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MAY 2011

The BoaTU.S. 2011 Trailering gUide

The Ultimate Trailer Checklist

Tire Savvy

Tow Weight Safety

TraileringMust-Knows

Including:

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Boat U.S. Trailering Guide.indd 1 3/18/11 4:07:46 PM

BoatU.S. Trailering MAY 2011 3

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On Ramp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Anchorline . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Trailering Guys . . . . . . . . 12Onboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Gear Locker . . . . . . . . . 70Off Ramp . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Departments

Contents

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16 What To Do When It’s Up To Youby BoatU.S. Trailering EditorsClose quarters in the channel

Boating Wildernessby John GrayTrailering a boat out there – way out there

Hunting Hurricanesby Pat PiperT’is the season to get ready

Three Experts on St. Augustineby Jan MaizlerAmerica’s oldest city has something new

Gone Fishin’by Pat PiperA real whopper of a story

Personal Watercraft, Safety and Youby Ted SensenbrennerHere’s what you (and your PWC) need

Three Important Ethanol Questionsby Bob AdrianceWhat you need to know

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The Ultimate ChecklistEverything you need to know before you leave home

Preventive Maintenance from BoatU.S. TRAILER ASSIST™

Weight A MinuteHaving a capable capacity on your trailer

Trailering LawsThese are the rules of the road

Trailer Tire TipsSeven ways to get the most from your tires

Don’t Lose It When Not Using ItHere’s what you do

Keeping Bearings DryIf you don’t, they’ll let you know

The Will of the Bilgeby Bob AdrianceWill it work?

Where’s The Plug?(what plug?)

The 2011 BoatU.S. Trailering Guideby BoatUS Trailering Editors61 Essential Trailering Must-Knows

Cover: 15th Street Boat Ramp in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Photo by Beth McCann


our boat trailer doesn’t have it easy. To begin with, it’s always behind while you’re focused on the highway. It’s pulled across miles of sizzling Interstates and unpaved

side roads before being dropped into the water. Everyone admires the boat it carries but very few give any thought to the trailer beneath.

This is why we’ve assembled the 2011 BoatU.S. Trailering Guide. Your trailer deserves some attention. With just a little preventive maintenance, it will continue getting your boat from home to the water and back.

We’ve designed this guide to be easily carried inside your tow vehicle. It’s loaded with the common things every expe-rienced as well as first-time boat owner needs: a checklist to use before leaving home, some points to keep in mind when you get to the ramp and, of course, some helpful tips to make retrieving the boat go all the more smoothly. As you read, you’ll see we’ve packed some common-sense basics in these pages too: facts about what to look for when inspecting your trailer

tire, the wide assortment of state rules regarding trailer brakes, how to use a truck scale to determine tongue weight, and the importance of crossing safety chains. All of these tips come from seasoned trailer owners as

well as our more than 1,800 service providers who work with BoatU.S. TrAIlEr ASSIST™. With the Trailering Guide, your boat trailer is in good hands.

lots of new things are ready for you here at BoatU.S. There’s a community web page blog, where stories and comments can be shared (www.BoatUS.com/trailerclub/com-munity), and BoatU.S. AnGlEr has a great deal for the tournament trailer boater with the new Weight-to-Win bonus (www.BoatUSfishing.com).

remember, with competitive insurance rates, on-the-water and on-the-road towing protection, and great benefits, BoatU.S. is with you (and your trailer) for the entire trip to and from the boat ramp!

Chairman & FounderRichard Schwartz

President & PublisherNancy S. Michelman

Associate PublisherBeth McCann

EditorPat Piper

Contributing EditorsDustin Hoover

Ted SensenbrennerMichael Vatalaro

Ann DermodyRyck Lydecker

Technical EditorRobert Adriance

Graphic DesignRick KelvingtonMarcus Floro

Carla Shamblen

Circulation ManagerLauren James

Advertising SalesElio Betty, Director Of Advertising

PHONE: 703-461-4383ebetty@ BoatUS.com

ProofreadingRegina Cruz and Chris Colbert

Editorial Offices880 South Pickett St.

Alexandria, Virginia 22304

Phone: 800-245-6923

703-461-2878 ext. 3720

Fax: 703-461-4394

E-mail: [email protected]

Visit us atwww.BoatUS.com/trailerclub

Trailer Tailored

BoatU.S. Trailering welcomes editorial content from Trailering Club members. Stories about why you like to trailer your boat and where you like to trailer your boat are welcome. Original high-resolution digital photographs must accompany any submission. We reserve the right to make changes in submitted manuscripts selected for publication.

BoatU.S. Trailering (ISSN# 1554-0812) is published quarterly by the Boat Owners Association of the United States, 880 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, VA 22304-4695. Volume 12, Issue #2. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BoatU.S. Trailering, 880 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, VA 22304-4695.

Volume 12 MAY 2011 Issue #2

Trailering

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Enjoy the read!

Beth McCannAssociate Publisher

On Ramp

With the Trailering Guide, your boat trailer

is in good hands

Call 1-800-BOATING or visit BoatUS-store.com for your West Advantage

Gold Rewards balance or to find a store near you.

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News & updates from the editors of BoatU.S. TraileringNews & updates from the editors of BoatU.S. News & updates from the editors of BoatU.S. TraileringAnchorline


AnchorlineWhere Do You Fuel Your Boat?

When was the last time you read the fine print on the gas pump where you fill up your boat and tow vehicle? You know, the little placard that has all the warn-ings and details about what’s coming out of that hose nozzle. Not too recently, we’d guess, but that could become an important check-off on boating prep lists now that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved up to 15-percent levels of ethanol in gasoline. Yes, this only applies to 2001 and newer automobiles, and it’s true that E15 is not even on the market yet (See related story on page 40).

No one is certain yet when E15 will start showing up in gas pumps, and as part of its approval, the EPA specifically prohibited the use of these higher blends in “non-road” engines. That includes all boat engines, even engines manufac-tured after 2001. If the engine is not in a car or truck, it will be against the law to burn E15. In fact, on all pumps dispens-ing E15, the EPA will require a notice to that effect. The potential for mis-fueling with E15 could be pretty high, if that time does come, so boaters will need to be especially vigilant regarding what exactly is going into their fuel tanks.

To get a better handle on the “what-if” implications of E15 at your local gas station in the future, BoatU.S. is conducting a survey that is available online. So to help us gauge the impact that E15 could have on you and your boating activities, please take this short survey at www.BoatUS.com/gov/survey.asp and tell us what’s going on where you fuel up.


If It’s Broke, They’ll Fix ItNon-working pumpout equipment can be

the bane of a boater’s existence, but now two states are adding electronic-monitoring devices that will report out-of-order equipment as well as how much sewage is being pumped. Both California and Oregon are requiring that all new pumpout facilities built with state grant funds use the monitors, similar to automated meter-reading equipment used on home utility systems. Non-working equipment is one of the top complaints of recreational boaters, as deter-mined in a 2008 study by the Clean Vessel Act program that provides federal funding to install pumpout equipment at marinas.

“This is just one method that we are try-ing out to improve equipment maintenance, and a test of six pumpout stations using the monitors in San Diego Bay last year went very well,” reports Kevin Atkinson, who manages the program at the California Dept. of Boating and Waterways. “Monitoring pumpout equipment around a state as big as California requires a tremendous amount of staff time and expense, so using the electronic systems should allow us to monitor more effectively and address any pumpout problems much quicker than in the past.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adminis-ters the program under the federal Clean Vessel Act, which BoatU.S. helped shepherd through Congress in 1992. It’s funded by boaters and anglers through federal excise taxes they pay on

tackle and gasoline used in their boats. Through the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, the service has awarded more than $172 million since 1992 to install thousands of sew-age pumpout stations. Today, many states use pumpout boats to make the sewage collection process more efficient and convenient for boat-ers. A number of states also have begun install-ing floating restrooms and pumpout stations in high-use areas of lakes and coastal waters with Clean Vessel Act funds. In 2010, the program awarded $12.8 million to 31 states.

Fees Are Up• Suffolk County, New York – County boat

ramps on this section of Long Island are going to cost more as a way to cover the cost of main-tenance. County officials are hiking the daily fee from $5 to $8 and the annual pass from $25 to $30. Suffolk County operates three boat ramps.

• Lake Lewisville, Texas – The Little Elm Journal reports Little Elm officials are consider-ing a way to (1) control a crowded boat ramp in Little Elm Park, and (2) make the use of the ramp resident-based rather than for out-of-towners. The idea is to make launching free for residents and $10 for non-residents.

• New Smyrna Beach, Florida – The Merritt Island National Refuge is going to start charging boaters who use the three boat ramps located within the 140,000 acres tract of land. As of July 2011, a daily boat ramp pass will cost $5, while an annual pass can be purchased for $15. Merritt

The Shape Of Things To Come?

The Miami Boat Show, held every February, is a constant for anyone wondering what the future holds for recreational boat-ing. Well, how about this, seen at last winter’s show: a dinghy powered by the sun. The Sea Eagle 10.6 has a solar panel that charges an onboard lithium bat-tery, which powers an outboard. It can carry 1,200 pounds and has a 5’ 4” beam.

Also attracting attention at the show was the EzyBoat, a 14 1/2-foot boat that folds in half and contains an integrated trailer in the hull so it can be easily towed. Because the wheels retract into the hull once in the water, this unique design can accommodate four passengers and can handle outboards up to 25 horsepower.


Island is one of 36 wildlife refuges in the United States imposing fees. Nationally, 464 of the 553 wildlife refuges are open to the public.

Ah-Riva-Derci!One of the last six wooden boats built by

the Cantieri Riva Boatyard in Italy has been auctioned off for $975,000. The 1996 Riva Aquarama, hull #774, had just 20 hours on its twin Riva Crusader 454 CI engines. The boat got the highest bid at the Mecum Auction in Kissimmee, Florida, where more than 1,500 new and classic cars were also up for sale.

New Mega-Ramp In California

Lake Elsinore, Southern California’s largest freshwater lake, is getting a new six-lane boat ramp as part of a $7.6 million renovation. The lake, located east of Huntington Beach near I-15, is a popular boating, camping, and swimming venue. Under the plans, the lake’s 40-year-old single-lane boat ramp will be replaced, and park-ing will be made for 270 boat trailers.

Let’s Do SixThe BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing

Championship, the largest event in all of col-legiate bass fishing, returns to Lake Lewisville, Texas, for the sixth consecutive year in May.

More than 150 teams of student anglers from every region of the country will compete at Lake Lewisville on May 23 - 27 to decide the

2011 national champions. Camera teams from CarecoTV will be on hand to capture all the action and the event. Two hours of coverage will be featured on the BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship television series, sched-uled to air on Versus in the third quarter of 2011.

Invasive Volunteers Facing a cost of more than $20,000 to

have inspections of every boat launched at Minnesota’s Fish Lake, just northwest of Minneapolis, residents have decided to cover the price using volunteers. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports Maple Grove boaters have been worried about invasives entering the lake from boats and trailers coming from nearby lakes, including Minnetonka, where they were dis-


Boating GreenBoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water

eady for a road trip? If you packed your bags – and tackle box – and

drove from Washington, D.C. to San Diego, California, you’d travel nearly 2,700 miles. That’s the amount of fishing line that was recycled through the BoatU.S. Foundation’s Reel In and Recycle Program last year, which gives anglers an easy way to recycle fishing line at more than 1,000 locations across the country.

This effort happens as a result of many individuals and organizations that install and maintain the line-recycling bins. The bins are installed on piers, docks, and buildings at water’s edge, and maintained by fishing clubs, Scouting groups, marinas, and other local volunteers. In the last two years, the BoatU.S. Foundation has built and distributed nearly 1,200 fishing-line recycling bins to local groups around the country. These three-foot-tall PVC storage tubes keep discarded fishing line out of our waterways and help protect fish, birds, and other wildlife from entanglement. The 2,700 miles of line collected by these vol-unteers were sent to Berkley Conservation Institute (www.berkley-fishing.com/about/berkley-conservation-institute), a division of Pure Fishing (www.purefishing.com), for

Recycled Fishing Line Would Stretch Across America

recycling, where it was melted down and used to make other products.

Adding to this total, boating, sail-ing, and fishing product retailer West Marine (www.westmarine.com) recycled line collected at their stores. West Marine is a vital partner in this effort. When respooling line for customers, there’s a great opportuni-ty to collect large volumes of line for recycling. The

company tracks their stores’ line collection through online tools and provides incen-tives to the volunteer groups to collect and recycle their old line. Each time one of the BoatU.S. Foundation’s 1,200 recycling bin sites reports a line shipment to Berkley, the group is entered to win a $100 West Marine gift card in a monthly drawing. The BoatU.S. Foundation is building an additional 1,200 recycling bins this spring and is looking for new Reel In and Recycle bin locations. If you’d like to receive a free bin, visit www.BoatUS.com/Foundation/monofilament to sign up on a waitlist. The Foundation also has a short video at this website that shows how to build your own line recycling bin.

The Reel In and Recycle Program is a public-private partnership with participation from federal, state, and local governments, national and local nonprofits, as well as the private sector boating, fishing, and marina communities. Funding for this program comes from voluntary donations to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit BoatU.S. Foundation www.BoatUS.com/Foundation and grants from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Brunswick Public Foundation.

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covered last year. Originally, the state had been looking at raising boat fees to cover the cost of inspections but the idea was rejected in favor of the state DNR training volunteers to do boat ramp inspections.

Three Communities, And Three Outlooks On Trailerable Boats

City leaders in Quincy, Massachusetts, voted 8-1 to remove wording from a law that would’ve restricted the numbers of RVs and boats on a property. The original proposal would have required a boat or RV to be parked in front of a home no longer than 72 hours and then be stored no closer than three feet of prop-erty lines and five feet from a building. Boaters appeared at the next meeting and voiced oppo-sition to the idea, saying the town has 27 miles of coastline and the rule would require many to pay for storage of their boats. City leaders dropped the idea.

Meanwhile, in Flagler Beach, Florida, south of St. Augustine, the city commission unanimously approved an ordinance forbidding residents to park their RVs and utility trailers in driveways for more than 72 hours during any one-week period. Notice what’s missing? The commissioners refused to include boat trailers because, according to the Daytona Beach News-

Journal, boats are part of the city’s culture. RVs and utility trailers can be stored inside a carport, garage, or in a side or backyard. Boats can remain on their trailers in driveways.

Things are not going as smoothly over at “The Landings” section of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, however, which is known for its high-end homes. Some residents are worried that the boats parked in driveways are “lowering the tone” of the neighborhood, according to a story in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. The president of the residential association wants the city to make it a clear-cut code violation to park anything in front of a home that doesn’t belong there. City officials are considering the request for an enhanced zoning law.

Boats Win OneCity leaders in Quincy, Massachusetts voted

8-1 to remove wording on a law that would have restricted the numbers of RVs and boats on a property. The original proposal would have required a boat or RV to be parked in front of a home no longer than 72 hours and then be stored no closer to three feet of property lines and five feet from a building. Boaters appeared at the next meeting and voiced opposition to the idea, saying the town has 27 miles of coastline and the rule would require many to pay for stor-age of their boats. The city leaders dropped the idea altogether.

Get a free Boat U.S. hat with purchaseat RockAuto.com while supplies last.Enter code “boatus11” in the“How Did You Hear About Us?” box during checkout.


Slip Sliding AwayWhat do you think about put-ting a poly sleeve on a bunk trailer?

T. Williams, Cedar Rapids, IA

Dustin: Poly sleeves work very well for some size boats. I’ve seen them on small boats and the owners say that they’re too slippery, and I’ve seen them on very large boats and the owners love them. To each his own. I’d recommend that you install them using stainless screws because anything else will just rust out. Spraying with silicone if they’re not slick enough will help. Now, I wouldn’t recommend them if you have bottom paint on your boat. If you drive the boat

all the way up on the trailer, be careful because they can be slick. One last word of advice: If you do put silicone on them, don’t step on them, or you may end up in the drink or the hospital. I’ve seen it happen.

Ted: I have written about ultra-high molecu-lar weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in the past and sing the praises of the difference it makes in sliding a boat on and off the trailer. You can pur-chase strips of this poly stuff yourself at a hard-ware store and affix to bunks, or purchase them precut and pre-drilled with counter-sunk holes at most boating supply stores. Just search “trailer bunk pads” online first to see your options and you’ll see claims that this product can decrease effort by 400 percent. Just be certain your boat is strapped down properly for transport – they are slick!

Q The Brake Line Just Came Apart?

