C&C Trailerable?

dmdiehl64

dmdiehl64

.
Jul 30, 2018
49
Beneteau 321 Tawas MI
Hello Good Folks,

1976 C&C Niagra 24, trailerable? Certainly not your trailer sailor, but would appear to be trailerable for short distances. The ~8.75ft beam is oversized for Michigan but I’d probably chance it for short distances. Would it fair we’ll to be launched from a well crafted trailer? Thoughts?
 
B

Benny17441

.
May 24, 2004
7,131
CC 30 South Florida
The boat is definitely trailerable but as far as it being easily launched and retrieved from the trailer it is not. The boat displace dry 3,200 lbs and easily could balloon to 4,500 lbs with motor, full tanks and provisions. It draws 4 feet of water which would mean it will require a fairly steep and long ramp. The trailer will likely require a tongue extension and a strong tow vehicle capable of pulling 7K - 10K lbs. to get it up the ramp and out of the water.
 
  • Like
Likes: Hunter216
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Bad choice. Full keel and a keel stepped mast make for a less than ideal trailerable.
 
  • Like
Likes: Hunter216
Tedd

Tedd

.
Jul 25, 2013
750
TES 246 Versus near Vancouver, BC
Based on my experience with my Macgregor 26S, I suspect you won't be happy with that boat as a truly trailerable boat. "Transportable" yes, "trailerable" no. I tow and launch my boat every time I sail and I really appreciate how easy it is to tow, launch, and recover. Based on the specs and what others have said, I suspect you'd quickly become tired of rigging, launching, and recovering that boat if you did it on a regular basis.
A truly trailerable boat like the Macgregor definitely has some design compromises to achieve trailerability, but if you tow and launch every time like I do they're a good trade off.
 
Hunter216

Hunter216

.
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
dmdiehl64 said:
Hello Good Folks,

1976 C&C Niagra 24, trailerable? Certainly not your trailer sailor, but would appear to be trailerable for short distances. The ~8.75ft beam is oversized for Michigan but I’d probably chance it for short distances. Would it fair we’ll to be launched from a well crafted trailer? Thoughts?
Click to expand
I mounted the boat cradle for our C&C 24 on a dual axle boat trailer (rated for more than the weight of the boat) and towed it with a Jeep that had a max capacity of 7200lbs. I “transported” the boat this way to and from the marina and where I stored it off season. I have considerable experience driving (farmer and heavy equipment operator) and wouldn’t think about venturing onto a high speed highway with that setup. I moved the loaded trailer on secondary roads no faster than 60kmh and felt safe but going higher speeds would not be a linear progression of risk imho.

That said it did reduce the overall cost of ownership as I didn’t have to pay the marina to store it in off season.i was also able to bring the boat to my home (bring the boat to the tools) if I wanted to work on something.

I tinkered with the idea of self launch/retrieve with a tongue extender but pictured people up to their necks in water trying to align the boat and raise the rear cradle supports etc and decided the marinas travel lift and mast stepping would be a good way to keep myself and/or my friends out of the hospital.

The way my mast stepped was also unusual. If you were to raise it manually the top of the mast had to be at the bow NOT the stern. Again I opted for safety and had the marina hoist it on and off.

Hope this helps
 
  • Like
Likes: SkookumZac
C

Crazy Dave Condon

.
Jun 8, 2004
10,062
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Jackdaw and Hunter 216 along with others said it all. Much difficulty in launching with the deep keel version and the mast keel stepped along with other things for example a long ramp to launch from
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom