steel to steel load surface on trailer

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shantymanuk

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would like to hear peoples comments on having steel to steel on trailer , ie bilge keels streight on to steel of trailer , the trailer is painted with hammerite , but wondered if it would be better to glue a thin rubber strip to the trailer to stop the steel on steel sliding effect appreciate any comments
 
if the trailer has a bow post and the keels are on angle iron like L so the keels fit tight it will be ok as it can not slip side to side the only thing is the trailer and keel will rust
 
Steel on steel will be very slippery and will remove any paint very quickly. I do not know of a glue that would successfully hold rubber to steel with the load one would expect between a boat and a trailer. I would bolt the rubber on with large washers or plates and nylock nuts this has worked for me over many years.
I have used 1/2" thick old Conveyer belts.
 
I would say a big NO NO. Last year at our club on lift-out day, one of the bilge keel boats being brought round to the yard on a trailer, slid gently but inexorably back off the trailer, in spite of being lashed down - caused nearly two grands worth of damage. The consensus view was that it was caused by metal-to-metal contact; now we always make sure it is a wood-to-metal contact.
 
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I would say a big NO NO

[/ QUOTE ] I agree. I have also seen a boat slip off a yard trolley for the same reason.

I would think that light wooden planks between the keels and their supports would do the trick. But you still must lash down very securely and lash the wood in place if you are recovering from the water or if it could slip out from under the keels. The boat slipping forward when braking is the main thing you have to guard against unless there is a good sturdy support at the bow but I have also had mine move side ways a bit when taking a roundabout a bit too quickly (That's grp on hammerited steel) when not lashed down to restrain it adequately. Don't forget the possibility of it moving backwards as well though.

Think of it as lashing the trailer to the underside of the boat in such a way that it cannot move in any direction.
 
I find it a bit surprising people are so concerned about boat slipping off trailer. Mine is winched onto the trailer over rollers and attached at the bow by the winch cable and a safety chain. The stern just stays in place by it s own weight. This is the same arrangement used for thousands of trailer boats around Perth and you seldom hear of any problem on the road. Anyway each driver must do whaty he thinks is a safe thing.

As foir the steel on steel I think it will be fine provided that the keels are caged so that the boat can not slip or walk sideways. ie walls at least 2inches high on at least one side of each keel. If you want to preserve antifouling paint however you would need rubber or wood for it to sit on.

Yes a post at the bow is a good tether place for the bow with the exception that if you are backing the trailer on a steep ramp into the water the stern becomes bouyant and rises forcing the bow down which can be a terrible fouling. One friend who does this method with a keel boat 21ft slides the bow post forward by about 1/2 metre to get it clear of the bow until the boat is out of the water onto flat land. olewill
 
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Mine is winched onto the trailer over rollers

[/ QUOTE ] That's fine for a trailer sailer that sits nestled in rollers etc but the question was about a twin keeler with steel keels, presumably Ian's Silhouette (17ft), which is going to sit on its keels with little to keep it in position other than a few bits of string.
 
I saw an idea somewhere to use rigging screws between the for and aft end of each keel and the locating trailer angle to fix the boat to the trailer for / aft and downwards to stop it moving in any direction.

I would still use wood between the bottom of the keel and the trailer angles to allow the load to be better distributed and prevent point loading.

My 14 ton steel yocht was transported 1000 miles on a steel trailer and had wood packers between the trailer frame and the underside of the keel and the weight kepted the yacht on the trailer up and down some big hills and even a glancing blow with the underside of a motorway bridge.
 
I know of a local firm that moves big boats (they have a trailer with 20 steering wheels) who use carpet offcuts on the strits and packing. I thought it was to prevent scratches on the hull but they say it reduces the chance of slipping. They also use carpet under large machines when moveing them for the same reason.
 
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