Boat Mate trailer problems Ski Nautique 200 OB

[DSP]

Is there a retro fit from Boat Mate for their Ski Nautique 200 trailer?

 

If I sink the trailer a little too deep, the boat bow comes in under the trailer bow stop resulting in gel coat damage.

 

If I put it in just right, I have to crank it on resulting in more gel coat damage from the bunks because the trailer is out of the water more than it should be.

 

Even when I get bunks wet, the hull gets all marked up.

 

Maybe I just need a boat lift and a boat house now? Seems excessive for what the trailer cost.

[oldjeep]

There is a whole thread about this somewhere. Seems that for some reason Nautique orders their trailers without the forward set of bunks. Might try some liquid rollers on the bunks, just make sure you are running transom straps and a safety chain on the bow if you use that stuff.

[BlueSki]

Try going deep to catch the bow, hook up the strap, and slowly pull the trailer out of the water to the point where the bow rises and the spray chines are above the bunks. Then you can crank the boat to the bow stop. Definitely an extra PITA, but this avoids pressuring the spray chines against the bunks. Depending on the model year, Boatmate puts them in a less than ideal place.

[skiinxs]

What year is the trailer?

[PatM]

I have the 2018 Pro model for my 200SN. It is rubbing the gel coat off my front chins. The bunk sits right under the chin. I don't trailer the boat much but would like to. It sits mostly on my lift during the season. The damage was done from the few times I have used it.

All this being said I have been in contact with Boatmate and they are working on a fix and are nearly done with it (so they tell me). They are working with Nautique on the final go through. They said they want to fix it once and fix it right before releasing it. They had a similar problem with the new SN also and they know the 200 is now not going away. They have been responsive to my emails and calls. Now I just need to be patient for the fix that I hope is coming

[DSP]

2016 Boat & trailer. Thanks BlueSki

[BobE]

Boatmate has a fix for the problem. It is a cross member bolted on with an adjustable wide roller to take the weight off the bunks under the spray chines.

[DSP]

I’ll call them again Monday. Thanks BobE!

[DSP]

Pretty interesting:

 

Monday morning I had an email from Boatmate apologizing for the inconvenience. I haven’t heard from them in many months until bringing this up again here.

 

They are working on their “3rd iteration”. Trying to get it approved by Nautique.

 

Either it’s a fantastic coincidence or the BOS forum is important to industry insiders.

 

Either way, I’m just hoping for a speedy & effective resolution and really appreciate BOS & all of you paying attention.

[BobE]

I think Horton’s site is got it going on??

[CCPD3]

I have also been in contact with BoatMate regarding damage to the hull. They have been very fast to respond to all emails and also ensure the fix is near. I have a black hull on my boat so it shows it all. I have had the gel repaired over the winter so I will be only floating the boat on and off for now. Not so fun in cold water.

[jetpilotg4]

Wow Mine has been driving we crazy also. 2012 Trailer and SN 200, I just thought it was me..... anyone have the price for the fix?

[Jordan]

$80,000+ boat that has been out since 2010 and they can't get the trailer right? SMH

[Yeaitsslo]

Having a trailer made now. Wonder if it’ll have problems.

[BlueSki]

Boatmate said mine was a boat problem due to air voids and Nautique said it was a trailer problem due to bunk design. Neither did a damn thing to help. I footed the bill. Your bill will vary with the hours of work involved. If you are lucky, you might not have a comma in the invoice amount. Fortunately we have a good fiberglass shop in the area and it looks like new. The boat is also on a Phoenix trailer now, much better bunk pattern. The promo guy helped, he got the trailers swapped. We never power loaded.

[ScarletArrow]

Phoenix trailers are the best for 200. I’ve owned 4 different 200s, with 4 different trailers, Boatmate being one of them. Phoenix was the clear winner.

[skierjp]

I’ve had 9 200’s on tandem RamLin trailers with the upright bow stop and never had a problem. FYI, this is not a “power load” boat or trailer like the 196!

[Jody_Seal]

Yea one cant power load a new ski nautique nor any of the 200s. Float on float off..

 

Love my 196!

[jjackkrash]

It is the hull design; good for skiing, bad for loading on trailer bunks.

[skierjp]

Spray tire shine, silicon or WD-40 on the bunks from the axel forward. Makes all the difference in the world.

CAUTION, once you do this never unhook the boat winch from the trailer before launching and never pull out of the ramp after loading without attaching the trailer winch. If you do you will be calling a crane company to pick your boat off the ramp!!!!

[BlueSki]

@skierjp, definitely a good call. The silicone spray has worked well for me too.

[jercrane]

OK so whats the latest here then? Does Boatmate have a fix or not? Is it worth calling them at this point or are they going to tell me to go pound sand?

[PatM]

@jercrane It is getting old. Time for them to Sh*t or get off the pot

[jjackkrash]

I don't believe there is a bunk trailer made that will "fix" the issue if you want to powerload, short of making the bunks too slippery to hold the boat in place without restraints (skierjp's fix). There just isn't a good way to avoid rubbing and friction where the chines meet the bunks and rubbing and friction will eventually remove the gelcoat.

