Wide Load Permits?

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Dec 1, 2008
15
S2 7.9 Alexandria, VA
I just bought an S2 7.9, and I'm working out the details of getting it home. It would involve a 700 mile trip through two states.

I understand that the boat is over the width limit for state and federal highways and requires a wide-load permit. The seller says that most 7.9 owners just ignore the requirement. Is that true? l I understand that there's a pretty stiff fine for that. What is your experience?

Cheers,
Bruce Baker
Falls Church, VA
 
Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
How wide is the boat?? The legal limit in most states is 8' 6" before a permit is necessary. I trailered my boat up from Annapolis, and it is 8' 6" wide. A good resource for you to get and check is a Trucker's Atlas, available at a lot of the bigger truck stops, since it usually has a list of the wide-load permit restrictions for each state in a table at the front.
 
Feb 1, 2007
113
-Lancer -28 The Sea Of Cortez
How wide is it?? 8.5' is the "legal" limit I think in most states today. People we know tow a 9.5' sailboat all over The West and never stop at the ports. They have never had any trouble. It seems the P.O.E. people are only interested in commercial vehicles. It all depends how paranoid you are..

Worst case, they run you down, pull you over, turn you around and make you buy a permit. You will need "wide load" banners for your front and rear bumpers or they will hold you at the port until you get some. So you might have those ready just in case.
 
Mar 6, 2008
1,078
Catalina 1999 C36 MKII #1787 Coyote Point Marina, CA.
My 1984 Hunter 25.5 beam is 9' 1" and I have never been stopped while towing. I believe if you were involved in an acceident you may then be held liable and your insurance may refuse to pay. Make sure all your lights work and stick with the speed limit - do not provide any reason for any peace officer to stop you. Good luck.
 

Don-MT

.
May 21, 2004
67
Oday 23 Montana
I do a little bit of over-width hauling. Generally, the width restrictions are 102” (8.5 ft.) but if you hang a wide load sign on the front and back (be careful not to cover your radiator on the front) and look like you are a “recreationist” and have proper lights and signage, and travel only in daylight the DOT guys will let you get by. If you are over 120” (10 ft.) other rules come in to play. If you get caught, plead “dumb sailor” and be humble, it won’t be that much of a problem. (Add usual boilerplate legalize here)
Shine On!
Don
 
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OldCat

.
Jul 26, 2005
728
Catalina , Nacra 5.8, Laser, Hobie Hawk Wonmop, CO
I just bought an S2 7.9, and I'm working out the details of getting it home. It would involve a 700 mile trip through two states.

I understand that the boat is over the width limit for state and federal highways and requires a wide-load permit. The seller says that most 7.9 owners just ignore the requirement. Is that true? l I understand that there's a pretty stiff fine for that. What is your experience?
S2 beam is 9 feet, so a permit is legally required. This data is from the S2 7.9 class website at: http://www.sailingsource.com/s279/pages/MISC.HTM . If it has the usual drop keel ( a very few had fixed deep keels), then it will be easy to tow if you have a hd enough vehicle. The permits are your call, but they are generally pretty cheap for a one time haul, especially since you only need a couple of states worth.

OC.
 
Jun 9, 2008
1,771
- -- -Bayfield
I haul boats all over the place and the law says anything over 8.5' requires a permit for wide load. You don't have to flag a boat until you are at 9' and you don't have to display a wide load sign until wider yet (but each State might be different, so check where you are going). Permits are not expensive, but most 7.9 sailors ignore the law and trailer the boat without a permit and never get pulled over. But......I know of one 7.9, on the way to Key West Race week, fell off the trailer on to the road (driver error). The driver (and he wasn't the boat owner) didn't have a wide load permit. So, besides all the other tickets he may have received, he also got one for driving without a permit. Not sure what the cost of the fine was, but the real problem came when the owner of the boat tried to collect an insurance claim. It was denied because the driver was not legal. Well that was not the end of the story and somehow it all sorted out, but friendships were lost and it was a big pain in the arse beginning with the driver either not caring or was trying to save a buck. So, carry on as you wish.
 
Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
The beam of my S2 8.0 is 8', you should be fine.
You would be fine, but he has a wider beam and needs a permit. You really should do your homework before giving advice, since your advice could get him into serious legal trouble. :Liar:
 
Dec 6, 2005
47
S2 8.0 c Chesapeake City, MD
Advice?

