New trailer straps
 

I never had a good set of straps for my trailer and hated the ones I did use so I went and bought these the other day from my local Canadian Tire. Just had to drill a single hole on each side and mount with a bolt. The nice thing with these is they ratchet but also auto coil when unhooked. I'm sure these are pretty much the same as any newer trailer come with but just thought I would share with others that have older trailers.

http://www.cargobuckle.com/products_g2.htm

much like the boat buddies... i love mine....

Same thing I thought, looks like a copycat design. Love mine.

Got the same thing (different brand) from Home Depot at the end of last season. Finally installed them a couple of weeks ago. They work great. Much better than the old school straps.

I have them on my Boatmate trailer . They work great.

Does everyone really strap the back of their boat down? I only do it on road trips......

I do every time. No way I'm relying just on the front winch to hold it on the trailer.

Same here. It takes 30 seconds to strap it down. Why wouldn't you take that time to make sure everything is safe?

Mine has a safety chain on the front in case the strap breaks and our roads are pretty good so I doubt it would ever bounce out of place. Maybe in the event of a crash but if the impact was hard enough to toss the boat then I probably have bigger things to worry about.

I would never tow it more then across the parking lot without the straps (on purpose, i have forgotten in the past and been ok for a few miles). Why take the chance with a 30-100k boat? after a day on the water what's 30 seconds worth of time? If you have time to put a chain on, you have time to put on straps.

Going to my local lake I never used to as it's a 20 minute drive away. Whenever I trailer to our summer house 2hrs away I always do. I figured why not be safe as an accident can happen at anytime. These straps make it real easy and quick to hook up and sinch down so no reason not too. A chain doesn't stop your boat from lifting off the trailer straight up only stops it from going out the back.

Dave-Two questions.

1st Do you have to take off your platform to strap down? Looks like hte platform is missing.
2nd What is that ball valve with the red handle for?

BTW i hav been on the water since i was a child so for the last 25 years i have never strapped down the back of the boat and have never had a problem. Knock on wood.

I understand that it could lift off the trailer vertically but what I don't understand is what would possibly make it do that? I know my roads and I'm 15 minutes away from my spot. I would strap it if I were going to a different lake that I'm not familiar with.

Travis: I don't have to take the platform off. I take it off when it's parked in my carport. The hook fits between the boat and platform so it's easy to undue. The ball valve is for my ballast. The jabso pumps take forever to fill my 560lbs of intneral ballast and to empty so I installed these ball valves on each side so I can gravity fill both tanks a heck of a lot faster. I can then just open them up on the ramp to let the water out. Otherwise I used to have to remove the plugs with a wrench all the time. This is faster and easier. I figured someone would ask about those.

Raf/Travis: I understand and was the same way towing 20 minutes to my local lake and did so without straps for 7 years. Accidents can happen at anytime though and I figured I would just take the precautionary measure to make sure if I got in to a situation that made my trailer get rocked around that I didn't have to worry about the boat lifting off and making the situation worse. Besides the fact that legally your supposed to have them on as well. The straps were $ 50. Took all of 10 minutes to install. Take all of 30 seconds to hook up or unhook. I still have to remind myself to hook the straps up as it's another step when leaving the lake that I'm not use too.

Oh I didn't know it was a law to have the straps on there....... I might have to reconsider then.

Travis, One of my friends lives towards Galvestion and hears of an accident of boat coming off the trailer about once every few years. Mostly, going over the big bridge, they get a big gust that swerves the truck and trailer, they loss control, and without the boat being strapped, the boat flipps off the trailer and makes a mess. I have seen 25' boats bouncing off the trailer vertical as it goes down the highway (we told the guy and he started usaing straps), not some stress I want to subject my hull to, especially the boat landing on boards on a trailer. I have been using straps (and my dad) for 30 years and don't plan to stop anytime soon but I am a safety person..

My factory MC trailer did not come with straps or even a way to use them. I do have a bigger boat than most with the X45 but I have not seen ANYONE with rear straps on a vdrive. The damn thing is a PITA to get off the trailer when it's in the water. I don't see if going anywhere on the bunks even without the front strap.

Dave- You got those extra ballast bags yet? Yall still riding the LSJ?

That message was for Dave S

I never strap my boat! Here is my theory... What kind of bump would you have to hit to get a 3000-4000lbs boat to take flight?!?! So much flight that the boat will get past the boat guides on the side of the trailer. If I get into an accident that is bad enough to cause my boat to leave the trailer, I don't think my boat will be my biggest concern.

