Boat not centering on trailer

[NvBoarder]

Ok so after several years of dealing with the boat never centering when we load the boat, I finally found the problem. Now my dilema, my dealer is out of business, the trailer is 3 years old, and the economy is in the tank. So what is the chances I could get this fixed by Extreme trailers and where should I start with this battle. Attached our some pics so you can see for yourself, the bunks are welded wrong on the trailer, they are not evenly spaced in fact between the two they are about an inch off. The boat has been centering itself all along but it doesn't look like it unless you line up the prop and rudder with the prop protector on the trailer and not the bunks.

[NvBoarder]

[NvBoarder]

The fix is easy relatively speaking but I don't know if they will even talk to me about it since it is three years old. What do you guys think??

[mcbean7]

I think it's worth a try. Good customer service goes a long way. Let's just hope Extreme sees it like that too.

[WakeGirl]

First, call them & talk with them about it. You understand what you're up against in getting it warrantied, so that may not happen. At the same time, the worst that they can say is no, right? Second, get the name of a good trailer shop locally. Take it there & show them the problem & get a quote to fix it. Even if Extreme will fix it, my guess is that by the time you drive it all the way to the San Bernadino area the difference won't be that much.

[NvBoarder]

First, call them & talk with them about it. You understand what you're up against in getting it warrantied, so that may not happen. At the same time, the worst that they can say is no, right? Second, get the name of a good trailer shop locally. Take it there & show them the problem & get a quote to fix it. Even if Extreme will fix it, my guess is that by the time you drive it all the way to the San Bernadino area the difference won't be that much.

Well I know that Kro-built does warranty work for them and they are my local trailer shop people so I will give extreme a call tomorrow and see what happens.

[Baddog]

Are the weld points at the other end of the bunks off as much also?

[John I.]

How about replacing the bunks and drilling the mounting holes in the new bunks just off center enough to compensate for the difference in the locations of the welded mounts. A 1/2 inch off center in a 2"x4" shouldn't affect load bearing capacity.

Then again, as long as my boat is not sitting with a strake on the bunk, I don't fret about it being perfectly centered.

[WakingMeHappy]

Even with the age I would think they would cover it being this happened at the factory. Of course, you won't know unless you call. Just be nice and explain the problem. Have some pics ready to email them while you're on the phone so they can "see" what you're talking about.

[Boarder]

My experience with Extreme has been excellent. My last two Malibus came with extreme trailers. MY 03 had zero problems. My 05 blew a tire the first trip out and ripped the right fender apart. I called extreme, told them what happened and they sent me a brand new painted fender that I just had to bolt on. No cost to me. They even paid for shipping. Also the oil bearings leaked and they replaced those. So my experience is that they have great customer service

[mellen_mpz]

speaking of that, do you guys have problems centering your boat when you are pulling it out of the water? Its less than 50% for us, we constantly have to pull the boat out, see if its between the bunks, back it back in, attempt to re-center it.....repeat. is this a common prob with these boats?

[Baddog]

Mine centers pretty nicely except when the ramp is not level side to side.

[WakeGirl]

I never had a problem with the DHM or either Extreme trailer that we've owned. I was surprised when camping with Nv that that was the case with his. I think that we got it centered on the first try the first day, but after that we had to re-center it each day. I thought it was very odd, but now that I see the problem it makes sense.

Nv,

Make sure that when you have it fixed that they check the measurements of the bunks as they go forward. I was thinking about this & the bunk would almost have to be off all the way up the trailer. If it wasn't, the forward parts of the bunk would almost force it into the correct spot, regardless of where the bunk sits at the rear.

[Boarder]

speaking of that, do you guys have problems centering your boat when you are pulling it out of the water? Its less than 50% for us, we constantly have to pull the boat out, see if its between the bunks, back it back in, attempt to re-center it.....repeat. is this a common prob with these boats?

I have only noticed this when the ramp is lower on one side or when you sink the trailer to deep. Depending on the steepness of the ramp I normally sink the trailer to the top of the second bunk just leaving about an inch or so of the bunk out of the water. The boat drives up nice with not too much friction and the stern of the boat is not floating. Another thing to consider is if you have people in the boat when your loading it on to the trailer. If so make sure the weight is balance evenly or to the center that way the boat goes onto each bunk at the same time

[woody]

I'm going to have to check my trailer now.

