Trailering load

agprice22 · Aug 14, 2015

I think that trailer was not made for the road (ironic). It looks inadequate in many ways.

Are you changing the body of water on which it will sail? Will you be keeping the boat at a marina? I ask because I wonder if it would be possible to take it to the nearest marina, lift it into the water, motor to your destination, move the trailer unloaded, and have the boat lifted back on if you need it on land for a while to work on it? Or could you prepare it on the water in your slip?

I hate to see that boat fall off the trailer. Those forward supports seem useless. There is no bow support, the stern is hanging out further than seems right, CG looks to be far aft, and there are no lights or brakes. Seems you might be asking a lot of Mr. Murphy on this trip! He turns his head now and then, but... Yikes!

Thanks,

Andrew

Meriachee · Aug 15, 2015

Doubtful that you could get away with that. The whole "load" is just too unstable. And a single point of contact like that would wreck something.

31seahorse · Aug 15, 2015

(1) The boat seems to be quite a bit back on the trailer so there is more than 48 inches overhang beyond the trailer. Perhaps you could reload the boat and pull it farther forward. I'm pretty sure there are overhang limits. Those support arms should be at a place on the hull where there are internal bulkheads. (2) Remove the motor and the rudder before you haul the boat anywhere. Put them and any other loose equipment into the box of the pickup. Tie the mast down and from side to side and cushion it so the hull is not chipped or cracked. (3) As mentioned earlier check the temp of the wheel bearings early and then often as you travel. (4) Discuss what grease schedule has been followed. Bearings on a storage trailer probably have not been greased or been changed in quite some time. (5) Safety chains are a must have addition if there are none to hold the trailer to the truck hitch. They saved our boat (and our butt) when our trailer unhooked at a "humped" intersection! Yes, it was my mistake in not hooking the latch properly.

(6) Add a bow stop that extends up to just under the bow eye of the boat. Check out other boat trailers and see what they have that is missing on your trailer. (7) Get the trailer licensed and included on your insurance before you move it. If it needs to stay where it is for a while find a way to accomplish that storage. Best Wishes!

OOPS! No trailering eye visible. You might plan to add one with a backer block.

agprice22 · Aug 15, 2015

Yes. You can lift it with screw jacks like those, but you won't be able to shift it with something under the keel. More likely break the trailer or the keel or the hull.

I would fix all you can on the spot, take it to the nearest yard, have it lifted and re-spotted on the trailer. As said before, those jacks have to be under bulkheads. If not, you could crack the hull.

Thanks

31seahorse · Aug 15, 2015

Ekvh said:
Thanks again. It is at a marina, but I am unsure of how much sailboat knowledge they have. I will inquire. Is there a drawing available at sailboatdata to help locate the bulkheads? Looks like I'm surfing again.

The marina might have a stationary lift or travel lift that could help re-position the boat. You might choose to launch it and then bring it back onto the trailer with the help of the previous owner so you could learn any special maneuvers he used in launching or retrieving the boat. With the boat off the trailer you could work on it with less worry of damaging the boat or having it fall off the trailer. There would be some expense to rent a slip for the time the boat is off the trailer and (hopefully) safely floating. Sailboat data does have drawings of the C&C 25 and C&C 25-2. The bulkheads are the interior "walls" or partitions of the boat. Where the head and V berth are located, at the end of the cabin where the cockpit begins, and maybe some other shorter bracing where interior seating or storage space is located.

Tree · Aug 15, 2015

You can determine if the boat is loaded on the trailer correctly by determining the tongue weight. Google "determining trailer tongue weight" and you can find some interesting ways of doing it with a bathroom scale, a two by four, a tape measure and a few bricks. I'd guess your trailer is 1000 to 1500 pounds. The boat weight should be on the net (don't use displacement figure but actual boat weight) Don't forget to add the weight of any gear, fuel, water, batteries, etc that may be on board! You want a tongue weight of about 9% to 10%
Another way to "estimate" correct placement is to look at your axles and see if the front and back axles look equally loaded. Look at how each axle spring is deflected. But the better way is to weigh the tongue.

As mentioned before, very important, take the outboard off before moving and know which side it's ok to lay the outboard on.

Meriachee · Aug 15, 2015

From a trailer positioning perspective, it doesn't matter at all how much is hanging off the back, it matters that there is proper balance, proper support, and enough tongue weight to make the trailer follow the truck.
Some places have a legal requirement to have the trailer extend past the end of the load. It doesn't mean the boat has to be supported at the stern.

I think all this goes back to the original comments, that trailer isn't up to the task. Maybe to get it home with a fleet of Honda Civics as pilot cars and like you said, crawling if you must.

The trailer, supports, axles, tires, lighting, no brakes, keel stop, poor pad placement, and who knows what else that can't be seen, cracked or corroded welds, questionable pad stand supports. Ask yourself one question; would it pass a qualified inspection? If the answer is anything less than a resounding yes, then attend to it first.

