# Extended bow stop??



## wglanville (Oct 20, 2020)

I just picked this up and in order to get the boat where it should be on the trailer the winch stand needs to be moved back 18”. Unfortunately it’s welded onto the tongue of the trailer. Is it better to just cut the welds and move the entire stand, or can I extend out the bow stopper?


----------



## eeshaw (Oct 20, 2020)

I think you should work with the metal you have there and extend the bow stop.


----------



## wglanville (Oct 20, 2020)

What’s your thinking behind that?
I think it’ll look funny, most boats are a lot closer to the winch stand, but I’m certainly open to extending it just curious why?


----------



## CedarRiverScooter (Oct 20, 2020)

You will get less flex if you cut the welds & move it back. An angle grinder & a cutting disc (+ eye, hand, ear protection) will get the job done. Be careful not to slice into the tongue. You can just use U bolts to reattach.


----------



## wglanville (Oct 20, 2020)

I thought about the flex as well, and I could use angle iron so that shouldn’t flex much at all. Plus the bow stop doesn’t need to get winched so hard that it bows much. 

I know I’d like the look of it better if I moved it, but I’m a bit leery about damaging the tongue?


----------



## eeshaw (Oct 21, 2020)

Personally, if it were me I'd cut the tongue off and install a new one if I wanted the rest of the trailer. You can always chop it off and install a sleeve with a new tongue or maybe you could install a hinge and a new tongue. Depends how much you want to spend and what your expertise level is when working with metal. The tongue should be at least 1/8 inch thick to play it safe. How big is the boat?


----------



## lckstckn2smknbrls (Oct 21, 2020)

When you say the boat will be "where it should be on the trailer" How are you determining that?
By the percentage of weight on the tongue or by it's position on the trailer?
Have you weighed the boat and trailer? Is there a motor on the boat?


----------



## wglanville (Oct 21, 2020)

Boat is a 1680 landau tunnel hull with pods on the back. It’s very light, no motor, yet. Probably going to go with a 18hp Mercury I have. 

How boat would be positioned if it were up to the bow stopper has the pods up on the trailer and the skeg of my motor hits the back cross member of the trailer. 

Tongue weight is petty low as I can pick the tongue up easily.


----------



## lckstckn2smknbrls (Oct 21, 2020)

Moving the boat back and hanging the motor on will greatly reduce the tongue weight.
I would recommend hanging the motor getting most of what you will have in the boat in place and get the actual weight. Than you can figure out where the boat needs to sit on the trailer and position the winch tower and bow stop.


----------



## Alex from GA (Jan 10, 2021)

If you can pick up the tongue now you won't have any weight on it when you hang an engine on the boat. BAD. Like the previous poster said hang the engine and go from there. Make sure the transom is supported by the bunks and 5-10% of the total weight is on the tongue. You can also move the axle if needed.


----------

