I've just launched "Exodus" for the third season (helped by two Parker 275 owners Nigel and Brenda who just happened to have flown up to Mull for a couple of hours!) and have a question / problem:

Whenever I recover or launch the trailer guide arms end up swinging down into the water. I don't thinks I'm particularly rough with them (!) but however tight the locking lever is done it cannot compensate for the leverage at the top if they get a bump.

I am thinking of putting a hole in them so that the locking lever thread actually pins them up into position.

Am I doing something wrong?!

Stephen Godber
235/51 "Exodus"

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Hi Stephen,

No I don't think you are doing any thing wrong. I too have the same problem. The method used on our trailer to clamp the docking arms to the trailer is not very good. With any amount of wind or cross tide the arms are just pushed down by the boat. It does not need much force.
The docking arms are only useful for locating the position of the trailer once it is in the water. They don't seem to be strong enough to physically restrain the boat.
I would like to replace mine with a stronger version, perhaps using something like 40mm square hollow section steel that slots into a welded bracket on the trailer, but I have not got round to doing anything about it yet.

Regards

Graham Ebb
235/25 Blue Jazz

I have the same problem - I was thinking of welding them into position, but a pin's probably a better idea - or maybe a supporting strut.

Geoff

Parker 21 / 18 Dawn

Mine also go down though I have fitted two more which helps recovery in a tideway, and if one goes I normally have the second

I was thinking of use a bit of rope from the top, back down to the trailer, it would only work in one direction not two, but that would be at least an improvement.

I did think that it was some sort of safety feature that they got knocked down if hit, also if I did fit some rope, it could get tangled up with the trailer if the rope became slack.

My though was that they really ought to be flexible fibre glass poles not galvo steel, they could then absorb the impact better. However when I asked RM trailers they didn't have anything like that on offer.

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