MacGregorSailors.com

Kelly Hanson East wrote:Ill post a picture, once I get off probation for posting....

Yeah - - - you've been a bad boy - - - and I'm still going to call you Cat - - - not Kelly.

I have taken trailering trips both with straps and without - - - and I don't think it makes any difference except for personal peace of mind. This boat isn't going anywhere off the trailer unless you drive it upside down

I was pulling the boat up from San Bernardino to BIg Bear (1,500 to 7,400 feet) a few years ago when, unbeknownst to me, the winch strap was rubbing on something sharp and ripped in two near the winch, separating the boat from connection to the winch - - - - and the boat went NOWHERE - - - and I was driving up a very steep grade

If you want peace of mind and extra safety, go ahead by all means and strap it to the trailer - - - but I agree with the original poster's dealer - - - tie downs are not necessary. Do be sure to secure the mast though, so it can't bend or break.

Rick

Like I said earlier get someone to tow the boat and watch what happens when you hit a bump, this bouncing and in particular the thump when it hits the berths can't be good especially if you hit something like a kerb

Rick,

From the many post you have made, I know you to be truthful, but your reasoning in this thread I belive is faulty.

Because the boat did not slide off the trailer when going up an incline just meant that the pull of gravity did not exceed the friction of the boat on the bunks. What happens when it does? What protection do you have? Lets say sudden braking in a turn due to an unexpected obstacle in the road, or hitting a curb (kerb for some ). Excess forces on a boat which is on a trailer can come from many directions. A strap will help prevent a catastrophe from occurring when those forces far exceed mere friction.

The whole concept of the Mac bump invalidates your conclusion of a strap not being necessary. When we do the Mac bump, we create forces that overcome the friction of the boat on the trailer, and make the boat go against its will. It goes forward. Those forces can also occur the other way, as in sliding backwards, and off the trailer, against its will, or in this case, against the friction on the bunks.

Another problem is the litigious world we live in. If you have some sort of incident where your boat comes off the trailer and damages someone or something, you will get sued in a New York second (my apologies to those from NYC ) if some attorney finds out you did not take reasonable precautions to secure your boat to its trailer.

When my nephew was very young he had a bib which stated in bold letters on it "SPIT HAPPENS'. Reconsider brother

Ray

My dealer also recommended AGAINST using a strap. He has been in the Mac business a long time. He was very adamant about traveling at a safe speed.

If you are going fast enough for your boat to be bouncing on the trailer, a strap will not protect you from the damage you are doing to your boat, especially after you hang a motor back there. The strap gives you a false sense of security.

About the only cushion on these trailers is the air in the tires and these are not the greatest tires. A U-Haul trailer has a similar construction and the max speed is 45 MPH.

Ignoring the discussion on whether or not the strap gives protection, how does your dealer feel about you being sued. Will he/she say "I'll help you pay for the lawyer", or will the response be "Hey, sorry to hear about it. Good luck"

I think the strap is good insurance, but good luck to you.


Ray

I do not agree to ignore the purpose of the strap. I provided pertinent information about the use of a strap and unintended consequences.

Furthermore, this forum and topic is not about lawyers. Please refer discussions of lawyers, politics and religion to the Pub.

dreamer i always tow with a strap,i use a 5 ton ratchet strap and i also use,this is important an old towel to put between the strap and the hull,especially at the gunwails and where the ratchet mechanisim rests,i read a post from one guy who managed to mark the gel coat with the strap,so i always out something like a towel between them

my 2 cents worth:
From a hull integrity point of view, it matters little if the boat bounces slightly off the trailer or the unit as a whole rises and then falls. Virtually the same impact will be taken on the hull at the bunks. Think of an axe swinging onto a piece of wood, or having the axe already stuck in the wood and swinging both. Both methods split the wood.
Be careful not to bounce the trailer too much.
As for tie downs, the two reasons I can think to use them are.
1. In any accident, even if your not at fault, people will look for the slightest reason for you to be culpable and not having your boat secured could be one issue, even if it had nothing to do with the accident.
2. Sometimes peace officers feel the need to be proactive and may stop you and insist on a tie down, whether its needed or not. So a tie down, while arguably not necessary, is pretty cheap insurance and peace of mind.

Now that I've convinced myself, I need to go buy a tiedown strap as I have not used one myself and have been putting off getting one. I appreciate the input from fellow Maccers on this forum.

