Best way to transport first boat? Advice Requested

[FeelinMorgan22]

A friend and I bought our first sailboat! It is a Morgan 22 (similar to Catalina 22). We need to transport the boat to our home Marina which is about 25 miles by water (Lake Erie) or by road. And we can't decide on the best way to transport it. Let me briefly go over the state of the boat, motor, and trailer. Photos at the bottom.

The Boat
1969 Morgan 22, 2700 pounds. Was used just last season so should be seaworthy. It is currently in barebones off season storage configuration sitting on the trailer. It does have the motor mounted on the back.

The Motor
2018 Tohatsu SailPro 6 hp, 25" longshaft. Looks great and runs great according to the previous owner.

The Trailer
Built in 2005. Frame looks to be in good condition. Single axle, it hasn't had tires or bearings in 10 years, tires look pretty dry rotted, hard to tell bearings while it is sitting there. Trailer hasn't left marina in 10 years. Previous owner says he does grease the bearings occasionally. He does not think it's roadworthy and has warned us against trailering it as is.

The way I see it we have 3 options. Neither of us have much experience with boats or trailering them so I am curious if there is a obvious choice from the community here.

1. Launch it at the marina it's currently at and motor it ~25 miles. We will set up the rigging at our home marina so this trip would be all motor.

2. Drive the trailer and boat as is. Maybe stay off highways..

3. Try to fix the trailer, at least throw some new tires on. and then drive it. The issue here is the boat is on the trailer and we don't have any place to put it while we work on the trailer. Working on the trailer while the boat is on it seems sketchy to me.

What would you do?

 

[dlochner]

Welcome to SBO!

The trailer has to get home sooner or later, might just as well bring it and the boat home at the same time. When faced with a similar situation, I put on new tires, greased the bearings, made sure the lights worked, and borrowed a trailer license plate (the statute of limitations is long past.) I then drove about 150 miles home, about half on an interstate.

Changing the tire while the boat is on the trailer is not a big deal. Block the wheels, loosen the lug nuts, jack up the trailer and swap the wheels. The photos show the trailer to be pretty rust free and it is light enough that brakes should not be an issue.

If you motor the boat home with the rig down and you're half way home when the motor craps out, then what?

 

[Siamese]

I would not take the trailer down the road in it's current condition.

With about 8 short pieces of 2x10 pine (15" long or so each), a bottle jack, and a pair of floor stand/jacks (because you never trust hydraulics), you'll be able to easily jack the trailer up and remove the wheels. Take them somewhere and have new tires installed. Then, reinstall them on the trailer.

Now, if you are within just a few miles of a shop that can perform additional repairs to the trailer, take it there.
- It looks like you have surge brakes on your trailer, and they're probably in need of repair. Many hundreds of dollars, and probably under a thousand dollars, depending on the condition.

-Get new bearings. Don't rely on the bearing buddy zerk and simply add grease. Get new bearings. They're not that expensive.

-Of course, make sure your trailer lights are functioning.

- A good 2" nylon ratcheting strap is around $32.00. Get one to hold the stern to the trailer.

- Your bow eye attaches to the trailer winch, but it's a good idea to use a piece of rope to tie a secondary to a bow cleat.

- You need a tow vehicle that's capable of towing it safely. Pretty much ignore the figures the vehicle manufacturer gives for towing. You want to know PAYLOAD. Figure the weight of your boat and the trailer, and multiply by 13%, and that's the likely weight of your trailer tongue. That is only ballpark. Big ballpark. That's the weight that's going on the bumper, and unlike a travel trailer, your trailer has no weight distribution springs. All that weight is going on the rearmost portion of the vehicle. The math has to be very much in your favor. An F-150 will likely be a bit marginal. I'd want an F250. Too much weight on the back bumper, even if you're within the limits of the math, and you will be pogo-sticking down the road as you go over small bumps and dips.

I can't advocate shortcuts. Not only could you find yourself disabled by the side of the road, you could be involved in an accident. With injuries? When the other guy's attorney discovers that the brakes on your trailer were not functioning, it would be much better to be the other guy...not you.

You'll easily drop a grand or more into your trailer.

