Okay, so I know this is a loaded question. But it will at least be fun.

I just bought a larger boat, 27' Concorde with a single Inboard. We got it
for the room and the ability to go further in the boat, but now we have a
question. I am of the mindset to dock it and be done and only trailer when
going to the Keys etc. However, there is a valid alternative to putting it
on a trailer so I can launch at alternative inlets without the need to motor
too far.

What are the opinions, pros/cons of trailering a inboard around.

Just my $.02 so far is that it seems getting it on and off the trailer will
be a bit more difficult as will finding ramps deep enough to accomodate it.

Opinions please?

Thanks!
Mark

I have a similar sized boast, a 26' flybridge cruiser which is 13' tall,
9'6" wide and weighs about 10,000#. I bought it in Seattle, trailered it
home to Minnesota, and this June tralered it back out to Vancouver
Island so I could go up the Inside Passage. I will be trailering it down
to Miami for a cruise in the Bahamas this March.

You need a quality galvanized trailer with good brakes and a large
vehicle, especially if you're pulling it up and down the Rocky
Mountains. Florida may be a bit flatter. I have a 3/4 ton Yukon XL. I
haven't had any problems launching. It takes about an hour to get it all
set up and on the trailer, much less to get going in the water. Make
sure you find out what yours really weighs; mine is a bit heavier than
it was supposed to be with stuff in it.

I think it's a superior way to go as long as the boat will do the job
for you and your crew. Mine is out of the water except when I'm using
it, meaning I don't worry about it sinking, corrosion and growth
problems, theft, etc. I can work on it at home at my liesure where I
have tools and time. I get it all set up for a trip here, instead of at
the marina, so I'm ready to go when I hit the launch. I fill at the gas
station on my way to the launch, where fuel costs $.50/gallon less. I
winterize it myself and save $$. It's right outside my front door now,
where I can think about enjoying it in March, instead of how cold it is
here already, 15 degrees yesterday!

Capt. Jeff

You bring up a ton of good points, and exactly why I was asking. I am
leaning more and more towards trailering it for all the points you
mentioned, and the flexibility, not to mention the cost factor... Think of
how many other good toys I can put on the boat if I don't have 4k a year in
dock fees!

Thanks for all the help and info.
Mark.


"Messing In Boats" wrote in message
...
I have a similar sized boast, a 26' flybridge cruiser which is 13' tall,
9'6" wide and weighs about 10,000#. I bought it in Seattle, trailered it
home to Minnesota, and this June tralered it back out to Vancouver
Island so I could go up the Inside Passage. I will be trailering it down
to Miami for a cruise in the Bahamas this March.

You need a quality galvanized trailer with good brakes and a large
vehicle, especially if you're pulling it up and down the Rocky
Mountains. Florida may be a bit flatter. I have a 3/4 ton Yukon XL. I
haven't had any problems launching. It takes about an hour to get it all
set up and on the trailer, much less to get going in the water. Make
sure you find out what yours really weighs; mine is a bit heavier than
it was supposed to be with stuff in it.

I think it's a superior way to go as long as the boat will do the job
for you and your crew. Mine is out of the water except when I'm using
it, meaning I don't worry about it sinking, corrosion and growth
problems, theft, etc. I can work on it at home at my liesure where I
have tools and time. I get it all set up for a trip here, instead of at
the marina, so I'm ready to go when I hit the launch. I fill at the gas
station on my way to the launch, where fuel costs $.50/gallon less. I
winterize it myself and save $$. It's right outside my front door now,
where I can think about enjoying it in March, instead of how cold it is
here already, 15 degrees yesterday!

Capt. Jeff

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 09:18:38 -0600, Messing In Boats wrote:

I have a similar sized boast, a 26' flybridge cruiser which is 13' tall,
9'6" wide and weighs about 10,000#. I bought it in Seattle, trailered it
home to Minnesota, and this June tralered it back out to Vancouver
Island so I could go up the Inside Passage. I will be trailering it down
to Miami for a cruise in the Bahamas this March.

I was under the impression that anything wider than 8' 0" needed special
permits to go over the public highways. Is this the case, and, if it is,
how hard are they to get, what kind of restrictions, etc.?

