problems with 206 on a Prestige trailer

[gatorgates]

My 2003 ski 206 came on a prestige trailer. This trailer has a roller on the front post instead of the vee post and it is driving me nuts. When I load the boat out of the (very) shallow pond with the (fairly) steep ramp, the front of the boat actually hits underneath the roller. I have to either get three heavy guys to sit on the back or three strong guys to lift up on the bow to get it to sit correctly. When I don't have access to that kind of help, I unhitch the trailer and sit it on ramp (leaving the chains attached) and then load. I tried a lower hitch, but to get it low enough it hits when I go over uneven pavement.

Anybody else had this problem? Prestige has been understanding but wants me to tug the boat down to their factory before they can come up with a solution. Thought I'd try you guys before making the 4 hour drive.

[skinautique]

how far are you backing the trailer in? Sometimes if you back it in too far, it won't want to sit right. Both fenders should be up out of the water. You can also back it in too deep to wet the bunks and then pull out so that the fenders are out again. See if that helps out. Also, you might need to adjust the front roller. Do you have the v bunks up in the front?

[gatorgates]

Thanks for the reply. I doubt that I am backing in too far. The rear of the trailer jams into the mud before I get that far. We are talking about between 3 and 4 foot of water. In our public lake, with deeper water, everything works fine. I am not completely sure what you mean by "v bunks" but I am attaching the best picture that I currently have of the boat on the trailer. Maybe that will tell you something.

[skinautique]

Yeah I can't tell for sure but if you look on the front of the trailer, some of them have a "V" right in the front where the bow comes up into. Your best bet might be to try adjusting the bow stop and lower it if you can so that you don't go underneath. Hope that helps. Keep posting and I will see if I can save you a trip to Prestige. What does your dealer have to say about it?

[M3Fan]

gator-

This problem is almost always caused by the trailer being backed in too far. If you think about it, when the boat is sliding forward on the bunks, it has to be at the right height for the roller, by simple physics. The act of the bunks being in contact with the boat guarantees that the boat is at a constant height relative to the roller because it is sitting on a static object. If the trailer is lower than the boat, and the boat is floating on the water, the nose will be below the roller. Try it with the trailer out even further, wetting the bunks first. Could be that the ramp is at a bad angle, so your pulling the trailer out even further may look exaggerated but will compensate for the angle.

That is a nice rig, by the way.

[tryan]

i have to agree with m, but try this. dive to the 'pond' with your normal reciever and then swap out when you need to pull the boat out. once you have recovered the boat and get on level ground, swap the recievers again. they do make recievers that are height adjustable.

i would also try to not back in as far and see what happens. (the ramp angle is critical for me also.) 6" makes a big difference. i have the v pad, but i have to leave the turnbuckle loose when i recover. there is a big hill leaving the lake that i scoot the boat up on the trailer with a quick jab of the brakes. then i stop and tighten everything up.

[MinnesotaNautique]

I have a 2003 206 w/prestige trailer too, and have nothing but problems with it. The trailer in my mind is entirely worth-less, and never goes on straight no matter how great the launch is or the depth of the trailer.

[Luke]

I have a 2003 Prestige trailer also, I've had tons of problems with it before. I have lots of problems with loading but usually it's all a matter of how far the trailer is in the water.

[tryan]

when i bought the '72 separator from my brother he told me that the trailer must be perfectly level durring loading or you could forget it. i practiced at a lonley ramp for a year before i would retrieve the boat in public ( read waiting line). he was correct.

i'm not telling anybody what to do, but if I have the top of BOTH fenderwells at the waterline (this is level) loading is a breeze. you might have to jacknife the truck and trailer on a crooked ramp and look stupid, but it works. i actually tell everyone to get out of the boat before i load, because i just hate it when someone moves from one side of the boat to the other. I HATE THAT.

if you are into deep, there is no telling where the boat will be when you pull out. not backing in far enough will put to much strain on the boat when you load.

the prestige looks the same as my 89 cc drive on /float on trailer. it's disgustingly familiar.

