How to Install a Manual Boat Winch

It's hard enough to pull a boat up onto a trailer by hand that you may consider installing a manual boat winch to help you with the process. By a using boat winch with a base pre-drilled to fit a winch mounting bracket that is pre-drilled, both for the winch and for mounting on a trailer's tongue, all you need to do is drill some holes and tighten some nuts.

• 1

  Set the pre-drilled winch base in place on the tongue of the trailer. Stick a permanent marker through the holes on the side of the winch base and mark the places on the trailer tongue where you should drill the mounting holes for the winch base.

• 2

  Drill the holes in the trailer tongue with a drill and a 1/2-inch metal bit.

• 3

  Hold the winch base in place, slide two 1/2-inch Grade 5 galvanized bolts, each 3 inches long, through the winch base and the trailer tongue. Slide 1/2-inch washers on to the bolts and thread 1/2-inch lock-nuts onto the bolts. Tighten the lock-nuts with an adjustable wrench.

• 4

  Place the winch to the top of the winch base. Slip galvanized 1/2-inch Grade 5 bolts, 1 inch long, through the winch mounting holes. Slide 1/2-inch washers onto the bolts and thread lock-nuts onto the ends of the bolts. Tighten the lock-nuts with an adjustable wrench.