I don't know if it's required or not...the county sheriff that was next to me at the ramp didn't say anything. But, I live in Idaho....we usually pull our boats with horses. :D

^^exactly what I was saying

Think of it this way - 1st an accident isn't planned so who the heck knows what it would take to get your boat to pop off. Perhaps a land wally cutting you off. 2nd - you're responsible to secure your payload. If it comes off and someone else hits it your screwed as I'm sure the attorneys will show that you were pretty negligent...once they determine that you have towing your boat that way for 20 years.

But then - I'm pretty paranoid about that stuff and would rather be safe than sorry.

My last boat didn't have any tie down rings so straps were not practical, I had that boat for 20 years. My new boat has a tie down ring and the trailer has these straps. I figure they can't hurt anything and are super easy to use. My problem is also remembering to connect them!

This is a question for those that actually use the straps. Have you ever forgotten to unstrap them while trying to unload your boat?

I watched a couple of girls trying to back there boat off the trailer one day for a long time and they couldn't ever figure out why it wouldn’t leave the trailer. So they pulled the boat out of the water and i noticed the straps were still on the boat. Any body else done that?

Ill stick with my strapless method.

KDA - there are tons of pictures online of boats falling off trailers and tons of stories to go with them. Newton's laws of motion are a funny thing and a 4000lb boat has a lot of momentum. I don't think it's usually bouncing off the trailer, but often trailer gets unstable or around a corner and waggles and the boat wants to stay put, so it can shift off. Straps will help a lot with that situation.

I suppose if you only drive straight roads and no hills/curves maybe you would never need them as I kinda doubt in a head on collision they are going to hold, but for my mind, they're much safer and take not even 30 seconds to attach at end of the day so I see no downside.

And travis, yes I forgot them one time, first few times we had put them on, it was blatantly obvious once I backed into the water... :) Now it's just part of the routine and actually is a good reminder to again check the plug.

Wow.. Some REALLY short sighted view points in this thread..

"If I'm getting in an accident - the least of my worries is the 5,000 lbs, $100,000 boat behind me.. I'm more worried bout the $235 front bumper on my F250"..

What the heck..

You've never driven down a bumpy road behind a boat not strapped down, have you? They move around, a lot. Even just over bumps or potholes on the highway they move a lot. The boat has more mass and will do what it wants to while the trailer will get moved around by the truck and bumps/grooves in the road. You are strapping the trailer to the boat so they move as one.

Even with guide bunks or guide poles your boat can move around side to side and over time will wear and damage the gel or possibly worse. Even worse is the boat shifting in an emergency maneuver. I jacked my trailer once when someone pulled out right in front of me from a business entrance and didn't get to moving... On a 40 MPH road. My trailer at the time (old boat) didn't have brakes but I did have it strapped down. Trailed jacked around into lane of oncoming traffic but I managed to get it under control and not hit anyone. It was very close. If I didn't have the boat strapped down tight bow and stern, that could have been bad in so many ways.

Be safe, be smart, secure your boat. Straps are cheap insurance.

i came up behind a guy towing a wake setter that wasn't strapped down and i was very surprised as to how much it lifted off the bunks on bumps in the road that were not the significant. regulary it would lift over six inches off the bunks and i don't think the guy towing it knew this was happening. can't imagine this would be great for the boat let alone what would happen in an accident.

Those would be a one time use for me. I'll say it again: You sweet water guys get all the cool toys.
And yeah its a Florida law that the trailer and boat be strapped but the Sheriff and FWC guys never do it..

You may notice the trailer rides much smoother when the boat is strapped. I always do.

I will admit when the trailer straps were the manual ones back in the day, I did not strap either. I am pretty sure it is illegal in Oregon to not be strapped. I even had a similar post to this probably 5+ years ago.
Nowadays with these auto straps it is so easy. Literally takes me 10 seconds to undo or do both straps. Most new boats come with them I believe. I don't criticize people for not doing it but I changed my ways..... Here are the things that made me think about it and start doing it several years back:
-With the auto straps (like pictured by the OP) it takes 10 seconds
-What if the boat did come off the trailer in a freak accident
-What about the liability if it did come off and hurt someone and they prove you did not strap it
-What if Jonny law did ticket me for it
-Cheap insurance

I have NEVER seen anyone at willamate park strap a wakeboard boat. I had marked mine one time and the thing never budged. It was in exact same place. There is no way I believe a 5000lb Plus boat is bouncing off the bunks 6 inches. We are going out tomorrow and taking a few bumpy roads I think I am going to strap the Gopro to the back of the boat filming where it meets the bunks and see... I wouldn't mind being proven wrong. I was concerned when we towed Brandons 45 all the way to Havasu with no straps especially since we went over a few humps that made me come off the seat in the RV... I was sleeping in the bed for one and my entire body lifted scared the crap out of me...