From your post, I get the impression you don't plan to regularly trailer the boat, and your repairs may be for a one time use? In that case, it probably makes a lot of sense to launch where your are, and motor the boat to where you want to be, so you can tow the empty trailer where you want it. I'd still put new tires on it. It's not hard to do. Run you a couple hundred or so. You'll still be yanking a brake-less trailer down the road. I'd to it at midnight. Lights working, or course. And do not skimp on the tow vehicle. The Subaru ain't gonna cut it. F-150 is minimum.

 

[dlochner]

I would not take the trailer down the road in it's current condition.

With about 8 short pieces of 2x10 pine (15" long or so each), a bottle jack, and a pair of floor stand/jacks (because you never trust hydraulics), you'll be able to easily jack the trailer up and remove the wheels. Take them somewhere and have new tires installed. Then, reinstall them on the trailer.

Now, if you are within just a few miles of a shop that can perform additional repairs to the trailer, take it there.
- It looks like you have surge brakes on your trailer, and they're probably in need of repair. Many hundreds of dollars, and probably under a thousand dollars, depending on the condition.

-Get new bearings. Don't rely on the bearing buddy zerk and simply add grease. Get new bearings. They're not that expensive.

-Of course, make sure your trailer lights are functioning.

- A good 2" nylon ratcheting strap is around $32.00. Get one to hold the stern to the trailer.

- Your bow eye attaches to the trailer winch, but it's a good idea to use a piece of rope to tie a secondary to a bow cleat.

- You need a tow vehicle that's capable of towing it safely. Pretty much ignore the figures the vehicle manufacturer gives for towing. You want to know PAYLOAD. Figure the weight of your boat and the trailer, and multiply by 13%, and that's the likely weight of your trailer tongue. That is only ballpark. Big ballpark. That's the weight that's going on the bumper, and unlike a travel trailer, your trailer has no weight distribution springs. All that weight is going on the rearmost portion of the vehicle. The math has to be very much in your favor. An F-150 will likely be a bit marginal. I'd want an F250. Too much weight on the back bumper, even if you're within the limits of the math, and you will be pogo-sticking down the road as you go over small bumps and dips.

I can't advocate shortcuts. Not only could you find yourself disabled by the side of the road, you could be involved in an accident. With injuries? When the other guy's attorney discovers that the brakes on your trailer were not functioning, it would be much better to be the other guy...not you.

You'll easily drop a grand or more into your trailer.

From your post, I get the impression you don't plan to regularly trailer the boat, and your repairs may be for a one time use? In that case, it probably makes a lot of sense to launch where your are, and motor the boat to where you want to be, so you can tow the empty trailer where you want it. I'd still put new tires on it. It's not hard to do. Run you a couple hundred or so. You'll still be yanking a brake-less trailer down the road. I'd to it at midnight. Lights working, or course. And do not skimp on the tow vehicle. The Subaru ain't gonna cut it. F-150 is minimum.

There is lots of good trailing information in this post. However, I doubt the trailer has surge brakes, brakes are required based on trailer weight. This is a light weight trailer and the boat is well under 3K pounds. I believe the weight requirement for Ohio is 2000 lbs. I weighed a similar trailer on a truck stop scales once and it wouldn't even register.

Buy the tires mounted on wheels ahead of time and bring them with you. Here's an Amazon link for tires your size. Jack one side, replace the tire and wheel, then do the other side.

Replacing the bearing is your call, however the trip is 25 miles and at lower speeds on back roads the risk is lower. Do replace them once you get home, especially if you intend to trailer the boat in the future.

Do secure the boat to the trailer, ratchet straps work well and can bet tighter than any amount of rope and knots.

Get it home, clean it up and go sailing!

 

[Siamese]

That big lump on the trailer's tongue. I'm figuring it's either surge brakes or a mailbox. Leaning toward surge brakes. Trailer and boat are creeping up on 4000 pounds. In an emergency stop, you're stopping the equivalent of two vehicles.

Up to the OP how many shortcuts he wants to take.

