Trailering
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A C-30 is 10,500 lbs. & 10'10" wide.
Maybe on the truck - you'll need lots of permits & wide load signage, etc. & some places (bridges, etc.) may require an escort & sometimes, you may have to go around overpasses and stuff too. I don't think you are allowed to pull a non-commercial trailer thru Georgia in the dark.
A friend has towed a J-29 and a Farr30 from Maryland to Key West, FL and everywhere in between for many years. The J/29 weighed about 6,000 lbs (not incl. trailer) but is similar in physical dimensions to a C-30. The Farr is much lighter, maybe 4,000 lbs., but has a 7' draft. The tow vehicle is an Excursion, which is basically a long bed F-250. There are electric brakes and all kinds of other stuff needed too.
IMO - Triad is the best "big boat" trailer company if you get one built. A C-30 is a heavy boat. Commercial hauler may be a better option.
Maybe on the truck - you'll need lots of permits & wide load signage, etc. & some places (bridges, etc.) may require an escort & sometimes, you may have to go around overpasses and stuff too. I don't think you are allowed to pull a non-commercial trailer thru Georgia in the dark.
A friend has towed a J-29 and a Farr30 from Maryland to Key West, FL and everywhere in between for many years. The J/29 weighed about 6,000 lbs (not incl. trailer) but is similar in physical dimensions to a C-30. The Farr is much lighter, maybe 4,000 lbs., but has a 7' draft. The tow vehicle is an Excursion, which is basically a long bed F-250. There are electric brakes and all kinds of other stuff needed too.
IMO - Triad is the best "big boat" trailer company if you get one built. A C-30 is a heavy boat. Commercial hauler may be a better option.
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Good advice from "TWICE AROUND." Best to check with your state law enforcement and with each state you"ll be driving through as each may have their own little differences.
And then, don't forget insurance requirements, both the tow vehicle and payload.
Last, the F-250 could do the job, but the year of vehicle, engine, type of transmission, and gear ratios come into play. Then there's the numbers, ie. axle weights, gross vehicle weight ratings, and combined vehicle weight ratings, and tounge weight. Check your owners manual for the stats. Exceed these and, legally, your head could be on a block. I think you'll find that the weight of the boat plus the weight of the trailer and you"ll be outside the envelope, or at best, marginal, for safe towing with an F-250. Sorry.
If there's any distance involved, take TWICE AROUNDS advice and go commercial.
Probally not cheap, but neither is your boat.
Hope this helps, Bill.
And then, don't forget insurance requirements, both the tow vehicle and payload.
Last, the F-250 could do the job, but the year of vehicle, engine, type of transmission, and gear ratios come into play. Then there's the numbers, ie. axle weights, gross vehicle weight ratings, and combined vehicle weight ratings, and tounge weight. Check your owners manual for the stats. Exceed these and, legally, your head could be on a block. I think you'll find that the weight of the boat plus the weight of the trailer and you"ll be outside the envelope, or at best, marginal, for safe towing with an F-250. Sorry.
If there's any distance involved, take TWICE AROUNDS advice and go commercial.
Probally not cheap, but neither is your boat.
Hope this helps, Bill.
You have to not only think if your vehicle can possibly haul a load that big, but should U be hauling a load that big. An F 250 was designed to haul a 1/2 to 3/4 ton payload in the bed, and approximaely 5,000 lb. regular weight bearing load from a trailer, unless its been ungraded, which usually would be badged as an F350 or superduty. At 10K weight empty, or 7 tons of boat from a C 30, plus approximately 2500 + lbs. for a trailer that can haul a boat the size of a C 30, thats basically a f@#k ton of weight. Your now in the tractor trailer weight load bearing category. As also mentioned above, at 10' 10" wide you are also more than 2 feet wider then the street legal 8' 5" max that a catalina 25 was designed around. I know because I used to own one. With a C 25 at 2,500 plus lbs., and a 1,200 lb. trailer and an extra 500 lbs of boat crap on board, etc. I was pulling close to 4,500 plus pounds with an o'l F 250 and I felt that it was pulling hard when going up any average incline/ slope. If U care about your truck & its tranny I wouldn't even attempt a C 30.
ps. A custom trailer for a C 30 with a 5.3' keel will set U back over 10k or more.
Not worth it buddy.
ps. A custom trailer for a C 30 with a 5.3' keel will set U back over 10k or more.
