How to trailer a boat

Technical information and geeky boat stuff
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ghostwriter247
Master Varnisher
Posts: 101
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:14 pm
Boat Name: The Celtic Cross
Boat Type: 67 bristol 27
Location: Iowa

How to trailer a boat

Post by ghostwriter247 »

So i finally got my bristol 27 home! it was a long haul and i thought i would share a few things about it and perhaps start a trailering thread about lessons learned and setups used. It took roughly five 16 hour days to go from iowa to chicago to load the cradle which i bought used then to callao virginia to load the boat then back home to southeast iowa. it was a long haul! Total mileage was about 2200 miles.

First my setup was a ram 2500 turbo charged diesel with a gooseneck flatbed, the bristol was on a cradle. I ran about 55 mph home. I could have done 60 or 65 but it felt good at 55 and i had plenty of time to react so that is what i ran.

specs

GVWR 20,000 lbs, electric brakes, gooseneck flatbed 20 feet with five foot of beavertail. 8.5 foot wide deck height 36 inches. dry weight 7000 lbs

Dodge Ram 2500 vehicle wieght plus driver 6920 lbs

Bristol 27 with cradle , no motor (outboard version) 7080

I locked down the cradle on all four corners with 3/8s chain and binders, and then took two 3in ratchet straps rated 5k working load and 15k breaking strength directly in front of and behind the cabin top to lock it down.

http://crossedimages.smugmug.com/Other/ ... 5569_xHKwq

As you can see i towed her stern first which was actually a function of the fact i didn't make the first yard place the cradle bow forward and the second yard was a very negative experience, but that was another story.

Lesson Number one. Dont let the anything get in the way of doing things properly>

If you check the specs the trailer was hauling half her actual payload of about 13K. She towed like a dream for a large load with no problems with sway or pushing the truck.

In fact at anything less than a 5% grade she would actually lose speed when coasting downhill. even at 5 and 6% sustained grades she only gained a bit and the brakes were used slightly never worrying about overheating.

For those crossing the appalachian range i highly recommend the pennsylvania tollway on I70. there are merely four grades around 5-6% and all around wheeling WV. For those of you like me who have had the pleasure of the sustained 5-8% grades many times over through WV NC, GA and SC it was very gentle. So gentle in fact there is not one emergency runout ramp the other states sport every 5 miles. LOL

I had a severely negative experience in the boat yard recommended for the haulout and as a result felt pushed out of the yard. The mast was down but not secured and none of my turnbuckles nor wires had been disconnected. In my haste I pulled the turn buckles and taped up the stays to the mast. I strapped down the mast, and the boat but failed to do two things. 1) place sacrificial closed cell foam underneath the 15k binders and 2) place twists in the boat rathcet straps.

I prolly could have done without the foam but on the sides without a twist in the straps it chafed. Putting in the twists and foam solved it but it was still an expensive mistake. The twist was a standard practice when i hauled in the military and we never had a problem with chafe.

As you can see in the pictures the COG was centered over the forward axle and it was perfect. Also the cradle binders were locked toward the center of the cradle not outboard as most do. Perhaps some others can shine more light on this but I was taught that its a stronger bind when you angle the chains crossed towards COG rather than outwards like most do. Once again the only way the military hauls big loads.

In Retrospect i could have done it with a 20' 14k trailer which would have brought the deck down to 24 inches. but the deck would have shrunk to about 7ft which would have fit the cradle. It was 5 X 10.

Im sure there is more but thats all for now.
Skipper Dan
Master Varnisher
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 2:58 pm
Boat Name: Jade
Boat Type: Pearson Triton

Re: How to trailer a boat

Post by Skipper Dan »

Two kids and one on the way, You already need a bigger boat :-)

I just came back from RI to WI with a Triton. It was a lot of fun. I only had a 1/2 ton Dodge but a regular sailboat trailer. I was only a foot and a half off the ground. If you go again I would think about something under the bow to stop it from coming forward. You know just in case.

Dan
ghostwriter247
Master Varnisher
Posts: 101
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:14 pm
Boat Name: The Celtic Cross
Boat Type: 67 bristol 27
Location: Iowa

Re: How to trailer a boat

Post by ghostwriter247 »

actually i have three kids (due to a recent marriage) and one on the way. LOL But yes i thought about the forward post all the way home. Good point i would add one if i did it again.
One Way David
Skilled Systems Installer
Posts: 183
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:46 pm
Boat Type: Pearson Ensign
Location: Kansas

Re: How to trailer a boat

Post by One Way David »

I don't think I could offer any improvements over what you've mentioned and has been posted. Love that tow rig. Have 2 of them myself and won't use anything else. I am curious about your clearance. I'm sure you thought of that, just sounds tall.

Kids and sailboat. Yur sur gonna have fun. Wish I had done this 50 years ago.

Dave.
Never finish all your projects or you'll be bored.
ghostwriter247
Master Varnisher
Posts: 101
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:14 pm
Boat Name: The Celtic Cross
Boat Type: 67 bristol 27
Location: Iowa

Re: How to trailer a boat

Post by ghostwriter247 »

It was! lol. the rig was 13' 9" A 14k trailer comes in a 24 inch deck and would handle the weight plus you could drop the mast down to the deck which would drop about 20 to 22 inches as well as lower the COG.

Might max out the payload capacity though. Unfortunately 20k flatbeds are all 36 inches or so.
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