2 or 3 years ago I picked up a set of Attwood retracting transom tie-downs for my trailer. Walmart had slashed the price from $47 to less than $20. I think I paid something like $17 for them.
After I got them home I took one out of the package and realized that the way my trailer was designed made it impossible to use them, due to the placement of the tie-down anchors on the trailer.
I needed a spot that was vertical, and parallel to the boat's transom. My anchors were perpendicular to the transom.
So, I figured I'd have to have some special brackets made up, which I figured would cost me anywhere from $50 to $100 if I had a local fabrication shop make them. Nope. Didn't want to spend that much money
So... they sat on my workbench for over 2 years.
Then, a couple weeks ago a friend told me that there are adapter/bracket kits available for this purpose. I checked Amazon and found the kit for just $10. A far cry from what I had expected them to cost.
Long story short, I ordered them, got them in 2 days later and got them mounted.
Wow! What a difference now when I launch and load the boat. Serious convenience factor here with these.
I'm not sure how well the Attwood brand will last, but they seem to work fine for me.
One side note: Attaching the brackets to my trailer required the use of a half inch drive ratchet with a long handle so I could get some good leverage and tighten them down really good. This keeps the brackets in place when I tighten the straps down and keeps them from pivoting on the bolt. The amount of torque I got when using a 3/8 inch drive wasn't enough