Do you have trouble getting your boat loaded on the trailer at the lake? Have you given up fishing alone because it’s virtually impossible to get your boat loaded by yourself? Add a little wind or water current and even with a helper getting the boat centered on the trailer is still a pain. If this sounds familiar, then it won’t take you long to see the benefits of installing a set of boat trailer guide ons.
If you’re undecided about whether you should get a set or what kind of guide ons you should get, this article can help. We’ll look at the benefits of boat trailer guides and the pros and cons of the three main types of guide ons available.
Do You Need Boat Trailer Guide Ons?
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There are several factors that can play into this decision. What type of boat trailer do you have? The size and weight of your boat. How often and where do you typically use your boat. I honestly believe that each of these items has a situation associated with it that can be remedied by installing a set of guides. Let’s take a look at each one and see if you are a victim of one of them, or possibly a combination of all three potential issues.
The Trailer
Not all boat trailers are built the same. Some boat trailers are equipped with carpeted bunks that the boat’s hull sets on. Others have multiple sets of roller assemblies that support the boat hull. And yet others come with a combination of bunks and rollers, including keel rolls to support your boat. Each type of support has its advantages and disadvantages depending on the size of the boat, frequency of loading and unloading, and if the boat is on the trailer for long term storage.
If you haul your boat to lakes mainly and are unloading and loading frequently, Boat trailer guides certainly can make the task much easier. Especially if your trailer is equipped with a keel roller. Getting the keel centered on the roller can be a challenge even in the calmest of water conditions. Boat guides can help center the boat on the trailer practically every time.
Even on trailers equipped with bunks and roller assemblies it important to center them on the trailer for hauling. They don’t have to be loaded perfectly but on larger boats it nice to keep the weight centered on the trailer for ease of hauling.
And no matter what kind of hull supports your boat trailer has, trailer guides can help prevent damage to the bottom of your boat. It’s very easy to run the bottom of your boat into a roller bracket, the trailer frame, or trailer fenders when trying to load your boat.
The decision to put guides on my trailer was easy. My boat trailer is made with two short carpeted bunks at the back end of the trailer, for the bottom, along with two keel rollers. When loading the boat a second person would have to try and hold the boat centered on the trailer while it was being pulled out of the water. If the boat was not properly centered on the keel rollers, we would have to put it back in the water and try repositioning it. In windy conditions, it was nothing to do this two or three times.
The Boat
Like trailers, not all boats are created equal either. You’ve got big boats and little boats. Heavy boats and light boats. The only thing they all have in common is getting them centered on a boat trailer in windy conditions or in stronger water currents.
On small, light boats it’s not that big an issue. Once you get the boat and trailer out of the water you can reposition on the trailer by hand before strapping it down. On larger boats, you don’t have that luxury.
That’s why I installed the trailer guides on my boat. I have a 14′ Starcraft fishing boat with a 20hp Mercury outboard engine. It has a full wood deck floor, a live well, and two bench seats and storage. Throw in a battery, a gas tank, and a couple of anchors, it makes this a fairly heavy boat. There’s no repositioning by hand for this beast. Before installing the guide ons I never even entertained the idea of taking the boat and going fishing by myself. All that’s changed now.
Other Considerations
Could I have gotten my boat loaded by myself? Probably, but it would require positioning the boat trailer at just the right depth, so you’re not putting excessive pressure on the bow hook and line while cranking onto the trailer. That sounds simple enough, but there are other factors that can affect your boat and the trailer positioning.
How much fuel did you burn? Were you fishing in the rain? Maybe there are three or four inches of water in the bottom of your boat. How steep is the ramp? Which part of the boat is going to come into contact with the trailer first? All of these things play a role in positioning the trailer and how much additional weight you’re trying to crank out of the water.
The Solution
The boat trailer guide ons were the solution to all the above problems. It does this by lining the boat up on my keel rollers the first time, every time! It also gives me the flexibility to back the trailer that extra foot or two into the water, so I’m not having to put a lot of force on the bow hook and line.