[PatM]

@jjackkrash I float my boat on and off. Problem is the bunks sit right under small front chin. Solution would be to move the bunks away from the chins. I also don’t see owners of other trailers (not Boatmate) complaining. I have 45 hours on my boat and it spends 95% of the time on my lift. This still is happening to me. This is a trailer problem through and through.

[jjackkrash]

I don't have a boat mate and the gel wore off my chines. And I have watched it load from about every angle and it rubs at every angle. A total float on is a PITA and has its own disadvantages. I now do a modified power load that involves some cranking on the winch at the end which minimizes but doesn't eliminate the friction on the chines when I load. And I mostly stopped worrying about it. It doesn't leak and the gel damage isn't structural and I don't look down there that often.

[skierjp]

Google Ultimate Bunk Boards. I think this would be the fix. FYI Boatmate now has a keel roller for the 2019 Ski Nautique

[skiinxs]

Here is the new design...

 

[PatM]

Wonder if that would work for the 200? Looks like a step in the right direction

[DSP]

It’s been a month since I spoke up about this and while Boat Mate sent me one email, I’ve heard nothing new from them other than they are waiting for Nautique to approve their design. Meanwhile, float it on deep, catch it, hook it, drive out three to five feet to lift it up, crank it the least I must to get the bow over the bow stop, drop it back in, crank it some more...ugh. And yet I see pics from skiinxs and others with the fix. How do I get it done? These guys need to their stuff together.

[DSP]

I received a helpful email this week. It seems they are trying to get this resolved:

 

We have not sent out any of the linear braces yet. We sent one of the first renditions to Skip Dunlop to test out for us, but that is the only one. I have been pushing our administrative team to get these things ready to ship and we hit a snag. We got the first manufactured pieces from our suppliers and found the measurements they used were incorrect according to the drawing we supplied. We returned those and are awaiting our second batch. The trailers you may be seeing are the newer 200 or Ski Nautiques that have the roller welded to a cross member. Those are the updated version we have worked into our 2019 and 2020 design. With your trailer being and older version, you will require the linear brace that runs vertically between cross members.

 

I know this has been a long drawn out process and I know this is an issue for many. I have tried to get my administrative team to get this thing released, and they have not authorized me to send these units out. They are trying to make sure the braces will be absolutely correct before they ship them. I apologize again, but my hands are tied up in waiting on my supervisors (Owner and VP) to release the braces.

 

 

[DSP]

I’ve never had a trailer without a traditional bow stop. Rolling the bow up on it requires acitane or fingernail polish remover to get the rubber skid marks off the hull. Not pulling the boat up all the way creates other towing hassles. Skiinxs posted a photo of a trailer with a different bow stop design. What are those vertical pads called and is that design better than the other kind?

[EricKelley]

For all the technology that goes into our new generation ski boats, little technology and thought goes into the trailers. I complained years ago to Correct Craft management that they should be building their own trailers and designing them. One of the responses was, "who cares about the trailer?" I think for most of the ideas from this stem from where they are located. In Central Florida, a lot of owners don't even have trailers.

Trailers used to be important to me before I had my lift. As a matter of fact most of my worst moments of boat ownership have revolved around the trailers. I think Mastercraft had it right in manufacturing their own trailers. My Ramlin trailer is awful when it comes to loading and unloading my 200. Is built pretty well but too utilitarian in design. I want a trailer that looks like a custom car and functions very well. I just don't know why marketing people don't see this as important. I think most trailer companies scan or measure the bottoms of the boat and make bunks the fit the bottom of the boat and give little thought into what happens during loading.

[oldjeep]

@DSP those are called crash pads - weird nautique thing that doesn't support the bow on the trailer.

 

If you get the amber rollers you shouldn't be getting any marks on your hull.

[BraceMaker]

MC has it right with the ramp n clamp

[oldjeep]

Power loaders delight. I put a ramp and clamp on my trailer briefly until i realized what you had to do to use it.

[04196]

I ordered a 2018 Boatmate for my '06 196 last year, $6.5K delivered. Filled out the "build sheet" with how I wanted the trailer built. Trailer arrived at my local Nautique dealer about 2.5 months later and when I picked it up I noticed it did not have the boat guides so I asked where they were. Was told by my dealer that "I must not have checked that box as they are an option". What? I went back to the website for boatmate and confirmed there was no "check box" for boat guides and read on the site that boat guides are standard equipment on ALL tournament boat trailers. In talking to Boatmate it was discovered they did not even weld in the boat guide supports or anchor points so could not just have them shipped to me and place them in. They at first were going to find a local welding shop to do this work but I knew after paint and the placement of the Seadeck, it would never look the same as original so nixed that suggestion.

 

They were very apologetic and offered to build me another trailer which I was pleased with. Second trailer arrived and I assume was built off the same build sheet I had completed but:

1. Trailer fenders came "teardrop" instead of straight

2. First trailer tires were 15", now new trailer has 14"

3. Runway lighting was spec'd in red and came white

4. No mounted auto retracting stern tie downs as spec'd - no big deal as dealer had a set and bolted on

 

All in all I was happy with getting a new trailer with the "standard" boat guides but disappointed the trailer could not be built to my requests, but I can live it.

