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You may wonder why, as boat builders, we take such pride in something we do not build ourselves. For starters check out Practical Sailor and you will find that the trailer we have designed for our R-22 is built by Triad, manufacturers of PS's highest rated trailers. As extensive trailer users, painfully it has become clear that trailers can be detrimental to the well being of boats and boat people. The only prescription is an exceptionally well designed, well constructed trailer, regardless of cost. On the other hand, if you only want a trailer for storage, cost is a legitimate consideration, resolved by "recycled" Uni-Matics. But, since trailers do not add to the quality of sailing your Rhodes, we do not think you should buy any trailer unless it is a necessity to your way of water life.
Talk of trailers, boats and ramps brings two pictures to mind. One is the wife driving down the boat ramp, car first with the family's new boat and trailer behind, and the frantic husband running after this parade shouting, "No. No. Not that way!". The other is the young man standing in his boat (after his triumphant struggle to get it on its trailer) shouting, "OK. Take it away." The driver shifting into gear and taking off like a shot as the triumphant captain back-flips over the transom into the water. It all gets back to the old saying, "You can lead a trailer to water but can you make it launch and retrieve like a good trailer should?". The answer is, "You can, if you use a Uni-Matic."
The Rhodes successful trailer design is the result of some brilliant deductions, an old English movie called "Breaking The Sound Barrier", and the survival of some dumb mistakes. The first test was mid-winter in Wichita, Kansas with a sinking boat that had to be retrieved rather quickly. This test proved: a) sailboats of increasing weight cannot be easily winched onto trailers because they have rocker shaped bottoms, and b) legs can only stand 4 seconds in ice water before they stop functioning. Accordingly, the next test was conducted at the ramp in the middle of downtown Hollywood, Florida.
This test proved that for ordinary mortals, tilt-bed and roller type trailers are not the way to go with this size boat. The goal had been single handed sailing onto the trailer with eyes closed and feet dry. Post sundown tries suggested that a trailer extension tongue would be a 10 foot step in the right direction. Also a coughing car's cure for submerged exhaust pipes. But single handed centering remained a problem.
Pilots, attempting to break the sound barrier in that old movie, dove their planes to earth to get up enough speed. But, once through the barrier, pulling back on the joy stick was terminal. The test pilot population was rapidly thinning until one desperate lad pushed the stick the unconventional way. His obverse thinking saved the day for him, and for us. Naturally, we had been raising the centerboard before sailing onto the trailer. But why not lower it?
The scene shifted to New Milford, Connecticut. Funneled receiving guides were added. The lowered centerboard reached for the deeply submerged guides and automatically steered the boat right down the center of the trailer. All we had to do was approach the trailer within a five foot range, then sit on our hands. The trailer did the rest. At just the right moment, the trailer automatically raised the centerboard. The trailer bunks projected above the water just enough to bring the boat to rest at the tongue weight we were looking for. The boat was out of the water in seconds. We knew this design was on the right track when the motor boat people, waiting their turn at the ramp, began applauding.
We now wanted the boat to self-launch without the driver having to leave the car. So one inventive feature remained. You may have noticed, as we did, that while a boat sits parallel on its trailer on the road, down the ways the boat levels as it hits the water while the trailer takes on the ramp's incline. This alteration of the spacial relationship of the boat to the trailer's bow arm, causes the boat's bow eye to hang up on the bow arm of the trailer. This phenomenon aborted our first attempt.
Back to the drawing board. The bow arm was made movable, toward and away from the boat, and lockable at any point. That resolved the final hang-up, literally and figuratively. Bonus: making the trailer bow arm movable, also makes it possible to vary the positioning of the boat on the trailer to suit the tongue weight you want for your gear load of the day.
Onlookers are absolutely stunned the first time they see a Rhodes pick up speed as it backs down the ramp, then self-launch as the transom hits the water and the driver hits the brakes. The entire launch is so fast, kibitzers who blink, miss the show.
Still remaining were some lesser design needs. Anyone who recognized them, could solve them. We take no credit for the solutions, only for employing them:
Anything on wheels rides better with a lower center of gravity. So a dropped axle was used. Bigger wheels make fewer revolutions to cover the same territory. Their bearings last much longer than the small wheels found on other trailers. Witness all those disabled rigs you see along the highways. We went to 15" wheels. Bearings warm up in use. Sudden submersion cools them, creating a vacuum that sucks in the sea. So we added pressure caps. Bolted fenders can loosen and fall off. So we welded them on. Aluminum construction is expensive and has to be massive to equal the strength of steel. But steel rusts. We watched one trailer made with closed, boxed type framing, slowly rust away, inside out, until the steel disappeared. The only indication that a trailer had been there, was the paint. And when the boat realized it was only sitting on paint, it dropped to its keel. So we went to strong, heavy, open channel beams so that any chipping of the special primer and finished coat can be readily spotted and easily touched up by the owner. Galvanizing is optional and cuts down on the touch ups.
If we have sold you on the Uni-Matic, our advice is still not to take it - unless you really need it. Your boat will be delivered on this trailer and the trailer will be taken back to our plant after your launching if it is not included in your package. If you ever do need a trailer down the road, you can always order one.
