strapping Sport to trailer

[Hlymons]

after coming across this picture a few years ago I use tie downs on the back, however in this case not sure how much help they would have been.

[sfjakey]

IF the BOW is strapped down correctly, it will not go ANYWHERE. If the bow is sloppy and loose, well you better work on that first. I tow a 10k fishing boat with no rear tiedowns either. If you hit something hard enough to completly bend guides or flip the boat off the trailer bunks, you have bigger problems than a rear tiedown strap. I've had boats bounce a bit on big bumps in the road, and guess what, they settle right back into the bunks. I'll even make a quick hard turn one way or the other to settle the boat on the trailer correctly after singlehanded retrievals. By the way, I don't think platform brackets are throughbolted and reinforced, so I wouldn't be using that as a tiedown spot unless you want to rip the platform off during your high energy incident which will bend your trailer guides off and run the bow over the crash pads. Maybe I'm mistaken though, I only have about 10,000 hours of trailer boat experience so I'm still learning.

[SkiTower]

If it is the law in some states, then why would a boat manufacturer (CC) make boats without a proper way to tie them down. I would still like to tie mine down to give that little extra staying power, but if you stop hard enough for the bow bracket to bend I doubt the rear tie downs will matter to affect the momentum of a 3000+ lb projectile.

As designed the boat shouldn't move a significant amount unless you crash.

[Latonkaboarder]

My trailer for my 210 has rear tie downs built in and I always use them. You're just asking for a lawsuit with out using them (in the event of an accident), plus who would want to live with seriously injuring or killing another human being when it could be avoided. I was instructed years ago by a dealer to always use them. They will help hold the boat down during bumps and keep it from ending up in your back seat in case of a sudon impact or stop. Boats have a tendency to move easier when the bunks are wet so you have a greater chance of it moving when it has just been loaded. I know I sure wouldn't want to swerve or jerk the vehicle back and forth to resettle the boat on the bunks if I did have to move it like sfjakey. BTW don't you think having it tied down in three places would increase chances of it not coming off. I am no trailer towing expert with 10,000 hours of towing but I think I'll keep using them and sleep better at night than take any chances. As for using the brackets on the swim platform I have done it many of times and never had any trouble. I was told from a dealer that is where you are supposed to tie down when there are not rings accessible.

[bkhallpass]

Wow, 10,000 hrs. I'm impressed. Let's see. . . . Since sfjakey is 40 years old, that's 250 hrs per year for each and every year of his life. While I'm sure that sfjakey was quite the child prodigy, I'll just go out on a limb and guess that he didn't get a license until at least 16, like the rest of us. So, if my math is correct, and if it's not I'm sure jakey will correct me, that's 416.7 hours per year for 24 straight years. Quite impressive don't you think. In fact, I'm so moved by the shear volume of his experience that I think I'll go out in the garage and toss the tow straps right now. BKH

[AirTool]

Wow, 10,000 hrs. I'm impressed. Let's see. . . . BKH

I was thinking the same thing. Further...10,000 hours at an average speed of 40 miles per hour = 400,000 miles. That's all the way to the moon and over half way back. I'm sure his load was heavy (10K) ....so at 10 mpg that's 40,000 gallons of gas. At a bargain 3 bucks per gallon, that's $120K in today's dollars.

Lets show some respect and toss those straps!

[tdc_worm]

another perspective:

i am not an engineer and dont pretend to play one on TV. i am good at assuming, however, and i will assume that both Correct Craft and Ramlin had an engineer or some other person qualified at modeling run the numbers on my 220. unless it was pure oversight, they completely left attachment points off of both the boat and trailer to secure my 4070lb boat (before fuel and gear) to the trailer. actually, i called ramlin and they said it was not necessary. knowing how hard it was to get my 220 on and back off the trailer, i tend to agree.

and as we are all being the ultimate preventionalists, we should all immediately invest in DOT approved helmets for ourselves and all passengers in our vehicle(s)---you are more likely to suffer a head injury due to an auto crash than to have your boat un-arse itself from the trailer. safety first, right? or do we pick and choose when it is reasonable to be safe?

[SkiTower]

Well spoken Worm. My trailer does have tie points, but my boat does not (I don't consider the platform brackets tie points). It still bothers me some but I'll live with it. I'm also trying VERY hard not to bounce the boat hard enough to come off the trailer. That'll do more damage than simply repositioning it on the trailer. CC says they're not needed, or they would provide attach points.

