Trailering a 9'6" Boat

[jimmyg]

Hi,
A couple of the boats that I am considering (Rosborough 25.5, Kingfisher 28.5, Ocean Sport 30 (probably in my dreams only)) are 9'6" beams.

I live in the Upper Left Coast and will never go back to the East again (nothing against it at all, just so much great water out here, and so little time left). So trailering in Cal,Or,Wa,Id, BC(Rupert) are on the short list of opportunities.

Besides special permits and maybe a big wide load sign, is there anything else that would be a deal breaker?

Thanks so much for your help
Jimmy
Lopez Island, WA

[Hunkydory]

Jimmy

What's your experience in towing this kind of load in the places you would like to take it. I have spent a significant part of my life operating heavy equipment including trucks carrying or towing wide loads and I would not want to tow a 9.5 foot wide boat in many of the places we have towed the 22 foot CD.

Unless you have experience in this area the learning curve could get pretty pricey.

Jay

[Dene]

[Hunkydory]

[SeaSpray]

Hi Jimmy,

I have some friends that have the Kingfisher 26 that is also 9'6" wide. They have towed it to Lake Powell and Bellingham from California several times with no problems. They have never been stopped or even asked about the width of the boat. No wide load signs needed. The permits needed seem to just be another way to pay the states some money and only require a mailed application.

You do need to be more careful to not get into tight places. They tow with a 1/2 ton Chevy but the 30' may be more weight. If you don't mind the extra caution and expense of towing a large, wide heavy boat the 9'6" seems to make little difference.

Steve

[mailbox101]

Jimmy,

When I had someone haul my Monterey Clipper from Long Beach to San Francisco, the hauler, Captain Dave's out of Long Beach, pulled a permit although they stated that it wasn't required. The reason stated was that when you get the permit the engineers at Caltrans approve the route. That way, the logic went, if there was a mistake regarding bridge heights or roads they ought not be on, they had a state approved document to try to use to get themselves off the hook. All went well, so I do not know if this would have been effective, but thought I should toss it out there for consideration.

David B.

[Grumpy]

Jimmy,
We trailer our RF245 (8'6") which was set up by Les at EQ on a triple axle King trailer, Electric over hydraulic disk brakes and load equalizing hitch behind a Chevy HD 2500 Short bed Diesel with Allison transmission.

The big advantage of trailering on the PNW (at least) is that you can get to places like the Broughtons or Desolation in one day with no weather restrictions or major pucker factor events. We did that last year out of Telegraph Cove and we are relatively new to trailering. Our only previous experience was with a CD22 behind an F250 Gas powered.

Yes it can be fun getting 57ft of rig around some places and you need to plan. We usually research the route without the trailer before we go anywhere "unknown". Get all the "Trucker" resources such as maps etc.

Definitely get the biggest truck you can. There is no substitute for big brakes, weight and brute force. The long bed may be a little more stable but you lose on turning radius and that can be fun getting into ferry lines or even passing customs posts (funny story there for later in the winter season)

Good luck with your choices

Merv & Kathy

[dotnmarty]

Another option would be to keep it in the water and spend the next several years exploring "the great water out here". Then, instead of towing the wide load, buy a 16 or 22 ft. easily towable used C-Dory as a second vessel. You might even come out even when you consider the costs of the bigger tow vehicle. Oh, and you'll probably have more fun and less worry to boot.

[SENSEI]

I know that many of you followed Byrdman and I on our travels towing a Rosborough 246 from TN to WA state. it was set up similar to Grumpy's except our tow rig was a Ford Excursion Diesel Two wheel drive. Tripple axel King trailer with electric over Hyd. brakes. there were times when we were traveling that I almost forgot the boat was back there. it was a very easy pull for us.
My experience driving a commercial doubles tanker truck hauling milk into downtown Seattle migh have given me an edge pulling this boat tho.

[starcrafttom]

it 's all a matter of what you are used too. Those of us with class A ratings have trailered all sorts of stuff. Before concrete I ran propane in the snow for a few years. driving a 10,000 gallon bob tail two wheel drive in the snow up and down dirt road 12 hours a day can get hairy, until you get use to it. Same thing with towing a boat. You just have to get out and pratice. Pratice is not going to the ramp. Take the truck and boat out once in a while and just drive it around town . Go to the gas station you like best. get on and off the highway. everything gets easier with pratice. None of these boats are as big or as long as a semi, so why would it be hard to tow?

[Grumpy]

A few more advantages to trailering:-

1. Don't have to spend $2K+ on first time bottom paint and the maintenance thereof every couple of years.
2. Not sitting in an elelectrolytic bathtub of marine life soup (aka Marina) for 90% of it's life.
3. It's outside my window day and night if I want to save myself $x/hr to do all those "minor" jobs and housekeeping tasks.
4. I have two large hairy guards to keep out lower forms of life.
5. It doesn't cost $200/month (min) slip fees.

Yes, there will be a day when we can't manage the hauling and launching stuff but we will probably have a few other factors to consider at that time.

New day = new decision.

Do it while you can.

Merv

[Dene]

[Grumpy]

Nearly forgot:-

6. If (read "when") it breaks or needs expert attention, I can haul it to the dealer of choice rather than fall upon the mercies of the "fixer" nearest my marina who may or may not be good. This was a key driver when cruising in the Borughtons. In case of any major problem we would only have needed a local tow to Telegraph cove, then bring the boat home to be fixed rather than having to either leave the boat in Canada or get a 200 mile tow home.

Big trucks are really cheap right now for some reason

Merv

[thataway]

My personal experience, not as extensive as some others, includes oversized loads on High Sierra Dirt roads and towing boats and RV's which total length is at or treater than 65 feet and one 9'6" boat. I had not problem on the high way with the long rig--I had cameras on the RV and boat at 65 feet. No problems launching at a ramp. The only problems were at RV parks--where camp sites were often a bit tight--and the occasional gas station (gas rig, so I could not use the diesel pumps)--but a little foresight, and backing and filling always resolved these problems.

My experience with the wide load was that on narrow roads it was difficult, because of the overhand of branches, and narrow pavement--there are some roads which are not 11 or 12 feet wide per lane and you have to be very aware. But my RV, with awnings is almost 9' wide, and with mirrors is over 10' 6" wide, and no permit required---but it gives you a prospective on how wide the road is--and sometimes you need to stay right.

I have towed 9'6" locally with no wide load permit--but for any long distance towing I would get the wide load. I would wonder about towing an 8,000 lb (base weight) boat with a 1/2 ton truck--does not sound wise to me. If towing between states, I would get the permits.

I was under the impression that the Rosborough 246 was 8'6" beam, so that represents no problem.

[westward]

As Dr. Bob mentions, the Rosborough RF246 has a legally towable 8'-6" beam. I've seen and pored over them many times at EQ Harbor marine as part of my "dream-building" process. They are big, robust, sturdy boats but they appear to be very reasonably trailerable. The examples I've seen have all been sitting on trailers. My guess is that a heavy-duty tow-ready 3/4 ton would work, and that a 1-ton would handle it easily. Not really familiar with the other 2 boats you mention. My old trailering guidelines included: park at the far end of the Safeway lot, pull up so as not to be be blocked on the way out of any parking spot, touch check the wheel bearings at every stop, don't be afraid to slow down/downshift when pulling over a mountain pass, and don't use the drive-through at the McDonald's. As others have shared, it can be much more efficient and effective to cover the long hauls on the road rather than over water. Best of luck, Mike.