Like I said I was surprised when I saw it. But its not so much as bouncing off its just keeps going up after the bump because of it mass and trailer stays more or less grounded probably bouncing off the boat itself back down. The boat still settles straight back down to the same spot cause it is tied at the front and the bunks act like a funnel centreing it. Also I'm from Australia and our roads pretty bad so we may have different ideas what is considered bumpy roads. All my freinds who have been to the states all can't believe how bad our roads are compared to the US

Cobra Rob
I agree with you there. I would not be concerned about bumps. The boat is not going to go anywhere on a bump. I am talking about getting in an accident and the boat flings around, "wagging the dog" and the boat flying off, getting pulled over for them not being strapped, etc. Most people I see at Willy Park do strap from what I have seen. At least the people in our crew. I am not saying it is right or wrong, but it is easy cheep insurance. I used to not strap as well.....

I did a quick google search and don't have info to back it up or confirm this is correct, but it looks like it is the law in Oregon and most states..... Again just another reason they to keep my nose clean from the law...

Boat Towing Laws in Oregon

Boating Law Administrator: 503-373-1405 ext. 244
Maximum Speed Limit: 65
Maximum Dimensions for trailer:35'L x 8'6"W x 14'H
Maximum Length with Trailer:65'
Minimum Weight requiring Separate Trailer Brakes:N/A
Trailer Equipment Requirements:
Safety Chains:Y
Brakelights:Y
Taillights:Y
Clearance Lights:Y
License Light:Y
Turn Signals:Y
Reflectors:Y
Flares:N/A
Breakaway Brakes: N/A
Tiedowns:Y
Two Trailers:N
Insurance:N
Wide Trailer Permit Phone Number: 503-373-0000

Gonna film it today and post if I see anything.. An excuse to use gopro anyway lol... If I had an easy way on my trailer I would anyway. Rarely see anyone use a safty chain either.. The cops in that area have been dicks lately for sure... I got a ticket for no front plates on my brand new truck.

Then on saturday there was a bunch of *******s in cars parked in the trailer spots and no place to park so we parked 2 blocks up in the neighborhood near the MC dealer... Well got a ticket for parking a boat trailer in a neighborhood. WTF? There are no signs and we were not blocking anything. We didn't park in the grass like people at the park were doing. What the hell are you supposed to do?

So I got great recorded video on the gopro trailering the boat last week. I need to clip it up since it was 45 minutes BUT.. even going across rail road tracks multiple times, and some major dips the boat never seperated from the bunks.

The bunks flexed a lot more than I would have thought along with trailer suspension but the boat ALWAYS stayed in full contact with them and did not slide or move at all..



:eek:

I think the point everyone is making (and you ignoring) is that the straps are great in case of an accident or a very steep ramp with a wet boat and wet bunks.. Not a bump on the freeway..


But as was mentioned "if I get into a car accident - I'm going to have bigger problems to worry about" (per everyone in this thread).. I cannot phathom what could be a bigger problem than a 5,000lbs 22' x 10' chunk of fiberglass being held in place by a 10 gauge chain on it's nose - but eh, who cares, right? Everyone is so busy that the 11 seconds it takes to strap them on isn't worth their time.

No I get what you are saying... In an accident they would probably help by keeping the trailer attached to the boat.. Not going to keep the boat in place but when it 'lands' hopefully the trailer is still under it. The ramp.. Meh depends on your boat. Mine is like glued to the bunks even when soaked but it is one of the bigger ones. I hate how hard it is to get off the bunks. I am thinking about trying those Ultimate bunks to see if it helps.

What I was really addressing was the comments I have seen where people say 'I was following blah blah and it was going 6-8" off the trailer all the time down the road' which I didn't believe in the slighest.

If I had a way to strap the rear I probably would. I should do something about getting something on there since there is nothing factory.

I don't wear a seat belt because I have been driving for 15 years and never flown through the windshield.:banghead:

Why use any straps at all? I don't even use the front strap, nor do I hook the chains on the trailer to the truck.