I have seen a number of different ways of lashing a dinghy onto a trailer ranging from the over complicated (probably mine) to the very simple.  Just wondered what really is the simplest and quickest and of course safest way to do it?  I have seen boards across the decks with carpet underneath - is this to allow a good vertical pull down without crushing the hull?  Any advice welcome.

That's called a 'strongback', and is so you can clamp down without squeezing the hull inwards at the same time.

If you have a chute you can pop a specially moulded bit of plastic in there, and use that to tie the front down.

I use one of those air freight/haulage straps with hooks at each end that attach to purchase points either side of the trailer at the wheel points.  This allows the strap to run across the boat from side to side at about the shroud point on the deck.  Also put a bit of carpet underlay beneath the strap to protect the side deck from friction marks.

Then I tie a couple of bits of rope around the strap in the middle of the boat and back to the hoop to stop the strap riding forward.  If no hoop, just choose some other advantageous purchase point - e.g. thwart.

Finally, I attach a rope with a D shackle to the jib luff anchor plate and tie this to the trailer for extra security.  All seems to work ok.

strapping a dinghy to a trailer has to serve three purposes to avoid damage
1. the dinghy doesn't slip off backward onto the road
2. the dinghy doesn't jump up into the air and crash down onto the trailer going over bumps
3. the strappings themselves do rub into the dinghy or crush the dinghy

To achive this, the forestay fitting should be lashed forward and also downwards, and the lashing protected from rubbing on the spin shute e.g. bit of carpet.

A board, across the boat where the cradle/trailer wheels are, packed up to to match the slope of the decks acts as a protection to the decks/gunnel and stops any risk (more important on an older Merlin than a new one) of squeezing the boat.

Nnnnno problem - I think that the question is answered.  Will be looking out an old board and bits of carpet soon.

Don't use the forestay fitting to tie down the bow.  It can pull out. Thats why Winder have the smart plastic gizmos for the chute but you can make up your own.

How does the plastic gizmo work then?  I do have a problem on Total Eclipse with some water damaged wood around the forestay fitting, so this is quite crucial I think.

On 111 I had a problem with the forestay fitting - it wanted to pull forward when pulled tight and was cutting into the deck ply.  The forestay bracket is like a piece of wrought iron work (it's actually brass and so soft) but when pulled forward it moves but the forestay itself is not a problem as the pull is in the correct direction.  I have put a little brass plate on the deck to prevent it pulling forward and that seems to have done the trick.  (Spinnaker chutes weren't around in 1947!!!) But I'll make up a board to stop the hull collapsing.

Good point about the forestay fitting, although I doubt if you could pull one out on an epoxy Winder.

It is effectively a nose cap that sits over the spin shoot, a triangle that goes back just beyond the jib fitting, and curls around the edges (coaming?) to fit snugly. A hole is cut obviously for the fitting, and another hole is cut in the middle of the shoot so you can lead through the trailer electrics if you like. Two eyes are bolted on (in the shoot area) for attaching the lashings.

Given my only experience with a fibre glass kit is making a launching trolley cradle, I think this would be pretty easy to make at home if you can block the spin shute up with a bit of ply.

Richard, thinking about it, if you are worried about the strain of towing on the forestay fitting you should be worried about the strain of the forestay on the forestay fitting. 

Perhaps you need to strengthen it up,e.g. on 3394 there is a metal tube epoxied in under the deck fitting that provides extra strenght for the bolts.

Garry, somewhere I have an article that I found in a magazine about five years ago which tells you how to measure and cut a strongback to fit exactly.  I'll try and find it.

You will not have a problem with the forestay fitting if the pull is mainly downward.  What I do is have a short rachet strap that goes through a shackle attached to forestay fitting and then around under the front of the trailer before being tightened up which works well and holds boat down and forward.

The strap is lead through a length of old bicycle inner tube where it passes over the edges of the bow which stops any rubbing.