Solo launching Jon Boat with no ramp and a small drop off and sand...Would this work?

[VolFan]

Put bolts through your bunks with additional swing out bunks that function like a bunk ramp. If you only need 5-6 feet a couple 8ft 2x4s should get er done.

[E-H]

19 hours ago, Alex from GA said:

Many years ago I built a mount for a spare tire on the front of my trailer that swung down and had a pin so it rolled on the ground.  I used it for really shallow ramps in Baja.  I'd hook a chain from the trailer to the truck and push the boat and trailer down the ramp until it floated.  To retrieve I did the reverse.  This was with a dual wheel trailer and a 5000 lb boat.

It's definitely an option.  I just replaced the front jack wheel with a dual hoping that would solve it but I would need something like a spare tire - like the back trailer tires.  They are hard plastic and not great.  The slope doesn't look bad but my suv got stuck one time because I backed in crooked, so I am not going close to the edge.  I will attach some pictures later of the problem area....Doesn't seem like much but causes me trouble every year it seems.  I do this 6 or 7 times a year and every time I find a new challenge.

 

Thank you.

15 hours ago, VolFan said:

Put bolts through your bunks with additional swing out bunks that function like a bunk ramp. If you only need 5-6 feet a couple 8ft 2x4s should get er done.

Definitely thinking about that option.  When the water level is low it's difficult.  Pictures coming of the situation.  The slope is more uneven and steeper than it looks

 

Thank you.

[E-H]

Worse than it looks like in these pictures (steeper and uneven).  I think 2 temporary 8' bunks attached with a hitch pin or something should work well.  Should be able to crank it up without issue with an extended strap to get it up on the trailer (flat spot).  Will probably try that method in a couple of weeks.  Remember I typically do this by myself so I can't pull up the modded jon boat up this hill myself and I want it on the trailer in the water to retrieve.

[E-H]

And possibly hook up a portable electric winch if I can't crank it up easily. Harbor freight for $70.

 

The entire trailer will tip up in the air  when cranking it on, unless it's hooked up to my car.  Happened before and that's ok.

 

So 2 8' extended bunks and hitch pins or long bolts and a portable winch.....Could I finally have a simple solution?  2 minutes to add them on after lining up the trailer. 

 

It's so dumb to have so many issues for that small section of sand/soft dirt....but it happens all the time...I think the extended bunks (temporary ramp) just a foot out in the water should do the trick as far as getting the boat up over the problem area...It's so much easier to take everything off near my car when it's up and on the trailer vs the dock.

[TnRiver46]

I know the solution after seeing the pics! Just quit weedeating for a few years along the bank until you’ve got a hickory tree growing right there to winch with ? 

[E-H]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I know the solution after seeing the pics! Just quit weedeating for a few years along the bank until you’ve got a hickory tree growing right there to winch with ? 

Ha.  I won't be alive when that happens.  Going with extendo bunks and maybe electric winch...If that doesn't work I will get my shovel out and get to work  ?

[E-H]

Pictures above in this thread.

 

So after beating a dead horse and overanalyzing....I can't decide on which approach.  I will be going up next week to give try one of these things.  My trailer and boat are 6 hours away, so that's why I want to get it right from home.  This is just for solo retrieving the boat out of the shallow water and up the hill.  I can use chocks and load the boat in the water easily - no car needed.

 

1.  Add the extended bunks using 2 hitch pins through the 6ft new 2x4s and existing bunks.  Also going to add mini side bunks on the extended bunks to make sure the boat stays aligned up the hill.  And getting a 25ft winch strap - currently 15ft.  Cost around the $80.  HFreight is my friend.

 

Benefits - trailer never gets to the rough spot/hill.  Boat can get on the extended bunks near shore because they will be at water level or slightly below.  Car is attached to the trailer so it won't flip up or move much.  Car is safe from the spot where I got stuck before.  Can quickly remove the extended bunks even with the boat on the trailer for normal towing.

 

Possible issues - Too much pressure on the original bunks - might be 400lbs if fully loaded up the hill.  Cranking the boat up the hill with my winch might be difficult.  Back of the boat scrapes the shallow water on the incline and gets stuck, meaning I would have to have the bunks out further in the water and the plan would fall apart- I don't really want to go 8ft but could I suppose...

 

2.  Get a steel tube - 6ft (2x2 11 gauge).  Put a ball on the one end to attach to the trailer.  Put a hitch connector on the other end to attach to the car.  Add a 10" rubber wheel (non spinning caster) in the middle somewhere to help keep the front of the boat trailer up and help keeping the steel tube from getting into the hill part and roll straight - without spinning and going sideways.  Cost around $120.  Again HF helps with some cost.