The wide straps go for about 26 bucks at Home Depot. I do remember an earlier post that worried that they might cause stress fractures on the fiberglass where they cross the deck rise. I have considered ways to cushion them but considering is all I have gotten around to doing.

I to am having trouble with the new KHE handle. It just has the feel of a debutante writing fashion tips for Vogue. I hope she gets off probation soon too, or she might find herself doing community service time with Paris, Brittany, and Naomi.

Ray;

I pretty much agree with your reasoning, but what I'm saying is it takes a GREAT deal of excess force to take the boat off where it is intended to stay - - - and the BEST prevention of all is to PAY ATTENTION WHEN TOWING AND BE EXTRA CAREFUL NOT TO BE THE CAUSE OF THOSE EXTREME FORCES BY DRIVING POORLY OR CARELESSLY. I am not arguing against tie down straps. However, I don't believe they are mandatory IF when trailering we ALWAY pay FULL ATTENTION and focus on just driving (not easy) and we SLOW DOWN.

I do disagree with your argument somewhat that the only reason my boat didn't come off the trailer when I was going up to Big Bear is that the gravity force didn't exceed the friction. First of all the winch strap had ripped off - - - with it still attached, it would not be a problem no matter how steep the grade - - - but secondly, WHERE IS that grade where the gravity would be stronger than the frictiion? If it exists, I suggest we all stay off of it

Rick

PS I am adding the word "kerb" to my vocabulary

These stilettos are killing my feet....

Seriously, Ladies and Germs, you're boat should be firmly attached to your trailer at all times while trailering. When you hit a big bump, which is inevitable on roads where I live at least, the boat and trailer will hop up and will separate if not tied together with either straps or docklines, and the crunch when they come back together is a point load which the hull is not designed to take.

Remember the trailer has leaf springs to absorb road shock too!! If the boat and trailer are firmly tied together, then the springs will absorb the up/down movement as they should.

..In NY state at least, you can/will be cited for trailering an 'improperly secured load" and a 3000 # boat loose on a trailer will qualify you for same.

I suspect the dealers advice is either in error or misunderstood here.

Cat
We also have the same unsecured load legislation in our state and would imagine in all states here.
The boat comes tied down hard in the container from Sharpe Marine and for the life of me cannot imagine not tieing it down.
As for taking a large bump or high speed to lift the boat off the trailer, again drive behind an unsecured Mac and then make that statement.
I was driving up my son in laws driveway and he was watching the boat lifting 6" (he said) off the trailer.
The Aust boats I understand do have more rigid springing as there was problems with them breaking but they (US) will still bounce and as for driving careful, thats a wonderful idea but crikey unless you are only transporting a couple of hundred metres there are millions of possibilities where the theory would be tested (other people's mistakes).
I would probably be as careful driving as anyone here but just taking a wrong turn and ending up on k's of corrugations with no way to turn around can blow the theory about not bouncing.
We have driven 15000+ k's with the original tyres which were totally shredded internally and they are only rated at 680 kg so to get that mileage I reckon we must have been driving fairly steady cos we went over some pretty rough roads, if you don't have to drive over rough roads thats great but even main roads here are fairly ordinary.

I believe Tang is correct with his axe in the wood analogy.

However, the key to safe trailering is still SLOW DOWN AND FOCUS WITH YOUR FULL ATTENTION 100% OF THE TIME

However there has been enough of an argument here where I am going to get some better tiedown straps - - - and I like the argument of liability (finding fault) IN CASE of an accident or road officer overexuberance

Rick

About 6 years ago I found some short ratchet ropes that improve on a single, long strap, methinks. Strangely, I just saw them last month again, in WallyWorld, for about $8 each.

These have ~8 feet of 3/8" black nylon line on a black plastic ratchet device with a hook at its bottom. The line's bitter end has another hook, which I use to grab a stern cleat, before passing the line across the X's stern pulpit rail - right where it curves 90 degrees into the side of the hull. The ratchet hooks down where the goalpost attaches to the trailer before being pulled taut.

I use one rope-ratchet for each side of the trailer. There are several reasons I like these better than a long strap.

• They're short, and easy to stow;
• They eliminate 7 feet of worthless, vibrating strap crossing the cockpit;
• They eliminate any wear on the gelcoated hull, since they're actually bearing on a short, horizontal rail;
• Two tiesdowns are better than one.

Well I didn't use a strap but there was the safety line going from the eyelet to the trailer in case the winch cable broke. Towing was fine, there are some bumpy roads in downtown Hamilton. Highway driving was good. I think I am going to use docklines though to tie down just for peace of mind.