Thanks,
--

Larry
email is rapp at lmr dot com

I did some research in Florida and the rules/laws I found were this:

Overal Length must be less than 48 feet.
Width 8'6"
Height 13'6"

And any trailer over 3000 pounds in Florida must have brakes.

Not sure if anyone else has any other data. But I never saw on how to
trailer anything wider than the 8'6" rule, it just stated that was the
maximum width.

BTW - A local dealer didn't even know of the law and regularly tows a 9'
beam. But the trailer is still like 8'7" wide so maybe that is it?? not
sure.

Mark.

"Larry" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 09:18:38 -0600, Messing In Boats wrote:

I have a similar sized boast, a 26' flybridge cruiser which is 13' tall,
9'6" wide and weighs about 10,000#. I bought it in Seattle, trailered it
home to Minnesota, and this June tralered it back out to Vancouver
Island so I could go up the Inside Passage. I will be trailering it down
to Miami for a cruise in the Bahamas this March.

I was under the impression that anything wider than 8' 0" needed special
permits to go over the public highways. Is this the case, and, if it is,
how hard are they to get, what kind of restrictions, etc.?

Thanks,
--

Larry
email is rapp at lmr dot com

Almost every state prohibits trailering a load over 8'6" without a
permit. (Some states limit it to 8'0".) The permits are usually easy to
get,(except Wisconsin and Idaho, in my opinion) costing $9 to 20, in my
experience. There some marking, time, location and date restraints, but
these aren't usually much of a consideration until you get over 10'6".

I don't always get one, since no one has ever heard of my boat (a Cooper
Prowler 8M, see what I mean?) and it's likely the local or state
authorities don't know how wide it is.) Someday I will probably get
pulled over and will deal with it then.

The biggest deal is to make sure your vehicle is big enough, your brakes
work, repack wheel bearings annually, be sure the tongue weight is 7 -
10% of gross. I don't use a weight distributing hitch because they
usually interfere with the brakes and the rig tows fine without it. I
also sleep in the boat at truck stops. It saves $$, I know the boat
won't be broken into and I can cook. I'm having trouble getting the head
to work in the parking lot, though.....

The biggest disadvantage to the whole towing/trailering thing is not
being able to hop on the boat and take off for the weekend or day
without the producytion of putting it in the water. I'm able to store
the boat and trailer in a safe marina on Lake Superior for $100/month. A
slip would cost me over $2000/year. And you have to factor in the cost
of owning the SUV which gets 15mpg at best on the highway, 8mpg when
it's pulling the boat.

But I would never be able to have done Alaska and the Bahamas, so I
think it's worth it. And I'm also doing it in a boat I know, trust and
am familiar with. I have not chartered a boat as well outfitted or in as
good a condition as mine, another consideration.

Capt. Jeff

Just so you'll think about it...
I had my MaXum 2550 stored on the trailer at a "secure"
storage lot in the middle of a busy district. 8' barbed
fences and 24 hr attendant. The drive and numerous items
within the boat were stolen within 1 month.
JR

Messing In Boats wrote:

Almost every state prohibits trailering a load over 8'6" without a
permit. (Some states limit it to 8'0".) The permits are usually easy to
get,(except Wisconsin and Idaho, in my opinion) costing $9 to 20, in my
experience. There some marking, time, location and date restraints, but
these aren't usually much of a consideration until you get over 10'6".

I don't always get one, since no one has ever heard of my boat (a Cooper
Prowler 8M, see what I mean?) and it's likely the local or state
authorities don't know how wide it is.) Someday I will probably get
pulled over and will deal with it then.

The biggest deal is to make sure your vehicle is big enough, your brakes
work, repack wheel bearings annually, be sure the tongue weight is 7 -
10% of gross. I don't use a weight distributing hitch because they
usually interfere with the brakes and the rig tows fine without it. I
also sleep in the boat at truck stops. It saves $$, I know the boat
won't be broken into and I can cook. I'm having trouble getting the head
to work in the parking lot, though.....

The biggest disadvantage to the whole towing/trailering thing is not
being able to hop on the boat and take off for the weekend or day
without the producytion of putting it in the water. I'm able to store
the boat and trailer in a safe marina on Lake Superior for $100/month. A
slip would cost me over $2000/year. And you have to factor in the cost
of owning the SUV which gets 15mpg at best on the highway, 8mpg when
it's pulling the boat.