 

Benefits - Boat is on trailer right away in the water - no difficult hitch cranking.  Tube Part is removable quickly for normal towing on the road.  Same as #1 - car not at risk of getting stuck in the sand/uneven ground.

 

Possible issues - Boat could get off center and flip pulling it up the hill on the trailer.  Guess I could add side bunks or rollers on the trailer...a little more cost.  I should add those anyway I suppose.  6ft doesn't allow me to keep my car out of the "safe" zone.  I am stuck because it would be pricey to get an 8ft piece of steel.  Other issue is the area is small and adding even 6ft from the trailer to my car could make it harder to steer and get the boat up fully.  Not much turning area before the woods start.

 

Anyone have a reason for one and not the other?  Before I spend the money I want to make sure what I do works and will continue to work.  I want my modded jon boat to be fully loaded when bringing it up - maybe 450 lbs but not sure.  Would save me a ton of time and back strain vs unloading at the dock because I store stuff in a cabin that is about 100ft away and some of the things are heavy.  I could just pull up next to the cabin to unload.

 

Hey if I can't over analyze about boating/fishing what else I am going to do?  Appreciate any additional thoughts/recommendations. 

 

I have used a dolly (couldn't get it up the hill by myself so used a strap from the car attached to the dolly - it got messed up on the hill and bent). 

 

I used just a strap no trailer to my boat/car but hate dragging it over the stones/sand all the time.  Plus it's heavy on the front so loading it on the trailer is a pain. 

 

Tried using the strap to the trailer directly but the jack wheel spun and dug into the ground and the trailer flipped.

[Glenn]

I have the solution.  It's what my dad's trailer does on his old Terry bass boat.

 

Cut the trailer just past the roller (on the bunk side, not hitch side).  You'll need to weld an extension to the back part so that it 'lays' over the front part, then drill a hole through both sides.

 

The concept is that the trailer will "fold"....scissors-like.  You use a hitch pin to lock it in place during trailering.  That way, the back will "flip up" when you launch and load, without putting any pressure on the hitch.

 

This allows you to launch in very shallow water, undeveloped banks, and other tricky launch situations.  Works great!

 

I couldn't find a pic of it online, but I'll be at my dad's this weekend and take a pic of it.

[E-H]

3 minutes ago, Glenn said:

I have the solution.  It's what my dad's trailer does on his old Terry bass boat.

 

Cut the trailer just past the roller (on the bunk side, not hitch side).  You'll need to weld an extension to the back part so that it 'lays' over the front part, then drill a hole through both sides.

 

The concept is that the trailer will "fold"....scissors-like.  You use a hitch pin to lock it in place during trailering.  That way, the back will "flip up" when you launch and load, without putting any pressure on the hitch.

 

This allows you to launch in very shallow water, undeveloped banks, and other tricky launch situations.  Works great!

 

I couldn't find a pic of it online, but I'll be at my dad's this weekend and take a pic of it.

Thanks Glenn.  Unfortunately I can't weld and my welder nephew is in a different state.  I am sure it would help some to have the trailer do that.  I will look it up and see what it's all about.  But what do you think about the 2 options I laid out?  I keep going back and forth on them.  It's a repetitive process so I want to make it solid.

[E-H]

Update....I did get the boat up on the trailer with the extended bunks but it wasn't great and I won't be using that method again.  Too steep and too much pressure on the trailer and boat.  Just a pain.

 

Next up is using one of the 2x4's (8ft) vertically and adding another hitch connector and ball.  I will support those 2 ends with additional wood.

 

Also going to add a rigid fixed 10" rubber castor to the new piece to keep the trailer tongue up and help it roll up the hill and sand.

 

Hopefully plug and play to my car and trailer with the extension and pull up 5-7ft up on shore with the fully loaded boat of maybe 400lbs.

 

Question - I am basically going to replace the jockey wheel temporarily (on the 2x4).  I was not going to use a pivoting wheel because of the sand and it turning and digging in to the dirt.  Would that work ok using a fixed/rigid tire or is a swivel needed for even minor turning?  The entire piece with the 10" tire will be removed after it's up on the flat area.  

 

At least I can build this at home with the boat/trailer here and should be able to tell if it actually works.  I also am adding 4ft side guide bunks which I realized is the main reason my boat tipped over the trailer when it slid going up the uneven terrain....Duh.  Should have done that part first...

