Adding tongue length to a trailer

[Stonehauler]

Hey all,

After a bad trip two years ago, I decided to get a new trailer for my boat. After many months of waiting, I was finally able to get a new one, but even though this is a longer trailer, I am having issues getting my boat off the trailer on our ramp (our local ramp is a very shallow angle. It also doesn't help that my Cobalt 242 is 1) big, and 2) the boat needs to be setup high on the trailer.

Has anyone had experience with having a longer tongue put on a trailer to extend it? I was thinking of a swing away, but a longer tongue will also allow me to put on a weight distribution system.

Right now, I am thinking an additional 3-4 feet is about what I need on this ramp.

Will having a new, longer pole (replacing the whole pole) compromise my trailer in any way?

[dustinm]

You should probably consult the trailer manufacturer on this since you have a new trailer. We do not know what tube size or metal thickness they used or even the brand of it.

[Stonehauler]

3x5 venture trailer (aluminum I beam). According to the manufacturer, I can add 2 feet. Better than nothing, they also recommend using two draw bars. One level, and one 6 inches higher

[Kate]

I have the same length/weight boat, and same type of ramp. The bow is a mere inches from the winch. At launch, I go very deep. At trailering, less so. That difference is about 5'.

That wouldn't work for you?

[DEcosse]

I imagine the intent behind making tongue longer is to get the trailer deeper, while keeping the towing vehicle out of the water.
It shouldn't be too much of an issue but be careful to assess your new load distribution. On the actual trailer is not going to change that much although you will see a change in the tongue weight, proportional to the current vs new length of the hitch to the fulcrum (the axles). If you go too long, you may end up having to move the boat forward to get sufficient tongue weight, and thus cancelling what you gained by the longer tongue in the first instance!
Since it's a Venture, it wasn't specifically 'designed' for your boat, so it depends on who set it up to begin with. My friend switched to an after-market trailer (and a very good one!) for his Regal and even their set-up had it way too light on the hitch. Fortunately he had enough to be able to move the winch forward to re-set the distribution.
I would start by getting the current tongue weight and that will give you a good guide on how to proceed. If it's heavy, then you would want to move the winch (and boat) back anyway, which will help; a longer tongue would also reduce the tongue weight in itself. If it's already light, that presents a different challenge as you need to get the boat forward and that in fact would suggest you may already need a longer tongue to achieve that (depending on how much room you have to move the winch forward). But that may mean you need to additional length, first to get the boat forward and then to add even more gain for fact boat is now even further forward than before!
So definitely get a starting tongue weight and let us know what you're dealing with.
Another potential 'aid' would be to switch to Poly Bunk Boards - I used Ultimate Bunk Boards on my trailer reconfig project and they really make the boat glide off. I too have a ramp with a low angle and the difference now vs with the old trailer and carpeted boards is very significant. I used to have to be jamming the brakes, to get the added inertia to have it start off.
See the details in my thread a few below this one.
Maybe a combination of both - the maximum extension that Venture has recommended (2 feet?) plus the bunks, might just make all the difference.

[Tuscany]

On our prior Shorlandr trailer that came with our Chaparral, I extended the trailer tongue tube by 4'. I like to keep my truck out of the water.
I just brought it to a trusted fab shop and they took care of the rest. Used it for 13 years with no issue.
I made sure that our new Loadmaster trailer was an extra 2' long than the usual R7 spec, and added another 18" to the tongue.

[Stonehauler]

My trailer is going to have 2 feet of tongue added and they suggested lifting the ball higher when putting it in the water, so I also bought an adjustable hitch that I can raise the ball 12 inches from where the flat tow position is.

I just wish there was a slightly steeper ramp near here. Where I put the boat in on the Chain O-Lakes in Illinois, the boat was floating before my tires even hit the water.

[Tuscany]

My trailer is going to have 2 feet of tongue added and they suggested lifting the ball higher when putting it in the water, so I also bought an adjustable hitch that I can raise the ball 12 inches from where the flat tow position is.

I just wish there was a slightly steeper ramp near here. Where I put the boat in on the Chain O-Lakes in Illinois, the boat was floating before my tires even hit the water.

I see it differently.
I use an adjustable hitch from https://rhinohitch.com/ for my truck, where I can adjust height to which trailer I'm towing.
I set the hitch to a lower ball height for the boat. I want the forward bunks in the water as much as possible when I retrieve. It makes a big difference when cranking the winch to set the boat in the V block.. Lifting the trailer out of the water by setting the ball higher is counter productive IMHO.

[DEcosse]

I agree with @Tuscany on this one - raising the hitch is not only making it steeper angle on the bunks, it potentially puts even less water on the forward bunks