This weekend I noticed that my launching trolley now no longer supports my dinghy beneath the gunwhales as it's supposed to. The problem started after a replacement bow snubber was added which brought the hull forward on the trolley. Over the months, I think that this has "splayed" the two upright supports apart. It seems to have reached the point where it doesn't matter what position the hull is in, only one gunwhale is supported at any one time.

Has anyone got any simple solutions to this problem? I noticed that there are trolley slings available (i.e. from Rooster), but this probably won't do the hull much good over time, will it?

I wish it was that easy. The bow snubber was modified (the weld failed as there wasn't enough contact with the frame), and was subsequently moved and re-welded so that the snubber is a good 4" back from where it used to be. Plus, the trolley seems to have been manufactured by Agricultural Industries or Tanks Inc. - It's really solid! (Though several months of dinghy-weight has had enough of an effect, obviously.)

When I removed some useless padding on my 300 trolley the arms were also splayed out. To shape it back to fit the gunnel I put the boat on some grass, hooked a ratchet strap over each arm and simply cranked it on. Now it fits nicely

Thanks for those ideas, I'll give the ratchet strap technique a go. I was thinking about resorting to foam pipe lagging bound on with PVC tape! (A worrying solution to most problems in my line of work!)

JimC - having never heard of the Spanish Windlass, I've had a look into it. A nifty technique, but looks comparatively complicated when compared to ratchet straps. (It also sounds like just the sort of thing that can go spectacularly badly wrong!)