Trailer the boat and the trailer?

CloudDiver · Mar 23, 2017

Chris,
Any professional shipper can easily load it on a flat bed but it will cost you big time. The boat and trailer combined are about the same weight as any regular car, but two big issues are that it will be tall (really tall) and the trailer length will take up the same footprint that two cars would.
You gotta ask yourself if you really need or want that trailer, and most people will advise you to keep it for reasons of doing your own out of water maintenance and winter storage.
If you don't want the trailer is easiest and cheapest. Leave it behind (try to sell it) and just sail your boat down the Long Island Sound to its new home. Is the boat ready and able to make that trip? If the trailer has sat that long then so has the boat.

If you want to keep the trailer... and you should, easiest way is to haul it out yourself. You can buy new wheels and tires pretty cheap if you know where to look. I got mine from Recstuff.com Very good prices and they ship tires mounted and balanced to the rim. Safest thing to do is buy new hubs, don't trust the old ones if they sit that long, BUT you'd be surmised at what a grease gun servicing can do. As far as the tow vehicle goes, find a friend or family member who has a good 1500 series truck or SUV and will help you out for gas money. You can rent a F150 or full size van from Uhaul, but they won't let you tow with it.

On Uship you can get someone to bid the job ho drives a regular pick-up truck and they will tow it, but you are still responsible for making sure the trailer is safe. I'd plan on going to the boat's location over a weekend and see what is needed, then order the stuff, go back the next weekend and install it. All you need is a good jack and some hand tools.

KD3PC · Mar 23, 2017

My experience with U-ship is awful, several tries with a household move, a 5th wheel camper moved and a boat or two. They all respond but either wanted 2-3 times more for the job or simply did not show at the appointed time. I ended up hiring some college kids to load and pack, as we had to be out.

I am with Cloud - fix the trailer and tow it. You will likely use the trailer, way more than you think.

watercolors II · Mar 23, 2017

The beauty of 22 foot boat is that you can take it out of the water for storage anywhere, for repairs, and without the trailer the boat is just another boat like 100’s of others upon resell.

Sailing it, looks like over 130 miles by water which would be an extra long weekend or a week of proper weather depending on your sailing experience.

I would find another trailer sailor in your area that you can hire to help get the trailer fixed and tow it home for you. Fellow sailors are many that will help you especially for a fee. I once helped a fellow deliver a boat from central Pennsylvania to Myrtle Beach, SC for a very small fee with him covering all expenses.

Slartibartfass · Mar 24, 2017

Chris, you saw my answer on http://www.capri22.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=650#p3820

Either sell it for good money or keep it.

shemandr · Mar 24, 2017

Is that trailer registered? It's going to be a hassle in NY if it's not. Try to get a title - it will help. Other things being equal I would want the trailer. It gives you a dimension of control over your expenses not possible without it.
Someone will drive you to RI. Could that person have a vehicle which can tow the trailer back. If it doesn't have your boat on it there's less that can go wrong. But put new bearings in. Then you could sail the boat on a nice shakedown cruise. Stop at Mattituck, Port Jeff., Westbrook, or Old Saybrook. Maybe take three days for comfort.

jwing · Mar 24, 2017

Here's one more datum to compute: When I was in the boat buying mode, one of the must-haves was a trailer. I thought, and still do, it having a trailer would make my boat more saleable when its time for a change. What I learned since then is how convenient it is to have a trailer for maintenance and winter storage, as already discussed. I also learned that keeping my boat rigged-up, on the trailer, at the marina saves a lot of marina fees and maintenance costs.

Driving with a trailer is simple if you simply remember to do everything slowly, smoothly, and conservatively.

Tsatzsue · Mar 24, 2017

If you know how to sail and properly navigate, as well as have the necessarily electronic equipment aboard...and know that all the systems work, have as many tools as you can carry and lastly have no schedule go for it! In my opinion and history the waters between the bay and the sound can be large and change quickly. Big swells. Good ground tackle and lots of time would be required. Not to mention the southerly's that run all the way into Buzzards Bay all season can make for a very uncomfortable ride. With lots of pre-planning for safe and sheltered anchoring. It would be a real fun trip as long as you can wait out the bad weather when it shows up. A sound outboard would be a must.
Life is like a roller coaster...If it didn't scare you it would be no fun.
Oh, even roller coasters have no guaranty and break down!!

watercolors II · Mar 24, 2017

Go to the top of this page and find “Forms” there is a “Trailer Sailors” form to ask the question for physical help. E-mails can be sent between bloggers without the rest of us reading them, so negotiations can be discussed in private.

Meriachee · Mar 27, 2017

$200 a year to store the trailer is nothing compared to the costs of a travel lift and yard service space when you need to take it out of the water, and as others here have stated, the ability to be mobile is a far bigger thing that you might expect, or understand at this point in time. There are lots of people who are trailer sailors, and profess the ability to be mobile. You can go to any number of places and rent a truck capable of pulling that trailer.

shemandr · Mar 27, 2017

daytripper said:
Shemandr - are you familiar with the waters around Narragansett Bay? I have in the past sailed from NY to Block Island but that was in a larger boat and recognize that the first leg of the journel from RI to LIS could be a little rough in a 22 ft boat with only a 650 lb keel...
Chris

I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I don't think that leg is any worse than on LIS. You just need fair weather. You can have ocean swells but they generally are long in period and not something you would be slamming into. If the current is running out of Narraganset Bay it can be a little rough around the entrance.

Tsatzsue · Mar 28, 2017

Meriachee said:
$200 a year to store the trailer is nothing compared to the costs of a travel lift and yard service space when you need to take it out of the water, and as others here have stated, the ability to be mobile is a far bigger thing that you might expect, or understand at this point in time. There are lots of people who are trailer sailors, and profess the ability to be mobile. You can go to any number of places and rent a truck capable of pulling that trailer.

I agree with Meriachee,
I can sail all over over the east coast in my little V25. Find a ramp and go. It is a real blast. the $200 that you would have to pay is worth it. Heck, with your boat in the water you could drop a tow vehicle at your destination and do excursions. Never mind changing marinas, pulling for maintenance etc... I joined a trailer sailor group and now am Commodore. I have a blast sailing with the crew. We are on Facebook. Check us out. North East Trailer Sailors. Webb site too (not very active).
Ken B.

Trailer the boat and the trailer?

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