[bkhallpass]

tdc_worm.

I am an engineer, and a lawyer (or at least I was at one time). You make a good point with respect to personal liberties, and at what point do we quit legislating safety and leave it to common sense. It still frustrates me that kids here in California are required to wear a helmet on bicycles and skateboards.

From an engineering standpoint it's clear that a bigger, heavier boat is less likely to move around on the trailer (though if it does, watch out).

Nevertheless, should you be involved in an accident where the boat comes off the trailer, and forbid the thought that someone actually gets hurt, I can assure you that any decent trial lawyer will make a point that you willfully failed to strap down your boat, while knowing that the straps are a simple, cheap and available safety option.

Obviously California is a litigation intensive state. I can't say how other states might view liability. In CA, I have not seen a dealer for at least 10 years that doesn't automatically provide tow straps on the purchase of a new boat. Also, all of the California made trailers I have owned, Zieman, Sport Boat, and DHM, have tow strap attach points built into the trailer. It's just not worth the liability. BKH

[BigBald]

My 99' Sport didn't have rear tie-down straps. And I never had any issues. However, when I purchased my new 216, the dealer communicated that they are now recommending to use tie-downs to the swim platform brackets. I guess they experienced a situation where a hard bump was encountered...maybe being pushed off the side of the road...I can't remember the exact story....but, the boat hopped up onto one of the wheel covers of the trailer. This hop caused some minor gel coat damage and was a bit of a pain to deal with. So, now they recommend the straps...just in case. So, as for me....I am going to go with the straps.

[sfjakey]

Well, lets see about my hours. I ran an 84 Master Craft for 1500 hours, sold it ran a 94 Nautique for 400 hours, sold it, ran a 96 Nautique for 1400 hours, sold it, ran a 01 Respomse LX for 180 hours, sold it, ran an 03 206 for 2 seasons. I also ran a Formula 24' sportfisher in the ocean over 1200 hours and currently have almost 900 hours on a 2004 25' Davis Bahia which I also run exclusively in the Pacific Ocean chasing tuna mostly. I've also spent the majority of my life in other runabouts from outboards to I/O's. Toss in 25 years of driving other peoples boats, and yes, I think I am pretty much on the money with my experience. Oh, by the way, I also have run small work boats up to 110' and yachts up to 50'. Is that an adequate resume? I really just wanted to add my thoughts to the thread. Obviouslu some of you disagree with me, and that is fine. In my experience, if you load the boat properly, the bow strap will suffice. If you drive like a moron and loose control or get in a head on type crash, your straps won't make a bit of difference. By the way, I've also seen plenty of accidents as well. I'll go back through my 20 year career and add all of those up as well if you'd like. Bottom line, do whatever you feel is necessary. Many boat manufactures don't even provide a place to tie the rear off, so that says something to me. As far as the laws regarding this, I'm sure we all can go down a big list of laws based on emotion, reaction, and political statements, that don't need to be on the books. How about this answer, strap the rear of your boat to the platform brackets and crank them down good and tight and nothing bad will ever happen towing. Sorry if I started a war over this, but I wasn't the one who over-reacted to my input in the original reply. I see that here, as anywhere on the net, there are a few guys who love to take the bully high road. I'll limit my input to simple facts here from now on. Actually, my boat will be in next week, so I'll be here a lot less.

[bkhallpass]

No animosity here sfjakey. It's a fact, you've towed boats for many years without rear tie downs, and never had a problem. Truth be told, we towed our 58 Trojan inboard for years without any straps, front or back, and never had a problem.

Still, there are many reasons why it's not a bad idea to strap the boat down - even if it is only for piece mind, compliance with a state law, or to control some of the liability risks.

While you, I, and others may have a fair amount of experience with boats and trailering, many who join the site have never owned a boat, and some have never even pulled a trailer when they buy that first Nautique. I don't believe it does them, or the site a service to make a blanket statement that the rear tie downs are unnecessary.

Enjoy your new boat. If the darned wind will mellow out, you should have an epic week of hot weather to break the boat in. BKH

[NautiqueJeff]

Got any pictures of that Trojan? My grandfather had a '67 Trojan. I loved that boat.

[bkhallpass]

Here you go Jeff. That's a seven year old BKH in the front passenger seat. BKH

[AirTool]

Argh!!!! another expensive inboard beached in the sand.

AirTool