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The Cable Snapped When Towing the Sailboat

Boating is a hobby enjoyed by many people and boating safety is something that's not always observed by everyone. When transporting a boat to different locations, the possibility of one of the towing cables breaking is high if you don't follow some basic preventive maintenance procedures. Towing cables break for a variety of reasons, but you have the capability of preventing most of these reasons.

Winch
- The winch cable is used to launch your boat and load the boat onto the trailer. The cable also holds the boat onto your trailer while transporting it to different locations. Each winch cable is rated for different weights, so you must ensure that the cable can hold the weight of the boat. Any kink or corrosion on the winch cable decreases the load capacity of the cable. Inspect the entire length of the cable and ensure that there's no damage to the diameter or individual wires of the cable. If you find any damage to the cable, replace it with a new cable that has the same load capacity.
Tie Down Cables
- A tie down cable is used to secure the boat to the trailer. Without these tie down cables, the boat can bounce off the trailer while towing. More stress is also placed on the winch cable because the boat will pull on the cable during towing. The tie down cables must be inspected before use to ensure that they're not damaged because a damaged tie down cable can break during towing and add extra load weight to the other tie down cables and winch cable.
Trailer Hitch Cables
- Most trailer hitches have a chain that's used as the safety connection, but some boat trailers use a safety chain. The safety chain is connected to bumper of the towing vehicle to prevent the loss of the trailer if something happens to the tongue of the towing trailer. The cables get corroded from road debris, drag the ground and get exposed to all the different weather elements. You need to inspect these safety cables to ensure that they can hold the trailer onto the back of the towing vehicle in case the trailer tongue fails.
Towing Cables
- Some boaters have towing cables stored inside the boat in case the boat breaks down on the lake. Before attempting to have your boat towed, you must ensure that your boat, as well as the other boat, has the right fittings and the right towing cable. More load will be placed on the towing cable when pulling a boat through the water, so you must take this into consideration when attempting to tow a boat. Make sure that both boats have heavy-duty fittings on the front and back of the boat. Heavy-duty fittings will have a back plate. Fittings without a back plate do not have the load capacity to pull another boat. Whether you require a tow or you tow another boat, make sure that you inspect all the towing equipment and connections.

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