Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
Guide-on posts make it easy to load your boat onto your trailer and back your trailer down the ramp. They attach to the rear of your trailer and extend out of the water, providing visual targets to center the boat between during loading.
Features:
Specs:
Note: Check with your state Department of Transportation for restrictions regarding maximum trailer width.
Guide Your Boat Into and Out of the Water with Ease
When your boat trailer has been backed down the ramp and is partially submerged, these 40" tall guideposts that are mounted on the rear corners of the frame will stick out of the water, giving you 2 highly visible targets to guide your boat between for loading. The PVC pipes also provide a visual aid to help you back your boat trailer down the ramp when you're unloading and loading your boat.
Installation
The posts are simple to install. Slide the PVC pipes over the pre-galvanized steel support posts. Then mount the posts on the top or below the trailer frame, as close to the rear corners as possible. Adjust the posts so that the distance between each post and your boat is less than 1".
Pre-Galvanized Steel
Pre-galvanized steel parts are stamped from a sheet of steel after it has already been galvanized. The edges of pre-galvanized parts often lose their zinc coating during the stamping process. Because of the thinness of the coating (less than 1 mil) and the fact that the edges remain exposed, pre-galvanized parts can begin to oxidize and rust quickly, so it's recommended that they be primed and painted.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
97% were satisfied with this product
3% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
I didn't think the 40 inch high guides would be tall enough, but you can see them pretty good from the mirror. Made recovering the boat a breeze. Easy installation.
The instructions were easy to follow and installation was very straight forward. I had both sides installed in about 20 minutes. I know the product will make it much easier to load to back down the ramp and load the boat!!
Mark S.
6/27/2020
Still working well for me!
Easy to install. Rugged. I can now see where the back of my trailer is at. Was pretty much guesswork before. Also I don't have to think about if it is lined up correctly. A time saver on busy launch pads.
Cecil T.
7/14/2023
Great. Withstood a Northern Maine winter just fine. Looks like the day I put them on.
Sometimes pulling my boat out after a long day is difficult because of lighting, or you just can’t see the trailer in the water well enough to drive on accurately so I knew I wanted guide on posts. I had to get the extra long brackets and drill holes because of the galvanized running boards, but I am so happy I got them! Excellent quality. Easy and quick to install.
Good solid product, and quite easy to install. I painted the bars with a primer / paint spray prior to installing. I recently bought a new truck and the site lines were not as good as my old SUV. With these posts installed, I can now see the trailer again while backing down the ramp. This was primary reason for my purchase, so problem solved.
etrailer was great to work with! Fair price and quick shipping.
quick shipment and correct parts for me to repair the trailer
My previous boat was a heavy 16-foot aluminum bass boat and it did not have trailer guides. I struggled on more than one occasion trying to trailer the boat during high winds and/or heavy current and I swore that my next boat will have these. I had to modify the way they mounted to my new trailer but I was provided with enough mounting hardware to mount them in pretty much any way that I might need. These guides work perfectly for my little 14-foot jon boat. The materials used are high quality and the finished guides are very sturdy.
Description on website not specific for size of unit for a trailer and boat
I have a 16 foot Alumacraft boat. The guides worked perfectly as advertised. Installation was fast and only took about an hour. Very straight forward-great product.
Tom M.
3/15/2017
After one year the guides are working great. The guides are a great help when Im loading the boat onto the trail by myself. Great investment.
I installed one set and it has really helped the tritoon align when loading at the rear of the trailer. I put a guide on each side of the middle toon. Love it !
Sir Gregory
6/29/2021
Still loving the guides, big help with loading.
Easy to install, and looks great on boat trailer. Should help me load my aluminum boat on windy days.
Great products....the posts, lights, and plug all were shipped quickly and easy to install. Finally have my lights up high and out of the water. I used 3 wire extension cord to run uncut lines from the lights to the plug at front of trailer. Should protect against corrosion issues. Pictures of my install are attached.
Thanks
James
3/29/2019
This has worked out well. Lights and connections never touch the salt water. I did the same thing on the trailer for 25 center console.
These trailer guides have made it extremely easy to load our 25 ft boat in windy weather. Had to notch the rear step and drill holes to attach due to the design of my trailer, but even so it took less than an hour to install.
