bounce problem

[thomas mitchell]

A word of caution to anyone looking to use a jet ski trailer.  I bought a small Yatch Club jet ski trailer for my Oonagh.  The boat fits great, but bounces a lot on anything other than smooth blacktop.  Unfortunately, it is rated at over 1,000 lbs.  The boat stays on the trailer but after a while the tiedowns on the stern loosen.  I talked to a company rep, and he suggested taking one or two of the 3 leaf springs out.  I took off one set, but couldn’t get the leaves apart.  I decided to seek professional help in the Spring.

[Doug Hermann]

Hi Tom – Interesting that you are experiencing that. I have been concerned about trailering the boat as well.

I plan to travel from Georgia to Maine and back. I have looked at some light weight aluminum trailers that can hold the Oonagh and 2 kayaks. I am concerned it will just be too light to trailer well.

I wonder if weighting the trailer down with lead bars or something heavy would help the ride, and if so how much weight would be appropriate.?

Good question for the forum!

[thomas mitchell]

Doug

First I have to say I’m glad that you had a good time at the Woodenboat Show.  I grew up in CT and have been to Mystic many times, including the Show twice.  Sorry about the hurricane.  Regarding trailering, my first launch was at Lake George.  We had at least a couple of hundred pounds of extra gear in the boat since we were going to my daughter’s camp.  As I recall the boat trailered fine.  The gear was probably equal to a couple of kayaks.  I’m thinking that I’m going to have a professional replace my springs.  I’ll post a solution if it works.

[Author]

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