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Hey guys I have a '61 Sea Coaster on a Tee Nee trailer. I'm going to launch her at Green Lake Wi for the first time. How far should I back her in? My trailer also appears to have the ability to split for a length of 6" (up and down) approx. a third way down the trailer, is this something I would want to do? I'm not sure what it is for. Lastly I see alot of power loading, good idea or bad? Ok maybe one more thing, I don't see side board bunks on anyones trailers are these bad. I thought they would help when loading up from a river with a current. Dan

Hi Dan,
I back the trailer in far enough to take the weight of the boat off the bunks in the back but still have some weight on the rollers for control. I also try not to get the back tires of my truck to the edge of the water because at most landings it get very slick below that. As for the "split" in your trailer, that is for when you have shallow water conditions. If you can't get the trailer in deep enough this will tilt the back of the trailer down and allow you to push the boat off or winch it on. I have that on my trailer but have yet to need it. As for power loading a wood boat, don't do it. The trailer you have isn't designed for it and you will severly damage the hull of your boat.
As for the side bunks on your trailer, I put them on mine and it works great. After scraping the new paint on the bottom of my boat the second time I put it in the water, I bought some the next day. We use our Sea Lancer on the Mississippi, so there is current at most landings. The side bunks make it line itself up on the trailer without a problem.
Good luck on your maiden voyage.
Bill

Thanks Bill, I too have had a little paint lost when my uncle was showing me (how to do it) on the Illinois river. I feel most guys have the advantage with other boats because they can get to the bow. I would like to put in and out by myself sometime and I thought the bunks would be good to that end. Thanks again...Dan

I have side guides on my trailer. Makes it much easier to center the boat. Padded ones are best.

Don't drive the boat onto the trailer. Float it on. And float it off too when launching.

The tilt feature on the trailer can be very useful at shallow ramps. Just make sure you lock it back down before you hit the road!

Andreas

How much seperation should there be when split? I see my Tee Nee catalog shows some type of chain to keep the trailer from seperating too much. I don't know what a good distance would be. Thanks Dan

Dan Wolf
'61 Sea Coaster
Naperville, IL

That is a good point.. I have a pin to pull on my Tee Nee trailer, but it has a chain also... seems to me that it only tilts several inches.... not the 10 or 15 that I was expecting...

Since I float it off the trailer, I don't bother with the tilting, but it seems to me that it should have more range.... maybe someone replace the chain with a shorter one.

John.

'60 Seacoaster

I looked in the catalog and it looks like 6"-8". I have been pulling and launching with a Honda minivan. I have the power I need but I see I don't have the same clearance as a pick up, so I can't back in as far into the water. So far the solution has been to get my feet wet and give her a little shove, which I don't mind too much. I mean, if you don't like touching water maybe boating isn't your thing. Dan

Also six inches deeper in the water may be all I need to get the back end to float.

Hi Dan,
Is there a hook on one end of the chain? The chain might be a safety chain in case you forget to hook the latch or it releases on it's own.It keeps it from tilting when you don't want it to. If you unhook the chain when you are useing it, the trailer will tilt farther. I don't have a chain on mine, so this is just a guess.
Bill Dunn

Yep, I'll bet your right. I don't have a chain either but that makes good sense. I inspected further and it looks like it should raise up to 18". There is that much space from removable bolt to stationary further back. Yep, Its a safety to catch in case bolt is forgotten or wiggles out. Thanks guys...Dan

Dan,

I was having an issue where I was having to dip my rear brakes and inadvertanly the tail pipe of my pathfinder to get my trailer in far enough to float the boat off - I added a two foot swing away extension to the trailer and that made all the difference in launching while keeping my truck out of the water.

Whats a 2' swing away extension?

Basically it is a box beam the same dementions as your trailer where the coupler is attached. You remove the exsiting coupler from the trailer and bolt on the new beam (comes with all the hardware). Then you attach the new coupler that comes in the kit to the extension. The extension breaks in the middle so that you can swing it away (imperative for me so that the boat and trailer would still fit in the garage). There is of course a locking pin for when you are towing.

I installed it last year and was very pleased. Failry easy to install, and I am am very comfortable with it's strength and design. Adding the extension really made a difference for laucnhing the boat, and as well, I can now actually open the hatch on my Pathfinder when the trailer is on.

Check out this link for an example (this is the one I have)
http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm ... goryID=215

Thanks Peter, I have never seen that before. I too have to push my boat all the way back in my garage to make it fit, a selling point for me. I will try splitting the trailer first, if it doesn't work, I'll try your method; it not too exspensive. Thanks again...Dan

I am a former Gator dealer in IL on the Rock River. The proper way to launch a boat from a Gator is; back the trailer to the waters edge , release all the tie-downs including the tilt chain. With the winch line attached, slowly let the boat slide off the trailer. A line attached to the deck cleat handled by someone on the dock will prevent the boat from floating away from the dock. As the boat slides into the water, it will adjust the amount of tilt needed to launch. I sold a 20 foot Owens by proving to the buyer that you do not have to submerge the wheels to launch and retrieve the boat and the operation can be done by one person.