How to Inspect and Use the Trailer Winch, Strap, Tie-Downs and Safety Chains

With the boat off the trailer or fully supported, unwind the strap or cable all the way. Look and feel (with gloves) for:

• Strap: fraying, cuts, nicks at the edges, hardened or faded spots from sun, stitching coming loose near the hook, burn or glazed marks
• Cable: broken wires, kinks, flattened spots, bird-caging (strands opening up), rust, damaged swaged fittings
• Rope: fuzzy, stiff or faded sections, cuts, chafe

Replace it at the first sign of wear. Dutton-Lainson and West Marine both say so plainly. A strap is cheap; a boat sliding off the trailer at the ramp is not.

The hook should not be bent open, cracked or worn thin where it bears on the bow eye. If it has a safety latch, the latch should snap closed on its own. Replace the strap and hook together if the hook is damaged.

Crank in and out with no load. It should turn smoothly, and the ratchet pawl should click and hold. Flip the pawl to free-spool (if your winch has that) and back. Look for:

• A pawl that doesn't snap into the gear, or worn, chipped teeth
• Loose or missing bolts holding the winch to the stand
• A bent or cracked winch post or stand
• Rust on gears and shafts

Clean off dirt and old grease, then lubricate gears, the shaft and the pawl with the lubricant your winch maker recommends. Keep oil and grease off the strap.

The strap end must be fastened to the drum as the maker intended (usually a bolt through a loop). Wind it on evenly, not bunched to one side. Winch and trailer instructions commonly call for leaving a few full wraps on the drum at all times (three is a figure you'll often see), so the strap never pulls on its anchor bolt under load. Check your winch's own instructions for the exact number.

West Marine's rule of thumb is a winch rated for at least three-quarters of the loaded weight of your boat, motor, fuel and gear, and closer to the full weight for steep ramps or carpeted bunks. If you struggle to crank, the bunks may need slick pads or adjustment, or the winch may be undersized. Any replacement strap must be rated for your winch (Dutton-Lainson, for example, specifies a strap rated higher than the winch).

Also look at the angle. With the boat sitting fully forward against the bow stop, the strap should run roughly straight from the drum to the bow eye, pulling level or slightly downward, not up at a steep angle. If you changed boats, bunks or the bow stop, the winch post may need moving. The trailer maker's setup instructions or a trailer shop can set it up.

Check the chain links for rust, stretch or cracks, and check the snap hook or latch. It should reach the bow eye with only a little slack. A bow chain that hangs loose doesn't stop the boat from sliding back much before it catches.

Pull each strap out fully. Replace any with frayed webbing, sun damage, cracked hooks or ratchets that slip or are rusted stiff. Make sure the hooks fit your stern eyes and that the trailer anchor points are solid.

Look at every link, the welds or bolts where the chains attach to the tongue, and the hooks. Replace chains that are worn, stretched, rusted deep, or that have open or bent hooks. Mercury's trailer advice includes checking the safety chains for weak or broken links. Also check that the hitch pin and clip are present and the coupler latch locks.

Every trip:

1. Lock the coupler on the ball and fit the safety pin.
2. Cross the chains under the tongue (left chain to the right side of the hitch, right chain to the left). If the coupler ever comes off, the crossed chains form a cradle that catches the tongue and keeps it off the road.
3. Hook them to the hitch's chain loops with the hook opening facing up, or use clevis hooks with closed latches, so they can't bounce off.
4. Leave just enough slack to turn sharply without the chains going tight, but not so much that they drag. If they're too long, Mercury suggests twisting them to take up slack.

If your trailer has brakes, clip the breakaway cable (if fitted) to the hitch, not to a safety chain.

After the boat is fully winched onto the bow stop:

1. Make sure the ratchet is engaged and the strap is snug.
2. Attach the bow safety chain or strap to the bow eye.
3. Fasten both transom tie-downs to the stern eyes and snug them firmly, without crushing anything.
4. Add a strap across the boat at the gunwales if your boat or trailer maker recommends it, with padding where it touches.
5. Support or tilt the motor as your engine maker recommends for trailering.

Discover Boating's trailer tips call for a rope, chain or turnbuckle in addition to the winch at the bow, and straps across the beam if needed.

Straps settle as the boat seats on the bunks. Pull over somewhere safe after a few miles and snug everything again. Check at fuel stops on long trips.

After salt water, rinse the winch, strap, chains and hooks with fresh water. Let straps dry before you roll them up. When the trailer sits, keep the strap wound in and out of the sun if you can, or cover the winch.