mswlogo wrote:

Don't let the state cop see you do that or you'll be fined.

Bull****.

The reasoning is, if you cross them and the ball fails you can
continue driving merrily down the road completely unaware that it is
off the hitch because the chains are holding it up.

Moron. I'll bet he also said not to put a safety link through the hitch
lever because there is plenty of hitch pressure to keep it locked
(actually had a U-haul moron tell me that).

It's better for the failure to make a lot of noise to alert the driver
to STOP immediately.

Nope. Hitches have this strange deal where then they come unhitched they
kind of want to go down and dig in - which, at speed, will pitch pole
the boat, trailer and what not with the resulting carnage.

This logic made perfect sense and I have not crossed them since.

I don't know who is dumber - you or the guy who told you.

Now taking a new required boating test it says cross the chains. Also
doing google searches everyone says cross them because that seems
logical to prevent damage to the trailer hitch. But who gives a crap
about the hitch. What is the safest thing to do to minmize further
havoc and to me it makes sense to not cross them.

Cross them - make sure they aren't too long and don't forget to hook up
your brake safety cable if you have one.