[Lance B. Johnson]

Mine centers pretty nicely except when the ramp is not level side to side.

Ours is a major PITA but I have found that centering the rudder helps a lot. Center on ours is 2 full turns from the left.

I have been curious for a long time if anyone else had this issue.

[xx29l9]

Ok so after several years of dealing with the boat never centering when we load the boat, I finally found the problem. Now my dilema, my dealer is out of business, the trailer is 3 years old, and the economy is in the tank. So what is the chances I could get this fixed by Extreme trailers and where should I start with this battle. Attached our some pics so you can see for yourself, the bunks are welded wrong on the trailer, they are not evenly spaced in fact between the two they are about an inch off. The boat has been centering itself all along but it doesn't look like it unless you line up the prop and rudder with the prop protector on the trailer and not the bunks.

Hmmm, I'm no trailer expert, but was this the correct trailer for the boat model in the first place?

We have been lucky so far, our boat centers itself really nicely everytime....now that I've said that I'm sure it will never happen again....

[wakechick3]

I'm going to have to check my trailer now.

me too... mine is 1" difference at the back, 1/2" in the middle and the same at the front.

I had not had problems until this year, but i was blaming it on the trailer being in too deep and the lop-sided ramp. Because i have been using that ramp a long time, I still blame it on the trailer being in too deep those couple of times it was off center.

[TOAST]

Thanks for the pics - I've often ended up with the same situation as the OP, but then kinda forget a bout it. I've never thought to measure.

I'll check it out when I get home tonight.

[NvBoarder]

Not the answer I was expecting to get from a custom trailer company. Basically they don't measure that stuff and just build it to each boat specs. They will be a little off. Well I dought they had my boat when they built the trailer. Basically in a polite way he said tuff Sh^$. He did say I could move the bunks and redrill them to fit better but again not his problem. So in the future I will not recommend Extreme trailers because they do a half a** job!!!

[gripnrip]

I scanned through these posts pretty quick so if this is already in there I appologize. Everytime my boat doesn't center it has been operatator error. I have an Extreme tandam axel trailer for my boat. The key to getting the boat centers is how far you back the trailer into the water. I spoke to Extreme a few years ago and the key is to have the front of the wheel fender barely sticking out of the water. For mine it is about 4 - 6 inches of the front fender showing. The rest of the fender should be in the water. On the ramp I use there is a slight cross slope the left side is lower than the right by a couple of inches. In this scenerio I have to go off of the left side (lower side) for proper boat centering. Try it out and see what happens.

[BARTMAN]

I have a pos shorelander trailer. never centers. so I have the wife and daughter measure with hands or fists and hold the boat like one and a half fists off of the guide rails. sometimes I have to back down so they can move it.

[RTS]

From 'time to time' my boat will not be perfectly centered on the Boatmate trailer when I pull out of the ramp. I find that the first 'bump' (or curb) that I hit knocks everything into proper alignment.

[skyskier]

Not the answer I was expecting to get from a custom trailer company. Basically they don't measure that stuff and just build it to each boat specs. They will be a little off. Well I dought they had my boat when they built the trailer. Basically in a polite way he said tuff Sh^$. He did say I could move the bunks and redrill them to fit better but again not his problem. So in the future I will not recommend Extreme trailers because they do a half a** job!!!

That's too bad. When I buy a high end product and pay a little extra, I expect a little extra. Extreme had an opportunity to score some points and they blew it. Refusing to fix something that is obviously their fault because it is out of warranty is one thing, but denying there is a problem in the first place indicates a company mind set. Note to self............no Extreme trailer.

[woody]

I scanned through these posts pretty quick so if this is already in there I appologize. Everytime my boat doesn't center it has been operatator error. I have an Extreme tandam axel trailer for my boat. The key to getting the boat centers is how far you back the trailer into the water. I spoke to Extreme a few years ago and the key is to have the front of the wheel fender barely sticking out of the water. For mine it is about 4 - 6 inches of the front fender showing. The rest of the fender should be in the water. On the ramp I use there is a slight cross slope the left side is lower than the right by a couple of inches. In this scenerio I have to go off of the left side (lower side) for proper boat centering. Try it out and see what happens.

Your system sounds like it works well, but most of the CA lakes, the levels drop 150-200' plus throughout the year. Plus the ramp angle varies because the slope of the canyon/shoreline walls.

Edited August 1, 2009 by woody