You would be fine, but he has a wider beam and needs a permit. You really should do your homework before giving advice, since your advice could get him into serious legal trouble. :Liar:
I didn't give advice, I gave my opinion. Read the original post, Git-r-Done already knows his boat is over the legal limit and would legally require a permit. He asked if other owners ignored the requirement. From a Spinsheet review of the 7.9...

The shallow draft of the 7.9 would seem to make her ideally suited to trailering; however, the nine-foot beam exceeds all state load width requirements (without special permit) and is therefore not "street legal." Nonetheless, many, if not most, models were sold with trailers and are commonly transported over the road by owners who choose to disregard the few extra inches. I have never known of an owner being ticketed for this violation.

My boat is 8' wide and in my opinion, and most others, he SHOULD be fine. Of course, like others have said, you take a chance. Maybe you should check the facts before calling someone a liar.


 
Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
JohnF261—

Hate to break it to you, but saying:

The beam of my S2 8.0 is 8', you should be fine.
is bad advice. Your boat is fine. His is not. Saying he should be fine is lying or irresponsible.
 
Dec 6, 2005
47
S2 8.0 c Chesapeake City, MD
Excuse me

but the majority of responses seem to agree with me, you calling the majority of us liars and irresponsible or just me?
 
Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
John-

I see the majority say you should have a permit. Posts 3, 4, 5 and your own say you don't need one but post #3 also says

Worst case, they run you down, pull you over, turn you around and make you buy a permit. You will need "wide load" banners for your front and rear bumpers or they will hold you at the port until you get some. So you might have those ready just in case.
Posts 6, 8, 9, and 10 are clearly in favor of getting a permit. My post clearly states one is necessary in most states if the boat is wider than 8' 6"... so, exactly how is a majority of the responses agreeing with you???

You don't own a 7.9 from your own words. You didn't post the text from the Spinsheet review when I was criticizing you. Besides, you're the one stating:

The beam of my S2 8.0 is 8', you should be fine
Exactly what does the beam of your boat, which is not an S2 7.9, have to do with whether he will be fine or not. That just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. His boat is not an S2 8.0, and does not have a beam of 8', which would be legal, but of 9' which isn't.
The OP actually states:

The seller says that most 7.9 owners just ignore the requirement. Is that true? l I understand that there's a pretty stiff fine for that. What is your experience?

Yes, there is a pretty stiff fine. Yes, they can impound the boat until you get the proper permits and charge you a pretty hefty storage fee for every day it takes you. Yes, it is a hassle to get the permits, but he's only going two states... that's two phone calls or letters written... penny-wise and pound foolish to tow a boat that's a wide-load when you don't have permits. Good way to get in a lot of financial and legal trouble.
 
Dec 1, 2008
15
S2 7.9 Alexandria, VA
Ok. I've just returned from my delivery trip, and I didn't bother with the wide load permits. I had no problems with the law, the truck, the boat, or the trailer.

The advice I got offline before the trip said "the boat doesn't look like a wide load from behind" and "I've logged thousands of miles without one." Part of my reasoning was that one of the two states I travelled in made the permit difficult to get.

Thanks,
Bruce
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
At sailing Dog's mention, I got out my Trucker's Atlas, but it's a 1992 edition. It says width: "Limitation of 102 inches (8'6")- exclusive of safety devices- on the interstate and national network qualifying highways with lanes of 12 feet more in width." This is a federaly-mandated standard.

Like the thread on boat name and hailing port letter sizes- or pumping overboard, sure you have gotten away with it, but that's not to say it's okay to tell other people it is okay to ignore the law. As the man with the ticket book will tell you, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse".
 
Dec 6, 2005
47
S2 8.0 c Chesapeake City, MD
I've been accused on this thread of being a liar and irresponsible, but I'm glad you didn't have any trouble. Which state made it difficult to get a permit?
 
Mar 31, 2006
37
Hunter H-26 Hayden Lake, ID
Basics - Boat or trailer
Wondering in all this discussion whether we are talking about the max width of trailer or the boat. I have an H-26 that is over 8' wide but does not overhang the sides of the trailer. Have not gotten any permits but have not traveled across any state lines. Thanks, Mike T.
 
Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
Pooka3—

If you're talking about the Hunter 26, which has a beam of 8' 11" IIRC, then you've just been lucky. The load and trailer are supposed to be 102" maximum width in most states. There are a few that have a limit of 96", but they're fairly rare.
 
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