[skinautique]

Prestige was very anxious to break away from the standard A-Frame with the bow stop. Once they had their chance, they broke away. In my mind, they screwed because if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it!

[Onthewater]

off topic, tryan...nice avatar :P

[tryan]

Yup. poor james got busted again.

[Hollywood]

When can we expect Ms. Chernobyl?

[lcap]

Perhaps CC could start to actually work with ONE trailer manufacturer who will a trailer to CC's specfications that will work for their customers boats!

My dealer tells me the keel roller on the DHM will probably have to be switched out for carpet (back to the *#*)(@! the gelcoat) because of the problem just discussed and on a steep ramp (like mine) the boat rolling back off the trailer.

[skinautique]

Ram-Lin is the company that CC directly deals with. The two companies work very close together. One of the main reasons that dealers offer these other brands is to cut the price down for the customer. Any dealer should be willing to order a Ram-Lin trailer. I keep crossing my fingers that they will start to make their own trailers again once they move in the new factory. I know they don't have enough room right now.

[lcap]

I am going to leave this one alone, because of my trailer issues in the past, I almost purchased an X-2 over the SANTE. My dealers solemn promise to work with the trailer setup and the trailer manufacture saved the deal.

[skinautique]

I am not sure I am catching everything here. Is it Ram-Lin or DHM that you have had issues with?

[lcap]

Had both--both sucked

[skinautique]

what were your issues with ram-lin?

[skiinxs]

I have to agree with the other posters. If you are coming in under the bow roller the trailer is undoubtedly in too deep. This will happen on any boat/trailer combo, not just inboards. When you load the boat, the trailer should not be in far enought to allow the back of the boat to be floating when all of the way on. Since you mentioned that one of your fixes was to put some big guys in the back of the boat, you are telling me that the trailer is in too deep and you must add weight to get the back of the boat on the trailer (not floating). On a normal ramp angle you should have around 6 to 8 inches of the trailer fenders out of the water. As ramps get steeper, you will need more of the fenders out of the water. I am not sure which ramp you use on Springfield Lake, but on extremely steep ramps, like those at PITS and DuQuoin, the entire fenders will need to be out of the water to load properly. I have had the 2003 Prestige and the 2002 wishbone Prestige (under 196's) and both loaded flawlessly with the trailer at the correct depth. (even at DuQuoin) The only way the bow can come in under the roller (I had boat buddy's on both of mine) is with the trailer too deep. Make sure that you get the carpets wet, especially on really steep ramps, either by backing in deep and then pulling out to the correct depth or splashing water on them by hand. I had the choice each year between the Prestige and Ramlin, but chose the Prestige to avoid the hassles of the "bunk" bow stops. I have also ordered a Prestige for my '04. By the way, loading with the trailer in too deep could also cause other problems, such as loading on top of a fender. As another poster mentioned, the trailer should also be level side-to-side. On unlevel ramps you can accomplish this by jacknifing the trailer at just the right spot to attain the correct depth and level.
Dave

[gatorgates]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. The replies did raise a question: if Prestige offers to swap the roller post for a vee post, should I take them up on it? Some of you indictate that the vee post has its own problems for late model sn. As soon as the ice goes out of the pond, I will try pulling the boat out with the trailer even further out of the water. I have been loading inboards for 28 years, starting with my 1967 CC Mustang, but I am willing to learn new techniques.

[Edwin]

Have to agree w/ the consensus here gator - sounds like the trailer is too deep.

[skinautique]

Hey GatorGates,
I saw you asked Byron on the Prestige forum about it. Just curious what ever came of it?
Thanks!

[gatorgates]

Nothing yet with Prestige Factory. They want me to haul the boat and trailer down to the factory so they can see it in action. I haven't had the time to do that yet, nor decent enough weather to work on a different technique pulling the boat out of the water. I will post a resolution if and when I get one.