Sk8man

I think you may have identified the main culprit yourself ( Is the strap just getting stretched out ). Even having a safety chain engaged with some slack this problem will still occur. When the boat is loaded on the trailer the bunks or rollers get wet and slippery which is good for positioning the boat on the trailer but not when the trailer is at an angle coming out of the ramp when leaving as the shift in weight of the boat slides a little on the trailer and the common type of strap shown in the pic does in fact stretch to accomodate the weight shift. When it does this many times it will eventually weaken and/or fail. This situation is exacerbated when for example on a bunk trailer when the bunks aren't fully submerged to make them "slippery" prior to loading and the winch strap is strained while in the final stage of retrieval. Getting a heavy duty poly material strap, or a steel cable one (if practical for the situation) should pretty much eliminate the problem. Don't ask how I know this....

Thanks Jason will do I always enjoy fishing and or chatting with you and Theresa. Give my her best regards and hope to catch up with you folks soon. Bob - You and Scott are sick buckaroos - cheap shot

I'm sure that 2200 lbs for the boat is the dry weight and doesn't reflect the motor weight which is probably well over 600 lbs, kicker another 100 or so, depending on how much gas is in tank can be several hundred more, batteries and equipment etc. and it isn't just the gross weight capacity of the trailer- it is also what the tires will support (e.g. load ranges A-D etc.) and their condition. I would be thinking about looking at the swaying as a "symptom" rather than the problem and look into a "beefier" safer trailer situation for the boat if it were me.

That was one of the better ones played on me Just glad it wasn't the Super Googly Still number one though is Bob's sending me a fishing kit for Christmas used for practicing fishing in the toilet bowl

X2 Sweet!

Too funny! You must stay up all night thinking Mike

My hunch is you have a combination of issues. The trailer does look too short and it doesn't look like there may be enough room to move the winch forward either. The sway is usually from too light tongue weight but weight distribution throughout the trailer appears to be the source of much of the problem. Sometimes the axle (s) of the trailer have to be moved forward or backward to distribute the weight on the tongue properly. Something I ran into with my boat and trailer was the width of the wheelbase of the trailer being wider than that of my vehicle (tail wagging the dog) and I had to move up to an Expedition from an Explorer to solve the problem on mine. It appears from the pic that the hitch ball is positioned on the truck with the stem containing the ball is in the raised position such that the trailer looks tilted upward to me....meaning that the center of gravity may have changed too changing the weight distribution over the axles. Something that can exaggerate the swaying too is a partially filled gas tank in the boat adding to the sway when it sloshes back and forth during transit 9especially around curves and corners) adding to the change in weight distribution. You may need to back up to "square one" and a) check to see that the trailer is sized right for the length and weight load of the boat when loaded, b) that the tongue weight is correct and the axles are positioned correctly under the boat to support the weight properly (and you don't have a bent axle), c) Check to see if positioning the stem that the hitch ball is located on at the rear of the truck might be adjusted say upside down from what it is (if still enough ground clearance to help lower the center of gravity of the trailer). Last but not least is the fact that if the trailer is not the right size for the boat you may need a bigger trailer.

Thanks Mike....fun on the copper and would have made a nice rainbow division derby entry nearly anyplace

I talked Admiral Byrd into giving it a shot this morning and it turned out to be a beautiful and productive day. We motored out to the 5 hundreds to start as neither of us are into "zombie fishing" and marked a bunch of fish, and continued out to 725 ft. somewhere along the line my 300 copper took a shot and sunk the board after a nice fight we had 34 inch 14 lb male steelhead in the boat...he was spent and bleeding badly so we boxed him. As we headed in from the 700's we got into another steelie and some 7 or 8 pound kings which we released. Bob then caught a couple kings in the high teens to twentyish range on the riggers with mag spoons set about 70-75 ft deep. I had only one hit on my rigger but his was active (both of us using sliders). We each ran wires at various depths with paddles and Spin Docs neither had a touch the entire time despite multiple changes of set-ups..I had another smallish king on the 300 copper with a magnum Dreamweaver. While out there in the depths I had one of the hardest hits on the 300 copper that I have ever had in all my time fishing. After a huge couple runs which were continuing without me being able to control anything the haywire twist on the copper apparently gave way to the pressure and the fish took off north for Canada....with 300 foot of copper and my Dreamweaver. It was also the first time I have ever had a 30 pound copper break or break at the Spro swivel. Anyway it was a gorgeous day out there and Bob and I busted each other the entire time so we both had a lot of fun as well.

My wife probably thinks that is just one step below vacuuming it happens so often Once they learn to use the right pressure on the sides it makes the training all worthwhile

A lot of good charters in Rock Harbor (Orleans) and many beaches for surf casting nearby. Very scenic and all sorts of things to do and not quite as far out as Truro and Wellfleet Harbor is just up Rt#6 a bit. Great area especially after the main tourist season (after Labor Day). The stripers come in pretty close on the ocean side (eg. Nauset and Coast Guard Beach) although now with the Great Whites after the seals I don't know.....

Those were the days. I had a Heath Kit graph and was one of the first around that I knew of to have one. It came as a box full of diodes, a circuit board and case and had to be fully assembled including soldering all the diodes etc. into the circuit board. I almost died when I opened the package thinking it would be just a few screws and mounting the circuit board and it was a few hundred bucks which back then was a lot of money. Luckily my dad was an electronics repair guy and could fix or repair anything. He said' Let me take a look at it....leave it here on my work bench" In a couple weeks he called me and said "I have something for you" When I stopped by he had the graph fully assembled and working perfectly....I was never so relieved in my life. I used it for many years. I learned a lot from it too as I would go over the chart section after each outing plotting my "next move"

Cool....My in-laws had a place mid Cape for about 30 years so I fished them out there from Chatham, Eastham, Nauset Beach etc. all the way out to P town. a lot of fun. Relatives now talking about getting another place out there so ....I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one Good luck out there. The Cape is one of my favorite places on Earth....

Sweet! WTG. Where on the Cape do you go for the stripers?

If you are someone with a bit of patience bleed them in the net held over the side of the boat. Just slit them across the triangular area behind the gills. It doesn't take very long if done right and very little mess.