Trailer Winch Strap Replacement

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A sturdy webbing strap is an essential part of the winch on your boat trailer. It bears most of the weight of pulling the boat out of the water and onto the trailer — so it's critical that this strap is stable and undamaged. If you've noticed that the webbing strap on your winch is starting to fray, split or show other signs of wear, it's time to replace the strap. We can help! The video in this blog shows how to replace the winch strap on your boat trailer with seat belt webbing.
Materials List:
  • Black Polyester Seat Belt Webbing – #PLSBBK
  • McLube™ Sailkote 8 oz. – #120679
  • Tex 92 PTFE Lifetime Thread or Tex 90 UV Bonded Polyester Thread
Tools List:
  • Sailrite® Edge Hotknife Package (110V) #103800
  • Sailrite® Tempered Cutting Glass – #121915
  • Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ Walking Foot Sewing Machine (110V) – #311602

A new winch strap is very affordable to DIY. It requires only three materials to make: seat belt webbing, thread, and a load-bearing snap hook from a hardware store. You can reuse the hook from your current winch strap if it's still in good shape, saving you even more money on this already economical utility project. Plus, it’s a great project for new sewers since it’s quick and easy. You just have to switch between forward and reverse stitching on your sewing machine, and the whole project — from measuring to installation — only takes about an hour.

You may be wondering why we’d use seat belt webbing for this project. Don’t let the name fool you; seat belt webbing is for so much more than just seat belts! This 2-inch-wide webbing has a 6,700-pound breaking strength. Plus, it’s resistant to rot, mold, mildew, abrasion, and shrinking and stretching. For all these reasons, this sturdy polyester webbing is a fantastic choice for load-bearing outdoor tasks such as rigging and safety equipment, small-craft towing lines, shade sail reinforcement and more.

Prepping Your Boat Trailer Winch

Before you install the new strap, we encourage you to take the time to do some maintenance on your boat trailer winch. Lubricate the winch, replace a bent or cracked strap pin, and check the whole winch for damage or corrosion. Then, install your strong new winch strap using the instructions in this video, and you’ll be ready to load your boat onto your trailer. Watch the video above to take care of this important strap replacement DIY.

Webbing is an important component in a number of DIY projects. If you need webbing for the other DIYs on your to-do list, use this detailed selection chart to handpick the perfect webbing type.

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