I took a look at my actuator and realized the brake line coming out of it has completely

come off. I’ve cleaned up the brake fluid and am wondering, is this something I should just recon-nect, or should I find a new metal part (don’t know what it’s called) and reattach it, or should I just buy an entire new brake line with the part I need already on it? The trailer is five years old and goes into saltwater once a week. Thanks for the good answers! J. Merrifield, Miami, FL

Ted: Without knowing the brand, make, and model, I’m assuming a barrel fitting at the actua-tor has failed. It is possible that it has just come “unscrewed,” but I suspect a crimped fitting or some other attachment at the terminal end is the culprit. I’d seriously consider ordering a whole new brake line with new fittings already in place, especially if the one you have now shows wear from vibration of any sort. Be sure to top off with new brake fluid, and burp and bleed the brake lines after reinstalling.

Dustin: I’ve never seen a brake line just come apart, so chances are it’s broken. The back of the actuator should have a brass nipple that the brake line screws into. If it doesn’t, then at least make sure you check the threads to be sure they’re not damaged. If that brass nipple is what broke, then you may have some serious problems. Getting the old brass out of the steel or aluminum master cylinder is almost impos-sible without some specialty tools. But it’s worth a try. I’d consider replacing the brake line with a new one that already has the ends on it. (If it’s a rubber line, you can’t just put a new fitting on. If it’s a metal line, then the end of the line must be double flared so that it makes a strong and clean seal.) Buying a new line is by far the easiest. Now, make sure your actuator has not rusted inside due to being opened up. Put fluid in it and see if it will pump before you go too far. You may have to hold your finger over the end to give it some back pressure so that it will pump. If it works, then continue with the above steps.

Tease Out Neglected Screws With TLC

I have cool hubs on my trailer. There are set screws that need to be removed to change

the oil. I haven’t changed the oil in more than three years. I can’t get the screws to move and

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Trailering guysTed Sensenbrenner and Dustin Hoover

Ask The Trailering GuysIf you’ve got a question about a boat trailer, this is the place to be. Trailering Guy Ted Sensenbrenner, of the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, has been pulling, fixing and studying boat trailers for years. Dustin Hoover, of Legendary Trailer Repairs (www.legendarytrailers.com), is a service provider for TRaILeR aSSIST in the annapolis, Maryland area. Between them, they’re familiar with almost everything that can go wrong with a boat trailer and are ready to answer your question. e-mail the Trailer Guys at [email protected] or go to www.myBoatUS.com/askexperts. TedDustin

I’m worried about stripping the edges. These are Allen screws and I have an Allen wrench that seems to fit but nothing moves. Suggestions?

B. Luscomb, Bainbridge, WA

Dustin: Been there, done that. My advice is to try and lubricate the screw with a rust-penetrating fluid. Make sure you have the exact right size Allen wrench and pull the tire off so that you can get a straight angle on the screw. If you do, strip it out, then try the next wrench size up. You may have to tap it in with a hammer to get it to cut into the soft metal, but it sometimes works. Make sure you have a cold beer next to your work station. You will either need it when you are pulling your hair out over this tiny screw or it will be on hand for a celebration drink. Make sure you replace that screw and the seal in the rear. Good luck.

Ted: Cool hubs use 50-weight oil to keep moving parts lubricated rather than typical bear-ing grease. Many people believe cool hubs, which provide an “oil bath” for the bearings, are easier to maintain due to the clear hub window to keep track of fluid levels and the oil-refill fitting you mention. However, the fitting is tiny and can be difficult to remove if neglected. First, apply some lubricating oil to the threaded plug and let it sit overnight. Then, find the tightest-fitting Allen wrench. Experiment with both English and met-ric sizes, or possibly even a Torx key for a snug fit before applying pressure. The small fitting you’re trying to remove is softer than the hardened steel tool you’ll remove it with, so if you have a good fit, tap it slightly with a hammer to ensure an even better fit. Then use an appropriate-sized pipe to extend the length of the wrench or key to increase leverage. If this fails, you may have to try a tool called an Easy Out extractor or a left-handed drill bit that will bite into the soft fitting and back it out when drill pressure is applied. I bet you get it out this way. Order new fittings now so you have them when you tackle the job,

and don’t forget to use a high-temperature thread sealant when reinstalling.

Only One Side Of Trailer Showing Wear

I have a tandem-axle trailer that I back into my garage. It's a tight fit but I've gotten

pretty good at maneuvering the truck to do this. When I check my trailer before a trip, though, I'm noticing some wear on both tires on the right side. My buddies at the ramp, one who sells tires, are telling me it's because of the tight turns I make with the trailer when I back it into the garage. I like these guys but I think I'm getting a story from them. C. Giffords, Ft. Worth, TX

Ted: It’s possible that repeated, extremely tight turns in the same direction can cause uneven and unusual wear. Next time you make a really tight turn (like a U-turn) with your trailer, you’ll notice that inside wheels plant themselves while the outside wheels turn at a faster rate to make the turn, kind of like an Army tank. The slowing (or dragging) of one side becomes more evident when you steer at an angle of more than 45 degrees to the trailer and is really obvious when you near a 90-degree jackknife angle, which you may actually be approaching with your radical backing maneuver. Take a look next time you perform this operation; I bet it’s your inside set of tires that skids and is taking the brunt of the wear. If you have a concrete carport pad, I suspect there’d be telltale signs of skidding. Rotating your trailer tires will help to prolong your set of tires.

Dustin: I'm not sure I agree with your buddy. If it’s wearing from turning, then you should see wear on both sides of the trailer. Both sides will slide when turning, unless one side is on grass and the other on pavement. I would lean toward that side of the trailer having more

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weight on it than the other. Check to see how you have things loaded. Trailers can be weird this way with weights not being the same. How does your suspension look? Are the tires all the same age and do you keep the pressure where it should be?

Gasoline Not A Good Cleaning Solvent

I was reading a recent issue of Trailering about how to change bearings. I’m a DIY

person so it was good to see how others do it. You say it’s not a good idea to clean the bearings with gasoline. I’ve been doing this for years and have never had any kind of problem. Seems to me if the seal is packed properly, gas isn’t going to get near it. K. Childers, Dimondale, MI

Dustin: The problem is not that cleaning them with gasoline will hurt them; it’s just that you don’t want any remaining gas liquid in the bearing when you pack them again or it can dilute the grease. Just make sure they dry by letting them sit out awhile after spraying them with something like a brake cleaner that will dry fast. Rub them back and forth on a roll of paper towels to see that they are dry and if you have access to air, you can blow them out. Make sure you DO NOT blow them and make them spin. The air can make a bearing spin much faster than it is designed and I have heard of them breaking apart in people’s hands. You also don’t want to blow them so hard that the air could distort the outer case. But blowing them flat across the face of the bearing is OK; just don’t overdo it.

Ted: I grew up in the age where we were told not to smell, touch, or even use gasoline for anything but its intended use. But my Grandpa used it for everything from starting fires to clean-ing his greasy hands. Heck, I think he’s even ingested it while siphoning fuel here and there. Gas is a great solvent but it has its dangers. The risk factors include its potentially explosive fumes; it can soften certain plastics, rubber, and other solids; and perhaps most important to your health, gasoline is a known cancer-causing agent. There are many degreasers on the market today, some that even come in convenient, environ-mentally friendly aerosol dispensers. I’d try the

alternatives and use a parts-cleaning brush and a handful of rags instead of using gasoline.

Balancing The Load On The Rollers

I have bunks on my trailer with rollers that are in the center. When the boat is fully

loaded on the trailer, the hull isn’t touching the rollers at all. Should I be concerned about this? I don’t understand what’s going on here. S. Wilkos, Nashville, TN

Ted: I favor having the keel of your boat sup-

ported during transport and storage. I’d think that you might be able to lower your bunks or raise the rollers to rectify. Bunks, however, typically offer generous support, especially long ones, so the rollers just might be aiding the ini-tial retrieval to push the bow up and over some cross members of the frame. I’d try the adjust-ment routine. If you’re still concerned, your boat manufacturer may have a better idea of how crucial this is.

Dustin: If it’s not a large boat, then it’s not really a big issue. Most boats do sit on the center rollers and that helps support the boat and make it stable. I personally like to see some weight on the rollers when it’s completely loaded. What I’d do is raise the rollers with the boat loaded, if you can. Mark them and remove the boat and then raise them another 3/16-inch. This will put just a bit of weight on the rollers but still have weight on the bunks. If you can’t raise the rollers, then you may be able to lower the bunks. Just be sure you have clearance on your fenders. Be aware that you will have to lower your bow stop also. Try the rollers first. And again, if the boat is 16 feet or smaller, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Replacing The Brakes Brings Questions

I’m going to replace my disc brakes and my neighbor says cadmium rotors are the way

to go. I’ve been using zinc-plated and never had a problem. Besides, they cost less. What would you do and why?

V. Galantino, Montauk, NY

Dustin: I’m a true believer in the cadmium rotors especially when topped with stainless calipers. I’ve just seen too many zinc rotors pit and rust up. And I haven’t seen the same happen with the cadmium. It’s just that simple.

Ted: There’s quite a debate out there about treated brake parts. It’s thought that cadmium-treated parts offer greater corrosion resistance. Others say there’s very little difference and not worth the extra money. But give this some thought. You can’t treat a rotor’s surface with any metal; the underlying solid is iron, and it will show surface rust no matter what the rotors’

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exterior is treated with. Even stainless steel rotors like you’d see on fancy bass boat trailers have a wear surface that’s not impermeable to rust. I’m all for products that tout they’re rust- or corrosion-free, but in my experience, a good old-fashioned washdown with fresh water after retrieval will do the trick. You haven’t had prob-lems thus far, and I suspect you’re accustomed to a good rinsing after use, so I’d stick with what you’re doing and save your money for another upgrade for your boat or trailer.

This Winch Might Need An Upgrade

I was at the boat ramp yesterday and was having a real bear of a time cranking the

boat onto the trailer. A guy came over with a can of WD-40 and offered to spray the winch. I thanked him but said I didn’t think the gears needed it because they’d probably slip. He shook his head and walked away. Who was right? The winch has become tougher to crank and the ramp is the same I’ve always used.

N. Milbranth, Tucson, AZ

Ted: The ratcheting parts of a winch can wear over time. It’s possible that it’s getting corroded and a shot of WD-40 can clean and lubricate in one shot. It most likely won’t promote slip-ping unless your pawls and gears have become rounded out. If your winch is difficult to crank without any load on it at all, you can purchase a reasonably priced rebuild kit for your winch that comes with the necessary replacement parts. However, I suspect the problem is not with your winch, but worn bunks or bunk carpeting on the trailer. If you can wet the length of your bunks with a hose prior to retrieval, you might find it easier and I bet that solves your problem.

Dustin: You’re both right. The WD-40 may not have hurt or made it slip, but it may have just made things move a little easier. The bigger pic-ture is, just like all of us, things get old and aren’t quite as strong as they used to be. Winches get worn out, too. When a winch gets older, it needs to be replaced, because you sure don’t want it to break or slip on you when you are next to it. I always like a much heavier winch than required for the weight of the boat and I keep it well lubri-cated throughout its life. Spraying grease on the joints and teeth will help a lot. And two-speed winches are great. Even my 19-footer comes up a lot easier when I put the winch in low gear. And when I do need some extra muscle, I call mom and the kids over.

Don’t Let Rust RestHello, I have a tandem axle aluminum trailer that has leaf springs. The springs

are rusted to the point that I think they should be replaced. The axles have rust on the bot-tom side. I don’t want to have to replace them

if I don’t have to (because of $$$), but while I’m doing some repair would rather do it all at once. What would be some tell tale signs that I should replace the axles? If I can keep them, how should I remove the rust? Sand blast, wire wheel and drill? And is there any special paint I should use? Thank you for your thoughts. R. Veeneman, Jupiter, FL

Dustin: I would look at the underside of

the axles and compare measurements from an un-rusted part to the rusted part after removing any loose metal. This might tell you how eaten up it is. Sandblasting would be best and a wire wheel might work well too. You can never know when an axle might fail. If you cant be sure how bad they are, then you should replace them. If it only looks like surface rust than I would recom-mend cleaning them up and use multiple layers of Rustoleum. Find the kind that you can brush on thick.

Also, if you can take the axle off, turn it up on one end and then the other. Listen for any kind of noise inside, like rusted parts moving back and forth. If it’s rusting from the inside out, you will never know how bad it could be.

Overweight Trailer or Underweight Boat?

I have a Wellcraft 20V on a tandem trailer setup that works well, launch and retrieve.

However the capacity of the trailer is 12,000 lbs with the single leaf springs that are on it now. My question is what is the max cap of a trailer before it is over sprung for a boat? The boat tops out at 3000lvs fully loaded.

Never see any info for max cap for a trailer. And should I change to torsion suspension when I do? A. Gosik, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Ted: In general, a 3,000lb boat on a 12,000lb capacity trailer is under loaded. A minimum capacity “rule of thumb” is the weight of the boat, gear and motor should be no lighter than the mid-range of the trailer’s carrying capacity. The reason for this is that the trailer has been engineered (or “sprung”) to carry a weight greater than you are trailering. Since the trailer is sprung for a heavier boat, you run the potential that the boat itself could be receiving a rougher ride than intended because the trailer suspen-sion is not flexing and working as well if the boat was heavier. In essence, your light boat is not heavy enough to make the suspension work as designed. However, if your boat is properly sup-ported and tied down securely, and the roads on which you are travelling are in good shape, you may not be at great risk of damage. Leaf springs are tried and true, but torsion springs allow the suspension to operate somewhat more inde-pendently and can minimize the jolts from road hazards like potholes, from being transferred to your boat.

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What To Do When It’s Up To You

hannels that run from open water to and from a marina and boat ramp are, by design, narrow. Here are some tips to make getting from here to there a

smooth ride:

1. If a boat is passing you, slow down. This allows the faster boat to get around your boat and makes the maneuver safer for oncoming boat traffic within a narrow channel.

2. Remember, sailboats have either a deep keel or a deep centerboard, so it’s more likely to run aground if pushed to the outside edge of a channel.

3. There are always powerboaters who’ve been running at 40 knots across open water then suddenly enter a channel and get frus-trated with the slow pace of boat traffic (usually six knots max). These are the same folks who are eager to get to the open water but have to follow the channel to its entrance. While it’s wrong for them to be in a hurry, be aware of the fact they may simply push the speed limit and pass you. As above, slow down and let them get by. Many boaters may try contacting them on

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VHF but chances are good they don’t even have the radio on — or can’t hear it over the sound of the engines.

4. When approaching a channel entrance from open water, be aware of all the boats coming in at angles and possibly cutting you off. Be ready to reduce speed.

5. Instead of speeding up to get into the line that is either going out of the channel or coming into the channel, many times it makes sense to simply do a slow 360-degree turn and let the traffic pass before falling in behind the last boat. It’s safer, too. Remember the sage advice from the unidentified captain of a schooner in the 1800s: If you take your time, you’ll get there more quickly.

6. Channel marker numbers increase going upstream (toward the marina/boat ramp) and decrease going downstream toward open water.

7. Vessels going downstream on a river have the right of way over boats going upstream. This is because it is easier to adjust speed and directions against the current than with the current.

Navigate thisBoatU.S. Trailering Editors

Here are seven simple rules to keep you in the clear, and tempers tamped down, as you pass boats in a narrow channel

WildernessBoating

By John Gray

Bears on the beach, humpback whales, bald eagles, legendary fishing,

world-class scuba diving, tree-covered islands, and steep mountains.

They found all this and more in the Pacific Northwest’s Barkley Sound

arkley Sound in British Columbia, Canada, is on Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast,

whose beauty is typically enjoyed by the big boats that can transit the Strait of Juan de Fuca and brave the Pacific Ocean. But it’s also acces-sible to trailerable boats by launching at Port Alberni, a seaport 30 miles inland and connected to Barkley Sound by an inlet with deep water, steep mountains, and splen-did scenery.

Shaped like a rectangle that’s about 12 miles long and 10 miles across, Barkley Sound is open to the power and force of the Pacific Ocean. In the center of the Sound are the Broken Group Islands that are part of Canada’s Pacific Rim National Park; these provide many safe anchor-ages and opportunities for exploration.

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Barkley Sound

Late fall, winter, and early spring usually bring over 200 inches of rain, periods of snow, and often freezing tem-peratures. Late summer and early fall can bring dense fog in the morn-ing hours that can shut down most of the boating until it clears at midday. Afternoon winds are com-mon and can blow up the Port Alberni Inlet, to the point of small-craft warnings being issued. But with the right timing,

the experience is worth it.A trip to Port Alberni from the mainland

typically begins with a trip on the BC Ferry System from their large terminal at Tsawwassen, to Duke Point, which is south of the city of Vancouver. The cost of the two-and-a-half-hour trip to Nanaimo isn’t cheap. Our truck and

The transient moorage at Ucluelet Harbor is home to a large vibrant fishing fleet.

The terminus of Pipestream Inlet with 1,000-plus high

mountains on each side and depths in the triple digits.

