Newbie Trailer Question

Hi, I am new to this forum and I have a question about my jon boat trailer and I am sure I will have many other questions since I am new to boating, as well. Anyways, I bought a 14 ft. alumacraft jon boat that had a homemade trailer with it. (second picture) The trailer was oversized and wider than the boat, so I sold it and bought the trailer in the first picture. My question is this, (1) how far should the boat extend from the rear bunks? and (2) where should the small center bunk rest on the boat. Right now I put the boat on there and adjusted the bunks and the crank some but the boat doesn't touch the small center bunk at all and the boat extends 2 ft. from the rear bunks. I will have a 9.9 hp motor on it. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

I don't know how it is suppose to sit on the trailer, this is my 1st boat also. What I can tell you is that my boat hangs over the bunks less than an inch.

Its best if the transom is supported completely by the bunks, hanging off will eventually hook the hull.
The small bunk should be for the bottom/front of the boat to rest on, right before the front curls up.
Maybe you can move your winch post forward and slide the whole boat forward

Thanks guys. I will probably move the crank and the boat up so that the bunks support the transom better.

Any other advice?

Another question I have is where should the boat meet the front stop (I guess it's a roller), by the winch. Should it be right by the handle of the boat or underneath by the rib? I know these are probably silly questions, I'm just new to this. Thanks.

I think your refering to the center bunk that is turned sideways in the first pic. I believe that is just to keep the boat from hitting the frame when loading. It wouldn't hurt to have some support up front though..The bow stop should be somewhere on the front...some say the winch should attach below the stop so it pulls the boat down into the stop....basicaly so the boat can't ride up and over the bowstop in an accedent or emegency stop.

Personaly I would have kept the original trailer. While it may have been heavy and oversized it had some advantages over the smaller trailer...wheels and tires being a big one. Smaller tires mean more rotations in the same distance...Also it looks like now your boat will sit higher than the other one. This raises the center of gravity. Also means you have to back farther down the ramp to launch.....But whats done is done as they say....


You may think about adding some guide ons. Basicaly an upright piece to help you get the boat on correctly. The trailer somewhat goes away when its in the water so yo may not get it on straight otherwise....it also helps when backing the trailer...especially empty. And you can relocate the lights up high and increase visibility and you don't have to worry about them getting wet...