Have bought Erickson 27 and must haul about 900 miles. have searched for weight but no luck. Need to know tongue weight and towing weight of this boat. Found displacement weight was 7000. Is this the towing weight? have never hauled a boat before so need all the information I can get. I would assume the boat should be strapped down onto the trailer; is this right? any suggestions welcome!
"Headin' Down the Hiway; Lookin' For Adventure..."
I would figure on trailer weight adding another 2000 to 2500 #. Your gross trailer weight might still be under 10K #.
A Ford F250 Superduty diesel, or equivalent, should do the honors...
Trailer will have two or three axels, with electric brakes. Keel support very low, and bunks or 2 or 3 pads per side for bilge support.
Be sure you pad every little thing that is inside *or* on deck -- a fraction of an inch of movement against gelcoat or metal will multiply over the minutes and miles to cause a *lot* of chafe. Padding and more padding...
When we used to trailer a 20 foot sailboat all the time, we had so many bungee cords around the rigging and spar that it looked like it had been attacked by an army of garter snakes! Looked funny -- worked great.
Best,
Loren in Portland, OR
I would figure on trailer weight adding another 2000 to 2500 #. Your gross trailer weight might still be under 10K #.
A Ford F250 Superduty diesel, or equivalent, should do the honors...
Trailer will have two or three axels, with electric brakes. Keel support very low, and bunks or 2 or 3 pads per side for bilge support.
Be sure you pad every little thing that is inside *or* on deck -- a fraction of an inch of movement against gelcoat or metal will multiply over the minutes and miles to cause a *lot* of chafe. Padding and more padding...
When we used to trailer a 20 foot sailboat all the time, we had so many bungee cords around the rigging and spar that it looked like it had been attacked by an army of garter snakes! Looked funny -- worked great.
Best,
Loren in Portland, OR
B Fred;
I built a trailer for my E27. Used 2 house trailer axles, 3 adjustable pads on each side, and a bunk forward of the keel for the hull to rest on. Worked beautifully. Put the axles under the keel and seemed to balance pretty well. Was able to pull it w/Chevy S-10 PU for short distances but would recommend a 3/4 ton or a beefed up 1/2 ton for long distances. Longest distance I pulled was 125 miles. Would use nylon rachet straps, 2 @ bow, 2 @ stern. As I remember, the bunk should be 12' forward of the back edge of the keel. If you have the cradle measure it and put it in the same location. Used 2X6 3/16 wall steel tubing for the frame. If you are interested I may be able to find some old pictures. If you would like any more info feel free to contact me. Good luck; Bud
I built a trailer for my E27. Used 2 house trailer axles, 3 adjustable pads on each side, and a bunk forward of the keel for the hull to rest on. Worked beautifully. Put the axles under the keel and seemed to balance pretty well. Was able to pull it w/Chevy S-10 PU for short distances but would recommend a 3/4 ton or a beefed up 1/2 ton for long distances. Longest distance I pulled was 125 miles. Would use nylon rachet straps, 2 @ bow, 2 @ stern. As I remember, the bunk should be 12' forward of the back edge of the keel. If you have the cradle measure it and put it in the same location. Used 2X6 3/16 wall steel tubing for the frame. If you are interested I may be able to find some old pictures. If you would like any more info feel free to contact me. Good luck; Bud
Have shipped my 27 Erickson coast to coast twice now and have learned pleanty on the subject. The comments above about padding cannot be overstated! Additionally be sure to secure all hatches as you would hate to replace them if they fly up in transit. Try not to have the mast resting on the bow pulpet or stern rails. The vibrations will may break them. I had better luck stowing the mast on the trailer but, I recommend removing the spreaders. The brackets can break relatively easily.
As for your weight questions, my boat comes in at 8000 lbs even though the advertised displacement is 7K. I've asked why and have been told it's due to a degree of water absorbtion.
The tongue weight is a function of the CG of how you place the boat on the trailer. If you get it on perfectly centered, tongue weight will be negligible. You can tell this if you can lift the boat on the trailer axle. If the boat is too far forward, tongue weight is positive corresponding to the force required to lift it. If the boat is too far aft the toung weight is negative, effectively lifting the back end of your vehicle off the ground. It's much safer to be a little forward than a little aft on the axle. Best of luck.
As for your weight questions, my boat comes in at 8000 lbs even though the advertised displacement is 7K. I've asked why and have been told it's due to a degree of water absorbtion.
The tongue weight is a function of the CG of how you place the boat on the trailer. If you get it on perfectly centered, tongue weight will be negligible. You can tell this if you can lift the boat on the trailer axle. If the boat is too far forward, tongue weight is positive corresponding to the force required to lift it. If the boat is too far aft the toung weight is negative, effectively lifting the back end of your vehicle off the ground. It's much safer to be a little forward than a little aft on the axle. Best of luck.