I load my boat manually using a tagline on the bow hook. I pull it between the guide ons, at the back of the trailer, and straight-up toward the front keel roller and bow crank. If needed, I pull it all the way on with the bow crank. Doing it this way ensures the boat is centered on the front keel roller and the boat trailer guides handle the back of the boat! It’s so simple now!
Types Of Boat Trailer Guide Ons Available
Boat trailer guides are a great tool for loading your boat in windy conditions and even river currents. They are easy to put together and to install on your trailer. It only requires a few wrenches. The key is to select the right guide ons for the size of your boat and the style of trailer you have.
All of the trailer guides listed below clamp on to most trailer frames and are adjustable. Below are three of the main type of guides and some of the pros and cons of each.
In this article, we will be providing you with a few links to some products for pricing and informational purposes. We are required to let you know some of these links are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on a link and make a purchase, we could make a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps offset the cost of maintaining our website. Now, let’s get started.
Boat Trailer Post Guides
The post guide ons consist of adjustable metal angle brackets that clamp to the frame of the boat trailer. A durable, non-marking PVC then attaches to the angle brackets and sticks up above the water when the boat is backed into the water.
Pros
The PVC posts are normally tall enough that they can be easily seen when backing the trailer up without the boat. They provide good visual cues for centering the boat on the trail.
Cons
Although durable they tend to work better on smaller boats. If you try driving larger boats onto the trailer, you run the risk of breaking the PVC and bending the brackets. If you use them to manually pull a larger boat onto the trailer you’ll probably be fine.
Boat Trailer Roller Guides
Roller guide ons mount to the trailer frame similar to the post style, but they have 9” to 12” rollers attached to the brackets to guide the boat onto the trailer. All rollers are made of non-marking rubber to prevent scratches or damage to the boat’s surface.
Pros
Roller guide ons are normally sturdier and work better for larger boats. They come in different heights, depending on the size of your boat, and have some height and roller angle adjustments.
Cons
Roller guide ons are usually shorter than the post style guides. So depending on your tow vehicle they may be more difficult to see when backing an empty trailer.
Boat Trailer Bunk Guides
The bunk style guide ons are what I installed on my boat trailer. They mount to frame in the same fashion as the other two guide ons as well. The bunks are typically made of carpet-covered wood 2×4’s with adjustable heights to accommodate your boat. For larger trailers, the 2×4 bunks can be longer and have brackets at both ends. This makes them better suited for larger, heavier boats.
Pros
Bunk style guides are fairly sturdy, similar to the roller type. You can also get longer bunks with an additional bracket, making them a very sturdy choice for larger boats. They work well for the boater that drives their boat onto the trailer. The bunk style can take more contact when trying to “power load” a boat. This is even more important in windy conditions or in water with a current.
Cons
They may not be as tall as the post guides but are normally high enough to help with backing an empty trailer. After several years of use, the carpet or wood bunks may need to be replaced.
Conclusion
Installing a set of boat trailer guide ons is easy to do. Anyone with a little know-how and a few basic hand tools can install them. They make loading your boat much easier and a lot less stressful. Maybe you currently have guides
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I have bought a set of four from Attwood for the ShorLander (18′) trailer-just finished, heavy duty, easy to install. It works great. Just secure between your tabs to set the size correctly. Instead of measuring for a roller size, measure for a gap tab; for example, a 10 inch gap tab would be a 9 inch roller.
We’re glad the boat guide-on article was helpful.
Thanks for the article!
Having a trailer guide makes loading and launching my boat a lot easier, especially in windy conditions.
I wonder how to make boat trailer guide posts in no time while saving money, and
your article helped me get that answer.
Very useful! Thank you again!
I’m glad it helped!
It’s awesome that this article talks about easy ways to make sure your boat is centered on the trailer, like using parts such as boat rollers. It’s cool to think that there are parts available to help new people out when they are learning how to haul boats to their destinations. Thank you for helping me understand that there are ways to learn to center boats on trailers with help.