trailer clearance question

[chris196]

Not that he was exactly wrong on the "deeper to launch" part of the equation, but for what it's worth, I've been fortunate enough to have never had 2" of lift make it where I couldn't launch the boat, be it in Austin or around here. And I haven't noticed any difference in the way that it rides at highway speeds either.

I had a guy who builds travel trailers do the work for me. He took his time and really took a legitimate interest in the project.

Again, call Dorsey. They are great folks and make great trailers.

By the way, did you buy that pretty red Ski Nautique that was for sale on here recently (Lake Travis boat). If so, you've got yourself a gorgeous boat. I found myself looking at it a time or six or twelve.

Yeah, I know he wasn't wrong, just stating the obvious without being helpful in any way. Oh well.

Yes, that's the boat. I originally found it on austin's craigslist, then I discovered this site. It is gorgeous. The former owner really took good care of it.

[east tx skier]

I could tell it was mint from the pictures. Congratulations! You've got yourself a real beauty. When you talk to someone at Dorsey, ask them about some different springs. That might be the easiest way to get a little lift.

[jeffk]

Looking at your picture I would drop the front of your trailer with a drop hitch. I would always prefer to have the bulk of my trailer drag in the middle front of the main support for the trailer than have the prop guard catch. You may need to try a couple of different lengths to get it right. I have mine down as low as I feel I can run in it the front and it helps alot with the prop guard dragging

[chris196]

I did try dropping the ball and that helped some, but didn't get me all the way there. However, I left it dropped when towing it to my friends house and it definitely affected the handling in a bad way. I'm towing with a V6 toyota tacoma, so not the biggest vehicle in the world. It's rated at 5000# with the receiver hitch installed. Still, I won't tow it again with the ball dropped.

I spoke to Dorsey and they didn't recommend the lift kit either, so I guess I was too hasty with the magnum guy. They did say they could make a new axle with less of a drop and get me 1.5". That seems like a lot to do and only get 1.5". They also said I could try new springs, but couldn't guarantee how much lift you'd get.
I then explained my idea of raising the prop guard and he said that was fine, just leave 1.5" of clearance for the lowest point ( either prop or rudder).

Again, thanks for all the suggestions. I have a feeling that one thing alone is not going to get it done. It might take a few mods to get there.

BTW, Dorsey confirmed that the prop guard is protective only, not structural.

[east tx skier]

What about an adjustable ball mount? Before the lift, I used a 5.25" drop to get just barely enough clearance at an angle up the driveway. It was a pain to actually switch ball mounts and I often considered going with an adjustable one so I could just drop the jackstand and adjust it for the driveway or the highway. Now, I use about a 2" drop and a 2" lift. Seems to trailer fine, but the ball hight really depends on the trailer. I think mine is supposed to be about 18" above the ground.

http://www.hitches-forless.com/hitch...ts_special.htm

[54T]

Re: trailer clearance question

Hi,
I'm new to the forum. I just bought a 98 ski nautique 196. It's on a single axle dorsey trailer. I'm having clearance problems with the trailer on my driveway. I have a slope up from the street. I don't know the term for it, but the bow under the rudder is hitting when I try to back the boat up the drive. It's because the wheels are still at street level and the trailer is hitting the up slope. It seems like it just needs a little more clearance.
There is about 5 inches clearance between the rudder and the bow piece of the trailer. I was considering having the local trailer shop cut and reweld that piece, moving it up about 3 inches. Is there a problem in doing that? Is the rudder the lowest point?

What are the other options.

The boat is now at my friends house.

Thanks,
Chris

I have the same problem and hope the part below will help. It's a prop cage with rollers that I ordered from Ramlin Trailers. I'll bolt it on this spring and hope for the best.

[rbalan]

RE: Re: trailer clearance question

54t,
How much did that cost?

[54T]

Re: RE: Re: trailer clearance question

54t,
How much did that cost?

Rbalan,

I paid $308.80 from Southeast Correct Craft. Ramlin would not sell it to me direct.

54t

[chris196]

Update

Just an update on my trailer.
I cut the prop guard and raised it a few inches. I left about 1.5" of clearance with the prop.
I then added a 2" lift under the springs. I found a place on line:
http://www.stengelbros.com/
which made Ubolts to order and also made the 4 1/2" blocks I used on each side. I also got the spring bolt which runs through all the leafs and holds them together from these guys.
The trailer gets up my driveway now. However, the boat is in a marina, so I haven't actually tried it with the boat on the trailer. But, I'm fairly confident that it will work. After the prop guard mod, it was actually going to make it, but with some dragging. I decided not to push it. With the extra 2 inches, I'm sure it'll make it.
Here are some pics of what I did:

[jhiestand]

chris196 -- that looks like a great job in tackling your situation!! Similar to everyone else, I've had issues with my RamLin scraping my driveway and they recommended a similar resolution you came up with. They said the guard can be cut off & raised quite a bit as only a few inches of clearance is needed.

Looks like you've got it resolved!

[chris196]

Thanks.

I was lucky in that my prop guard is not structural and was fairly easy to cut with an angle grinder. Some of the pics other people have posted show some prop guards which are made of much more substantial metal. I don't think an angle grinder would tackle those. That's why I was leary of the roller solution because I didn't feel my prop guard could handle the load. You are essentially putting the weight of probably over half the boat on that roller and whatever is holding it up. Those ramlin trailers look like they can handle it.

I do like the fact that I can easily reverse either of the mods I made if there is some issue later.

[chris196]

One final update on this.
I brought the boat home for a few months out of necessity. The lake is being lowered so can't stay at the marina.
Anyway, all my modifications came together to make it up my driveway and onto the carport. Here's a couple of pics to show you what I was dealing with.

[east tx skier]

Chris, looks like you have it handled. I've got the same Dorsey trailer under my 98. Dorsey has two sets of wheel kits for their trailer in case you ever find yourself dragging after the mod. One set is steel and is a part of the prop guard. The other is poly (green unfortunately) and mounts on brackets outside the prop guard. I opted for the green as I didn't want to score my driveway as I did with my last boat. Worth every penny every time I come and go.