18 Visit us at BoatUS.com/trailerclub BoatU.S. Trailering MAY 2011 19

touch for about an hour after we stopped. Port Alberni, population 12,000, was the

center of Vancouver Island’s logging industry for decades. Today, fishing and tourism dominate the economy. A car is necessary to get to the big retail stores that were built on the highway

trailer, measuring 52 feet, cost us over $200 for a one-way trip. Our Ranger 25 Tug looked like it was inside a huge whale as it sat on its trailer deep within the ferry’s bowels.

From Nanaimo, Port Alberni is about a two-hour drive on a very good highway. But there’s about a mile of an eight-percent grade to the top of Alberni Summit and then about 10 miles of a six-percent grade down to the edge of Alberni Inlet. The trailer’s brakes must be in good condition and attentive driving is essential. We applied the advice provided in the May 2010 BoatU.S. Trailering Guide to assess our trailer’s brakes and then did the needed repairs. Even with conservative driving, the disc brakes for our 9,000-pound load were too hot to the

The boardwalk at Bamfield provides great views and connects the waterfront.


coming into town, but shops and good restau-rants are walking distance from the downtown moorage. The Port Alberni Port Authority oper-

ates all the marinas and boat ramps in the area. The most popular boat ramp is at Clutesi Haven Marina that is just upriver from downtown. The ramp fee is $12 and there is an additional charge to park overnight. Most local boaters typically park in a large field across the street from the ramp at no charge.

On our first day, we drove, took the ferry, and launched at Clutesi on a late afternoon in early July. Then, we motored past Port Alberni’s commercial fishing docks and the last of the big lumber mills and stopped for the night seven miles later, at China Creek Marina, that was packed with sportfishing boats. We enjoyed the low-key genuine graciousness of the Canadians as they welcomed us and admired the Ranger 25.

Fishing is taken very seriously here. Millions of sockeye salmon return from the Pacific in July and the Port Alberni Inlet can have hundreds of small boats fishing for them. Many of these fishermen put in at China Creek Marina and stay at the campground. On the morning of the second day, we awoke to the sound of boots on the steel grating of the ramp, and boats leaving the marina before sunrise, and later watched most of them return during our breakfast because they’d caught their daily limit within 90 minutes. There’s another salmon season later when the big chinook salmon or “springs,” as the locals call them, come into Barkley Sound in late August. Fishing for halibut, also known locally as “hallies,” often requires venturing out into the Pacific. Between storms, the Pacific can be a safe place, but the boater must be will-ing to adapt to the changing weather and sea conditions.

We discovered a wooden float in San Mateo Bay where Alberni Inlet joins Barkley Sound and had lunch. These floats were installed by the government years ago and are rarely maintained. Some charts show them, but whether they have survived another winter is a gamble. This bay, like so many in Barkley Sound, has an aqua-farm in operation. Many of these grow oysters to help bring back the stock.

Two sportfishing boats joined us on the wooden float and we fell into enjoyable con-versation, an experience that repeated itself several times while boating in this remote place. We had come to cruise Barkley Sound and the islands and knew almost nothing about fishing. These fishermen lived in the region and fished here often. They shared their knowledge, taught us, and exchanged two beers for a fair-sized sockeye salmon.

Sea life is abundant at the tide retreats to expose the many tide pools.


All the destinations within Barkley Sound are within a few miles of each other. After lunch, we moved on to Poett Nook, attracted by the narrow entrance that protects this lovely harbor. We opted to anchor in 30 feet of water instead of staying at the marina, had the sockeye salmon for dinner, and later used the head and body parts to catch crab.

On the third day, we made the short trip to Bamfield, a small village posted on the south-west corner of Barkley Sound. Bamfield is acces-sible by vehicle but the road is dirt and gravel. The Canadian Coast Guard has a substantial presence here, a testa-ment to the challenges that mariners can face. We walked the board-walk, noting the classical music festival that would be starting in the com-ing days, and toured the harbor to see the services boaters could enjoy.

We opted to head for the Port Alberni Yacht Club’s outstation on nearby Fleming Island, passing through the nar-row Robber’s Passage, and found it in a pro-tected cove. This was not a group of snooty people in their huge floating pal-aces; this was a delightful experience because of the friendliness of the people. We met Norman and his wife Melanie who share in the care and maintenance of several hundred feet of dock space that is used by the club members and is open to the public. Finding potable water

can be an issue in Barkley Sound because of its remoteness. The outstation provides water, so we filled our tank. Later, we hiked trails cut through the rain forest by the club’s members and enjoyed splendid views.

On the fourth day, we motored through a medium chop coming from the ocean and into the protection of the Broken Group Islands and settled into a cove tucked back into Nettle Island. A dinghy ride led us to several big trawl-ers swinging on their anchors and a vacant float-ing ranger station. A stern tie line was taken to shore as a breeze blew over the island and we

knew we did not want to swing in this cove. The next day’s destination was only seven

miles away and as we cleared Nettle Island, we saw the distinctive spout and then the tail fin of a humpback whale as it fed in the channel! We idled and drifted along for 30 minutes, as the

The waterfront at Bamfield and the Canadian Coast Guard station


whale would surface, gather air, and then dive deep. As we motored away, a harbor porpoise played in our bow wake. The weather forecast warned of a small-craft advisory later in the day, with strong westerly winds. We opted for a bay that was protected by three islands in the Broken Group. Though the entrances to this bay are deep, the rocks and reefs must be carefully watched and given a wide berth. Once inside the bay, we joined a dozen other trawl-ers and sailboats to wait out the weather. We

took the din-ghy around to explore the oys-ter beds and the campgrounds used by kayak-ers. In the fad-ing twilight, the wind rose to rat-tle the cockpit canvas and we paid out more anchor rode as a precautionary measure. But the Danforth anchor held fast like it always had.

The next morning, the wind abated and we made for the other substantial community in Barkley Sound

located in its northwest corner. Ucluelet (pro-nounced you-CLUE-let), commonly called “U-Kee,” is more populated than Bamfield and has a larger harbor. A paved road that crosses Vancouver Island also serves the community and nearby Tofino, but the combination of steep grades, tight turns, and narrow width can raise second thoughts for many trailerable boaters. The approach to Ucluelet requires a short and unprotected encounter with the Pacific Ocean. We were pushed by ocean swells and a sus-tained wind of 20 knots pushed us down the bay as it was awash in whitecaps. Ucluelet’s har-bormaster answered the VHF radio immediately and directed us to the last spot in a crowded marina. Our boat fit perfectly in the last 25 feet of dock space.

The windy weather kept the large fishing charter fleet at the dock. We enjoyed their sto-rytelling, and gesturing of just how big the fish were. Over the next two days, we bought fresh shrimp from a boat, did laundry, shopped the stores, walked the trails on the ocean side of this peninsula, and provisioned at the local market.

Eight days into our trip, the weather eased and we motored out of Ucluelet for our next destination, 15 miles away, at the northeast corner of the Sound. The water was now flat and the low clouds lifted to reveal the moun-tains that protected the mainland from the storms that can rage across the Pacific Ocean. We anchored behind Refuge Island in 45 feet of water, intending to explore Lucky Creek, which is only accessible during a high tide. At the mouth of the creek where oyster beds that form a barrier at low tide. Floating over oyster beds and slowly motoring up the creek, the feel was

Ucluelet Harbor is home to both commercial and charter fishing fleets.

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STATES

LakesRivers

Ashland City

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Barkley SoundBroken Group Islands Day 5

Alberni InletPipestream Inlet Day 10

Effingham Inlet Day 9

Port Alberni Bamfield Day 3

Nettle Island Day 4Ucluelet Day 6-7

Refugee Island Day 8San Mateo Bay Day 2/11

Alma Russell islandsChina Creek Marina Day 1

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• ????????

•

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Orlando

Strait of GeorgiaStrait of Georgia

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BARKLEY SOUND

Lake Monroe

Points Intrest

Titan Stadium

Riverwalk

Demonbreun Cave

Opryland

Amtrak Auto Train Station

LAKE MONROE

• Monroe Harbour Marina

• Boat Tree Marina

St. Johns River

• Wayside Park boat ramp

• ????

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• •

COUNTRIES

Mile 158

Mile 200.7

Mile 206

Old Hickory Lake

Old Hickory Lake

Day 1 and Day 12Port Alberni

Day 2 and 11

BamfieldDay 3

Nettle IslandDay 4

UclueletDays 5-6-7

Refuge IslandDay 8

Effingham InletDay 9

Alberni Inlet

Broken GroupIslands

San Mateo BayDay 10


Trailering Club member John Gray last appeared in the February 2010 issue of BoatU.S. Traileringwhen he wrote about taking his Ranger 25 to Princess Louisa Inlet in British Columbia. Read his blog at www.laurieann-ranger25.com.

more of a bayou in the Southeast rather than Vancouver Island.

On the morning of the ninth day, Laurie spotted it first. Looking over my shoulder and out the cabin door, she paused with a forkful of scrambled eggs in mid-air and said, “Bear, on the shore. Right now.” A mature black bear was 100 yards away, lumbering along the shoreline at low tide, using its mas-sive paw to roll over a rock, sniff it, and eat the sea life. The bear followed the water’s edge for the next 15 minutes before it turned and disappeared in the tree line. Later, we took the dinghy to closely explore the oyster beds and tide pools, and admired the variety of sea stars and mussels – and, yes, we were on the lookout for bears!

Then, we headed up Pipestream Inlet, a narrow and deep tongue of water that went deep into the island’s mountain range. At the end, there’s no option except to turn around. We explored the Pinkerton Islands and the Alma Russell Islands on Barkley Sound’s east side before finding a perfect-sized cove near the mouth of Effingham Inlet. In the waning light, we watched a teenage bald eagle, distinctive due to its mottled markings, and we tried to hunt the school of fish that kicked up the water around the tug.

In the early morning the next day, we watched another young black bear forage the beach for breakfast. It stood on its hind legs and sniffed the air but it didn’t acknowledge our presence. Our cat Boots saw the bear, hunkered down on the tug’s bow, and peered at it over the short ledge until the bear saun-tered back into the woods.

We completed the circle of Barkley Sound by ending the day back at San Mateo Bay, running with the wind and waves against our transom or, as someone once defined that feeling, “going with God.” On the same wooden float where we started the trip, we met new fishermen and exchanged more stories and laughter.

At the end of 12 days, we were back in Port Alberni, having used the westerly wind and the rising tide to quick-ly fly up Alberni Inlet. We were gone 12 days, cruised 171 miles, burned 60 gallons of diesel, and used 50 gallons of water to boat in the wilderness – an unforget-table time of splendid scenery and gracious people.

Boating With BootsBoots the cat has been traveling with John and

Laurie Gray since 2008. She’s seen British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, run the docks at a Tennessee marina, and explored Mississippi lily pads thinking they were grass. That’s where Boots learned to swim, but she prefers to stay onboard.

Hunting Hurricanes

With a new season about to begin, this is prime time

for hurricane prep

et’s say it’s an August day. Let’s gather a few meteorologists in a room with Internet access. Here’s a prediction

about what will happen: Every one of them will start looking near the

Cape Verde Islands 400 miles off the coast of western Africa.

Their focus is on any low-pressure system, called “a tropical wave,” that begins over Africa and crosses warm ocean water before moving past the 10 mostly uninhabited islands. They’ll study images of each system from both geosta-tionary and polar satellites maintained by the U.S. and other countries and watch as these “waves” continue a westward journey. On aver-age, two of these crossing Cape Verde are the beginning of Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricanes each year. Familiar hurricanes such as Andrew (1992),

Isabel (2003), Frances and Ivan (2004), and Dean (2007) all had their beginnings as Cape Verde tropical waves.

But as is the rule of weather, there are no absolutes.

“Katrina was a tropical depression in the central Bahamas,” notes Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center from 2000 to 2007 and now meteorologist at WPLG- TV in Miami. “It made landfall a few days later, but it wasn’t a Cape Verde where you have days to prepare.”

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“Prepare” is a key word for Mayfield, who became all too familiar to us every August, September, and October during four-minute segments sitting in front of maps at the National Hurricane Center. “I like to say the battle against the hurricane is won outside the hurricane sea-son,” he’ll tell you. There’s a simple reason for that: While Director of the Hurricane Center, Mayfield made it a point to go to landfall loca-tions after major hurricanes and visit with peo-ple. “There’s always a lot of stress,” he observed, “and those who had a plan in place did better than those who didn’t. Boaters are going to need a longer time to prepare than those without boats because not only are they getting their boat out of the water and secured, but they also have to get their house ready.” Mayfield suggests preparing a timeline and having an idea how

much has to be done and how long it will take. Once that’s complete, he says work on a “Plan B” in the event the original idea can’t be completed.

Mayfield remembers another tale of Lesson Learned. It was told

by his predecessor at the National Hurricane Center, Bob Sheets. “He did a landfall survey after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 of the South Carolina coast, and spoke with the captain of a fishing boat, who stayed aboard, despite govern-ment officials saying it was time to evacuate. The skipper was an old hand and said he was not going to be scared of any ol’ hurricane. Well, the first 10 feet of the storm surge came in gradu-ally, and the boat rose with the water; and the captain thought this wasn’t any big deal because he had the bow pointed into the wind and was

“There is no such thing as ‘just’ a tropical storm. People have gotten numb to a major hurricane if it’s not Category 3, 4, or 5. People die in tropical storms so let’s not underestimate the power.” — Dr. Richard Knabb

doing OK. Within the next 20 minutes, another 10 feet of surge came in, and when he looked out, his boat had been lifted over a two-story house. The captain told Bob Sheets, never will he stay onboard his boat ever again.”

There are some constants as to how and when a hurricane forms. The Weather Channel’s Dr. Richard Knabb says he looks at wind speeds in the storm from the water’s surface on up to around 40,000 feet. The technical term for this is “steering flow.”

“The wind speed and direction don’t all blow the same in all levels,” he says. “It’s different at different altitudes, but if there’s more difference in speed and direction from the water’s surface to the higher altitudes, you’ll get wind shear and that’s what can tear the storm apart. However, if the steering flow between 5,000 feet and 40,000 feet is similar, meaning little difference, then that’s going to allow the hurricane to strengthen, and that’s bad news. If the atmosphere around the hurricane is leading the hurricane along, then it’s not doing anything to slow it down.”

“We have to look up from the surface of the water to see if there’s going to be a potential for a hurricane taking shape,” says Mayfield, “It’s not the surface wind flow that steers a hurricane. It’s a deep-layer mean flow that steers. Think of

it like a cork in a river; the river steers it down the stream. If the winds show similarity and if there is no substantial wind shear coming in that can topple the top of the thunderstorm/tropical wave, then chances are good a hurricane is going to be the result if other parameters are favorable for development, like water being sufficiently warm in advance of the storm.”

Now remember the weather saying about absolutes? Hurricane Wilma in 2005 had a 25-knot wind shear while over the Gulf of Mexico. It was considered one of the most intense hurricanes to occur (and it wasn’t a Cape Verde) as it slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula and then Florida.

Another element meteorologists such as Mayfield and Knabb look for in the Atlantic is the subtropical high that is typically centered between the Azores and Bermuda. Hurricanes usually slip below this high and steer north or continue toward the East Coast.

Richard Knabb explains it this way: “The dominant steering feature, the thing that has its hand on the steering wheel in the Atlantic, is the subtropical high. It doesn’t stay in the same place so we need to factor this with every observation. We are looking for a break in a subtropical ridge, something like a strong low-ph

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Tropical Storm Frank is tracked by NASA’s Global

Hawk along the southwest coast of Baja California.

Dr. Knabb forecasts the 2011 hurricane season.


pressure trough coming off the East Coast. That’s what can move the hurricane away from shore. If it doesn’t encounter a break, then it will come ashore. When you have a typical mid-latitude low-pressure system, like a cold front over North

Carolina, that could create a break.”Mayfield points to Earl in 2010 as an exam-

ple. A cold front roared through North Carolina just in time and with the right intensity to block Earl, a Category 4 hurricane at that point, and pushed it out to sea.

Satellite AssistantsMax Mayfield says understanding the steering

currents, which he calls rivers of air, has become

enhanced through the use of a Gulfstream IV (G4) that starts flying a zigzag pattern around the hurricane about three days before landfall. Launched from MacDill Air Force Base near

Tampa, the jet flies to the hurricane, where it drops about 30 sensors called dropwindsondes from about 43,000 feet. Every half-second, real-time data is sent to the jet, providing air tem-perature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, barometric pressure, and GPS Doppler frequency shifts that measure vertical and horizontal winds, among other characteristics, as the sensor falls to the surface. The G4 flies about 200 to 300 hours each hurricane season.

The G4 has some help now. In 2010, Global Hawk, an unmanned military drone used in Afghanistan, was sent on a research experiment to Hurricane Earl, a Cape Verde storm that never made landfall but soaked the East Coast with rains. “It was launched from California,” says Max Mayfield, “and flew 24 hours to monitor Earl from 60,000 feet, crossing the eye. It is able to continuously monitor a storm for many hours at a time.”

Buoy AssistanceThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) has numerous buoys in place throughout the Caribbean and the Atlantic that can provide some data as wind speeds and direction change, barometric pressure drops, and wave heights are measured. You can sit in your living room during a hurricane, pick a buoy that’s right in the middle of the action, and chances are very good it will be sending data.

“The buoy gives you the actual wind data or character data and I look at it daily,” says the Weather Channel’s Knabb. “There have been a lot of new buoys in the last few years in the West Atlantic and Caribbean and the Gulf, and they have valuable data, but they’re widely spaced. That’s a problem because you can’t get a good sense of the wind data over the surface of the ocean. That said, my favorite buoy is the one that’s closest to the storm I’m tracking, but you have to remember the buoy can’t tell you the whole story.”

“I like to say the battle against the hurricane is won outside the hurricane season.” — Max Mayfield

Max Mayfield of WPLG-Television in Miami is a familiar face to viewers seeking updates on hurricanes.


NOAA Changes To Watches And Warnings

A year ago, the National Weather Service changed when hurricane watches and hurricane warnings are posted to allow for more time to prepare and evacuate.

A Hurricane WATCH is issued for coastal areas when hurricane conditions could threaten to hit within 48 hours (it used to be 36 hours). A Hurricane WARNING is a heightened alert that is issued when hurricane conditions threat-en to hit within 36 hours or less (it used to be 24 hours).

Hurricane Facts• Hurricanes rarely form within 5 degrees

of the equator because the necessary spinning of air (counterclockwise in the north and clock-wise in the south) can’t occur so as to move the air into a compact low-pressure center. This is called the Coriolis force. Winds in the Northern Hemisphere are pulled to the right by the Earth’s rotation.

• Hurricanes lose intensity over cold water and land.

• Most Names: There were 28 named storms in 2005. The National Hurricane Center went through the approved names (only 21 of the 26 letters are used; Q,U,X,Y and Z are not) and then used a secondary list using the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and so on). In the Eastern Pacific, the letters X,Y, and Z are included in choosing hurricane names.

• Lowest Barometric Pressure: During Hurricane Wilma, air pressure was measured at 26.10 inches.

For More Information

BoatU.S. Hurricane Resource Center www.BoatUS.com/hurricanes

National Hurricane Center

www.nhc.noaa.gov

National Data Buoy Centerwww.ndbc.noaa.gov/rmd.shtml

“We have a long way to go to educate people,” Max says when asked how hurricane forecasting fares in 2011. “It’s not about the forecast as much as it’s about building codes, land use, education and communications. We’re good at getting the forecast out but we’ve got to do a better job at communicating local emer-gency messages about evacuations, setting up highways to allow people to get out of the path of a hurricane, and knowing what to do before the season begins.”

Does He Know Something?Max Mayfield walked into a Costco a few

years ago to buy a case of bottled water for his daughter’s softball game. Shoppers recog-nized him from his television live shots at the National Hurricane Center and started asking all about why. “They thought the world was going to end,” he noted. This wasn’t the first time, though. Some years earlier, he went to Home Depot to buy batteries and was recog-nized from his likewise work on TV. People came up to him asking if he knew something they didn’t. Max asks his wife to buy batteries and water now.

“We have a long way to go to educate people,” Max says when asked how hurricane

“We have a long way to go to educate people,” Max says when asked how hurricane NASA’s Global Hawk is the latest hurri-

cane-hunting equipment to be used for analyzing wind speeds and barometric

pressure inside a hurricane.

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The “Expert” Guide

to St. AugustineWhen Jan Maizler goes

in search of Florida’s famous redfish, a stop

in America’s oldest city always provides some-

thing new and some great fish


By Jan S. Maizler


oyster bars: daunting obstacles to first-time visit-ing boaters, yet shelters and “food trays” to large schools of rod-bending redfish up to 20 pounds as well as tasty flounder up to five pounds.

This was so very different from the more forgiving turtle grass and sand flats of my home waters of Miami. It was clear to me that my first forays for shallow-water game fish amongst St. Augustine’s Jurassic-like oyster bars would have to be done with a local fishing guide who was expert in navigating these flats. This follows my unwavering standard boating and angling travel maxim of using a local charter captain to help me not just to learn safe passage on the flats, but also to master the proper skiff and fishing tackle setups that would guarantee optimal results.

My customary research, as well as inqui-ries of local anglers and writers, pointed to Captain Tommy Derringer. Tommy is a lifelong St. Augustine resident and well-known redfish tournament angler who runs a brisk shallow-water and inshore fishing charter business that has thrived for over a dozen years. I was lucky to find two days that Tommy had open for charter.

The vessel he fishes from is an Egret 18.9, which many consider to be one of the finest flats boats on the market. The hull configuration allows Tommy to fish the shallow ocean and inlet waters, as well as float in only inches of water

Built in 1927, the Bridge of Lions crosses Matanzas Bay, part of the ICW, and connects St. Augustine

to Anastasia Island. The bridge was renovated in 2010. Photo

courtesy of Jackie Hird ©2011.

’ll never forget my first shallow-water fishing trip to the inland waters of St. Augustine. The bountiful prairies of marsh grass atop mud banks were alive with small baitfish, crab, and shrimp.

And woven throughout all this wealth of life were vast meanders and mounds of razor-sharp

IA St. Augustine redfish poses with Trailering Club member Jan Maizler.


when pursuing “tailing” redfish along some formidable oyster bars. His skiff is powered by a large Evinrude E-TEC outboard, which speeds him from spot to spot in short order. The other items on his skiff are a Stiffy push pole, Minn Kota electric trolling motor, Garmin GPS/Sounder, and a Power-Pole shallow-water electric anchor.

On our first day, we got an early start and were off to fish the creek mouths long before a lemon-colored sun would grace a spectacu-lar eastern horizon. Tommy used spinning

tackle rigged with sensitive and robust braided line to counteract the abrasion of both grasses and oyster shells. The business end was rigged with 20-pound fluorocarbon leader and a jig-head rigged with a scented plastic swimbait. After Tommy used his “electric” to get us into a deep pool in the middle of a creek, he dropped the Power-Pole and told me to cast in any direction and bounce the jig along the bottom. Within moments, we were both hooked up to scrappy redfish. I’m glad to report that we lost count of the redfish we released here, and I asked Tommy if we could try for other species. He happily complied and we fished the open waters inside St. Augustine Inlet, where we released a large flounder and some scrappy Spanish mackerel.

On the second day, Tommy ran his skiff south to a vast field of marsh grass and oyster bar flats. The tide was high and starting to go out, so we cast surface plugs right along the grass edges, which is the usual struc-tured “path” that redfish like to prey along. The red-fish complied with some vicious surface strikes. Tommy and I released approximately eight nice redfish that weighed as much as seven pounds. Eventually, the ebb tide forced us to leave the shell bar area and we spent the

balance of our time casting to rolling tarpon as well as “breaking” bluefish and ladyfish. The day came to an end much too fast, a sure sign that I’d be fishing these waters out of my own Hewes bonefish skiff very soon, as well as returning to fish with Tommy to enjoy the plea-sure of his company in fabulous St. Augustine.

Jan’s RoutineThis psychotherapist from Florida is author

of angling books that include Fishing Florida’s

(Top) Once a marine railroad for launching newly-built Luhrs boats, the boat ramp at Rovers Edge Marina in St. Augustine continues to remind us of its history. (Above) Castillo de San Marcos was built in 1695 as a defense against attacks from the English. Today, it’s open to everyone. The beaches at Anastasia State Recreation Area provide a view, solitude and lots of sun. Photo courtesy of St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau.


Flats by the University Press of Florida.

He fishes from a 16-foot Hewes Bonefisher on a Torino trailer.

He protects himself from the Florida sun every time he’s on his boat. “I ‘block’ before every fishing trip on my boat, then wear a Buff to cover most of my face and top this off with a large-brimmed hat. I wear a long-sleeve shirt and pants that are UV-blocking, and I wear sun gloves.

“St. Augustine stands out because I can fish the shallows for sport-fish right in front of a very old fort that goes back to Spain’s presence in Florida’s oldest city. When my boat is tucked away on this visit, I can enjoy some of the best art galleries and restaurants in Florida.”

Jan’s blog: www.flatsfishingonline.blogspot.com

TowBoatU.S. TipsFrom Tim Shey of TowBoatU.S. St. Augustine

The St. Augustine Inlet is about a quarter- mile across. The south side of the inlet can be shallow. We’ve had to talk some large boats through the inlet, although, if there’s time, we’ll go out and escort them in. Trailer boats, too, can run aground.

As with every inlet to the Atlantic, if the tide

is coming in and the wind is out of the west, waves can get large. The same holds true if the tide is going out and the wind is from offshore.

There’s a good (free) anchorage off the Castillo de San Marcos.

Cooperating Marina TipsFrom Paul Walsh, Dockmaster Rivers Edge Marina, St. Augustine, FLwww.29riversedgemarina.com

We’re located at Marker 29 on the San Sebastian River, south of the King Street Bridge.

Our launch ramp was once a marine railway used to launch large boats that were built here. Today, the rails are still evident, but launching

41

STATES

LakesRivers

Ashland City

San Sebastian River

Matanzas River

St. Augustine Inlet

Anastasia State Recreation Area

Bridge of Lions Castillo de San Marcos

Rivers Edge Marina

TowBoatU.S. St. Augustine

•

Orlando

Strait of GeorgiaStrait of Georgia Atlantic OceanST. AUGUSTINE

Lake Monroe

Points Intrest

Titan Stadium

Riverwalk

Demonbreun Cave

Opryland

Amtrak Auto Train Station

LAKE MONROE

• Monroe Harbour Marina

• Boat Tree Marina

St. Johns River

• Wayside Park boat ramp

• ????

???? •

• •

COUNTRIES

Mile 158

Mile 200.7

Mile 206

Old Hickory Lake

Old Hickory Lake

TowboatU.S. St. Augustine is operated by Scott and Shonda Stebleton and is available to assist BoatU.S. Members 35 miles offshore.


and retrieving are easy. Keep your boat in a slip and we’ll make a deal on the cost of the launch. BoatU.S. members get a 25-percent discount on slips at Rivers Edge Marina. We have 140 park-ing spaces and Hurricane Patty’s Restaurant.

St. Augustine Inlet is considered a “locals only” inlet due to shoaling and strong currents.

The locals know the shoaling is on the south-ern side of the channel and to favor the north end. There’s a five-knot current at mid tide so take that into consideration. There are breakers north and south of the channel – don’t leave the channel before reaching the sea buoy! Another tip for navigating into the inlet from the Atlantic is to use the great cross of the Lady of La Leche as a mark for finding the inlet, not the more obvious lighthouse just south of the inlet. This great cross is made of stainless steel and rises 208 feet so it’s easy to see from the ocean.

Facts About St. AugustineSt. Augustine is one of three walled cities

in North America (Charleston, South Carolina, and Quebec City, Canada, are the others). The wall was first constructed by the Spanish in 1704 and called the Cubo Line. It was built with Palmetto logs covered with dirt, just north of what is now Orange Street in St. Augustine, because this was the direction the attacks from the British originated. The Castillo de San Marcos fort, built in 1672, was another side of the wall and the Rosario Line, now Cordova Street, ran south from the fort to make up anoth-er wall. The other part of the “walled city” was water – the San Sebastian River to the east and the Matanzas River to the west. Together, these lines of defense headed off attacks (Englishman Sir Francis Drake in 1586 tried, as did privateer Robert Searle a century later).

St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon came ashore in 1513 and named it “La Florida” because of all the wildflowers. It was founded in 1565, 42 years before the settlement of Jamestown.

While it has been said Ponce de Leon was looking for the “Fountain of Youth” after

Both the PGA Tour and the ATP Tour are part of the St. Augustine area venues. The World Golf Hall of Fame is located here too. (Right) Shopping in the city’s old streets and exploring the St. Augustine Lighthouse (below) are daily activities. The lighthouse was built in 1874 and is the site of the oldest port in North America.

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St. Augustine Access PointsSt. Johns County has 14 boat ramps spread throughout the county, allow-ing boaters to enjoy both saltwater and fresh water. There’s access to the Intracoastal Waterway, too.

Saltwater Boat RampsBoating Club Road Boat Ramp At the end of Boating Club Road in Vilano/North Beach

Frank Butler West Boat Ramp 399 Riverside Blvd.

Green Road Boat Ramp At the end of Green Road in Crescent Beach

Guana State Park Boat Ramp North of Vilano on A1A

Lighthouse Park Boat Ramp Old Beach Rd. and Lew Blvd.

Palmetto Road Boat RampSouth of St. Augustine Beach on A1A

Palm Valley Boat Ramp Roscoe Road under the Palm Valley Bridge

Usina Boat Ramp 611 Euclid Avenue in Vilano/North Beach

West Intracoastal Boat RampsVilano Boat Ramp West of Vilano Bridge on A1A

Doug Crane Boat Ramp Shore Drive in St. Augustine South

Shore Drive Boat Ramp Shore Drive in St. Augustine Shores

Freshwater Boat RampsPalmo Road Boat Ramp CR 13 South of SR 16 1 Boat Ramp

Riverdale Park Boat Ramp CR 13 South of SR 214

Trout Creek Park Boat Ramp 6795 Collier Rd., Orangedale, FL

hearing stories about it for years, there is no basis that he ever found it. Still, there is a Fountain of Youth National Archeological Park in St. Augustine, with a real spring-fed fountain, located on the site where Ponce de Leon is believed to have come ashore. The fountain has been part of storylines in “The Simpsons,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” and was featured in a 1958 TV program with Orson

Welles.Built in

1927, the city’s quarter-m i l e - l o n g Bridge of Lions that crosses the ICW ( M a t a n z a s Bay) showed some struc-tural prob-lems in 1981. The Florida Department of Transportation

suggested tearing it down and replacing the span with a new modern structure. After a public protest and more than 6,000 signatures wanting the existing bridge to be repaired – not replaced – a five-year rehabilitation began. It was completed last spring and today the pair of lions that greeted travelers on the western end of the bridge are back in place.

Nearby Ponte Vedra Beach is home to the PGA TOUR and ATP Tour, world-class golf and tennis.

Cultural life flourishes in St. Augustine, with many great art galleries displaying work in all price ranges, and a monthly “art walk” from gallery to gallery.

Captain Tommy Derringer with a St. Augustine flounder.

ast Valentine’s Day, Kenny Williams had

a problem and it had absolutely nothing to do with forgetting dark chocolates or mak-ing dinner reservations. It was 8 a.m. and he was in his 16-foot boat on Mississippi’s Chotard Lake, about 25 miles north of Vicksburg, pulling in nets he’d set the night before. A commercial angler, Williams had been pleased with the catch so far; he had lots of buffalo fish, which would sell well at market later that morning. The problem? He was face to face with something else caught in his net.

“I saw its head and at first I was think-ing ‘alligator,’ but it was too cold for it to be an alligator,” Williams said, recounting those moments. “Then, I realized, oh, it’s an alligator gar. And then I realized, oh [fill in the blank here], it’s a big alligator gar!”

Now, here was the real problem: Kenny already had 1,500 pounds of buffalo fish onboard, plus the weight of the outboard, plus the anchors, plus the nets, plus his weight, and now he was dealing with, well, let’s just say a lot more weight.

“My mind was racing,” he says, “and I was thinking, ‘OK, do I get him into the boat and sell him because this is a high-value fish around here, or do I get him into the boat and get him mounted, or …’”

But enough of making plans. Getting this

L


thing in the boat was the priority. How was he going to do it? Well, this isn’t something you sit and think through.

“ B e c a u s e the water was cold, about 41 degrees, he was pretty lethargic,” he explains. “So I reached into his gill, got a good grip, then reached in with my other hand and got a better grip and started pulling. I was making about six inches with every tug. I had my knees against the gunwale and was doing most of the work with my back. I had a lot of weight in the boat already so I

Gone Fishin’

By Pat Piper

There are fish stories, and then there are Fish Stories!

Ricky Flynt of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and

Parks with the world-record alligator gar. (Below) Fisherman Kenny Williams

alongside the 327-pound catch.


knew it wasn’t going to flip over; instead the boat was just going to kind of teeter-totter. You just got to be sure you don’t lean over too much. But every time I saw more of the fish, I kept thinking, ‘Where’s the tail?’”

A half-hour later, the fish’s tail was in sight, though still not in the boat. Williams could see he had about four inches of free-board remaining with all the weight in the boat, and he knew this was going to have to be a slow run back to the boat ramp about two miles away. He pulled in his now-ruined net on the other side of the boat, carefully stepped over the new passenger, and fired up his outboard. Problem solved, sort of.

