Adjusting my 170cc on the trailer.

[bluecrab]

Gentlemen/Ladies,

My garage is 20.5 feet my 170cc on the trailer is 21.5 feet.

I backed my trailer into my garage and it sticks a little out. I was thinking about taking the wheel jack off and moving the winch frame forward and winching the boat forward more toward the tongue.

I know I could cut and put a hinge on the tongue but I don;t want to do that.

If I moved the boat up that far would it warp the boat or do anything to void the warranty.

I hope I am clear in describing what I am attempting.

thanks for your help.

Blue

 

[HighTechRedneck]

In my garage every inch counts so I know what your going threw. I installed a hinge I found at overtons.com for $80. it was pretty easy to install except for the custom break line I had to have made. If you really dont want to go this way what if you turn the motor to the side and lower the motor all the way down and leave the front trailer wheel in the up position and lower the toung of the trailer to the ground. If I do this with my 191 I gain LOTS of extra room.

Another idea is to cut the drywall out in the back where the motor fits to give you that extra inch. NOTE put some carpet on the back wall so if you bump it you dont scratch the motor.

also if there is a lip on the garage door you may be able to cut out a knoch so the toung clears the door

you may also think of shorting the toung of the trailer by cutting off a few inches and remounting the part that holds the ball. In many cased the toung is longer than needed to be universal. cutting it is just a matter of a quick job with a saws all and drilling 1 or 2 new holes.

I would not move the boat around on the trailer because the boat positon in relation to the axle is set for proper weight distrubution.

Hope this helps. Its hard to say with out seeing the garage or knowing th what extent you will go to get it to fit.

HTR

 

[OspreyVic]

Blue, in my opinion, you would be changing the way your boat is supported if you do what you propose. In reading thru many posts, it is my opinion that our boats need to be properly supported when not in the water. Removing that support has a possibility of damaging your hull.

We have a swing tongue and love it. With our boat in the garage we have about 1 inch of clearance for the door to go down.

Unlike HTR, we have more clearance if we raise the front of the boat as high as possible. In fact, if we leave the trailer the same height as the hitch or lower, our garage door would not be able to close.

Pictures of our setup can be seen on this thread. Hope this helps.

http://www.performanceoutdoors.net/forums/trailers-towing/1327-trailer-tounge-modify.html

 

[cagrove]

BlueCrab,
I store my boat inside my garage and have the same problem. What I did was build a small wall from 2X4 frame and a plywood front with a "notch" cut out of it for the tounge to stick through. When I store the boat I lower the tounge into the notch and close the garage door on top of the wall. All that is seen is the front 1 foot of the tounge. It keeps the weather out and is secure...and it keeps my homeowner's association off my back for parking a boat in the driveway.

Just a different approach.

Tight lines.

 

[Dave LeGear]

Swing tongue or insert type... Either one, if done right, will make the tongue stronger than what it was. See you local welder and have one custom made for your needs is my best advise.

 

[bluecrab]

Thanks for all of the responses. I am going to try and work at it this weekend and see what I can get with the trailer raised and of course lowered.

I'll keep ya posted.

Blue

 

[NCangler]

From the factory:

The bunks are set up for proper support with the transom even or a
little forward on the bunks, I would not recommend pulling it up more
than a couple of inches.

 

[bluecrab]

Well I moved the boat today into the garage to see how it would fit. Well when I back it in the door closes just after the bow but just before the winch.

I was thinking about taking the entire middle section which I guess is the tongue and removing it and put the front of the trailer on some jack stands. That way she will fit perfectly int the garage.
From a support standpoint it doesn't look like it would have any adverse side effects.

Blue

 

[BarryB]

My boat/trailer fits in the garage using the break-away tongue. Also, boat is not straight in but at an angle. If you need photos, I'll shoot some and post them.

 

[STL170]

You probably have your final solution in place, but this is what I did with my 2006 170CC and trailer. With the winch post turned around and modified, the trailer does not extend past the bow of the boat by more than an inch. Being able to unbolt and take the tongue to work to use the bandsaw and upright drill press made all the difference. No way I would have been man enough to use a hand drill on those eight holes through both walls of the tube. See message link below.