Don
11/11/2021
These work extremely well when loading in windy weather - the boat stays in place making it easy for one person to load.
This is a good item from an outstanding company, excellent customer service.
Boat guide arrived on time and all parts required in package. Ranger boat trailer has a fender well that goes to back of trailer so your support folks advised that I install on top of C frame. All went well but the Ranger is wide so the guide insert at the frame is 1.5 inches short of going to the end of the bracket. Guide is really sturdy and should work fine. Only other choice would be to use 5" U bolts and move the mounting bracket forward and inch. I have not been able to find 5" brackets in hardware stores or on line.....do you know where they are available? Guide looks great and look forward to trying it out at the lake.
Rachael H.
6/18/2018
We do have some u-bolts that are 5-1/4 inches long, and those are available as # 382385UB.
Helpful Links
The specification for this model states it can only reach 13 inches out from the frame but I needed 14 inches for my pontoon. However from the product photos I could see that the vertical arm is longer than the cross arm so I thought I could mount it “upside down” and get the reach I need. Because it is a bargain I took a chance and ordered it. As shown in the photos it worked perfectly. I not only got the extra reach (width) but it also lowered the top of the PVC pipe so it clears my deck which I also wanted. Now I can simply pull the back of the pontoon over until it hits the bumper and it will be centered perfectly. To temporarily provide the visibility needed to back into deep water I simply slide a 5 foot section of half inch PVC pipe inside as shown. It is an excellent product, very heavy duty and I highly recommend it.
Vincent B.
5/12/2021
Still working great.
Easy to install these well made guides. These keep the back of the boat from being blown sideways, and in my case, allow me to see my narrow little boat when I’m backing up, or just driving down the road. I had an extra set of trailer lights that weren’t really good enough to submerge, so after I finished installing these I attached these lights to the PVC top cap, then just ran the wires down and connected to my existing wiring. Now I can really see, and be seen. Please note that the lights in my image DO NOT come with these.
William
8/24/2019
My trailer has very skinny rails open on one side. If yours is this way, I advise cutting a block of pressure treated wood to just fit in the rail with a few hammer blows. Otherwise the shackles of these guides will bend the open ends inward, causing them to loosen. This isn’t a problem with this product, it’s just my cheapo trailer not being made of 4 sided box channel. Everything still looks new!
Works as described, good quality parts, works great for my jet ski trailer!
the metal tubing is stout enough I think. Still installing waiting to put in water. Looks like it will do the trick for line up.
Mark
4/10/2026
It is outstanding for loading. It helps guide you in a straight line when trailer is below water line.
Gwendolyn Y.
4/10/2026
Converted a PWC Aluminum trailer to a kayak trailer. Needed rod tubes and found these ETrailer posts to work perfectly. Thank you!
Used them often for a year and they’ve guided the boat on the trailer perfectly every time. Even in heavy river current.
Door O.
3/24/2026
Still working great!
Lousy that E-Trailer doesn't offer correct guidance for ordering trailer guides. These one's are too short and, in addition, the brackets were too small fit on my aluminum. I was willing to try a correct size, but you are set on charging me return shipping at a commercial rate of $32.50. That return shipping fee is a surprise for a mail order company - you re-enforced that fact that for larger ticket items it is better to go to the store or order from Amazon - which does not charge to return products.
Best price I found (for CE Smith product), received as advertised on time, both guide-ons and I-beam clamps appear of good quality, easy to install.
Guide-Ons just as advertised and straightforward to install. Haven't improved my backing skills any, but now I can tell what I am about to back into!
Larry
7/25/2026
Same lasting quality.
Perfect item for my needs. Good price. Easy instructions and application and does the job. Allows me to see the sides of the boat trailer when backing up into the driveway or sloop.
Gwendolyn Y.
5/6/2025
That's good to hear, John! Being able to see when back up on a slope is a big game changer. Also, I really like your boat!
John
5/5/2026
After a years use, they are perfect. I dont know how I lived without them.
Info for this part was:
At etrailer we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time.
Lief P.
4/30/2018
No problems yet they are working good