“That day, I had launched from a private ramp because I can just leave the truck and trailer right there near the water. When I got there, I walked over to the truck to back it down a little further, and that’s when I real-ized my truck keys were in the ignition and the door was locked. I do this all the time so I have a wire in the bed of the truck for moments like this. I happened to look near the truck’s door and saw this really angry cottonmouth, coiling and sitting up ready to protect its territory. There’s always a lot of driftwood along the water’s edge but it’s usu-ally pretty rotten, and I knew it wasn’t going to be worth the trouble throwing any of that at the snake and making him even madder. So I got the wire, looking back at the snake every few seconds, opened the door, got my gun out, and shot it. I got in, backed the trailer down into the water, and spent a lot of time trying to secure the boat on the trailer and get it cranked up to the winch post. I made that trailer myself, all steel with a 3,500-pound axle. It was at capacity that day.”

Williams called his brother, with whom he works in the business, saying he had a boatload of fish and wait till you see what else he’s bringing along! During the 10-mile trek with the buffalo fish, trailer, and alligator gar tail still sticking out of the boat, he knew now he could spend time thinking what he was going to do with this thing.

It became the question of the day.“What are you going to do with that

thing?” his brother asked him. They decided it would make sense to at least get the fish weighed so they drove to a friend’s scrap metal yard where a commercial scale was available. It came in at 327 pounds.

Everyone at the scrap yard stopped work-ing and asked Kenny, “What are you …,” you know the rest by now.

Kenny mentioned he was thinking of get-ting it mounted and the scrap yard owner said he had a friend who had an alligator gar about a third of this size on a wall and it cost a pretty

penny. “Out of the question,” Kenny said. “I can’t afford that.” By now, cell phones were ringing all over Vicksburg about how Williams had spent his morning. When his phone rang during this conversation, it was the president of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, who wanted the fish and would pick it up as soon as possible. Kenny told her he was tak-ing it to Dave’s Meat House, another friend’s business, where the fish would be kept in a cooler. The museum picked it up the next morning, weighed it, checked history books, and announced this was the largest alligator gar ever netted.

Since that time, local television, national television, and newspapers have interviewed Kenny Williams. His Facebook page has a new profile picture – take a guess what it is.

“Sometimes I find myself wishing it was still out there,” he says, gesturing over to Chotard Lake’s location. “But on the other hand, it’s a blessing it was caught and will be a part of the museum.” Within the next year, when the record fish has been mounted, a grand opening for the exhibit is planned at the museum in Jackson.

Until then? “Well,” says Williams, “they say where’s there’s one, there’s two.”

Alligator Gar 101• Kenny Williams has caught the largest alligator gar (327 pounds) in the world with a net. The largest caught with a rod and reel is 279 pounds.

• Scientists believe these fish have been around for 100 million years.

• Identifiable by a long snout, hence the name, and two rows of teeth

• Considered a delicacy in many Southeastern restaurants

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Personal Watercraft, Safety, And You

Man, these things are big fun. But please keep the basic

safety rules in mind


WatersportsTed Sensenbrenner

t an average length of around 10 feet, personal watercraft (PWC) may seem small, but they come with some pretty big responsibility. With the

horsepower of a large outboard engine and the acceleration of a motorcycle, PWC are not toys. In fact, the U.S. Coast Guard considers personal watercraft Class A vessels, which means all safe-ty equipment and operation laws that apply to boats under 16 feet also apply to a PWC. Most states have operator age and education require-ments, too. So before you launch, here are a few

things you’ll need to know to have a safe and hassle-free day on the water.

Required Equipment For A PWC

A life jacket for each operator, passenger, and person being towed

A Coast Guard-approved B-1 fire extinguisher

An approved sound-signaling device such as a whistle or horn

An emergency engine cutoff lanyard attached to the operator

Proper display of registration numbers, letters, and validation decals

Vessel registration, to be displayed when requested

A functioning backfire flame arrestor and passive ventilation system

Recommended Safety Equipment

Hand-held VHF radio, and a cell phone as a backup

A basic first-aid kit, sunscreen, and burn cream

A dewatering device such as a hand operated bilge pump

An anchor and enough anchor line for your area

If pulling a skier or other tow-sport participant, a skier-down flag, ano

server over a certain age, and rear-view mirrors may also be required in your area. Even if they’re not required,

they’re good to have.

And finally, when operating on inland waters, it’s recommended you have a suitable daytime distress signal such as flares, an orange flag, or signal mirror.

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Follow These Rules And Everyone Has Fun

In many states, PWC-operator laws are more stringent than recreational-vessel operator requirements. PWC manufacturers recommend a minimum operator age of 16. However, opera-tor laws vary from state to state, so it’s best to check with your local waterway authority before operating or letting a friend operate your PWC. If you loan out your craft, be certain whoever operates it is fully aware of the local and federal boating laws and know how to operate your craft. You’re responsible when you loan your PWC. For more state operator requirements, visit www.BoatUS.org and click on your state.

Wear a life jacket approved for PWC use.

Take a safe-boating course. No excuses.

Know the laws and don’t push the limits.

Learn the meaning of navigation marks and signs.

Never ride after consuming drugs or alcohol.

Carry no more passengers than the vessel’s rating allows.

Check your craft for proper function before riding.

Respect ecologically sensitive areas and wildlife.

Large vessels, fishing vessels, sailboats under sail, and paddle craft should always be given priority.

When meeting another craft head-on, steer to the right and pass like cars.

If overtaking another boat, you may pass on either side, but you must keep clear.

If you’re about to cross paths with another vessel, the craft on the righ should be allowed to continue at the same speed and direction, and you must alter your speed and direction to pass safely behind.

You must take action to avoid collisions and maintain a proper lookout by scanning constantly.

If you are unsure about the rules of the road, reduce your speed and take early defensive action.

For more on Rules of the Road, take a boat-ing course. For online study materials and a safety course or to find a classroom-based class near you, click on the Educational Programs at www.BoatUS.com/Foundation.


Top 10 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Tow Sports Fun

1. Safety First– Always wear a properly fit-ted Coast Guard-approved life jacket for any tow sport activity. Select one that won’t ride up over your head and that provides adequate impact protection if you take a spill.

2. Inspect Your Equipment– Check your equipment carefully for wear and tear before use. Replace and discard components that show signs of deterioration.

3. Know the Area– Check out the area where you’ll be participating in tow sports ahead of time. Do not operate in shallow water, near the shoreline, or near docks, pilings, swimmers, and other watercraft.

4. Turn Off Your Engine– Always turn off your engine when a rider is entering or exit-ing the water. Besides the danger of a moving propeller, a boat’s exhaust can produce carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that can be deadly.

ow sports is an activity that is growing as fast as adventure-seeking individu-als can think up new ways to have fun while boating. A whole industry

exists that promotes family-fun products that can be towed behind a boat. Today, tow sports is more than just waterskiing; it includes activities such as wakeboarding, knee boarding, tubing, and other inflated towable devices.

Each sport has specific gear and products to make the sport safe and enjoyable, and even has associations and competitions to support and grow the sport. Having a great time doesn’t necessarily require a fast boat, just some com-mon sense.

If you familiarize yourself with the proper use of your equipment and know and abide by all applicable laws, you can minimize the risk of injury and maximize your enjoyment.

exists that promotes family-fun products that T

“Safety for Tow Sports, And Enjoying the Ride”

Tow Line RecommendationsAccording to the Water Sports Industries Association, a tow rope for inflat-able devices such as tubes should be at least 50 feet in length and not exceed 65 feet. Your local watersports shop or chandlery can help you select the proper diameter and tensile strength, but here is a rough guide for size.

CAPACITY LINE DIAMETER TENSILE STRENGTH

1 person 3/8” 1,500 LBS. 2 persons 3/8” 2,375 LBS. 3 persons 5/8” 3,350 LBS. 4 persons 1” 4,100 LBS.

Ted Sensenbrenner is the Assistant Director of Boating Safety for the BoatU.S. Foundation, which is devoted to projects that promote environmentally responsible boating, and safe-boating practices.


5. Listen To Your Rider– Remember that a rider has no control of the boat or its speed, so be sure to go over hand signals with the rider before he or she gets in the water. This way, a rider can communicate if they wish to turn, slow down, or stop.

6. Observe Capacity Ratings– For inflatable tubes and similar devices that allow for multiple riders, follow the manufacturer’s rec-ommendations on weight limit and maximum towing speed.

7. Always Use A Spotter– Required by law in most states, a spotter should have constant visual contact with the rider and relay information to the boat operator.

Don’t forget to read the operator’s manual before using any new piece of equipment. Not only are the safety messages important, but the manual may also provide tips on getting the most enjoyment from your new toy.

Always respect the waterways, other water-way users, and those who live adjacent to our waterways.

8. Operate With Care– The driver should always look ahead and be mindful of other waterway users. Use caution when cross-ing a wake or operating near other boats, docks, or the shore.

9. Know Your Limits– Always ski or ride within your limits. Operate or participate with control and at speeds appropriate for your ability.

10. Take Care Of Equipment– When possible, rinse your equipment with fresh water to keep it lasting longer, and coil your tow rope to prevent permanent kinks.

Three Important Ethanol Questions

And Answers From Those Who Know


By Bob Adriance

thanol began to be widely used seven years ago in the United States and a lot has been written about its properties, the problems it has created, and how to best cope with its possible effects.

Some of the advice has been based on science and some on hearsay.

Seaworthy, the BoatU.S. Marine Insurance damage-avoidance publication talked to two engineers who have over 75 years of combined experience working with gasoline: Jim Simnick, technical advisor at BP Global Fuels Technology and Lew Gibbs, a senior engineering consultant and a Chevron Fellow, about popular rec-ommendations that could affect how people deal with ethanol-enhanced gasoline. The questions and answers are summarized below.

E


Question 1. Does ethanol-enhanced gaso-line (E-10) lose octane much faster than regu-lar gasoline?

This is an especially important question because many mechanics believe that octane loss during winter storage could be great enough to damage an engine when it is run in the spring. These same mechanics will often recommend leaving the tank almost empty so that fresh gaso-line can be added in the spring to raise depleted octane levels.

Answer: While all gasoline loses octane as it ages, ethanol-enhanced gasoline loses octane at about the same rate as regular gasoline. Both Gibbs and Simnick said that the loss of octane over the winter would not be sufficient to damage an engine. Note, however, to keep any gasoline, including E10, as fresh as possible, they said it’s good practice to always add an antioxidant when-ever the boat will be idle for long periods.

The recommendation to leave a tank mostly empty is bad advice because it could significantly increase the amount of water that gets into the tank. (When enough moisture is attracted through the vent, the ethanol will separate from the gasoline.)

Leaving a tank mostly empty does three things to increase the chances of phase separation: 1. It increases the volume of open space in the tank (its “lung capacity”) so it can “breathe in” moist air. 2. An almost empty tank leaves more space on tank walls for condensation to form. 3. Leaving less gasoline in the tank means there will be less ethanol to absorb the condensation. It’s interest-ing to note that in areas of the Midwest that have been dealing with E-10 for over a decade, topping off tanks is common practice. (As an alternative, completely emptying the tank would eliminate any chance of phase separation.)

If phase separation occurs, the highly cor-rosive ethanol/water mixture will settle to the bottom of the tank and remain there even after fresh fuel is added in the spring. The only way to remedy the problem would then be to drain the tank and add fresh gasoline. The best way to avoid phase separation over the winter (aside from completely draining the tank, which isn’t practical) is to leave the tank full (95-percent full to allow for expansion) so that there is less moist air in the tank, less space for condensation to collect, and more gasoline to absorb whatever moisture does accumulate.

Question 2. Since E-10 attracts water, is it important to install a water separator to pre-vent the water reaching the engine?

Answer: Unlike regular gasoline, which can absorb almost no moisture, E-10 can hold up to ½ percent of water by volume, and the water mol-

ecules will dissolve in the fuel. The solubilized water will bypass the water separator and burn harmlessly through the engine. Only if phase separation were to occur would a water separator do its job, but by then the fuel itself would be the problem. Phase-separated gasoline consists of a water/ethanol mixture on the bottom of the tank and reduced-octane gasoline floating at the top, either of which will damage your engine.

Note, however, that a fuel filter (10-micron) is essential to keep gunk from reaching your engine. Ethanol is a solvent that dissolves resins, rust and dirt that have accumulated on older tank walls. Especially when you first make the transition to E-10, it is important to carry spare filters and a galvanized bucket to store used filters prior to disposal. Even in new engines and tanks, E-10 will sometimes form a mysterious gooey substance that will also clog filters. Richard Kolb, the manager of Emissions and Regulations for Volvo Penta, believes the goo is caused by water mixing with one or more of the 108 approved compounds that can be used in gasoline. These compounds vary among suppliers, so one solu-tion is to change to a different brand of gasoline. Another is to use carburetor cleaner, which he says has sometimes remedied the problem.

Question 3. Are there additives that will prevent phase separation?

Answer: Both Gibbs and Simnick said that the additives that eliminate water may work incre-mentally to protect against phase separation, but as Jim Simnick said there is no additive that will stand up to a good slug of water.

Curiously, E-15 when it becomes available, will be less prone to phase separation than E-10 since the additional alcohol will absorb more water. That’s the good news. But — the bad news — adding more ethanol raises other issues with materials compatibility: elastomers, plastics and metals may be affected because alcohol is more corrosive than gasoline and marine engines have only been tested with E-10. Also, adding oxygen in the fuel can cause the engine to run hotter. E15 should never be used in a marine engine.

Lew Gibbs says the best way to prevent phase separation in E-10 is to “keep it dry, keep it dry, keep it dry.” That means keeping the tank filled to prevent condensation.

Take the BoatU.S. online survey of marine fueling practices at the bottom of page 7.

Bob Adriance is Editor of Seaworthy, the BoatU.S. Marine Insurance damage-avoidance publication. This article has been updated from an earlier issue of Seaworthy.

Boat trailers are often forgotten because they’re always behind you. This checklist is the first step to keeping you ahead of any impending trouble.

1. Safety Chains They need to be crossed so that the trailer tongue is caught by the chains before hitting the pavement. The breakaway cable should be connected from the trailer to the tow vehicle. Instead of the standard “S” hooks, use stainless-steel snap shackles. They’re more secure.

2. Coupler Is it locked down on the hitch ball?

3. Actuator First, look for any spills of brake fluid around the trailer tongue and then check the brake fluid level. Inspect the seal on the master cylinder cap. Is the breakaway cable attached to the tow vehicle?

4. Tires Know your trailer tire’s inflation (psi) and check before going out on a trip. PSI should be checked when the tire is cold. Most boat-trailer tire psi are higher than a tow vehicle’s psi. Check for spider cracks in the sidewall and for adequate tread on the tires. And speaking of tires, do you have a properly inflated spare attached to the trailer? This is also the time to check the lug nuts. Use a torque wrench and tighten each lug nut to 85-95 pounds of torque (note: this varies from trailer to trailer).


Your Ultimate Trailering Checklist

4

Before you hit the road, launch the boat, retrieve the boat, or head for home, spend a few minutes with your trailer

4Before You Hit The Road1.

2.

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5. Bearings Check the inside of trailer fenders for any indication of grease. If it’s evident, a bearing seal is bad and needs to be replaced before going on the road. If applicable, check the oil level in the hubs. Do you know the last time the bearings were replaced or repacked? Are dust caps secure?

6. Outboard/Outdrive They should be in the up position for highway travel. If you have a transom saver, make sure it’s attached.

7. Drain Plug Put it in the boat before you start the trip. This way you’ll know it’s in place. The only time you shouldn’t have the plug inserted is if you’ll be driving through heavy rains (See related story on page 66).

8. Inspect Bunks and Rollers Obviously, this is easier at the boat ramp without the boat on the trailer. Still, ensure that rollers turn with ease and aren’t cracked, and look for excessive wear on the bunk carpeting.

9. Lights Have someone stand behind the trailer while you turn on the lights, the brake lights, and turn signals. On trailers equipped with disc brakes, verify the reverse solenoid works correctly by gently backing the trailer and applying the brakes.

10. Tie-Downs Check each to make certain the strap has been secured and is locked in place. Do the same for tie-downs that attach to the transom. Finally, check the condition of the winch strap attached to the bow eye. If you have a secondary strap/chain that attaches from the bow to the trailer, make sure it’s secure.

Along The WayWhen you stop for fuel or refresh-ments, put your hand on the trailer hubs. If they feel excessively hot, that’s the number-one warning sign that the bearings are losing grease and over-heating — or a brake pad is engaged.

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Do these 10 things at the ramp and anyone behind you in line will say “Thank You!”

1. If New, Get To Know

If you’ve never used the ramp before, it’s worth the time to walk to the water’s edge and familiarize yourself:• Is there a designated lane for launching or retrieving? This is common during weekends.• Any debris at the water’s edge that could affect launching?• Does the dock have cleats or just pilings to secure the dock lines? • Find the end of the ramp so you’ll know not to back too far. Look for a sign indicating where the ramp ends. If necessary, have someone stand there to warn if the trailer is getting close to the ramp’s edge.

