I just returned from a 3 day trip down near Easton near Oxford. I want to bring my Mac 25 down from NY near Rochester, but it is a 7 hour road trip. Is it going to be worth it to haul it that far to sail for a week in August? Has anyone done this? I was so impressed with all the sailboats and wanted to sail but couldn't because I didn't have my boat. I will be staying on the water and have a dock to keep it at. I'm just concerned about the single axle trailer and the age of it. It pulls fine but I never have pulled it further than 45 minutes away. Thanks for your imput. Mac
Should I trailer down to the Chesapeake?
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Check the trailer brakes and lights, pack the bearings, and go for it. I trailered my hunter 260 all over the S E for two years visiting lakes and navigable rivers and various bays and sounds. Got to see many places and sights unique to the trailer boater, then stepped up to a bigger boat.
Steve
Steve
Jerry, that is the main feature of a trailerable boat; just being able to sail different venues in this country. We have a trailerable 1985, Starwind 223 on which we take one trip a year to some distant venue. We have done the Chesapeake Bay twice once for a ten day trip to the upper Bay and the other one last year to the Potomac River to enjoy the 4th of July celebrations. Both trips were awsome and even though we have sailed bigger boats to foreign destinations we will always remeber our sails in the Chesapeake. On our first trip we staged out of Baltimore and visited Annapolis, Herringtton Harbor, Oxford, St. Michaels and Tilghman Island. On the second trip we staged in Alexandria, VA and watched from the river the 4th of July Washington DC fireworks. We went down the river with stops at Quantico, Colonial Beach and Kinsdale. Visited Tangier Island and were fascinated by the people Having the opportunity to interact with real life watermen and icons of the community. We were pinned there by weather for an extra day and they were starting to treat us like locals. We crossed the Bay to Reedville and pulled the boat out at Solomon Island. We trailer 20 hours with no hesitation to a good venue and the Chesapeake Bay is definitely one. The food alone may make it worthwhile. If you have trailered for 45 minutes, you have the basics just repeat it 8 times. Planning the trip is half the fun and you will find from talking to locals that there are facilities and helpful people out there to faclitate logistics at reasonable costs. A thing that you do for a few days and savor for the rest of your life is Priceless.
Check the tires, if they are old get some new ones, make sure they are rated for trailers, they have a stiffer sidewall. The more ply's the better. I have gone to Nitrogen in all of my tires, they run much cooler and the air doesn't leak out as much. In fact I just checked the tires on our camper and truck, I have lost one pound in just over two years...and that is probably from checking them.
Like Steve said, make sure the bearings are packed.
I carry a garden sprayer to rince the salt water off the trailer and especially the brakes when coming out of the water...a friend started doing that years ago after having to replace most everything at the axles. Only takes about four or five minutes...saves hours every few years!
Good luck...that's why you got a trailerable boat...right...to explore different places?
Jack
Like Steve said, make sure the bearings are packed.
I carry a garden sprayer to rince the salt water off the trailer and especially the brakes when coming out of the water...a friend started doing that years ago after having to replace most everything at the axles. Only takes about four or five minutes...saves hours every few years!
Good luck...that's why you got a trailerable boat...right...to explore different places?
Jack
I have a 98 Mac 26x I took to Ft Morgan Alabama from NW Arkansas,round trip 2000 miles. I did have the bearings repacked and new tires, no problems. I had a great time. Last year I did the same trip with a 82 Mac 25.
IF your tires and wheel bearings are in good shape its no problem
The wheel bearings are allways a BIG If on trailers if the have NOT been removed and inspected
The wheel bearings are allways a BIG If on trailers if the have NOT been removed and inspected
Go for it!
We did a week in the Florida Keys this year trailering our Mac 26 from the Philadelphia area. I had considered chartering a boat and flying down, but I like "my" boat. I had relatively new tires. I inspected the wheel bearings myself and brought two extra bearing sets with us. We had no issues. The trip was awesome. We think we'll head down that way every spring.
We did a week in the Florida Keys this year trailering our Mac 26 from the Philadelphia area. I had considered chartering a boat and flying down, but I like "my" boat. I had relatively new tires. I inspected the wheel bearings myself and brought two extra bearing sets with us. We had no issues. The trip was awesome. We think we'll head down that way every spring.
Always a good way to look at things.
Is it worth it? Of course. And trailer boats can go in the back corners the big guys can't. My blog has a few tales of smaller places (James Island and the Delmarva Coast) that I took my trailer boat over the years.
Don't drive 65 mph. Stop often and check. I just sold my trailer boat (Stiletto 27, 30 years old, 30-year old trailer w/new bearings and tires) and the owners took it straight to Florida from Maryland!
Is it worth it? Of course. And trailer boats can go in the back corners the big guys can't. My blog has a few tales of smaller places (James Island and the Delmarva Coast) that I took my trailer boat over the years.
Go for it, last year the winds during my mid August vacation were good, beautiful places, just unable to swim... We went to Solomons and the choptank.
If you would like to swim on the Chesapeake after you anchor, keep this link, it may be very helpful to plan your destinations.....
http://155.206.18.162/seanettles/
If you would like to swim on the Chesapeake after you anchor, keep this link, it may be very helpful to plan your destinations.....
http://155.206.18.162/seanettles/
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