tips on trailering e23 1,000 miles...
Chafe....
We used to trailer a 20 foot sailboat hundreds of miles...
Chafe is the enemy. A general principal is that any rigging wired of piece of gear in contact with any gel-coated surface will wear a hole in the finish if not secured and padded.
The joke was that our mast and rigging, with its collection of bungee cords looked like it had been attacked by a swarm of garter snakes!
Anything inside was placed low down and padded with sail bags and duffles and throwable cushions... and the everpresent towels.
("Wherever you go in the Universe, always take your towel!")
Loren in PDX
We used to trailer a 20 foot sailboat hundreds of miles...
Chafe is the enemy. A general principal is that any rigging wired of piece of gear in contact with any gel-coated surface will wear a hole in the finish if not secured and padded.
The joke was that our mast and rigging, with its collection of bungee cords looked like it had been attacked by a swarm of garter snakes!
Anything inside was placed low down and padded with sail bags and duffles and throwable cushions... and the everpresent towels.
("Wherever you go in the Universe, always take your towel!")
Loren in PDX
Last edited:
rbonilla
"don't tread on me" member XVXIIIII
Loren...yea, thanx for the tips...I guess I will need to make sure I have pleanty of bungee cords and cushions / life jackets for "anti-chaffing" measures....I will start accumulating foam and watch for other items that may be of use...I got some nice info (from another ericson board member) regarding the cradles or mast supports whilst under "tow" or on the trailer...They seem like a great idea...I guess the paln is to secure in the boatyard, drive 25 miles or so and re secure...Checking things out every 1st 100 miles, or so..
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Sven
Seglare
plastic wrap ?
Might want to use the plastic wrap shippers use on pallets, especially on the mast, shrouds, halyards. It is cheap and you can put on lots, just inspect it every now and then to make sure it is not coming loose.
A spare tire for the trailer ? Having to leave someone to guard the trailer while you spend hours trying to track down a tire would be a real pain. Almost happened to us with a ski-boat we used to have, we lucked out since the truck spare fit ! It was pretty strange to see the rubber tire (the "flat" part) pass us as we slowed down on the way down a long incline.
-Sven
Might want to use the plastic wrap shippers use on pallets, especially on the mast, shrouds, halyards. It is cheap and you can put on lots, just inspect it every now and then to make sure it is not coming loose.
A spare tire for the trailer ? Having to leave someone to guard the trailer while you spend hours trying to track down a tire would be a real pain. Almost happened to us with a ski-boat we used to have, we lucked out since the truck spare fit ! It was pretty strange to see the rubber tire (the "flat" part) pass us as we slowed down on the way down a long incline.
-Sven
rbonilla
"don't tread on me" member XVXIIIII
good points Sven, thanx....a wheel (from my trailer) passing me downhill, is a sight I would rather not see as well......at least this trailer has 4 wheels...not as bad as my santana 22 that had only two....the shrink wrap is a good idea...thanx...
Sven said:
Trailering Tips
I used to trailer my O'Day 222, and there were a few things I picked up that might be helpful to you... You definitely want to have the mast in a cradle on the front and the back of the trailer - my trailer had a cradle that attached at the rudder pintles at the stern, and then I used a 2 x 4 creation at the bow pulpit, tied on securely, to keep the mast on the boat in the bumps. If you are going that far, you should also use a support at the middle, usually at the mast step (make something out of 2 x 4's that attaches at the pivot pins on the mast step).
For the shrouds and lines, I wanted to use duct tape to secure them - but that leaves an ugly mess that has to be dealt with later... so, I cut up black plastic trash bags into 4" wide strips, then wrapped them with the plastic, then put duct tape over the plastic - sticking problem solved.
At highway speeds, you'll find everything that is movable blowing like crazy in the wind, slamming around and nicking your gelcoat - so make sure everything is nailed down. A common problem is the companionway hatch - it is likely to get the wind under it and come flying off on the freeway - my boat was "hatch-less" from that very problem when I bought it. So, make sure you secure it front and back with those adjustable web belts, so that it can't possibly come off.
Everything in the boat also has to be secure, or you will have a huge mess when you arrive - so make sure everything is nailed down and low in the boat.
Some people use shrink wrap, even cooking spray, to keep the road tar, mud and bugs from adhering to the hull gel coat - they can be hard to get off.
Finally, try to drive slow - there are a lot of unusual stresses on a boat when you tow it, and you want her to be in good shape at the end of the trip.
It's all worth it, though, when launch the boat on a beautiful mountain lake. I always wanted to take my boat to Lake Tahoe - what a beautiful place to sail.
One final note - many inland lakes have banned two stroke engines - I suspect to keep the jet skiers off as much as to keep the water clean - so make sure that you're covered on that issue.
Have a great time - sounds like fun !
I used to trailer my O'Day 222, and there were a few things I picked up that might be helpful to you... You definitely want to have the mast in a cradle on the front and the back of the trailer - my trailer had a cradle that attached at the rudder pintles at the stern, and then I used a 2 x 4 creation at the bow pulpit, tied on securely, to keep the mast on the boat in the bumps. If you are going that far, you should also use a support at the middle, usually at the mast step (make something out of 2 x 4's that attaches at the pivot pins on the mast step).
For the shrouds and lines, I wanted to use duct tape to secure them - but that leaves an ugly mess that has to be dealt with later... so, I cut up black plastic trash bags into 4" wide strips, then wrapped them with the plastic, then put duct tape over the plastic - sticking problem solved.
At highway speeds, you'll find everything that is movable blowing like crazy in the wind, slamming around and nicking your gelcoat - so make sure everything is nailed down. A common problem is the companionway hatch - it is likely to get the wind under it and come flying off on the freeway - my boat was "hatch-less" from that very problem when I bought it. So, make sure you secure it front and back with those adjustable web belts, so that it can't possibly come off.
Everything in the boat also has to be secure, or you will have a huge mess when you arrive - so make sure everything is nailed down and low in the boat.
Some people use shrink wrap, even cooking spray, to keep the road tar, mud and bugs from adhering to the hull gel coat - they can be hard to get off.
Finally, try to drive slow - there are a lot of unusual stresses on a boat when you tow it, and you want her to be in good shape at the end of the trip.
It's all worth it, though, when launch the boat on a beautiful mountain lake. I always wanted to take my boat to Lake Tahoe - what a beautiful place to sail.
One final note - many inland lakes have banned two stroke engines - I suspect to keep the jet skiers off as much as to keep the water clean - so make sure that you're covered on that issue.
Have a great time - sounds like fun !