2. Load While WaitingWhile waiting in line, unpack any items from the tow vehicle and put them in the boat (coolers, extra gas tanks, clothing, electronics, and equipment). Do it now instead of at the bot-tom of the ramp; otherwise, the people behind you will have to wait. This applies to either a single-lane or multiple-lane boat ramp. This makes things move faster.• Assign tasks that need to be completed during the launch.• Attach bow and stern lines to the boat and keep the ends accessible to grab when needed at the water’s edge.• Remove children from the tow vehicle before backing down the ramp in the unlikely event something goes terribly wrong and the tow vehicle goes into the water. For the same reason, lower the tow vehicle windows so you can make a quick escape should the vehicle go underwater. Remember, power windows may not work below the surface.• Is the drain plug inserted in the transom?• Untie the tie-downs.

3. One Lane – No ComplainIf there are multiple lanes at the ramp, pick one. Avoid backing the trailer down the middle of two lanes because this means nobody else can use this part of the ramp.

4. Eye On The PrizeHave someone stand at the water’s edge while the boat and trailer are backed down the ramp. This gives you an extra set of eyes and that person can tell you when the trailer has reached the appropriate depth of water at the ramp. If the ramp allows power loading (and power unloading), this person can also signal when the boat’s outdrive or outboard has reached the needed depth to operate.

5. Take It From The TopIn the event you make a mistake backing the trailer, it’s usually easier to go back to the top of the ramp and begin again rather than try to straighten the boat trailer in the middle of the ramp.

4Before You Launch The Boat

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6. In The WaterWhen the boat is in the proper position to be launched, stop the tow vehicle, put it in park, and set the emergency brake. Many boaters will chock the rear wheels of the tow vehicle to keep it from rolling back should the brakes fail. • Disconnect the winch cable from the bow eye.• Lower the outdrive/outboard.• If the ramp has two lanes, close the driver’s-side and passenger doors so as not to affect anyone trying to back a trailer down in the next lane.• Double-check the drain plug.

7. Dock It

Is power loading legal? Many boat ramps forbid this practice because the prop wash can erode the bottom. If you aren’t going to power load, one person shoves the boat off the trailer while a second person takes both the bow line and stern line and moves the boat to the end of the dock, leaving room for others waiting in line on the ramp and on the water. This is the time to have everyone at the dock ready to board the boat. Waiting for crew members who are in the nearby gift shop, bathroom, or store is only going to delay the departure.

8. Put It In Drive And GoUnblock the tow vehicle, release the emergency brake, and move the tow vehicle up the ramp to a parking place. Don’t stop at the top of the ramp to adjust equipment. Do it when you’re parked.

9. Crowd Control Two points on parking: First, if friends are meeting you at a boat ramp that is known for being crowded, consider an alternative site, like a nearby shopping center. This relieves parking problems at the ramp. Second, if folks do meet you at the ramp, make sure they don’t park in an area reserved for boat trailers and tow vehicles.

10. PFD For AllAre there enough life jackets for everyone? Remember the BoatU.S. Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Program (www.BoatUS.com/Foundation/ljlp) has life jackets available for children at cooperating marinas, BoatU.S. Towing opera-tor ports, U.S. Army Corps recreation sites, and many fuel docks offering BoatU.S. members a discount.

Unplug The Lights?Unplugging the trailer lights prior

to backing down the ramp has been one of the great debates among trailer boaters for years. It began when incan-descent bulbs were common on brake lights (they are still being manufac-tured) because the bulb would heat up whenever trailer brakes were applied and then burst when immersed in cold water during a launch – especially if the boat ramp was extremely long, as

is the case in many Western states. Today, many new trailers use LED lights (light-emitting diode) that burn cooler, are sealed, and don’t need to be unplugged. Some lighting systems, however, connect the lights to the brakes in such a way that if the lights are unplugged, the brakes are, too. So, if incandescent, then unplug the lights – but remember to plug them back in when leaving the boat ramp. If LED, keep them plugged in.

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very boat owner has a story about trying to dock at a waterfront restaurant, or a

slip, or even the dock at the boat ramp while a crowd watches, often times shouting suggestions and cri-tiques. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. Backing a trailer down a ramp for the first time on a busy

weekend provides similar stories. Everyone who’s done this says with experience comes confidence.

BoatU.S. Trailering spoke with two seasoned trailer veterans who teach seminars for first-time boaters, and trailer backers. Betty Bauman, founder of Ladies Let’s Go Fishing (www.Ladies, LetsGoFishing.com), leads classes for women in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Tony Dippolito of Magic Tilt Trailers teaches trailer backing as well. Here are their suggestions. Experienced boaters are welcome to read this and learn something, too!

First-Time Tips From Betty And Tony

1. First of all, take your boat and trailer to an empty shopping center parking lot and practice backing the trailer into a parking space.

2. Bauman says an often over-looked part of trailer backing is agreeing on a few common hand signals. She notes, from 15 years of teaching this to women through-out Florida, that boat ramps can be noisy and too many times a verbal direction can’t be heard over the roar of cigarette boats, car stereos,

and tow vehicle engines. So have a discussion about what she calls “a common lan-guage.” Know how to indicate “stop,” “left,” “start over,” and of course, “perfect” with your hands.

3. The most important les-son for the beginner is to go SLOW. The faster you go, typ-ically the further behind you get. There are no time limits for launching. Most ramps

are public and everyone has a right to be there, even the slower ones. For the beginner, the majority of vehicle movement at the ramp should be controlled at the brake pedal.

4. As you’re backing down a sloped ramp, very little gas pedal is required. Bumping the brake pedal and checking where you are in relation to the ramp are keys to success. Also, all adjustments are best made by the beginner with the brake applied; turn the wheel to get the trailer to go where you want and then release the brake. This gives you optimum maneuverability in the shortest distance.

5. When we’re taught to drive, we’re taught to keep our hands near the top of the wheel. This can be confusing for trailer backing as there is no left/right relationship this

Ten First-Time Launching Tips

E

Magic Tilt’s Tony Dippolito explains some trailer basics to his Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing class.


way. If you start with your hands at the bottom of the wheel, you can establish a left/right relationship for trailer backing.

6. Focus on the task at hand, not the surroundings (other people waiting). This will get you onto the ramp much quicker.

7. The relationship between the tow vehicle and the boat is differ-ent for every combination. A longer trailer is easier to back up and harder in turns going forward. A shorter trailer is harder to back up as it jackknifes quicker but is easier to tow going forward.

8. When you find yourself with the trailer jackknifed, there is a proper way to correct the situation. With your foot on the brake, turn the steering wheel all the way in the opposite direction of the jackknife.

If the trailer is jackknifed to the right side of the vehicle, with your foot on the brake, turn the wheel all the way to the left as if making a left turn. Then slowly release the brakes and pull forward only as far as is required to align the tow vehicle and the trailer. Remember, though, sometimes it’s easier to start over at the top of the ramp.

9. All beginners should have guide poles on the trailer for a visual reference; this is a neces-sity. Without guides, it is extremely difficult to see an empty trailer. Some people back up using mirrors, some look over their shoulders. There is no right or wrong way. Whichever way is most comfortable for the individual is the best way.

10. The difference between a novice and a professional is the number of times the professional has done it. Get out and practice.

Backing a trailer between cones is always a good first step for the first-timer.


Invasives At The RampIn an effort to keep invasives such as zebra

and quagga mussels and milfoil from spread-ing, some cities, coun-ties, and states require inspections prior to a trailer boat being launched. If your plans include one of these bodies of water, it’s always good to understand what will be looked at prior to a launch and in some instances, after retrieval.

If there are no mandatory inspections, make it a point to do one on your own. If your live-well water came from the lake, bay, river, or ocean from which you’ve been boating, empty it back into the same body of water. Never pour

out water from one body of water into another because an aquatic invasive species could be given a new home and quickly multiply, over-whelming water intake pipes and, depending on the invasive, native fish populations.

Some Trailering Club members will stop at a car wash to spray hot soapy water over the hull and trailer to remove possible invasives. Others choose to do it at home. Besides the boat hull, engine, trim tabs, and trailer, spray these as well:

• Anchor

• Anchor line and dock lines

• Bait well

• Any gear such as waterskis, wakeboards, and tubes that have been in contact with the water.

• Remove any vegetation that may be attached to the propeller or trailer. Letting the boat and trailer sit out of the water for a week has also proven to be an efficient way to keep invasives from spreading.

4Returning To The Ramp And Heading Home

1. Drop And GoIf you’re going to drop someone off to retrieve the tow vehicle and trailer, do so at the dock next to the boat ramp. Don’t pull up to the ramp itself to do this because you are now blocking others from launching and/or retrieving. Don’t unload every-thing in your boat until you have it on the trailer in the staging area prior to leaving. Handing off coolers, clothing, and equip-ment on the dock or at the bottom of the ramp means you’re keeping others from being able to get their boats into and out of the water.

2. Trailer Over Boat One of the quiet rules at a boat ramp is the tow vehicle that is next in line takes precedence to back down the ramp and retrieve a boat. Some believe if a boat waiting to be retrieved is moved to the bottom of the ramp, then its tow vehicle and trailer have the “right” to back down the ramp. The problem with this is the person assigned to get the tow vehicle and trailer could be still walking back to the parking lot so everyone waits because the lane is blocked. Now, every ramp has its own quiet rules so take notice of how things operate if you’re new.

3. CommunicateBack the trailer down the ramp just as you did when launch-ing. As you’re doing this, the person with the boat at the dock or circling in the water just offshore should move to the trailer’s location at the bottom of the ramp.

1.

2.

3.

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4. DepthIf power loading, make sure the trailer is deep enough in the water so as not to expose the prop. If manually loading the boat, the person with the boat should have a bow line to throw to the tow vehicle operator once the truck is safely secured, the engine is off, and rear wheels are blocked.

5. Crank And LoadLoad the boat and winch it completely onto the trailer. Secure the winch cable to the bow eye. Raise the outdrive/outboard.

6. Don’t Stop At The TopStart the tow vehicle, remove the blocks from the rear wheels (if applicable), and pull the boat up the ramp to the staging area so as not to block the next tow vehicle and boat trailer from having access to the ramp.

7. Windproof And LightsOnce you’ve reached an area at the facility that is out of the way of boat-ramp traffic, load the appropriate items from the boat into the tow vehicle. Watch for something like a tarp, inner tube, or clothing that could blow out of the boat when underway and stow it in the tow vehicle as well. Also:• Attach and secure tie-downs for the gunwales and stern to

the trailer.• If the Bimini is open, close it. Highway speeds have destroyed many canvas coverings.• If the trailer lights have been disconnected from the tow vehicle, plug them back in.• Remove the drain plug, especially if you may be traveling through some heavy rains.

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Trailering Club members have the benefit of being rescued if their

trailer develops a mechanical prob-lem on the road. Here’s some advice from three of the 18,000 folks always

on call for Trailer assisT™

Preventive Maintenance From

he BoatU.S. Dispatch Center received calls in 2010 from Trailering Club mem-bers needing Trailer aSSiST™ for the following reasons:

Flat Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41%

Bearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23%

Axles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11%

Misc . (out of gas, locked out, dead battery) . . . . . . 5%

Misc . for Trailer (lights not working, brakes) . . . . . 5%

Now, let’s go to the front lines, get past the numbers and understand why the calls had to be made. regardless of all the checklists and inspec-tions, unexpected things can happen when a boat trailer is on the road. Many, however, can be avoided by taking a few minutes and knowing what to look for.

TiresThe biggest prob-

lem I see when I get a call for TraIler assIsT is a dry cracked tire. The sun does a lot of damage to a trailer tire and people aren’t aware that they should cover the tire with a tarp or even a piece of plywood to block the sun. West Marine sells trailer tire covers, which are worth the cost. I get folks driving from los angeles with their trailer boat who plan on fishing here in san Diego. They don’t think about the boat trailer and if they do, it’s just to check the psi of the trailer tire.

It’s not just boat trailers, though. I see it with folks who have rVs with plans to drive to the desert for a few days. Their rV has been sitting outside and, like the trailer with a boat, the tires are damaged by the sun.

T


The other thing folks need to be aware of is when you replace the tire, replace the valve stem, too. I’ve had calls from folks along the side of a highway, who are furious because the trailer tire is brand new but the valve stem on the tire is brittle and losing air. There are instances of valve stems that aren’t designed for the high 50+ psi of a trailer tire and this can cause failure, too. ask for stems that can handle 80 psi and you shouldn’t have a problem.

This brings me to the next point: Carry a spare tire. It can be done right along the side of the road rather than having to take the trailer to a repair shop in order for a new tire to be put on a rim. and make sure it is inflated properly.

Toby Ramosramos Tire and road service

san Diego, Ca

a word of advice on boat trailer tires: I get a lot of calls because a tire has gone bad and a lot of these are the result of low air pressure inside the tire. You can’t look at a tire and figure out if it’s inflated properly. Take the time, kneel down and check the psi with a tire gauge. That’s the only way to know if the tire is properly inflated.

Our other biggest call also involved tires. People from the North will come to Florida and never look at the trailer tires. It’s not just boaters, it’s folks who own rVs, too. They let their boat trailer or rV sit for

™BoatU.S. Trailer aSSiST


six months and then take it out on the road at high speed for two hours and more, and the tires blow out. Lots of times, it’s flat spots on the tire. I explain it to folks as “the tire has its memory because it sat so long on one side that the other side can’t remember what to do.”

Clayton Castetter National Tire and Truck Repair

Cocoa, FL

BearingsLack of maintenance is the reason I get calls

from the BoatU.S. Dispatch Center to assist a person whose trailer is broken down along the highway. In many cases it’s the bearings. Now, anyone can check if their bearings are bad by simply jacking up the trailer and spinning the wheel. If you hear any kind of grinding, that’s the first sign your bearings on that wheel are bad. Do the same on the other wheel, too.

When you’re on the road, a bad bearing isn’t going to be heard unless you see smoke coming from the trailer tire. Usually, when you come to a stop you’ll see the trailer wheel is leaning severely. Another clue that a bearing could be going bad is losing the dust cap. Rob Violette

The Trailer Shop, Key Largo, FL

Here in Florida we see a lot of boat trailers that have been dunked into saltwater but they’re never given a freshwater wash. That’s going to affect bear-ings. I’ve been in this business for 16 years and it’s pretty clear that everyone pays attention to the boat and I can understand that because it’s the biggest

expense, but they never spend much time with the trailer.

Bearings that haven’t been regreased or replaced are going to give anyone trouble, especially if they’re being used on the Interstate for a few hours at 65 mph. The thing is, if you ignore the bearings and saltwater gets into a loose seal, which will turn the grease a milky color, then when the bearings go, there’s always a chance that’s going to damage the spindle and possibly, the axle. I’ve answered Trailer Assist calls when that has happened. Usually, we can make all the repairs right there but it definitely is going to delay a boating vacation.

Clayton Castetter

All That Other StuffI also see a lot of damaged leaf springs. I blame

the saltwater for this but I’ve seen it on boat trailers that have come from the North where they’re used in fresh water. In many cases the springs are actually in good shape but the bolts and hangers used to hold the springs have rusted out, usually because they aren’t made of stainless steel.

When you’re on the road and stop for gas, feel the sidewalls of your tires. If you’ve got a tandem or triple-axle trailer and one tire feels warmer than all the others, that’s a sign something is wrong, like low

tire pressure. If you’ve got a single axle, you can do the same thing. Make sure you also touch the hubs. Look for oil or grease that might have leaked from the hub.

Clayton Castetter

It never hurts to have these three things with you that can be used to change a tire: (1) a spare that’s ready for use, (2) a breaker bar (this has a long handle with a 13/16-inch socket to take the lug nuts off, and (3) a hammer that can be used to hit the lug nut a few times if it’s corroded and not loosening when you try to remove it.

Toby Ramos I always say you have to do more than just look

at the trailer. It’s the same as lifting the hood of your tow vehicle. It doesn’t tell you much. You have to go beyond just looking. Most people won’t jack up the wheels of their trailer.

I understand that this can be more than they want to do, in which case it makes a lot of sense to take the time and spend the money to have a profes-sional check out a trailer before you make a long trip.

Rob Violette

When You Need To Make That Call

If a Trailering Club member has a breakdown along the road, be sure to call the BoatU.S. Dispatch Center 800-391-4869 and pro-vide as exact a location as pos-sible. Be extremely careful about highway traffic.