I also disagree wholeheartedly with the commentary suggesting you can move it on the trailer by jacking it up. Ronnie made a lifting jig for the Catalina when we did the first round on my trailer, and we lifted the outboard end of the hoe off the ground, and it was rated at 13000lbs at the reach we were using. I wanna see pictures if that boat gets moved on the trailer without a travel lift. Friction is not your friend.

Benny17441 · Aug 15, 2015

Proportionally the majority of the weight should be in front of the axles for stability. It is likely the majority of the weight is represented by the keel so would you say it is resting ahead of the axles? Tongue weight is indeed an indicator and for such a boat I would want a 450 to 500 lbs tongue weight. The tow vehicle and its hitch should be rated for at least 5,000 lbs all around. A truck that is rated for 10,000 lbs is no good if the hitch and ball are only rated for 3,500 lbs. The tires seem to be low on air, so check their condition and inflate to their maximum specs for heat dissipation. Trailer rated tires are recommended but for just one trip of only 100 miles the cost might not be warranted if caution is utilized. Keep a low speed . A trailer is just as good as it's weakest component so check it for structural integrity; it seems pretty rusted. I would stay away from Interstates to keep speeds low and as with no fenders and brakes it is not likely legal. Pull over after 20 miles or so and check the temperature of the hubs. You may drive it around the block for a couple of times to get a feel for the rig; if it drives fine there is no reason why it would not drive the same for 100 miles.

Crazy Dave Condon · Aug 20, 2015

As a former dealer and also designed trailers learning from the best, the photo showed an old cradle for a specific boat simple put on an double axle frame. The cradle was not designed for that boat and any movement across the highway would have resulted in damage and possibly injury and death. The trailer or what I call it was only a yard trailer to put some boat on it for storage or possible launch at the yard is not road worthy nor worth any investment to bring it to such a point. As for the forward supports, not good as it makes contact on the side of the hull and in movement with the boat bouncing up and down, they would go right thru the hull.

Never even think of using that type of set up for transport.

Sock Puppet · Aug 21, 2015

Ekvh said:
Well it's a bust! Got to look at it. The starboard middle jack is denting into the hull and significant spider cracks eminating from it. Obviously not on a bulkhead. Boat is sitting so far back it needs a support to keep the trailer from falling backwards on the rudder or trailer itself. Beyond the scope of my expertise, and not worth the risk of trying to move it. It was advertised as having a solid hull, so the ball is in his court before starting claims with EBay or PayPal.

I wish you good luck; sounds like a bum deal. Let us know how you make out.

agprice22 · Aug 21, 2015

Yeah. Sorry. I have been to a few of these showings, and they rarely turn out as good as they seem... unless you are interested in investing money and time. I see boats for free on Craigslist, and am tempted to fix them up, but then I realize I will never get my money out of them!

With old, trailerable boats, the trailer is just as important if not more so. I bought my 272 in need of repair, but I bought an excellent trailer to put under it because I needed the trailer to be ready immediately.

Good Hunting!

Andrew

CloudDiver · Aug 21, 2015

DO NOT TOW THAT LOAD!!!! Gosh dang it that is an accident waiting to happen at any speed above towing around a boat yard!

That hull is way too far back, look at where the keel is sitting! The forward pads being on the side of the hull are good indicator, that hull needs to come forward about 3 feet at least. Most of the hull weight rests on the keel, the jack pads pretty mush just provide lateral stability. You won't have sufficient tongue weight because it appears the keel is sitting behind the fwd axle, maybe just about center over the rear axle. I'll bet that trailer was NOT set up for that boat. It would still probably work fine if it was placed on the trailer correctly, but the way it sits now is an accident waiting to happen.

Meriachee · Aug 21, 2015

Here's an alternate idea that usually works well on this forum,
"Hi, I'm new and would somebody near me be looking for some crew?"

agprice22 · Aug 21, 2015

Truly... Don't jump into something you can't fairly estimate. As you said, you were jumping into this with no experience. That is a bad plan.

Crew with someone, or buy a C22. You can get a good C22 with a good trailer for $2500. Better yet, if you are new to sailing, buy a dingy, sail it, move up, sail it, move up.... You will learn a lot: how to sail, how to rig, how to repair, how to spot problems... being just a few things...

Anyone here will echo: there is no such thing as a free sailboat! I know... this one cost a grand... That means nothing, unless you can move it, sell that engine for a grand, and scrap the rest! Otherwise, it will cost you money.

Now, I don't mean to deflate your balloon... Sailing is sublime, peaceful, intriguing, chaotic, invigorating... sometimes all within about 10 seconds! You can never know everything about sailing because you cannot control the elements. Thus, we come back again and again.

So get out there and sail! But don't buy another man's problems unless you know how to fix them, want to fix them, have the time to fix them, and have the money to fix them.

Good hunting!

Andrew

Crazy Dave Condon · Aug 22, 2015

Ekvh;

sometimes you need to listen and with everyone warning you to include myself as a former dealer and one who designed sailboat trailers, walk away and get your money back as you are in a sense in denial. Listen to us here and walk away.