need trailer specs/photos for Hunter 23.5

Jan 3, 2022
8
Hunter 23.5 Lake Jacksonville
I am in the process of buying a Hunter 23.5. The storage location on my property slopes away from the house, so I plan to build up the area with conder blocks. I need dimensions on trsiler length, wheelbase, axle location, etc. so i can prepare the space. There is a lot of information about the boat but I can't seem to find specifics of the trailer.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Assuming you want to be able to walk around the boat while it is parked. I'd add 2' to the front, back and each side of the boat's dimensions.


So if that is a correct assumption, you need to build your parking pad with a length of ~28' and a width of ~13'
 
Jan 3, 2022
8
Hunter 23.5 Lake Jacksonville
Thanks for the quick post.
I'm tight on space across the beam, so an important measurement is the fore and aft location of the axle.
 
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Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Plan for four bunk board supports for each bunk board. Also make sure the bunks are tall enough to make sure ceterboyis not being pinched between hull and keel tray when boat is on trailer

make sure for safety 10% of total weight of boat and trailer is at or on tongue

suggest posting your response under hunter small boats. Also go to site boat info for hunter 23.5 and look up owners to see if a boat is located nearby to ask if you could come over to inspect a trailer
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Hi @Crazy Dave Condon

He is not trying to buy a trailer. He recently bought a boat, has not taken possesion yet and wants to build a parking pad for the boat. He needs to build the pad because his parking spot is sloped. But he also does not have the boat yet so he wants to dimensions of the trailer so he knows how deep to build the pad. He needs the tongue to clear while the wheels are still on the pad.
 
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Jan 3, 2022
8
Hunter 23.5 Lake Jacksonville
Rgranger...you understand completely what I need to know. The location of the the axle appears to be about centered on the trailer front to back. The pad will be laid out front to back, starting at the axle.
 
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Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Sorry about that. Follow my advice on contacting 23.5 owners listed under boat information and post under Hunter owners small boats too
 
Jan 3, 2022
8
Hunter 23.5 Lake Jacksonville
Thanks. BTW...I've tried two browsers and none of the photos will display on the Hunter 23.5 mods. Any suggestions?
 
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LloydB

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Jan 15, 2006
806
Macgregor 22 Silverton
If you're building the pad just sit the wheels of the trailer on it then it only needs to be 9 feet wide because much wider than 8 1/2 feet would require a special permit on most roads and most 24 foot boats do not require a special permit to be towed. Figure 16 feet from the hitch of the trailer to the center of the back wheel even if you have tandem wheels. That would be big enough even if it was parked on a Cliff of course backing up and stopping in time would be critical but wouldn't provide easy working access.
 
Jun 2, 2004
3,390
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
When storing your boat as described be cognizant that it is not at all unusual for the locker in the cockpit or in the cabin of the boat to collect water and make the boat stern heavy. The boat subsequently will tilt down raising the tounge of the trailer up in the air. On the stock 23.5 trailer the back bottoms out and raises the tounge about two feet. If there is nothing for the back of the boat or trailer to rest on the tounge will keep climbing.

If there is going to be a drop off at the back of the trailer you will want some sort of support to keep the boat and trailer from tilting too far back.
 
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Jan 3, 2022
8
Hunter 23.5 Lake Jacksonville
If you're building the pad just sit the wheels of the trailer on it then it only needs to be 9 feet wide because much wider than 8 1/2 feet would require a special permit on most roads and most 24 foot boats do not require a special permit to be towed. Figure 16 feet from the hitch of the trailer to the center of the back wheel even if you have tandem wheels.

EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED. THANKS

That would be big enough even if it was parked on a Cliff of course backing up and stopping in time would be critical but wouldn't provide easy working access.

NOT A CLIFF, but the slope does drop off 12 inches per foot moving back and 8 inches per foot along the long side.
 
Jan 3, 2022
8
Hunter 23.5 Lake Jacksonville
LloydB: Thanks for the heads up. Guess I'll build z brace to prevent the tilting problem. As for access...there is a ladder on the trailer and I can set up another alongside.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Okay... so I think I found what you need. I pulled this photo from an ad on Sailboatlistings.com and I cropped it into paint with the ruller showing. Then I drew the red, blue and purple lines to mark off the relevant distances you need.

1641346226348.png


From sailboatdata.com we know the boat is 23.67' LOA and in this photo the boat measures 590 ticks. So each tick is 23.67/590 = 0.04 ft/tick or 0.48 inches per tick.
The distance between the purple lines is 670-240 = 430 ticks which translates into 17.2 feet. So the wheels sit approximately 17.2 feet from the hitch. If your pad ends up 18 feet deep, that would give you a about 9" of play when backing up.

The distance from the rear of the boat to the wheel base is 110 ticks which translates into 4.4'. So if you put some sort of wheel chock across the back of your pad and back all the way until you hit the chock, your boat will be hanging off of the back of the pad by 4.4'. Build some sort of brace off of the back of your pad to address what @LloydB mentioned about the boat tilting back .... and maybe place a few sand bags over the tongue when parked..... and you should have what you need.

As far as the width of your pad... from this photo

1641346825438.png


It looks like the sheer overhangs the wheel base so if you go with the beam of the boat and add what you need to walk about the boat, you should be fine. Sailboatdata.com says the beam is 8.33'. If you have the room I'd go with a minimum of 10' for the width of your parking pad.

Hope this helps.

r
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Now that I think about the tilt situation more.... I think I would design the parking pad with some embedded anchor points near the hitch and then loop a ratchet tow strap or heavy line over the tongue and cinch it down real tight. You could lower the tongue onto a cinder block with the tongue jack, then release the tongue jack and then cinch down the tongue with the tow strap.

You could just dig a hole near where the tonge would sit and pour a bag or two of quickcrete into the hole, and while it is still wet place a large cleat (with bolts and nuts) into the concrete and let it set up. Then take a line over the tongue and cinch it down when parked. Then the boat can't tilt back unless ... also,
1641347721606.png

WAIT! Nevermind....the H23.5 has an open transome so the tilting problem is probably not a real problem. You are not going to accumulate water in your cockpit.

1641347880837.png


All you need to do is raise the tongue jack high enough that the water will pour out the back and not accumulate against the bridge deck.
 
Jan 3, 2022
8
Hunter 23.5 Lake Jacksonville
Rgranger: the math exercise was really interesting. It's good to see how you worked through the problem, but the results are far more precise than I'll need.

Tying down the hitch is probably a good safety idea to keep the boat stable while working on it.

I expect to lay down a pad that's about 18x10, built up at the back and on one side to compensate for the terrain. A ladder alongside to starboard will be my primary entry point and I'll be sure to tilt back the trailer a few degrees.

Thanks again.
 
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Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
On the build up of fill , make sure it is compacted.

to keep boat from tilting backwards, Simply put a long treated 2X4 underneath the rear cross beam of the trailer and then build up with other treated lumber. Then jack the front of trailer up till it sits on the treated lumber with boat tilted backwards. Then place blocks behind both tires. You have stabilized the boat, keep it from movingbackward and allow water to drain off
 
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