“I’m a fisherman so I know how a day can be ruined because of a trailer break-

down. Most of the time, it is preventable”

— Toby Ramos

Weight is a key part of your boat-trailer per-formance. Here are a half-dozen ways to

determine those crucial numbers, so you can get the most out of your rig, safely

1. Know the capacity your trailer can carry. Too many times, people have been stuck along the road and called BoatU.S. Trailer Assist because of a bent axle or a bad tire, and upon inspection it was determined the trailer was overloaded. Every trailer has a VIN plate that identifies the trailer’s number for state licensing as well as a reference point for contact with the manufacturer. That plate also contains the weight capacity of the trailer. If you’re in the market for a new or used trailer and are told what the trailer can carry by a salesman, take the time to find the VIN plate and see it for yourself. Some VIN plates are located on either the frame’s left or right side. Some manufacturers put them inside while others place them outside. Some even use a sticker. Still others have the VIN near a taillight on the frame or behind the tongue on the inside or outside of the frame (see photos page 53). Your trailer manu-facturer or dealer can show you the location of this important item.


A MinuteWeight


2. Know the weight of the trailer without the boat. This information is available on the manufacturer’s website or from your dealer.

3. Once you know what the trailer can carry, take the time to know the weight of the boat. This can be done online with your boat manufacturer’s website or through a variety of appraisal books that contain boat specs and are usually available at the library: BUC Used Boat Price Guide, www.bucvalu.com, and NADA Marine Guide, www.nada.com, are updated annually but will charge a fee for the information. Many manufacturers will list “dry weight;” depending on the manufacturer, this means the engine isn’t included if it’s an outboard. If the boat is an inboard, dry weight may include the engine. Your boat’s manufac-turer will have the answer.

When you have the weight of the boat and the engine, add the weight of fuel (six pounds per gallon) and water (eight pounds per gallon). Factor in the batter-ies, equipment, and, if carried in the boat, coolers.

4. Add all of these up and you have the trailer’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or GVWR. Now, here’s one more acronym to know: GAWR for Gross Axle Weight Rating. This is the total weight each axle is capable of supporting. If you have a single-axle trailer, your axle must be able to support the GVWR. If you have a tandem-axle trailer, the GAWR of each axle added together must be less than the GVWR.

5. The tow vehicle has a towing capacity, too. Like your boat and boat trailer, this can be found at your dealer or online from the vehicle manufacturer. Some tow vehicles have a towing package, which provides additional capacity for the vehicle to pull your boat and trailer. This includes a transmission cooler, a heavy-duty radiator and fan, engine oil cooler, higher axle ratio for increased torque, and extra-large side-view mirrors. Know your tow vehicle’s towing capacity and be sure it’s no more than 85 per-cent of the boat and trailer’s GVWR. While this

ratio is sometimes built into the tow capacity, having a 15-percent difference provides room for error when towing in challenging conditions – for instance, up a hill in hot weather.

6. Tongue Weight. The weight of the trailer on your tow vehicle should be five-seven percent of the GVWR (the weight of the fully loaded boat and trailer being pulled). Some Trailering Club members claim they have no problems with a tongue weight as high as 10 percent. Here’s how to determine it: If a truck scale isn’t busy and if you have permission to do so, pull your tow vehicle onto the scale with the trailer attached but without the trailer wheels on the scale. Record the weight. Now, drive off the scale, disconnect the trailer, and drive the tow vehicle back onto the scale and record that weight. The difference between the two is the tongue weight. There are also numerous prod-ucts available that will determine tongue weight right in your yard.

The Trailer Laws

Ask anyone who has taken a boat and trailer across state lines about

laws and you’ll receive one of two answers: “I was legal”

or “What state laws?”

ust as every state has its own speed limit, so, too, do states have their own laws regard-ing boat trailers. For the person who has just brought their boat and trailer to a new

home in a different state, that’s going to require, quite possibly, a change in the trailer in order to become legal.

WidthThe good news is that most states (47,

including the District of Columbia) do not require a wide-load permit so long as the width is within 8’ 6” (102 inches). We’ve had reports from Trailering Club members about being pulled over by law enforcement because the guideposts on the trailer exceeded the 8’6” rule. Granted, this is rare but it has happened.

The exceptions to this are:New York 8 feet (96 inches)

New Jersey 8 feet (96 inches)

Hawaii 8 feet (96 inches )

North Carolina 10 feet (120 inches) Boats up to 10 feet wide can be towed without a permit and watercraft up to 9’ 6” can be towed at night.

If your boat has a wider beam than what is allowed in your state, you’ll need a wide-load permit. BoatU.S. members can get a discount for these through Mercury Permits: www.mercu-rypermits.net/BoatUS.

If you are pulling your boat through a num-ber of states en route to a destination, you’ll need a wide-load permit for each state through

J


which you travel. Please note: So long as you are simply passing through the state or visiting, you aren’t going to be required to change the trailer setup to accommodate each state law.

Seven states have no laws regarding trailer brakes and weight1. Kentucky No brakes are required on a boat trailer, but you must be able to come to a stop within 40 feet on a level surface when the tow vehicle brakes are applied.

2. Oregon No brakes required on a trailer carrying 8,000 pounds or less, but must be able to stop from a speed of 20 mph within 25 feet. If carrying more than 8,000 pounds, the trailer must be able to stop at 20 mph within 35 feet.

3. Missouri No brakes are required on a rec-reational boat trailer.

4. North Dakota No brakes are required if the boat trailer is attached with safety chains when pulled at speeds higher than 25 mph. If the boat trailer doesn’t have safety chains, then brakes are required.

5. Wyoming No brakes are required, but must be able to stop at a speed of 20 mph within 40 feet on a level dry surface.

6. Massachusetts Brakes aren’t required.

7. Kansas No brakes required, but must be able to stop at a speed of 20 mph within 40 feet.


WeightThe weight a trailer carries is the deciding factor as to whether brakes are

required. This varies from state to state but most (35) require brakes for boat trailers carrying 3,000 pounds or more. Below, we’ve listed the allowable weight a trailer can carry before brakes are necessary. Of that number, a few, like Florida and Pennsylvania require residents to have brakes on all axles if pulling a tandem or triple axle trailer. Check with your local Department of Transportation or State Police to be sure you’re legal.

3,000 lbs.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California ColoradoConnecticut District of Columbia Florida HawaiiIllinois Indiana

Iowa Louisiana Maine Maryland Michigan Minnesota Montana Nebraska Nevada New HampshireNew JerseyNew Mexico

New York OklahomaPennsylvania South CarolinaSouth Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West VirginiaWisconsin

lbs.1,500 lbs.

Idaho

2,000 lbs.

Mississippi Ohio

2,500 lbs.

Georgia

4,000 lbs.

Delaware North Carolina Rhode Island

4,500 lbs.

Texas

Here are seven trailer tire tips that will help you get

the most use and longevity out of your set of tires

1. STTires designed for a boat trailer have “ST” on the sidewall. Despite what you hear, and what folks at the boat ramp say, passenger car and light truck tires should never be used. Trailer tires

have a stronger sidewall to support the weight of the boat as the trailer is pulled around curves at high speed.

Industry standards dictate that ST tires are restricted to a speed of 65 mph unless a different speed restriction is indicated on the tire sidewall. If speeds from 66 to 75 mph are used, the tire cold inflation pressure can be increased by 10 psi without any increase in load.


2. PSIUnder-inflation of radial tires cannot be deter-mined unless a tire-pressure gauge is used. A visual inspection is never good enough. Under-inflation is also the cause of most passenger-car and boat-trailer tire failures. Tires lose about 2 PSI of air pressure every month.

3. Tire TypeRadial boat trailer tires provide a longer running life and run cooler than bias ply so there’s less of a chance of a blowout. Bias ply are less expensive and ideal if your trips to the boat ramp are brief.

4. SameNever mix radial tires with bias ply tires. Use one type only.

5. Load RatingEvery tire, be it for car, light truck, motorcycle or boat trailer, has a load rating, with the light-est being “A.” Most boat-trailer tires have load ratings of B, C, or D. For example, a small single-axle boat trailer may use tires with a B load rating that may have a load capacity of 590 pounds. Because there are two tires on the trailer, the total capacity of the tires being used is 1,180 pounds, so the boat, trailer engine, fuel, and equipment can’t weigh more than 1,180 pounds. For single-axle trailers, tires can handle 100 percent of their load rating. For dual-axle trailers, loads must be reduced by 12 percent.

Keep On Rolling

6. Depth Check tread depth on your trailer tires by plac-ing a Lincoln penny upside down in the tread. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, the tread wear is excessive and the tire needs to be replaced.


WearIndicator

(indicated by color)

Feathered WearMisalignment

Flat SpotsTire Sits in One Place

Center Wear Overinflation

Wear On SidesUnderinflation

Why Wear There?

7. Valve StemWhen inspecting your trailer tires, don’t stop at only checking the sidewalls for cracks and the treads for wear, also take a look at the tire valve stems. Gently flex the stem to the left and right to ensure air isn’t released. The look at the base of the stem all the way to where the threads begin for cracks.

Don’t Lose It When You’re Not

Using ItThere are going to be times when the trailer isn’t

used for an extended period of time. Winter is one of those times as is being away. Whatever

the reason, consider these 11 tips if the trailer is going to sit in one place for a while

Winter Protection1. Remove the trailer tires and store inside (consider doing this for theft, too). You can block the trailer. This takes the load off the tires.

2. If the tires have to remain on the trailer and you can’t park on concrete or asphalt, position the trailer over plywood if at all possible. Parking on grass increases moisture that not only harms the tires but, over a long period of time, eventu-ally affects the trailer frame. If it’s possible, move the trailer a few feet every month or so to rotate the tires so as to avoid flat spots.



3. Increase the jackstand height to remove excess rainwater and melting snow.

4. Don’t park under trees.

5. Apply some WD-40 or a spray lubri-cant on the rollers, winch gears and electri-cal connections.

6. If you have a galvanized steel trailer, do an inspection for any rust spots. If any are found, now is the time to sand, prime, and paint. Don’t let corrosion get to the point where the trailer is unsafe.

Theft Protection1. If your trailer is parked with the tongue facing the street (left), a thief can easily back a tow vehicle to the trailer, hook it up, and be off within a minute. Instead, park the trailer so that the tongue faces the garage or away from the street.

2. If your boat is small, many trailers are built with swing tongues (below) that can make storage in a garage a possibility.

3. Put a lock on the trailer tongue.

A lock on the trailer tongue may not prevent a boat trailer from being stolen but it’s going to slow a thief. Other time-tested preventive measures coupler locks or include having personalized markings (bright paint color or etched name) on the trailer so that it is easily identifiable when recovered.

4. Consider removing the engine. Take all valuables and electronics off the boat.

5. Have a friend stop by from time to time to inspect the boat and trailer.

Keeping Water Out

Bearings just hate getting wet. Here’s how to keep them from leaving you high and dry

our trailer exists so that it can be rolled into the water whenever and wher-ever you want. So keeping it waterproof allows you to keep doing the boating

you love. Here are some tried-and-true tech-niques and things to consider.

Dust Caps

Dust caps are considered “the basics” of bearing protection. Look around the boat ramp and chances are good that half the trailers there have dust caps instead of a more expensive kind of bearing protector. But with their simplicity, dust caps can be high maintenance. These essen-tial parts of your boat trailer keep dust and dirt and water from the bearings inside. But if they’re damaged, and it’s going to happen, every expert will tell you to toss them and get a new set. Dust caps work well, but their real benefit is cost, about $4 – $8 for a pair.

Many BoatUS Trailering readers have written about dust caps coming off. Sometimes, it’s an indication of excessive heat caused by bearing or brake failure.

Caps can come off as a result of damage when removing to check or service bearings or when putting them back on. Experts strongly suggest replacing a bearing cap when bearings are checked or regreased.

There are instances of a cotter pin on a bear-ing not being properly set after changing hubs, bearings, or grease, and the pin actually touches the inside of the dust cap, eventually pushing it off.

If the bearings aren’t adjusted inside the hub properly, the hub can wobble; this, in turn, causes the castle nut or cotter pin to loosen.

When removing a dust cap, jack the trailer tire up so the wheel can spin freely. As the wheel rotates, tap the dust cap from the top of

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the wheel so that you’re hitting it in a variety of places. Many suggest using a flat-edge screw-driver to do this, which also works (and doesn’t require the tire to be jacked up). If you choose this technique, replace the dust cover.

Quick Tip: Add some grease to the inside of a dust cap. With the dust cap in position over the hub, place a small 2x4 over it and pound in place with a hammer. This sets the dust cap evenly.

Grease-Filled ProtectorsGrease is kept around your boat trailer bear-

ings by a seal on one side of the hub (preferably a double-lipped seal) and pressure from a rubber plug or grommet positioned on the outside of the hub. But there are variations on this tech-nique.

Some modern bearing protectors, such as Tiedown Engineering’s SuperLube is designed so that any new grease pumped into a zerk fit-ting in the center of the hub will push out and replace any old grease, which is contained in the dust cap. During routine maintenance, the rub-ber plug is removed and the old grease can be easily taken out of the dust cap reservoir. Tr

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When adding new grease, the wheel should be jacked up so that the tire can spin. New grease is added until old grease flows out of the hub near the spindle. This requires looking at the inner hub while turning the wheel.

It’s important to periodically inspect the rubber cap or grommet for cracks. If these have been in place for a while, or the trailer has been sitting unused for a long period of time, the rub-

ber parts can dry out as a result of sun.

Some manufactur-ers are using a thread-ed reusable dust cap (Tiedown’s Vortex Lubrication system for grease and the TurboLube system for oil do this).

Because overdo-ing it with grease can be such a problem, and can have a bad effect on bearings while under-way, Kodiak Trailer offers the Red Eye Bearing Protector (left), which is designed to

tell you when grease is, and isn’t, needed. When a red washer (the eye) is flat against the housing, grease is added until you can see the “full” mark when the red washer is extended.

Bearing BuddyThese protectors provide 3 psi pressure of

grease on the bearings inside, making the system watertight. They can be easily checked by sim-ply pressing on the “piston” in the center; if it moves freely, the pressure inside is adequate. If it doesn’t, grease is applied until the piston comes

out 1/8-inch. Many trailer boaters purchase a “bra,” a protective Bearing Buddy dust cover.

The wood-and-hammer technique used for dust cap removal can also be used for a Bearing Buddy. There’s no need to jack the trailer up either. Just lay the wood against one side of the Bearing Buddy and strike with a ham-mer. Then place the wood on the opposite

side and hit it again. Continue to do this until you’re able to loosen the Bearing Buddy from the hub.

Avoid overgreasing (above), which can destroy the bearings. Too many times a trailer boat owner will add some grease before every trip to the boat ramp with the idea that “if a little grease is good, a lot is better.” So not true. Continually adding grease adds excessive pres-sure to the rear seal of the bearings so that it blows off. Or, if the rear seal holds, the dust cap blows off.

Oil Bath HubsThe semi you see on the highway is prob-

ably running on oil-lubricated hubs. A num-ber of manufacturers including EZ Loader and Ranger use oil-bath hubs as standard parts of their trailers (EZ Loader’s hubs are identified as “Reliable”; see photo). The upside is this: As the trailer wheel rotates, oil coats the bearings through centrifugal force, in many instances as


much as four times for every turn of the tire. Best of all, the oil level can be easily seen by simply looking at the hub.

Not all trailer manufacturers are onboard the oil-filled hub wagon, though. Shoreland’r sent a note to owners two years ago expressing con-cern about excessive heat buildup in boat trail-ers using oil-filled hubs when dropped in cold water. The potential exists, says Shoreland’r, of creating a vacuum inside the hub assembly that can allow water to enter. That won’t happen with grease. Another concern is the chance of hitting a curb with an oil-filled hub, breaking its cover, and losing the bearing protecting oil right there.

It’s also been argued that oil hubs are a bad idea if your trailer sits for long periods of time. The oil will settle, through gravity, against the

lower half of the bearings, leaving the upper half of the assembly prone to contamination. Again, this won’t happen with grease.

One other note about oil-filled hubs: They’re not recommended for use with solid rotor disc brakes because of the heat that is generated. If you have vented rotors, then all is well.

Both Tiedown Engineering and Kodiak Trailer make oil hubs. Tiedown offers the TurboLube system which was a 2001 Marine Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show Innovation Award win-ner. Tiedown recommends changing the oil every 50,000 miles or two years and to use only 70- to 90-weight oil, avoiding two-cycle. As is the case with grease, a milky-looking oil indi-cates the presence of water.

Kodiak, as a matter of fact, produces a sys-tem (XL Prolube) that can convert hubs from grease to oil. One component of this system is the two-part unitized seal that slides onto the trailer spindle and locks into position while an outer part spins with the rotating hub, providing a watertight enclosure for the bearing assembly.

Quick Tip: Use a hand grease gun instead of an automatic/pneumatic model when refill-ing the bearings. Automatic guns operate at too high a psi and can result on overfilling the hubs with grease because of the speed and pressures involved.


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The Will Of

The BilgeIf the bilge pump

doesn’t get the water out of your boat, you may be

the one getting out of your boat


ere’s a marine maxim: If a bilge pump isn’t work-ing when needed, the boater owner is guaranteed to have a really bad feeling. If that bilge pump is

needed right away and isn’t working, then the really bad feel-ing will become much worse.

Here are some scenarios to avoid, which will help you to make sure your automatic bilge pump is not overtaxed, and is there when you need it:

1. There are a number of BoatU.S. Marine Insurance claims resulting from the mistake of anchoring from the stern, taking heavy waves over the transom and overwhelm-ing the bilge pump. The way around this is pretty simple: Never anchor from the stern, but also know the capac-ity of the bilge pump. For example, a trailer boat with a 500-gallon-per-hour rating isn’t going to be able to handle nonstop waves coming over the transom. More and more boat manufacturers now install two pumps in new boats, and some designs have a larger pump placed above a smaller pump in the bilge so that the larger one can kick in when the smaller pump is overwhelmed. To quote Clint Eastwood, “know your limitations.”

Case FileBob Adriance

H

5. Make sure the bilge pump switch works by testing it periodically. Switches can get knocked out of place or caught on something and fail when you need them most.

6. Have a bucket at the ready if the bilge fails. If you have a tight fit and a bucket is too big, a one-gallon antifreeze container with the lid cut off works well.


Stories and Lessons from BoatU.S. Marine Insurance Files

Bob Adriance has written more than 500 articles for Seaworthy, the quar-terly BoatU.S. Marine Insurance damage-avoidance e-newsletter, educating

boaters to avoid accidents. Seaworthy is sent free to BoatU.S. insurance policyholders; paper subscriptions are $10 a year.

www.BoatUS.com/Seaworthy

2. Remember that just because a bilge pump is advertised with a “flow capacity rating” of 500: 900: 1100: 2000 or however many gallons per hour, this doesn’t mean that’s how much water is pumped out of the boat every hour. Those numbers are based on the bilge pump not having to move water vertically for a few feet, which can dramatically decrease the flow. All things being equal, bigger is better. The numbers also don’t factor in voltage drops from the battery due to too-small wiring and poor connections, which can cut capacity by 30 percent or more.

3. Bilge pumps have a screen, also called a debris strainer. If this gets clogged, the pump can’t get the water out. Make a habit of checking the screen often.

4. This brings us to getting the water out, fast. Inspect the discharge hose leading from the pump out of the boat to a thru-hull (which has to be above the waterline). Look for cracks in the hose. If you have corrugated hose (above) on the bilge pump, replace it with smooth-bore hose. Corrugated’s ribbed design reduces output by as much as 40 percent.

3. I like it best in the motor well. When I trim the motor down to back her off the trailer, I can see

right away if the plug is miss-ing from the rack, not to men-tion the convenience of the proximity of the bottle opener, deck plate key, and shackle key.

Jeff, Spartanburg, SC

4. I keep my boat on a lift, and over the winter the plug is taped

to the switch to put the boat down. Dream’Inn, Annapolis, MD

5. My 24-foot Bayliner has a solid brass plug with a square 9/16-inch head. I drilled a hole through the solid square head, large enough for the shaft of a Phillips-head screwdriver. A small brass keychain fits through the hole, and I use the chain to keep the plug on the boat’s key fob for the ignition. This helps reminds me to remove the plug, after the boat is back on the trailer. The hole also allows me to tighten the plug using a screwdriver, rather than a dedi-cated 9/16-inch wrench. A trailer-boat launch checklist is always the best safeguard.

Gary, Aston, PA

6. Put it in your pocket or attach it to the throttle, and best of all, have a spare and know where it’s kept (lesson learned from a bad expe-rience). Susan, Phoenix, AZ

1. The first boat had a squeeze plug that you pushed in, then pushed down a tad to tighten it in place. This plug had a finger hole to grip to open and remove it. I used to attach the plug to the key ring when it was removed from the boat. I always started the boat on the trailer when I launched it so it was always obvious when or if the plug wasn’t in. The second boat had a threaded plug with no hole to attach to, so I took to keeping the keys in a plastic bag and stored the plug in the bag as well. I won’t say I never forgot to put the plug in, but I never took the boat off the trailer without the plug in it.

Audrey, Stony Point, NY

2. I saw a guy once who’d screwed a plug to the end of the winch crank handle. Every time he dunked his boat, he couldn’t help but think about the plug. Mike, Miami, FL


3.well. When I trim the motor down to back her off the trailer, I can see

right away if the plug is missing from the rack, not to mention the convenience of the proximity of the bottle opener, deck plate key, and shackle key.

4. I keep my boat on a lift, and over the winter the plug is taped

to the switch to put the boat down. Dream’Inn, Annapolis, MD

Six Takes On Never Having To Ask,

Where’s The Plug?here are two kinds of trailer boat

owners: those that have forgotten to put the plug in and those that will forget to put the plug in. Here are six great suggestions from Trailering Club members

T


OnboardWith Our Members

And Their Boats

My wife Barbara and I trailer our 24’ Pro-Line to

the Florida Keys each year to fish. Photo taken off

Sombrero Light at Marathon. It doesn’t get any better

than this. — Gene Pender, Clearwater, FL

Cody’s got a “Ruff” Life cruising on the intracostal near Longboat Key, FL— Jim Kuncis

My hunting buddies and I on our annual bowhunt-

ing trip to Bull’s Island in the Cape Romain Refuge,

Awendaw, SC. My 19-foot Carolina skiff carries every-

thing we need for a week on this barrier island

— Sumpter Cassels III, Hanahan, SC

Send Us Your Picture!

[email protected]

Our Hunter 20 approaching the dock at Jackson Lake State Park, Colorado. Captain Bitsy, a real seadog, is obviously in control, and watching the docking maneuver very carefully. — Paul Jacobson

My grandson Michael with his catch of the day.— J. Artese, Mohawk River, NY

My German Shepherd puppy Kaleigh when we docked at Burton Island State Park in St. Albans, VT. A total of three rainbows came out for about 30 minutes. — Christopher Bloom, Belchertown, MA


Yes, I'd like to join the BoatU.S. Trailering Club!

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Enclosed is my check payable to BoatU.S. or charge my: MasterCard____ VISA____ Discover____ AMEX____

Signature_________________________________________________________

Card # _____________________________________ Exp. Date____________

To join BoatU.S. Trailering Club by phone, call 800-395-2628Send application to: BoatU.S., 880 S. pickett St., alexandria, Va 22304-4695

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Include To Receive Special Member-Only Offers

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Trailering Magazine Enjoy a full-color magazine for members only. Inside are information-packed features, destination ideas, expert answers to all your questions, state and local boating news.

Trailering Club/West Marine Product Coupon! As a BoatU.S. Trailering Club member, you’ll receive a $10 product coupon that can be used for a discount on a West Marine purchase. Just present the Trailering Club coupon and get $10 off any purchase of $50 or more. Discounts on West Marine products are just one of the 26 benefits and services available to Trailering Club members! You get your coupon when you join or renew your BoatU.S. Trailering Club membership.

Product Discounts In every issue of Trailering, members can choose from several valuable boat/trailer-related products at reduced prices.

Free Giveaways You could win brand-name boating gear, simply by being a Trailering Club member. In each Trailering issue, we offer products you can win just for belonging to the Club.

expert advice In every issue of Trailering, we take questions from members and go to the pros for answers. Get smart solu-tions you can use now.

Trailering Club Community WebsiteWe’re sharing some of our interesting e-mails from BoatU.S. Trailering readers about observa-tions from the road and the ramp. There’s no need to sign in and you are welcome to com-ment. It’s easy and brings the many resources of active boaters to your computer. Check it all out at www.BoatUS.com/trailerclub/community

James Bertram of Southfield, MI, won $100 in the

Trailering Club Sweepstakes!

Here’s How You Can Win $100 You could be the winner of the next $100 VISA gift card from the BoatU.S. Trailering Club. Just mail, e-mail, or fax your name, address, and telephone number to BoatU.S. Trailering Club, 880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304, or fax 703-461-4394, or e-mail: [email protected]. Entries must be received by May 31, 2011. The winner will be drawn from all received entries by BoatU.S. Chairman Richard Schwartz.


Safety SentryThis clever, yet simple-to-use device prevents your trailer

from de-coupling from the hitch, even if you forget to lock down the coupler. As an added benefit, it prevents the theft of your trailer while it’s attached to your tow vehicle. The Safety Sentry mounts to your hitch, held in place by the ball, which is bolted through it. Basically an open box with a hinge, you attach your trailer to the ball in the usual fashion, close the coupler, and then close the “box” over the neck of the trailer, and lock it in place using the padlock supplied from Safety Sentry. If the trailer tries to lift free of the ball, it strikes the Safety Sentry, which holds it in place, prevent-ing separation. Several models are available, rated by trailer capacity. From $65. www.Safetysentryinc.com

Gear LockerMichael Vatalaro

In every issue of BoatU.S. Trailering Magazine, we introduce you to great trailer-related products and we welcome your contributions. Contact our editorial office (address/fax/ e-mail/phone number, page 2) and tell us about the gear you think works best.

iBall Wireless Trailer Hitch Camera

If your tow vehicle isn’t equipped with a backup cam-era, the iBall Hitch Camera makes a great addition to your rig. The camera is submersible, and mounts magnetically, for easy installation. The monitor plugs into your 12V adapter on the dash or console. The wireless signal from the camera sends color video to the monitor, so you can back right down on the trailer every time, without help from the crew. No wires to run, no holes to drill. The camera just needs a 9V battery. $140. www.iballhitchcam.com

Singing A Different ‘Toon

Carolina Skiff recently unveiled a new line of all-fiber-glass pontoon boats. That’s right, there’s no aluminum under-

neath the decks, or even on the sides. The all-composite Fun Chaser series is a deck boat built on either a traditional monohull or on a “pontoon-style” twin-hull design. Available in lengths from 19 to 25 feet and in fishing or cruising mod-els, the Fun Chaser will stand out on the water with bold graphics, and polished curves above the waterline. Building out of composite materials increases the corrosion resistance of the boats, making them suitable for saltwater use. Where metal is used, stainless steel replaces the more typical alu-minum components. In addition, the Fun Chaser series can offer larger and more varied storage spaces compared with a traditional pontoon design. www.carolinaskiff.com

s

The Engine Just Stoppedometimes, things don’t just go wrong. They go Wrong! I took my boat for a day of fishing in the Wabash River, Lafayette, Indiana, launched at Mascouten Park,

and headed south in search of a bass or two (or three). The fishing was great and I came back to the ramp in mid-afternoon. There’s no dock so I always pull the boat up on the ramp and go get my truck. Well, when I backed the trailer down the ramp, I suddenly saw that the boat was gone. Note for the newcomer to the Wabash River: There’s a current. I set the parking brake, turned off the engine, and headed off in search of my boat (and the three bass). Sure enough, it was floating about 100 feet away and almost mid-river by now. I ran through the woods along the riverbank and got ahead of its drift and plunged in. Now, here’s where I have to tell you, it was April. I swam out and caught the boat and then realized there was no way I could get back in. So the boat and I went ashore, where I climbed in and tried starting the engine, which, of course, wouldn’t turn over. Yes, drifting again. I pulled the boat back to the ramp and was met by a pack of Cub Scouts and their leader who were stand-ing next to my truck.

“Is that your truck?” the Scout leader asked.

S


I just wasn’t in the mood so I said, “Nope,” as I tied the boat to the trailer. I walked to the truck and started checking pockets for keys. That’s when I had the horrible OMG moment as I searched. I didn’t have any keys. They must be in 30 feet of water somewhere.

“I’ve lost my keys,” I admitted to the Scout leader, who came back with, “I thought this wasn’t your truck?” This really wasn’t the con-versation I wanted to have at the moment. “You really need to learn about how to handle a boat,” he added. I nodded, borrowed his cell phone, and called my wife, who said she’d be right there with our extra set of keys, and a blanket. I thanked the Scouts for all their help, said things were just fine, and not to worry about me. Before they left, one of the Cub Scouts came over and said, “I don’t think I’m getting a merit badge for this.” I agreed with him and said, “Me neither.”

T. Kinsley, Lafayette, IN

Let’s Get This Puppy Moving!My husband and I are avid boaters and

decided it would be a new adventure if we took a nice couple who’d just moved into our sub-division out for a day on the water. We picked them up with the boat and trailer attached, and

OFF RampTrue Trailering Tales

Of course, the cub scout

troop came by just in time to see him in all

his glory


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they climbed into the crew cab in the back. Our plan was to go to the Willamette River south of Portland, Oregon, and we’d launch from Cedaroak, one of our favorite ramps. We didn’t know much about these folks, so the questions began: How do you like the area? What brings you to Oregon? The answers were one word, which made me think this was going to be a long day.

Well, we got to the ramp, loaded the boat with our cooler and lunch, and launched the boat. That’s when I realized both of these folks were shaking and it wasn’t the “I’m cold” kind of shaking. “Have you done this before?” my husband asked, reading the scenery the same as I was. “Well,” said the man, “I spent all my time in Wyoming and worked a farm and, no, being on a boat is a first time for both of us.”

The dock was floating so whenever a boat went by, the entire surface shook, making this all the more challenging for our friends with unsteady feet, and feelings. “Tell you what,” I offered, “we can just sit here for the day and have lunch right here at the dock.” Suzanne, the spouse, shook her head and said, “Absolutely not. We can’t waste a beautiful day at a boat ramp.” She looked at her husband and glared, “Face the music. We’re going for a boat ride.”

Holding his hand, I helped him onboard and strapped him into a PFD. We moved away from the dock slowly and I could sense my

husband was aching to put the throttle all the way forward, but he kept us moving at an easy six knots. Nobody was talking. This went on for about 10 minutes as each person looked at other boats and the river’s shoreline. Jim, the Wyoming resident, was the first to speak. “Well?” he said, as if everyone was supposed to follow. “Well, what?” my husband asked. “Are you going to get this puppy up on plane and get those rpm moving or are we gonna act like senior citizens?” The throttle went forward. Everyone was smiling. We cruised along and, after a half-hour, dropped anchor for lunch. “I gotta ask, why so nervous and then so bold?” I said to Suzanne.

Jim was quiet as he dug into a ham and cheese sandwich. “It’s because he reads a lot of Jimmy Buffett books,” Suzanne said. “He knows all about speed, just never tried it on a boat.” We get together every weekend now for a boat ride.

S. Luscomb, Portland, OR

When it comes to boating, everyone has a story to tell, about close calls, funny expe-riences, and special moments. We want to hear yours! If you have a story for “Off Ramp,” send it to [email protected] with OFF RAMP in the subject line. We’ll pick the best to print in the magazine.

*Service provided during normal boating seasons. Details and excusions can be found online at BoatUS.com/Towing or by calling. $24 Member dues required.

Ca To upgrade your service, call ll 800-888-4869

or vis or log-on to BoatUS.com

That’s the average price of a tow on the water without towing service from BoatU.S. If you boat on Saltwater & Freshwater, BoatU.S. offers Unlimited Towing for $125. If you boat only on Freshwater, it’s just $34. With this kind of service and at that price, you’ll have no worries and no need for extra cash. Just present your Membership card as payment.

Without BoatU.S. This Tow Would Cost You $600.

Bottom line...you can pay a little now or a whole lot more later.

Unlimited Towing services include:

On-the-water towing, soft ungroundings, jump starts and fuel delivery

Applies to ALL recreational boats you own, borrow or charter

24-hour dispatch centers on both Atlantic & Pacific coasts

Towing provided by the Red Boats of TowBoatU.S. and VESSEL ASSIST Pacific

*

**Drives ship in two halves. Installation hardware kit or anode kit not included.

The three year fault-free warranty covers any damage to the drive that requires it to be repaired or replaced including failures resulting from lack of oil, fishing line, impact, neglect, and other abuse. Sterndrive Engineering, Inc. (SEI) manufactures a stern drive designed to replace Mercury Marine's MerCruiser®, Alpha One®, R, MR, Gen II and Bravo One® stern drives. MerCruiser®, Alpha One®, Gen II, R, MR and Bravo One® are trademarks of the Brunswick Corporation. SEI has no affiliation withthe Brunswick Corporation.

Consequently, any warranties governing products manufactured and/or sold by Brunswick Corporation will not apply to products manufactured and/or sold by SEI, or to products damaged due to the operation of an SEI product. Sterndrive Engineering, Inc. is not affiliated with Mercury®; Yamaha®; OMC® or their products. All reference to their trade-marks and trade names are the property of the respective owners.

Boat Owners Association of The United StatesWashington National Headquarters880 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, VA 22304

Presort StdU.S. Postage

PAIDBoat AmericaCorporation

The BoaTU.S. 2011 Trailering gUide

the boatu.s. 2011 trailering guidemy.boatus.com/trailer_mag/pdf/tmag0511.pdfjoin the club trade...

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