Spreading the winching strain on a trailersailer
Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005
THE VERSATILITY OF TRAILERSAILING AFFORDS ME THE opportunity to enjoy a variety of diverse sailing grounds. All I need to do is hitch the boat to my pickup and drive there. While sailing to windward at 55 miles per hour has its rewards, a new challenge quickly emerges upon arrival at the new sailing destination: the launch ramp.
In many areas that I have visited, below-normal precipitation, poor ramp design, and/or a minimum of 2 feet of water at the ramp have made retrieval of my shoal-draft trailersailer difficult. Even though the sailing grounds may have been enjoyable, if I’ve had a bad experience retrieving my boat, I’ve tended to shy away from making a return trip. Since I trailersail to expand my horizons, I vowed to do something to minimize my retrieval difficulties.
A couple of years ago, I fabricated a tongue extension for my trailer (see article in the July 2004 issue). Using it in tough situations works well 80 percent of the time. To cover the remaining 20 percent, I paid a visit to my local auto-parts store. Before I did that, however, I measured the perimeter of my boat. Starting at the bow, I secured my tape measure to the towing eye and, maintaining that level, extended my tape aft, around the stern, and then forward to where I began. The tape read close to 50 feet. At the auto-parts store I found a variety of heavy-duty vehicle recovery straps. These straps are constructed of nylon webbing with pull loops on each end, and they come in several widths, lengths, and capacities. I purchased two belts, one 20 feet and one 30 feet in length. When looped together, they give me a 50-foot belt. Both are 2 inches wide and have a rated capacity of 18,000 pounds, more than adequate to handle my 2,200-pound trailersailer.
When needed, I wrap the belt around the hull of the boat. To keep it from sliding down into the water, I loosely suspend the belt from stanchions, cleats, or other deck fittings by means of light line. At the bow, I connect my winch to the belt loops, not the towing eye, and begin winching the boat onto the trailer. Instead of putting all the strain on the small towing eye and surrounding area, it’s now spread out around the entire boat. It works great.
Retrieval problems are a thing of the past.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
