Hull protection while trailing

[drsm]

In preparation for trailing my new boat home in the Spring, does anyone have recommendations for protecting the hulls or gelcoat from road damage? I'll be driving from Annapolis to Michigan, so it is a fair distance. I know some monohulls are covered with tarps that extend down and cover much of the hull. Maybe this isn't even much of an issue?

Thanks,

Steve

[Ron]

Steve -

I'm not sure if it's even an issue. I've pulled mine about 5,000 miles already and there has been absolutely no damage from road debris. Maybe I've been lucky? Most of it has been on interstates, pulled by a Chevy Avalanche, and at 65 mph or less. The boat sits fairly high on the trailer so that could be one of the reasons. I would definitely avoid driving behind an open dump truck filled with gravel or ...?

What will you be towing with? The boat and trailer are both heavier than the specs show. I would use a load distributing hitch for any distance over 50 miles or speeds over 50, especially with a mid size SUV.

[Dan]

I’d agree with what Ron said. The load-distributing hitch is especially important, because the boat and trailer are heavier than the specification by almost all accounts. That said, I did tow my boat from Annapolis to New Bedford, MA, with only some small issues. If I were going to to a long trip with it, I would definitely get a load-distributing hitch. What vehicle are you going to be using as a tow vehicle?

However, road debris doesn’t seem to be much of an issue as far as I’ve seen.

[jeff432]

Will,

Why isn't PC more accurate in the publications with the outfitted boat and trailer weight? Originally, i thought my 6 cyl Highlander would be sufficient as a tow vehicle. After reading the ealier discussions, now i'm thinking 8 cyl 4 Runner...

[Dan]

Most boat manufacturers are off on the weight of their boats. This is especially true in cases of hand-laid boats, since the control of how much glass and resin is used is more variable. Also, the published weights are often the dry weight of the boat and often doesn’t include gear or equipment, which tends to make it lower than it would be if it were the "sailing" displacement of the boat. Adding the refrigerator, batteries, sails, outboard motor, and other gear and equipment adds to the weight of the boat.

The Forerunner should be okay with a max towing capacity of 7000 lbs., the Highlander is too small IMHO. The Highlander has a tow capacity of 5000 lbs., which is too low IMHO to safely tow the Telstar any significant distance. BTW, the towing capacity figures are based on the 2009 year models, so YMMV.

[Ron]

Jeff -

As Dan mentioned, most (maybe all) boat manufacturers are off on their weight (and draft) specs - sometimes by a VERY large margin. My last big boat was a 40 foot Catalina and after lifting / launching it maybe 2 dozen times over a dozen years, the actual (and average) weight of the boat, as measured by numerous travel lift scales, was something like 3,000 pounds more than the spec sheet. Note that it was raced a number of times over the 12 years and it did not have any heavy cruising gear or supplies aboard. I even took stuff off of the boat. It was probably the lightest Catalina 400 around. A number of other C400's came in at well over 1,000 pounds more than mine. Ditto for Catalina 42's, - but perhaps even more. A few friends have weighed theirs at nearly 5,000 pounds over specs. Exact same thing applies to Hunters, Beneteaus, Corsairs, and almost any other brand around. The builders all know this, but no one seems to do anything about it.

Regarding the Telstar, half of the extra towing weight is in the trailer. The specs show the trailers '"stock" trailer weight. PCI adds maybe 800 pounds of galvanized supports and bunks, bringing the empty trailer up to around 2,100 pounds. The rest is in the boat - partially because it's built a little heavier and partially with additional and/or optional equipment. You've got around 6,000 pounds behind you when it's trailered.

The number of cylinders and horsepower (actually torque) is only one factor when towing. You've also got to take into account the tow vehicles weight, brakes, wheelbase, rpm where it develops max torque, spring and shock absorber capabilities, tire rating, hitch rating, etc. Note that if you put 500 pounds of weight on the hitch, you may be taking 500 pounds off of the front tires, and adding 1,000 pounds to the rear (500 from hitch and another 500 from the front end). You really do not want to do that, especially on a lighter truck. A weight distributing hitch (with torsion bars) will allow you to put half of the hitch weight onto the front tires, thereby balancing the load on the truck. PCI even recommends the "Equalizer" hitch for this reason. I've been towing some bigger trailers (enclosed car haulers, etc.) for years and you really need this thing.

[jeff432]

Looks like it may be the V8 4Runner (7300 lbs towing capacity) with the equalizer hitch. Thanks for all the info, i would have hated to get a vehicle and later find it underpowered for the tow job. Sorry for hijacking the thread, Dan.

[Dan]

Jeff—

Didn’t really see this as a thread hijack, since having the wrong tow vehicle will mess up the hull far more than gravel or other road debris. If DRSM uses the wrong vehicle to tow the boat, say using one that would work for the specified weight rather than the true road weight, it could become a major problem with towing it that distance. If the boat goes off the trailer or road, I’d say that the hull will get damaged.

Ron’s point about the weight of the trailer is a good one, and not all the unspecified weight is in the boat—a lot of it has to do with PCI’s modifications to the trailer. The four uprights, two ama support pads, two hull support pads and the extensions for the trailer uprights all add a fair bit of weight to the trailer.

[drsm]

Thanks for the replies. I plan on towing it with my 2000 Toyota Tundra 4WD (8 cylinder). I think towing capacity is listed at 7500. Will had said they would place a stabilizer hitch on for me at the time of pickup. Hopefully, that will be sufficient. My plan is to keep speeds low, especially since I am not used to quite such a large load.

Are there any special tips I ought to know about the trailer? Any issues with overheated bearings, etc.?

Steve

[Dan]

Keep an eye on the tire pressure on the trailer. You may need a different pressure gauge than the one used for your car, since the tire pressure is fairly high—about 70 PSI IIRC, and some car tire gauges don’t go up that high.

Also, after the first hour or so of running the trailer, you should probably check the lug nuts, and make sure they’re still all snugged up.

I also recommend putting a padded bag over the bottom end of the furling unit, including the furling drum. This will protect the furling unit from dirt and such, give you a place to safely stash the furling line and also allow you to raise/lower the mast without having the furling drum/forestay scratch the big front deadport on the boat. One of the easiest ways to make the bag is to get a small duffel bag and then sew a double layer of fleece into the interior.