 

Now to the issue with loading and unloading - the same as many of you have had with the bow eye and trying to get the boat on the trailer with the bow eye "above" the bow roller on the trailer. Damn near impossible without putting the rear tires of my SUV ('18 Explorer) completely in the water to either load or launch the boat. A true PITA x2. Someone has totally missed the design on the front bow roller positioning or the bunks or both.

 

I have had a couple of plates made that I hope solves the problem, mounted them last night and will launch/load this weekend and see if this made any improvement or needs further tweaking. I will repost my success or failure with this attempted fix.

Original roller position

 

New roller position

 

Front view

 

Boat inplace

 

The boat sits in nearly the same position on the trailer and hoping the bow eye now does not conflict with the roller on loading or launching. Have less than $25 invested

 

 

 

 

[skiinxs]

If you are coming in under the bow stop, you have the trailer in too deep. The 196 doesn't have the spray deflectors on the bow that the newer boats have, so no issues damaging the hull and trailer when not floating on. This is assuming that you aren't using a crazy steep ramp.

[BraceMaker]

@04196 so what keeps the hull from going up that roller when you hit the brakes (other than your stern tie downs)

 

I've always had mine set up that the U bolt hits the roller with the strap going under the roller and then the safety chain.

 

I like your brackets but I'd probably design them to have that roller above the U and put a stainless roller on a bolt beneath to give the strap something to guide it up and over.

[04196]

@skiinxs yes, it is crazy steep so I have to have the trailer in deep to get over the bow stop. Same when launching, if the bow eye is over the roller when trying to launch, I can't even power off unless I have the trailer very deep in the water.

 

@bracemaker The boat could go up the roller in the original position just as easy, the ratchet strap and safety strap would allow the boat to go up the roller a short distance, as the stern tie downs might allow also. Would have to be a panic stop, which is certainly possible but in reality I don't think it can go too far forward, hopefully the back of the SUV would stop it also :o I think I could also put a through bolt in the first hole forward of the bow roller, make a short safety chain attached to this bolt and quick connect to the bow eye which would prevent the boat from a forward slide or potentially run the current safety strap on the boat side of the bow roller

[BlueSki]

In 2009, I bought a new BoatMate for my then ‘95 Nautique. A friend in TN was headed our way, so he stopped at the factory to pick it up and noticed that they put the wrong wheels on it. Consequently, the load bearing would have been less. The fix was not simple because the difference in size also meant it should have had 6 lugs, not 5. Thankfully he noticed at the factory. Once delivered the trailer was great, but it is funny to see that they still make the same mistake.

[skierjp]

You should have ordered this bow stop, less aggravation

[skiinxs]

I was never a fan of the crash pads and avoided them like the plague for years, due to the whole issue of getting the cover on and off if a storm would come up while towing, but I have to say the new design rocks! All you have to do is turn the turnbuckle (which is very easy to turn) to move the crash pads away from the boat and back. For those that like to go in deep and float on, they are an advantage as they come down low to prevent the bow from coming in under a bow roller. They would be even better if they came down even lower;)

[igkya]

@skiinxs I hear ya and seems like a great idea (moveable crash pads). When I had a 196 with old style crash pads on the trailer, I had the cover made with a cutout (~ a foot) of the nose so I could put the cover on/off while on the trailer. When I moored the boat, the cover was made with a velcro attached piece to completely cover the nose.

[skierjp]

The new movable crash pad is awesome.

[PatM]

I Love the new crash pad. Despite all the issues I have with loading it, the crash pad is a great design. I always have been a fan of the bow stop/crash pad, but the adjustable turn buckle makes it that much better.

[CCPD3]

I just got a email back from Boatmate and there is no resolution for the 2018 SN200 trailers yet. There are currently working on the 2019 model issue.

 

Has anyone tried putting a underlay and higher end carpet on your trailers? Boatmate uses a 20oz carpet which is good but you can get carpet up to 40oz.

[04196]

My original "fix" was not completely successful as the bow eye still hit and got hung up on the bow roller both launching and loading, yes our ramp drops off very fast. My fix, which solved the problem I was having, was just to reverse the brackets I had made. This placed the roller above the bow eye and eliminated the problem as well as the concern of not allowing the boat to move "up" the roller on a panic stop. It did move the boat back on the trailer about 3" which I don't see as a problem. The bolt blue circled is the original roller location. I am curious if anyone sees an issue I have not thought of? All feedback is much appreciated.

 

 

[BlueSki]

@04196 any chance that you just fixed an installation error by the new on the line at Boatmate and now it is installed as intended?

[04196]

@BlueSki If I understand your question correctly, no. I had a friend make the brackets (that are now bolted to the factory design) as shown in the top photo of my post from May 23, the holes you see in there are ones I drilled to mount the curved brackets. I drew out a pattern I felt might solve the issue but didn't, flipped them over and it did. I first felt lowering the roller was the right direction but turned out raising the roller to get it above the bow eye was the answer.