Not worth it buddy.
Have pulled more than 10,000lbs with my f 250 diesel, lot of weight but doable. Will need permits for the boat not all that expensive. Looking to do the same. cat27 vs cat 30.
Need to do lots of research and need to be experienced in hauling heavy loads. I think it is doable but will require much more work than hauling a cat22.
Need to do lots of research and need to be experienced in hauling heavy loads. I think it is doable but will require much more work than hauling a cat22.
I remember that 8-1/2 feet is the legal width to trailer a boat (Coast Guard Auxiliary Boating Safety Course). I think you have to hire a commercial carrier.
http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm
http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm
We used an older F250 equiped with a 460 cu in engine, automatic transmission and 4.10/1 diff. to tow our Catalina 27. The boat, trailer and equipment weighed almost exactly 9000 lbs. The oversized brakes on the trailer permitted the entire rig to make an emergencie stop in a shorter distance that the unencumbered truck. We made several trips from the prairies through the mountains to the West Coast (2400 mi round trip). The truck, hitch, and trailer were all rated for the load. When I designed the trailer, it was with the thought of adding an axle and adjusting the pads to accept a C30. Fortunately we ended up moving to the West Coast before buying a C30, but, I believe the truck would have safely handled the larger load. It can be done, but, it's a matter of having the right vehicle, trailer/equipment, being compliant with local laws and most of all, confidence in your driving ability to handle this load.
EG
EG
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Wow, when you look at your photo of a big truck next to an even bigger C 27 U realize just how much boat that you're towing. Then add 3 extra feet of length, 2 extra feet of beam width, another 2 feet higher center of gravity raised for the 5.3 foot standard keel length and 2,000 + more pounds of weight for the C 30. That's when U realize that your getting into a tractor trailer weight load / hauling capacity.
"Tractor trailer load", far from it. There are a lot of heavy duty pick-up trucks on todays market whose capacities far exceed the limits of a C30. You see them every day, from contractors pulling trailers loaded with heavy equipment (tractors etc) and supplies, to vacationers pulling huge 5th wheel trailers (whose weight can easily surpass that of a C30). If you look to your North, where the water is frozen for a large portion of the year, you'll see that it is a common occurance to move large sail/power craft on trailers with pickup trucks. The 3/4 ton truck in that photo has safely handled sail boats up to 32 ft length and 11ft beam, it was replaced with a Chev 1 ton dually that had an even greater capacity. I don't suggest this is for every one, but, if you have the confidence in your driving ability and the equipment is available, why not.
You will also notice in the photo the undersides of that C27 are not standard (most noticeable in the rudder). The draft of that particular boat is 4ft 7in, only 8 inches less than a C30. and because most of the weight is in the bottom of the keel, the C of G hardly changes.
You will also notice in the photo the undersides of that C27 are not standard (most noticeable in the rudder). The draft of that particular boat is 4ft 7in, only 8 inches less than a C30. and because most of the weight is in the bottom of the keel, the C of G hardly changes.
Echo Gulf you make some very good points. Was wondering about the difference in the mast weight and length between the cat27 and the cat 30. Have read threads where people used the boom to raise/lower the mast on a 27. The 30 would require an a frame setup. Is that doable or just need to pay the marina to raise/lower the mast and launch/load the boat when finished. Do not plan on trailering often just a few times a year.
To raise or lower the mast by using the boom, a hinged mast stepust first be installed. I've helped smaller boats use this method for stepping their mast and I just wasn't comfortable with it. There just seemed to be to many possible flaws with the system.
On our C27 I used and "A" frame, built from plans I found on the net (www.catalina27.org/SN-FTP/mastraising.jpg), it worked well.
On the C30 the only time I had to lift the mast, I used a similar system where I substituted two sturdy extension ladders for the poles of the "A" frame. I rented two fibreglass ladders from a local equipment rental outfit, they easily handled the weight of the C30 Mast.
If using this method, the best piece of advice I can give is to keep constant control of the foot of the mast. I did this by block and tackle anchored to a nearby cleat and the other end tied to the mast. By letting the line out as required you have full control and can prevent any sudden swinging or dipping of the mast.
EG
On our C27 I used and "A" frame, built from plans I found on the net (www.catalina27.org/SN-FTP/mastraising.jpg), it worked well.
