Troubleshooting a Boat That Wants to Load Crookedly

Updated 06/20/2011 | Published 06/16/2011

Question:

I have an 18 foot Alumacraft boat with a EZ Loader trailer. The trailer is a pain. It has two bunks only to load the boat, along with the front roller bumper stopper. The boat virtually will load crookedly each time it is run on, causing some backing up or some heavy pushing by me to get it centered. What do you have to help alleviate this problem?

asked by: Richard M

Expert Reply:

Typically, if you are loading a boat and is not wanting to load squarely it is because your trailer is backed too deep into the water. That is the case most of the time with this issue, usually it takes trial and error to determine exactly how much of your trailer should be underwater to find the sweet spot. I would recommend using part of the trailer (such as a fender) as a reference point for how much should be underwater to find the sweet spot.

Another solution people have is to switch to roller bunks like Boat Trailer Standard Roller Bunk # DL21755. If properly installed roller bunks can help keep the boat aligned squarely as you load the boat.

expert reply by: Jameson C