Strapping Down Your Boat

[Timsown]

This came up in another thread and I wanted to see what everyone else was doing. Who out there does not strap down their boat when trailering? Also, anyone experience any negative effects from not strapping down? When I first got my boat all it had was the winch strap on the bow and all I could think about when driving down the road was my boat skidding down the freeway. Am I just paranoid or what?

[skiinxs]

RE: Strapping Down Your Boat

23 Inboards, towing for around 30 years, probably well over 100,000 miles. I've never tied a tournament ski boat down in the back, never had an issue. (I probably just jinxed myself here on Friday the 13th and my boat will fly off the trailer the next time I hook it up!)
Dave

[bbrech1]

RE: Strapping Down Your Boat

If you do strap, what does your setup look like?

[ski36short]

RE: Strapping Down Your Boat

I asked the question in other threads and I've learned not to go far without strapping it down. My 196 bounces all over the place on my trailer (Ramlin). I have straps hooked from the swim platform brackets to the eye hooks on back of the trailer. If I'm not going to get gas or to the launch (both around the corner), it's strapped down or the hull is sitting on the fender after the first good bump. Gotta love Michigan roads!

[dba4life]

RE: Strapping Down Your Boat

94 Sport Nautique. I strap down the bow ring. Never strap down the back. Doesn't even look like it is possible without running a strap all the way around the top of the boat. Very stable on the trailer. Never had an issue.

[auskier]

RE: Strapping Down Your Boat

Since last year I have begun strapping down my boat. I hit a curb last year, stupid but it happens, and my boat ended up sitting on the fender. No damage but it was a pain to get it sitting on the trailer right and made me worry about the boat moving too much. Before I thought it wasn't necessary and like skiinxs with several long trips (probably over 15 1000+ mile trips) and thousands of short trips had never had a problem. One time with a college club boat (I think our 1999 ski nautique) we lost a wheel on a single axle ramilin trailer going 65 - 70 on the florida turnpike and the boat sat pefectly centered on the trailer without any transom straps, but it only took seeing my personal boat on the fender one time to change my mind.

I use the retractable transom tie downs that you mount to the trailer and it takes maybe 15 sec. to hook them to the swim platform brackets, I like the ease of use.

[aztaco]

Just seems like common sense to me. The extra 30 seconds per launch and retrieval and the 15 bucks for the straps, why not? I also strap the bow eye down to the trailer in addition to just hooking it to the winch, the bow seems to bounce a little if I don't. I also no longer back down the ramp with the winch strap unhooked, saw two boats laying on the ramp at Powell a few years ago.

[ZANDERSANTE]

Thought about strapping my 06' sante down in the back. Was wondering how to do it. I see the place to tiedown at the trailer, but wasn't sure about where to hook to at the boat. I see some tiedown points between the platform and the back of the hull, but it has plastic covers preventing me from hooking straight to them. Anyone know what's up with that?

[Sinkoumn]

I use a pair of these that are mounted directly to the tower - they never get in the way, have a 5000lbs limit, and retract when not in use.

Straight awesomeness and peace of mind!

http://www.shootnhunt.com/catalog/JM...o/5806835.html

[skiswm]

I always strap down, I can't even imagine not doing it. As said earlier what's an extra minute to put the strap in place? As for where to strap it, use the brackets for the deck on the back. That's where my dealer told me to put it 10 years ago, still use it today. The new "seat belt" style straps are really cool, but I still use the simple "pull and sinch" straps. I'd hate to have to tell my insurance "well the boat came off beacuse i didn't strap it down in the back." I have seen more than one instance witha boat either sliding off to the side because it bounced or someone hit the brakes fast and the boat moved on them. I guess it's a personal thing, I just think the extra few mins spent are more than worth it. I know we had this discussion about a year or so ago on this board.

[igkya]

I use a pair of these that are mounted directly to the tower - they never get in the way, have a 5000lbs limit, and retract when not in use.

Why are you mounting this to the tower?

[Sinkoumn]

^Oh, ahah...I meant to say "trailer", in my face.

[Quinner]

Same point, it only takes a minute so why not do it. Don't tow often but when it is more then a few miles I secure the bow and stern more so to keep the boat from ending up in the back seat with the kids when some knucklehead pulls out in front of you with nowhere to go but thru em! A smart dealer should provide the stern tie downs when you buy your boat as was the case with Watercraft Sales.

[todda]

I didn't use transom straps for quite awhile, only used the winch. Then, one day after pulling the boat out and running my ski-buddy home, we were going up a steep hill into his neighborhood, and I felt and heard a "pop" sound. Didn't think much of it until pulling up to his house, finding that my winch strap broke and my boat slid back on the trailer about 6 inches. Enough to make me a believer in transom tie downs!

Todd

[surroundsound64]

An ounce of prevention...