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wrote:
The welder who modified my power boat trailer into a sailboat trailer,
used a bathroom scale to see how long the trailer tongue had to be to
give a downward force of 200 pounds on the ball. He had to add 18
inches to the trailer tongue to get the rig to balance out but it was
really worth the effort and cost because the trailer & sailboat now
pull very well. The trailer tracks like it was on rails and the 18
inch addition means that, even in a very tight turn, the boat and tow
car never touch. In addition, the rig even backs much better than
previously.

I hope this helps.

Mike

Another advantage... you can back the trailer that much further into the
water without your tow vehicle wheels touching. Important for salt
water launching.