On the C30 the only time I had to lift the mast, I used a similar system where I substituted two sturdy extension ladders for the poles of the "A" frame. I rented two fibreglass ladders from a local equipment rental outfit, they easily handled the weight of the C30 Mast.
If using this method, the best piece of advice I can give is to keep constant control of the foot of the mast. I did this by block and tackle anchored to a nearby cleat and the other end tied to the mast. By letting the line out as required you have full control and can prevent any sudden swinging or dipping of the mast.
EG
Thanks for info, not sure what boat or system I will be using yet. Would love to see both systems in action to judge for myself which system will be best suited. Safety first next being ease of doing so. Planning to attach an A frame to the trailer its self with hinges, something like you see on coal trucks or gravel trucks used to tarp their loads. Should be pretty simple and easy to use.
It really is a moot point to state that a pickup is capable of hauling a C 30, when it is illegal to do it in the first place. The bottom line is that the C 30 is more than 2 feet wider then the 8 1/2' foot max width the is allowed on any trailer or load on a highway, anywhere in the U.S. Otherwise you have to get a special Wide Load Permit, which has its own specific requirements. If your boat hits an on-coming car or causes an accident because you were not rated or permitted to haul a wide load then your gonna wish U haden't hauled a boat like this in the first place. That's why people hire professional boat movers (ie: via tractor trailors). Although they are known to get into accidents and damage boats even with their experience. I know of more than a few trailer sailors who had there boats damaged or even totalled from trailering accidents & mishaps, some of no fault of their own. Its really easy to make a simple mistake or get an overheated wheel bearing & have a serious disaster.
WOW ! Some of these replies are well .... Interesting?jho11381 said:
- Ok first, you did not inform which state you are in. And permits do not cost that much. Call and ask...
- Second, sure I have no doubt your f250 would "pull" a well balanced load with said "Catalina 30". However it would trash your transmission. And possibly do frame damage to the truck. And you would be an accident ready to happen when you needed to slam on brakes.
So could it pull it Sure it might?
Should you pull it NEVER it would be seriously unsafe for the road!
So I think I know why you are asking this question. You want to save money in transport costs? Yes, if you have your boat on its own trailer you can save LOTS of money. All you have to do is hire an *Experienced *Insured *Transport driver with a larger truck than a f250 to move it. Possibly a larger tow/wrecker service truck? No road tractor required.
Triad Trailers can build you a custom trailer for your sailboat. They built mine and it is a rock solid top quality trailer. And I can float my 36ft 17,000 lbs on and off of it at the boat ramp. My trailer will have paid for itself after I use it 5 times vs the cost of a marine transport service with an expensive hydraulic lift trailer.
Well you asked for opinions and I hope I don't get bashed for sharing it with you. But at least I have experience.
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"Triad Trailers can build you a custom trailer for your sailboat. They built mine and it is a rock solid top quality trailer. And I can float my 36ft 17,000 lbs on and off of it at the boat ramp. My trailer will have paid for itself after I use it 5 times vs the cost of a marine transport service with an expensive hydraulic lift trailer. "
Just curious, how much did you pay for a big boat trailer that was custom made?
(I'm not actually opposed to trailering, if U have the right equipment to do it. I used to trailer my old C 25, but when it broke a wooden bunk board due to unseen decay, it nearly hulled thrugh the boat. I was lucky that I was already lowering the boat into the water when the trailer broke, and didn't do any damage, but I can attest hat old trailers can be dangerous!
Just curious, how much did you pay for a big boat trailer that was custom made?
(I'm not actually opposed to trailering, if U have the right equipment to do it. I used to trailer my old C 25, but when it broke a wooden bunk board due to unseen decay, it nearly hulled thrugh the boat. I was lucky that I was already lowering the boat into the water when the trailer broke, and didn't do any damage, but I can attest hat old trailers can be dangerous!
Yearly overwidth permit in Virgina is just over $150.00 for less than 12 feet. I called and checked. Kentucky Little over $200.00. Personally have hauled around 12000 lb load with my f-250 diesel before from Georgia to Kentucky, no problem. You knew then load was back there but nothing the truck was not able to handle. Now I wouldn't recommend just anybody do that, I think one needs the experience and ability to handle a load that heavy. You can pay a professional if you want or go get some experience, get some knowledge, and do it yourself and keep the money in your pocket. Again not for everybody but very doable.
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