[WRB]

I had a Shorelandr tilt trailer for my 14’ Lund years ago and I believe that is what Glenn is describing. You back up to the water edge, pull the tile pin, disengage the trailer wench and like the into the water. To retrieve the boat requires a long enough wench strap to hook the boat bow to wench the boat onto the tilted trailer. Install the tilt pin and tighten the wench.

Easy to do and you can lunch anywhere including onto you garage floor!

Tom

[E-H]

19 minutes ago, WRB said:

I had a Shorelandr tilt trailer for my 14’ Lund years ago and I believe that is what Glenn is describing. You back up to the water edge, pull the tile pin, disengage the trailer wench and like the into the water. To retrieve the boat requires a long enough wench strap to hook the boat bow to wench the boat onto the tilted trailer. Install the tilt pin and tighten the wench.

Easy to do and you can lunch anywhere including onto you garage floor!

Tom

Thanks Tom.  That would be an ideal solution, but I am looking to spend $100 or less.  The only problem is getting the boat retrieved.  My SUV got stuck once so I want to keep it safe from the drop/sand.  Extending the tongue with a temp piece should work (around 6-8 ft).  The hill/sand and water being shallow is my problem.  Going to try the extended tongue and see if that does the trick to just get the boat up on the flat part of the shore fully loaded.

 

Here is the extent of the drop off and the shallow water....The trailer needs to be in the water and my back car wheels where the trailer wheels are located on this picture.  This method is out.  The back/bottom of the boat scraped in the sand in the water quite a bit too.  The extended tongue is next...

[WRB]

Build a ramp with 2 each 3/4” 4’ x 8’ plywood down on the sand so your vehicle doesn’t get stuck since your near home.

The Tilt trailer is your answer at the end of the day.

Tom

[E-H]

31 minutes ago, WRB said:

Build a ramp with 2 each 3/4” 4’ x 8’ plywood down on the sand so your vehicle doesn’t get stuck since your near home.

The Tilt trailer is your answer at the end of the day.

Tom

I suppose I could trade my trailer in but I would probably cost me quite a bit to upgrade - my trailer is kind of small and junky.

 

So you think the extended tongue won't work?  I already have the parts for it, including the side guide bunks.  Just need to pull the dumb trailer/boat up about 8ft....Again I want it fully loaded because I take out the pieces each weekend I go - casting deck...and other sections.  All removable and pulling it loaded next to the cabin will save me effort and time.  I just dread the current process.

 

1.  2x4 8ft (vertical) tongue extension - will -reuse from the mini ramp

2.  Another Coupler (HF - $12)

3.  New ball - (HF - $8)

4.  4 ft Side guide bunks/rails (used a gift card - net of $9.)

5.  10" rigid caster mounted to the tongue extension

     for support and keep the front of the trailer up (HF $17)

6.  Additional coupler pin (HF - $4)

 

So around $50 for this attempt....

 

Tongue extension is removable so I can still tow my trailer as is.

[WRB]

It may drag on the ground going over hump at the bank transition but should work , give it try!

Tom

[E-H]

10 minutes ago, WRB said:

It may drag on the ground going over hump at the bank transition but should work , give it try!

Tom

Hoping the 10" caster on the extension piece (near the trailer helps that).  TBD....The shovel is my next option....lol....If the lake is up the waterline goes right up to the rough part....but it was down almost all summer.

[E-H]

Hopefully the non-swivel rigid wheel will work ok. 10" should do the trick.  I will try it with that.

[E-H]

So I built an extension with a caster and additional hitch/ball.  I thought this would work but of course....when I attached the boat/trailer the ball part has too much flexibility and the extension tipped over a bit with the one tire.

 

Going back to basics that WILL finally work.

 

Bought this - and will attach it to the trailer tongue.  It spins, so when I raise the jockey tire it will use this one.  I have a 10" but might go 12" and a real 4" wide "spare" tire so it rolls great on the sand.  So nothing to connect or disconnect there.  One tire only so it won't get too unbalanced getting up the hill with the front of the trailer.

 

I added 4ft side guides to my jon boat and that will keep it from sliding off and tipping everything - truly was the biggest issue I didn't think about or address.

 

Then I will use the strap to the front of the trailer post and my car.  Pull it up fully loaded and be done with this nonsense.  🙂  Only 6 months to try it for real but I am confident this will work.

