Trailering our 27' Catalina

[Mike]

Has anyone ever loaded their 27' Catalina onto a trailer from a deep boat launch? Can it be done?

 

[Ron F.]

c-27 "trailering"

When investigating various marinas for winter storage, one marina some distance from the water said he could "trailer" my boat to his facility if I could provide a steel cradle that he would lock down on a flatbed trailer. He still needs a crane to load and offload "Temptation II". With the fixed keel as big as it is, and from what I have seen as the construction of the cradles, I don't think you would be able to launch or retrieve the boat on a ramp.

 

[Dean Bachelor]

yes it can

Hi Mike, I have good news for you.I just bought a C30 this spring, it hasbeen kept in Elk Rapids, they have a real long, deep ramp there. They have a cradle trailer with an extendable gooseneck hitch (5th wheel type). They run lines from the boat to the trailer, (with cradle clamped to the trailer) and ease it in and out till they get it on the spot. I don't like it much because I don't feel it is "set" on the pads equally, or as equal as a crane can do but they did it to mine for 12 years.I can explain more or answer traileringquestions, as I have a trailer now and just got mine home. E-mail,www.blowinganddrifting@yahoo.comGood luck Dean

 

[Michael McCann]

Trailer a C27

Mike;I trailered a C25 fin keel boat for 8 years on a dual axle 'Easy Loader' trailer. I used an 85 Bronco with auto trans, and 302 ci v8. I think the C27 weighs approximately 1500 lbs. more than a C25. The draft is the same. The trailer also had an extendable tongue, which helped on ramps that were not too steep. I helped a friend in Montana trailer his C320 from Plains to Big Arm Bay on Flathead Lake, a distance of about 60 miles. It was a three axle unit that he built. He has trailered it back and forth a couple of times, but now just uses the trailer for winter storage. The water can get quite hard in Montana, (plus the lake looses about 10 ft). The C27 only has 9 inches more beam than the C25, so I think you should be able to trailer anywhere you would want to go.Mike

 

[Brian Stevenson]

Home built C-27 trailer

Mike, I have a trailer that started out as an agriculture unit, likely for haul ing bales of hay. The frame was moditified with two 12inch steel channels back to back spaced far enough apart to accommodate the keel and then a plate welded across for the keel to sit on. Basically it is like a child's wagon with front steering. I have used it many times to haul the boat out. I will say that it has been very good but I will mention the problems1. Where there is deep water there usually isn't a good hard bottom. It requires a lot of power to pull out the trailer, a minimun 6000 pound winch is needed, a four wheel drive of SUV size sits and spins the tires. I have used a tow trck where the winch couldn't handle the job.BUT---the trailer and modifications cost less than $2000 and you can do the math to see if there are cost savings against yard fees over 10 years. A conventional 2 or three axle trailer would have some of the same problems, but i never considered putting a trailer os cradle on a flat bed--I am impressed with ingenuity of the yard operators and other boat owners.