Enjoy trailering my 18' Trophy cuddy cabin walkaround to freshwater lakes in and around North Carolina. Have it rigged for fishing and do a lot of striped bass fishing on our larger lakes. Also thinking of trips to the NC coast for nearshore and inshore fishing. Have a Force 115hp outboard. Equipped with Lowrance mapping GPS and fishfinder, VHF, stereo, electric trolling motor, live bait tank, 4 batteries, downriggers and all the fishing gear I could collect over the past several years. It's a smooth riding boat and sleeps two for overnight fishing trips. Have full canvas enclosure and a propane heater to keep the cabin and cockpit warm during winter fishing. The Trophy tows nicely on a single axle galvanized trailer.
The only complaint I have is when recovering the boat on the trailer. Invariably, I have to get into the water to hook the winch strap to the bow eye before pulling the boat into final position on the trailer. Climbing down off the bow onto the trailer is way too dicey for me due to the height. I've been looking for a small set of steps to mount on the trailer, but haven't found anything yet.
__________________ Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
On a trip to Buggs Island Lake I watched a Trophy 2002 owner recover his boat and figured out how I needed to alter my strategy for my 1802.
I have since successfully recovered the boat without having to get wet. I have to back the trailer in so the front edges of the carpeted bunks are just out of the water. Then I glide the boat onto the bunks and make sure it is lined up straight ( I have side guides). Then I power the boat up the bunks until the bow snugs into the rubber "vee" on the winch stand (I removed the round roller). It took some practice to get the amount of throttle just right to just overcome the friction and not hit the winch block too hard. But it works great. Once all the way forward, the bunk friction is great enough to prevent the boat from sliding off as the trailer is pulled out of the water. As soon as I get to the staging area, I hook the bow eye.
If anyone else has used this technique, or has any feedback, I'd like to hear. The only concern I have is with not hooking the strap to the bow eye before the driver of the tow vehicle pulls me out of the water. If I'm by myself, I can hook the strap as I climb down to get into the vehicle.
__________________ Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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