 

[LloydB]

What kind of vehicle are you going use to tow the trailer with the boat on it? Once you get the new tires you will want to know the actual weight that you are towing because you should have about 10% of weight on the ball hitch. Any tongue weight close to what you can pick up put on the ball is likely to lead you to an undesirable understanding of the tail wagging the dog. You can call around or go to a truck stop to get the trailer weight maybe for a fee or just go to your local feed store or waste management and don't leave the boat. That trailer looks like it has an extension for launching on a shallow ramp you might check with the PO and also remind yourself those extensions are not designed for turning or pushing.

 

[jssailem]

Congrats on your new boat. Welcome to the SBO forum.

@Siamese has identified the way to make your trailer safe and usable.

If your thinking... We'll just drop the boat in the water and power out of the marina. That sounds like a fun adventure and one that intrigues me.

But before you untie the lines and head for the big open water, you might consider:

• What are the risks on the water?
  • Are there rocks, ice or shallow areas we have to cross?
  • Will we be able to stop along th eway if a storm comes up?
• Is the outboard working and reliable?
• How much fuel will we need to go the 25 miles?
• How fast will the outboard push the boat?
• How long will it take? I remember the Minnow left for a 3 hour tour...
• Do we have safety gear available? Life jackets, a vhf radio, drinking water, enough fuel to go the 25 miles?

BUT what an opportunity for an adventure...

 

[JBP-PA]

The trailer looks to be in good shape. Have a good look at the tires and decide if you want to replace them. They are pretty cheap if you do it yourself, but quite expensive to have someone else replace them. Can you tow the boat around the block for a couple miles on back roads? If the hubs stay cool, and you are OK with the tires, then I'd be tempted to tow it 25 miles. You are not me though, so you might prefer to follow @Siamese sound advice and be more assuredly safe.

 

[higgs]

If you pick a calm day you can expect the trip to take 5 to 6 hours by water. It would be an easy shot if the lake is calm. You just need to know how much fuel the outboard needs per hour. The empty trailer should have no problem going 25 miles.

 

[Timm R Oday25]

Lot's of very good advice has already been given . I've experianced a great number of trailering woes. None of which kept me more an half hours worth of delay. Having towed a Catalina 22 for many miles , hopefully this will help. Yes swap out the tires . If you buy a set , you will have a spare . Something that you currently don't seem to have .
If you change out the tires before you leave in the parking lot, you will learn exactly what you need to bring along when you eventually trailer the boat home. What size jack ,where to place it under the trailer , what size wrench to take the lugnuts off..
I tow our 7200 pound Oday 25 with a 2018 F150 . Almost any fullsize truck regardless of the engine will easily pull tyour new boat .
Welcome to the world of trailer sailing. It's the best of both worlds . You are going to have a great time with that boat.

 

[ShawnL]

I will agree with Timm above -- I purchased a Catalina 22 swing keel and the owner said the trailer was fine, and offered delivery anywhere near his area. We worked out a location about 2/3 of the way for him and 1/3 of the way for me (still ~ 100 miles). When he arrived at our meeting point the bearings were not hot, so I believed him about the trailer servicing. I towed it home with a F150 with no issues whatsoever -- other than that the turn signals were iffy. The brake lights worked fine. A 1/2 ton truck should be fine towing 25 miles, as long as the trailer is decent.

 

[TimFromLI]

Congratulations on the new boat. Without a lot of boating experience, and an unknown boat and engine, I would opt to take the boat by trailer to it's final home. What's the temperature of Lake Erie this time of year? I'm sure it could kill you in no time even with PFDs. If you do go by water make sure to have a good working VHF radio as well as a handheld VHF radio.

 

[shemandr]

When I picked up my Mark 25 to sail/motor about 15 miles before we were out of Mt. Sinai harbor the outboard which was running fine stalled. We discovered that a heavy plastic sheet had wrapped around the prop. We tried to get the main up but couldn't get enough tension on the halyard to get a good upwind shape since the bow wasn't into the wind. Meanwhile a thunderstorm blew up. My two buddies were busy trying to remove the motor to clear the prop but the motor had a lock on it and I needed to find the key, which was on a float with a bunch of other rusty keys. And we were in danger of blowing up on a headland. I don't recall the order, but we withstood the T Storm, found the key and cleared the prop, made the headland and could turn downwind towards Mattituck. Once out in open water we could bring the bow into the wind and get the main up properly. We had a fine sail to Mattituck in nice weather.
The lesson is when things go sideways there are often multiple problems happening at once. One of them in this case was sailing a boat none of us had any familiarity with.