 

[E-H]

On 9/30/2023 at 2:48 PM, Alex from GA said:

Many years ago I built a mount for a spare tire on the front of my trailer that swung down and had a pin so it rolled on the ground.  I used it for really shallow ramps in Baja.  I'd hook a chain from the trailer to the truck and push the boat and trailer down the ramp until it floated.  To retrieve I did the reverse.  This was with a dual wheel trailer and a 5000 lb boat.

So after several iterations and failures (dolly which bent getting stuck in the sand, extension tongue - 2 hitches/balls - was too loose and fell over - and I didn't want a swing out one or permanent one, temporary extension ramp to my trailer - to much stress on the boat/trailer and a pain to crank up....)

 

I found the dutton-lainson spare-n-dolly attachment.  So it's not a swing down but is a spinning bracket for the spare that will go down several inches below the trailer tongue (and a little further behind the jockey wheel).   I will add a nice 10 or 12" tire  - 4" wide spare.  Should be able to just strap to my car and trailer on the hitch bar and pull it up fully loaded with the jockey wheel stowed. 

 

So you get the gold star if it works, which it should...And no new large pieces to add/connect.  The dumbest thing I did was not going to the root cause of the issue - the boat slipping off because I didn't have side guide rails on the uneven terrain.  A jon boat needs that with the flat bottom....Duh.  Added 4 ft side guides now so this should work well....Fingers crossed.

 

[Bolar]

I've been following this saga for awhile now, we need more pics! 

[WRB]

You rent a Bob Cat tractor for $100 a day to cut in your own ramp.

Tom

[steve carpenter]

76 yoa and fish private lakes almost exclusively. Most have no ramps. Fourteen foot fiberglass jon boat with electric motor, battery and equipment. Tilt trailer and replaced bunks with rollers. Also have an electric winch. Back the back wheels to edge of water. push boat out until trailer begins to tilt. Boat slides into water. Load the same way. The bow of the boat causes the trailer to tilt allowing the boat to be pulled on the trailer. The rollers make it easy to load the boat. Works great. I also have 4 wheel drive truck which is a big help. It does make launching at regular ramps slower because you must keep tension on the wench to keep the boat from sliding too fast into the water. 

[E-H]

On 11/10/2023 at 5:23 PM, Bolar said:

I've been following this saga for awhile now, we need more pics! 

Quite the saga...of mishaps....but I just finished up what I am "sure" will work.

 

Attached are some final pictures.  Everything fit up front and I can still use the jockey wheels if needed.  It rolls so well and I don't need to do anything other than put the jockey wheel up and attach a strap around the hitch post and to my car and pull it up straight.  Having a real wheel up there makes such a difference.

On 11/10/2023 at 7:29 PM, steve carpenter said:

76 yoa and fish private lakes almost exclusively. Most have no ramps. Fourteen foot fiberglass jon boat with electric motor, battery and equipment. Tilt trailer and replaced bunks with rollers. Also have an electric winch. Back the back wheels to edge of water. push boat out until trailer begins to tilt. Boat slides into water. Load the same way. The bow of the boat causes the trailer to tilt allowing the boat to be pulled on the trailer. The rollers make it easy to load the boat. Works great. I also have 4 wheel drive truck which is a big help. It does make launching at regular ramps slower because you must keep tension on the wench to keep the boat from sliding too fast into the water. 

Tilt trailer would help and solve but I didn't want to spend the money on one.  I finally think I have a solution (see above with pics).  If this doesn't work, I will probably upgrade the trailer and get one.

On 11/10/2023 at 6:01 PM, WRB said:

You rent a Bob Cat tractor for $100 a day to cut in your own ramp.

Tom

I could get that done maybe but it's a beach spot for kids and my family would probably want to keep it as is.  There is one more open spot I could try but where I am is the best spot.  I think the spare that spins and is ready to use should work with the tow strap.  That wheel is a so much better and was about $40 at HF.  I have about 8 inches of clearance on the road when towing too.  My drama might finally end...lol.  Appreciate all the ideas.

[TnRiver46]

Friggin wheel and tire on the tongue, who’d a thunk it? You might want to patent that 

[E-H]

30 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Friggin wheel and tire on the tongue, who’d a thunk it? You might want to patent that 

I know it's ridiculous but I wanted something easy...so I over complicated it and lost site of the problem....which in essence was something even more ridiculous..than a good full size trailer tire on the tongue.

 

Not having side guides on my trailer for a flat bottom jon boat.....Well it was a fun and frustrating exercise....This should work at least - the combo of the spare-n-dolly and side guides...

 

I did have other problems too though....like the super shallow water and car getting stuck...so the tow strap solved that part...keeping my car safe.