So, another virgin boat owner question.  Last sunday my dad and i loaded the boat after taking it out for a while.  my dad is familiar with boats but not experienced with them so anyway we load the boat, i look over everything and make sure everything is tied down and we head down the road for the house.  All the way home, i notice a bad bounce/hop in the truck that was not there before.  Being a first time new boat owner i thought i was just over thinking things so i didnt worry about it.  

Well tonight i had some time so i went out to look everything over and i discovered the problem!!  When we loaded the boat i did not get the bow eye all the way up to the v bumper, therefore not allowing the boat to be secured tightly to the bumper.  There is about an inch or so of play.  Not much but not something i want to let go on forever.  my question is, can i fix this problem in my garage or do i need to float the boat off the bunks in order to tighten the boat down?  i tried messing with it a little bit earlier with no luck.  Should i try wetting the bunks with a hose and lowering the tongue all the way down to help gravity pull the boat to the bumper?  Let me know what you think.  Thanks guys!! :-/

How big is this boat?

Its a 19'6" stratos 294

Float it!

Yea, find the closest watering hole is your best bet.  That thing is way to heavy to attempt to push it on the trailer.

Thanks guys, i appreciate the help!!

Good idea, also consider that it may place undue stress on your trailer..

If you have not fixed it yet be certain to tie the bow eye down to the trailer so that it does not bounce up and down on you while you drive it to the lake.  Also make sure you are using something other then the trailer strap to hold the front of the boat to the trailer.  You probable had the boat tight at the ramp and it slid backwards as you drove home.  Wet bunks are very slippery.

Good Luck

TD

yeah you are probably right TD.  i loaded the boat on the trailer while my dad hooked the winch strap on.  he said when i loaded the boat the bow eye was all the way up to the bumper so he said he must not have locked in the winch lock properly, which allowed it slide back about 3 and a half inches.  There is a good ramp about 2 miles from my house so i will run it over there before i hit the road for any long period of time.

No big deal i guess.  just part of learning all the new stuff about the boat.  im sure in a month or two it will be like riding a bike!!