 

[jssailem]

Another sailing adventure... WOW

 

[FeelinMorgan22]

Thanks everyone for the input and warm welcoming! We read this thread carefully and considered our options.

We ended up deciding to motor the boat! It was a long journey and with some beginner mistakes operating the motor. But overall she was rock solid. We made it in 1 piece and are now working our rigging.

The following weekend we went back up to get the trailer and drive it up with no load. Wheel bearing shattered not 2 miles down the road! We almost lost a wheel. So looks like we made the right choice motoring her

 

[LloydB]

Just curious did you repack the bearings before you put the trailer back on the road?

 

[FeelinMorgan22]

Just curious did you repack the bearings before you put the trailer back on the road?

No. We figured with no weight, going max 30mph it could make it to our new marina where we would work on it. Definitely a lesson learned!

We ended up doing new bearings roadside in a not great neighborhood. Some times you have to learn the hard way but the trailer is home now.

 

[LloydB]

A buddy told me some time ago to check the hubs for warm temperature within first mile just in case that latest perfect grease job I thought I did, wasn't.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

First of all, as seen in the photos, the trailer has surge brakes. Whether they work or not, is another thing. Depending on your tow vehicle, you probably can make it 25 miles with no brakes, but that is up to you. Obviously if you are pulled over by a cop and he/she checks the brakes (very unlikely), then you will be forced to fix. If your tow vehicle is barely big enough to do the job, then that is a problem in itself, brakes or no brakes.
Looking at the photo, the trailer looks to be in pretty good condition strength-wise. Of course I am not inspecting it in person, but it obviously is much newer than the boat.
Regarding tires, if it has enough tread, and no sidewall cracks from sitting in the sunlight, and they hold air, I think they are just fine. If not, then replace them. That is not a big deal.
Regarding bearings, zirc fittings sticking out from Bearing Buddies are an easy way to add grease, but they don't really address the inner bearings. If the wheel, doesn't move back and forth and seems tight, then you are probably good for 25 miles. if you feel play, thenI would pull the wheel and the hub and just look at the bearings inside (there will be two - inners and outers). If they look good, then pack them with grease and put it back together and then you will feel comfortable about not worrying about them. You might damage the outer seal taking them apart, so you get the number off the seal, go to a place that sells bearings and buy two more for each side. If the bearings are visibly shot, then get the number off the bearings and races and buy new and put it all back together after packing them with grease.
Regarding lights, hook it up to your tow vehicle and what works and what doesn't. If all the wires are secure and you get no lights, it could be a bad ground (white wire). If only some of the lights work, check the bulbs first and replace, if needed. If lights work, but say when you put on the left turn signal and the right turn signal flashes, it is wired wrong. Green wires are on the starboard (right) side and yellow wires are on the port (left) side. The brown wires are for running lights, such as side lights and just lights separate from turning lights or brake lights. Check all the wiring for being secure. If all is right on the trailer and still doesn't work, then check out the tow vehicle to see if the problem is there.
25 miles isn't that far. You probably can make it and after the boat is launched you or someone else can go through the trailer to get it all right. Depends on your comfort level. I've been in the hauling biz for decades and I can't tell you how many times i am asked to pick up a trailer that is not ready to haul. Owners can be remiss. I used to bring temporary light kits to use. Bearings have to be good as do tires and if the owner's are savvy enough to have them up to speed, then I had to insist they did, or if I broke down on the way, I had to deal with it and then the price goes up big time. Enough of that.
Regarding the Morgan 22 - that is a really great sailing boat. I used to work with a Morgan dealer when those were made and there was a local one-design fleet of them. So, I used to work on them to make them faster than they already were. One modification was to install new shroud chain plates so that the genoas could be trimmed in more to increase windward performance. Your photo of your boat suggests this hasn't been done, but unless you race, you wouldn't care anyway. It is a great boat and it looks to be in great condition for her age. That is an original motor mount, BTW. Oh, and as far as trailering with the outboard, if you can remove it and carry it in the back of the truck or SUV - or even in the cockpit or down below, that would take any additional stress off the transom rather than letting it bounce down the road while under way.