But I would never be able to have done Alaska and the Bahamas, so I
think it's worth it. And I'm also doing it in a boat I know, trust and
am familiar with. I have not chartered a boat as well outfitted or in as
good a condition as mine, another consideration.

Capt. Jeff

--
Remove X to reply

--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth

Have you ever towed a boat or object of this size?
It's a big job. I regularly tow by 24 footer around the New England
area. Its ok, but I would think twice about towing anything larger
than that on a regular basis. And, I don't take it to the water for
day trips much. Usually I go out for several days or a whole week at a
time which makes trailering a large(r) boat more worthwhile.
Max allowable beam is 8.5 ft on the highway, and thats of the largest
width of the load ( boat or trailer.)
Trailering large stuff is a big liability as well. Ever deal with
getting stuck onto narrow sideroads with a rig like that due to a
detour or something? It's no fun.
Not to be totally negative, there are a lot of advantages to
trailering, but at some size you just have to consider the amount of
work and safety risk that trailering is and keep it in the water, and
27 feet is durn big.
John C.


On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 14:27:51 GMT, "Mark Davis"
wrote:

Okay, so I know this is a loaded question. But it will at least be fun.

I just bought a larger boat, 27' Concorde with a single Inboard. We got it
for the room and the ability to go further in the boat, but now we have a
question. I am of the mindset to dock it and be done and only trailer when
going to the Keys etc. However, there is a valid alternative to putting it
on a trailer so I can launch at alternative inlets without the need to motor
too far.

What are the opinions, pros/cons of trailering a inboard around.

Just my $.02 so far is that it seems getting it on and off the trailer will
be a bit more difficult as will finding ramps deep enough to accomodate it.

Opinions please?

Thanks!
Mark

Yeah, actually I have towed a lot of multi-car trailers over the past 10
years, mostly through the midwest when we were buying and restoring cars
(another hobby at one time). I totally agree with everything you said, and
in fact tonight when I picked up the rental trailer so I can go get the boat
I got snagged by a damn detour. It put me on "historic" downtown streets
with a 30 foot trailer and a 1 Ton Dodge DWR, talk about wide and long!

I'm thinking I will go ahead and buy a trailer (considering their easy to
resell in this area) and try it for a while, but I think I am going to find
that having it on the water where I plan to use it 75% of the time is going
to be the trick... But then there are those cost factors too. Once again I
am a waffle on the subject.

Appreciate the input!!

"jchaplain" wrote in message
...
Have you ever towed a boat or object of this size?
It's a big job. I regularly tow by 24 footer around the New England
area. Its ok, but I would think twice about towing anything larger
than that on a regular basis. And, I don't take it to the water for
day trips much. Usually I go out for several days or a whole week at a
time which makes trailering a large(r) boat more worthwhile.
Max allowable beam is 8.5 ft on the highway, and thats of the largest
width of the load ( boat or trailer.)
Trailering large stuff is a big liability as well. Ever deal with
getting stuck onto narrow sideroads with a rig like that due to a
detour or something? It's no fun.
Not to be totally negative, there are a lot of advantages to
trailering, but at some size you just have to consider the amount of
work and safety risk that trailering is and keep it in the water, and
27 feet is durn big.
John C.


On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 14:27:51 GMT, "Mark Davis"
wrote:

Okay, so I know this is a loaded question. But it will at least be fun.

I just bought a larger boat, 27' Concorde with a single Inboard. We got
it
for the room and the ability to go further in the boat, but now we have a
question. I am of the mindset to dock it and be done and only trailer
when
going to the Keys etc. However, there is a valid alternative to putting
it
on a trailer so I can launch at alternative inlets without the need to
motor
too far.

What are the opinions, pros/cons of trailering a inboard around.

Just my $.02 so far is that it seems getting it on and off the trailer
will
be a bit more difficult as will finding ramps deep enough to accomodate
it.

Opinions please?

Thanks!
Mark

Just so you'll think about it...
I had my MaXum 2550 stored on the trailer at a "secure"
storage lot in the middle of a busy district. 8' barbed
fences and 24 hr attendant. The drive and numerous items
within the boat were stolen within 1 month.
JR

If this type of thing occurs there routinely:
Look closely at the attendant.