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Bow Safety Chain


a92harley92

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My old fishing boat has a bow safety chain:

P101023302-1.jpg

My BRAND NEW EXPENSIVE PLEASURE boat does NOT:

P101023402-1.jpg

One would think this would be standard equipment. :unsure:

Where do you guys attach the bow safety chain?

There is a loop I can attach a chain easily, but it is down low on the trailer (red arrow).

P101023503.jpg

I don't want my chain to be that long. So I was thinking of changing one of the winch bolts out with a longer one and attaching the chain to that (green arrow). Will the bolt be strong enough? I could weld a loop onto a plate and then attach the plate to both winch bolts. But that's more time than I wanted to spend on it. What have you guys done? Looking for some ideas.

Thanks!

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My Extreme trailer has a safety cable in about the same place your talking about.

I agree, they should be standard equipment. I had to install one on my MC years ago. The dealer at the time didn't have any idea why I wanted one. But after seeing an accident where the boat flew off the trailer, I knew exactly why.

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It looks like you have a boat buddy. I have one as well and more or less consider it my safety.

You ought to check on that, Paul. I always heard that Kodiak didn't recommend towing with the Buddy locked because it could bend the pin if you went over a big bump in the road.

Assuming thats the case, I always used mine to pull the boat out, then unlocked it, and hooked up the winch & chain for towing any distances.

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You ought to check on that, Paul. I always heard that Kodiak didn't recommend towing with the Buddy locked because it could bend the pin if you went over a big bump in the road.

Assuming thats the case, I always used mine to pull the boat out, then unlocked it, and hooked up the winch & chain for towing any distances.

That's a good point. My pin was bent before I got it so all it is really good for is a safety pin. :whistle: So unless you are like me and drive around with the pin in you should get a safety strap. :thumbup:

That reminds me I should add a new boat buddy and a safety chain to my Christmas list. :innocent:

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+1...$15 in parts and you'll have your safety chain.

This is what I did, using the bolt wont spread the load in case you are relaying on the chain.

Once it gets to the safety chain you are having a really bad day, and just trying to reduce the damage that an uncontrolled boat screaming down the road will cause.

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Mine didn't come with one either, I noticied it while I was taking delivery, and the dealer took one off another boat and installed it on mine.

I had the same attachment issue, no real good place, so we looped the chain around the bowstop post up near the winch and use one of those massive zip ties and cinched it in place real tight.... if the boat were to break loose, and the chain draw tight, all the weight would be against the bow stop, the zip tie is just there to keep it from sliding down.

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That reminds me I should add a new boat buddy and a safety chain to my Christmas list. :innocent:

Their not too tough to repair either. I pulled the cover off & straightened the pin out & it worked great till I smacked it too hard again. :whistle:

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Mine didn't come with one either, I noticied it while I was taking delivery, and the dealer took one off another boat and installed it on mine.

I had the same attachment issue, no real good place, so we looped the chain around the bowstop post up near the winch and use one of those massive zip ties and cinched it in place real tight.... if the boat were to break loose, and the chain draw tight, all the weight would be against the bow stop, the zip tie is just there to keep it from sliding down.

My bow safety chain disappeared while the boat was at Chessie..............and I want it back! :mad:

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Skip the money on a Boat Buddy, those things never work.

I've got a bow safety chain but I never use it just like the rear straps. it'll never hold the boat so why bother eh?

Guess we know how you drive now, don't we. :crazy:

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For some reason, SMP decided to mount the hook point for the safety chain (I assume that's what the loop is for) well behind where the bow hook is located, just in front of the lower bow roller:

dsc03172u.jpg

I haven't bothered getting a safety chain or strap yet, and I wonder how effective it would be anyway.

Edited by Nitrousbird
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I would think that is the better location. Its a straight line to the bow eye and a chain connecting the two points would keep the boat from flying over the tow vehicle, which is my primary concern.

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For some reason, SMP decided to mount the hook point for the safety chain (I assume that's what the loop is for) well behind where the bow hook is located, just in front of the lower bow roller:

I haven't bothered getting a safety chain or strap yet, and I wonder how effective it would be anyway.

More effective than nothing at all. :unsure:

I think if some little kid got killed by our boat flying off the trailer, we'd all wonder if he wouldn't have lived if the boat had been strapped down. :Doh:

Maybe make a chain, strap or cable that goes from the trailer loops around the winch support, then hooks to the bow eye.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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Why don't you want to use the loop that's all ready there? Worried about scratching the trailer? Get a coated chain.

I didn't want the chain to be that long. The longer the chain the more the boat will "move" before the chain stops it. But since some have said that their chain is hooked to that loop, I'm thinking that's where I'm going to put mine. I guess the angle at which the chain will be when it "catches" won't allow the boat to move very much.

Thanks guys for the help!

:werule:

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