Trailer Winch Straps - A Cautionary Tale

Rockfish

Well-Known Member
When we pulled our boat last fall for the winter, we had a mishap on the launch ramp. The winch strap tore off close to the hook. We were lucky that nothing serious happened, such as dropping the leg or transom on the ramp. We were able to tie the torn end of the strap to the boat bow eye and get the boat all the way on the trailer. No matter how many years you fish and play with boats it seems that there is always something new to learn. When it happens of course it is ‘why did I not think of this before and swap out that strap before it failed, they are only about $20.00. So if you can’t remember how old your strap is, or if it has been sitting out in the UV sunlight for years slowly breaking down, perhaps it is time to change it out.

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Great reminder and advice, esp. with the road trip season right upon us. $20 can save you a lot of hassle and drama.
 
Yes, great you mentioned this. I have a road trip coming up and was noticing how frayed mine is. Great reminder.
 
FYI. There are two different types of straps having to do with how they attach to the winch drum, one has a tail. You won't know which type you need until you strip off the old one. They told me that at Trotac and suggested that I buy both types and bring back the one I don't need, which was good advice.
 
If you have a bigger boat i suggest getting the heavy duty yellow straps instead of those crappy seat belt material black ones. I was plowing through straps likes crazy until i finally bought the yellow fulton 10000lb one. even if it is overkill for your smaller boat it will outlast those black ones by many many years, and the price is almost the same. 30$ on Amazon.
 
In 35 years of boating, I have had a couple of those straps break, but so far no incidents because I've followed one simple rule I made for myself.

My rule is, the steepest hill that I will encounter on the way home, is always between the water and the top of the boat launch ramp. So I never pull up the ramp without the safety chain hooked up.
 
thats the ticket
that safety chain....
 
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