have tried to power load. I am trying to figure out if I am doing something wrong suddenly, or if there is something wrong with the trailer/ boat. I have always backed the trailer until the bunks are about half to 2/3rds of the way under water, and had no problems. Since this issue has started, I've tried experimenting backing it in more and less, and the same exact thing happens. 

Yesterday, at the end of a long day of fishing, when I was going to grab my truck and trailer to retrieve the boat, I took a quick look at the trailer to make sure nothing was out of whack. I found that one of the back bolts on the right bunk that holds the bunk to the trailer had come a bit loose, to the extent I could move the bunk up and down about a half inch. I grabbed some pliers and tightened it up to where it won't move anymore, but once again, had the same exact issue when I tried to load the boat?

Anybody have suggestions? 

[cfalco]

Not sure what you mean by list to the right but either way.  First off guide rails are huge, put them on, works great on a windy day, or just in general.  Good carpet on the main rails is important also.  As to the depth of the trailer back your boat up slow and stop every foot or so, when you see the boat float look at your fenders and remember where you are and that is the place you want to put it each time.  As soon as you see it wiggle that is your spot.  Now this changes with each lake but if you use one lake or river each time it will be right there for you.  No reason why you cant drive that boat up each time, every time.  If I am with someone I hit the bumper, raise the engine and go, you should be the same.

 

Once you find your spot you will be golden.

 

good luck

[Dwight Hottle]

Almost all boats have torque steer to the right under acceleration. If you're a big guy & the only one in the boat your weight contributes to the problem. Try lining the nose of the boat up & then steering a little left as you accelerate towards the bow roller. Practice a few times when the ramp isn't busy to see if that helps. You will have to steer left of center to compensate for the pull to the right. Hope that helps. 

[adrenalnjunky]

Have you checked your trim/torque tab on the lower unit, possibly it has rotated and is causing you more torque steer than before.  Do you find that the boat has become harder to steer in one direction at speed? That is also an indicator that the trim tab there needs to be adjusted. 

[slonezp]

What doesn't make sense is that it loaded ok for the past 4 years and now it's having issues. Something has changed. If the trailer bunks appear ok, did you add any weight to the boat? is this happening at all ramps or just certain ones? Is there any chance the flotation foam could be waterlogged?

[JPascavage52]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I am heading out to the lake this weekend, and I'm going to mess around with it all to see what I can find. 

 

26 minutes ago, adrenalnjunky said:

Have you checked your trim/torque tab on the lower unit, possibly it has rotated and is causing you more torque steer than before.  Do you find that the boat has become harder to steer in one direction at speed? That is also an indicator that the trim tab there needs to be adjusted. 

I have not checked this yet, I will take a look at this when I get home tonight. 

[geo g]

Put the extra side guards on.  This will help greatly with wind, current or torque problems.

[tander]

You said that one of your bunks was loose and you had to tighten it up with pliers, I think that bunk is still moving on you. I had the same problem and  getting them bunk bolts really tight solved my problem. I doubt you could get it tight enough with pliers.

[RHuff]

Have you noticed this problem on every lake you fish or just one certain lake? I ask that because I had a similar problem one day of not getting the bow of the boat to center up with the rubber thing where the wench is. Come to find out another fisherman was having the same problem and we discovered that half of the ramp had dropped a little at the center making it not level. I started hugging the level side as close to the dock as I could when launching and retrieving and it fixed it instantly. I would have never have even considered that. 

[moguy1973]

I'd look at your bunks closer.  They may seem solid but they may be beginning to rot.  Mine seemed fine until last year when I launched and pulled the trailer up and one of the bolts had completely fallen out and the bunk was flopping around on the trailer. Tried to put a new bolt in and saw that the wood had pretty much started to disintegrate.

[WRB]

^^^^this^^^^

Loose or dry wrought bunks will cause you lots of problems. Short 12" to 18" side guides are well worth the effort to put them on your trailer. Also put on the extra wide front rollers to help keep the bow straight. Most bass boat trailers are designed to be back down until the top of the fender is about 1" out of water. The boat shouldn't be floating off the trailer, it's too deep.

Tom

[Catt]

If ya gonna spend time & money putting on side guides go with 4' long, install em at least 1" from the side of the boat.

 

When backing down putting trailer too deep is worst than to shallow!

[JPascavage52]

Thanks for all the replies guys, very helpful! This week, checked the trim tab, it's still straight as the day I got it, tightened the bunk bolts as much as I could with a ratchet, the bunks and the carpet still look okay to me. 

Yesterday, I fished Raystown where it's that golden upper 50 water temp time between prespawn and spawn, the jerkbait/ spinnerbait bite wasn't happening like it was last weekend, so ended up pitching some laydowns and getting a few good ones. 

When I got back to the ramp at the end of the day, decided to check things out on the trailer, and mess around with loading the boat a bit. Backed the trailer, got the boat, and, this time, as I approached the trailer, I moved from the drivers seat to the middle seat in an effort to center the weight a bit. Also, when I got to the trailer, I turned the motor slightly to the left as I drove up the trailer. The boat centered nicely on the trailer, and I got it up to about a foot from the bow roller, where I hand winched it the rest of the way. I am going to mess around with this procedure the next few trips. 

[JPascavage52]

Welp, I followed this procedure to a T again today, and the boat went right up with no issues. Also forgot that there were some anchors that came with the boat that were in the right front deck compartment, not sure of their total weight, but moved them to the left compartment, and all seems to be well now. I'm going to stick with this. 

Of course, I now seem to be having a sporadic rough idling problem, but that is for another thread.

[Ghostshad]

Know how you feel a inch makes all the difference in the world on my . Changes from lake to lake , if i'm in too deep the nose of my boat goes below the rollers. I fish alone so i make sure i'm not in too deep & wench mine up . I just got my boat worked on i hope it will run up on the trailer now.