Need trailer for C-Dory 25

One of the issues with trailers, is that the rated capacity is often the trailer and boat. So be sure that you are getting a trailer big enough. 8700 should be OK. But if you get a 6500 # trailer, then it will likely be too light duty.

If you are going to do any boating in Canada or going up or down mountains, then get Electric over hydraulic brakes. For example British Columbia will not allow trailers over 6,173lbs to have surge brakes (Brakes must be capable of application from the towing vehicle cab).

Any price under $4,000 is a good buy, but a lot depends on features on the trailer. You can get tandem axle trailers with capacity well over 10,000 lbs. There are common setups rated for 12,000 lbs.
 
The trailer is an aluminum Venture 8725 with bunks and surge brakes. We are all the way down in Richmond, VA so the towing issue in Canada should not be an issue for us.

Can Venture really modify this trailer to work for the C-dory? Will the dealer have to make custom mods after it arrives to support the bow? The stock trailer photos show the bunks being lower than the fenders and I know that will not work.

Thanks!
 
Howdy,
Would anyone recommend towing a Venture 26 with a 2018 Toyota Sequoia? My wife loves the Sequoia and we spent so much money on it. I really do not want to have to buy another vehicle to tow the boat. I have not even bought the boat yet because I cannot afford it yet. I just need to know what I am faced with. Is there a possibility to get a special trailer with brakes that would make it legal to pull this boat with the Sequoia?

Thanks
 
No. The tow capacity of the 2018 Sequoia is 7,000 to 7,400 lbs. The higher capacity is with the 2 wheel drive. Generally the Venture 26 will be in the 8,000# arena including a good trailer. The engine is adequate in the Sequoia, but the springs are just not up to the load. The GCWR is 13,600 lbs. the vehicular weight is 5,695 to 6,000 lbs depending on trim and drive train capacity. This does not leave much for carrying capacity if you at the limit (and I believe that you will be over the limit, unless the boat has no water, fuel, or many supplies etc.

You should use electric over hydraulic brakes for any of the lighter tow vehicles, and really should probably use on all of the larger boats for safety. If you go into Canada you are required to have "cab operated brakes".

I was towing with a Yukon XL with capacity of 8,000 lbs and felt it was marginal. I had added air bags. Went to 2500 Ford and a world of difference.

If you were only going a few miles to a ramp--OK--but if there was an accident, and it was determined that you were over capacity, things may not be in your favor.

The Ford Excursion, which used to be made with 3/4 ton chassis and 7.3 L Diesel engine was a good tow vehicle for the 25/26. But these are no longer made.
 
Thanks, Thataway, for taking the time to respond. I appreciate the advice. I really want to make sure I have a safe towing vehicle. I may need to work on coaxing the wife to agree to something else :?
 
Bringing this thread back to life for more current information. I'm now looking for a new trailer for C-Traveler, and have pretty much narrowed it down to the Load Rite -AB26T8400102LTB2, or the Venture Command series, COM 8100. I've found dealers with very competitive prices on both trailers, coming in right around $7000 for the options I want. Here's the advantages and disadvantages I'm looking at.
The Load Rite has a slot in the aft bunk for placing a sling strap thru that the others don't have. LR also has what appears to be a 5 year warranty on the main frame, 2 yrs on everything else. Venture just has the standard 2 year warranty. Both will come with EOH disc brakes, the upright load pole in the back and stainless steel hardware. The Venture comes with Aluminum wheels standard, but I'm perfectly fine with the galvanized wheels. (Don't need a showy wheel to tempt thieves!) The big kicker here is I can pick the Venture up 90 miles away near Milwaukee. The Load Rite would require a drive one way of 905 to 1300 miles, depending on where I chose to pick it up. Guess it's not a big deal. Both manufacturers have a 8-12 week lead time right now, and it might be good to go on a road trip in Jan or Feb. I like that Load Rite has special channels to run their wiring and brake lines in, while I'm not sure how Venture runs their wiring. And do the channels hide the wire and lines from view making it harder to inspect them. I thought about EZ-Loader earlier, as that is what I had under Midnight Flyer, and that trailer worked well. However, I just haven't been able to get many replies back on pricing, and those that I got were much higher. (I suspect dealer markup.) SO anyone here with experience with the newer Venture Command series trailers, or their customer service. Major Tom did mention to me in another thread about the lousy customer service he got with Load Rite. I do like the idea of getting the trailer from a local dealer (will not so local, but at least in the same state), that stocks parts for that trailer. And as I understand many of these trailers are just manufactured with the same parts, but put together by different companies. Colby
 
Just saw some better pictures of the Venture COM 8100. Looks to me like the bunks are similar to those on my Karavan. Edge up. That has pretty much made my mind up on the Load Rite if those photos were accurate. (I think the Load Rite style is much easier to adjust...)
 
Colby, My Load Rite is identical to Tom's. I much prefer the flat board bunks--ve the on edge, which is more geared for the deep V crowd. My target bunks just barely take the load.

I have not had any issues with the trailer--time for new seals...but other wise, there is a full ground system, it does tie to the trailer frame, but also full grounds. The stand off's are robust, And I have mounted a second set of lights on them.
 
Thanks Bob. I'm still leaning heavily on ordering the Load Rite from Enterprise near Orlando. Then likely pick it up at one of the two factory locations in either PA or NC. The PA one is closer to me, but my wife has a good friend that wouldn't be to far out of the way in NC. Otherwise, I could work it out with our trek down to Hontoon. EZ-Loader does have some dealers around Wisconsin, and I found one in the Dells that's suppose to get back to me with pricing. If I found an EZ-Loader dealer in state here that offered the cut rate pricing, I'd probably stay with that brand as I had good luck with Midnight Flyer's trailer. But some earlier quotes I got from big boat dealers came in quite a bit higher. Dealer markup I'm sure... Either way, I really want to make a decision by the end of the week, so I can get something on order so as to have it before March. Colby
 
Hey Colby, did you happen to look into Owens and Sons custom trailers in St. Petersburg FL?

The guys over on The Hull Truth rave about Owens and Sons quality and customer service whenever someone brings up questions about buying a new trailer.

Just another option for you since it seems like you don't mind road tripping to get something nice. And, if you're doing Hontoon anyway, it's not all that much further. Allen
 
The issue with Owens and son or Sport Trail (also high recommended in THT, plus I owned one--ST is in Bay St. Louis< MS.) Is that they would have to custom build the C Dory trailer. Easy enough to do, but it means having the boat there for a few days, I suspect. It might be worth for Colby to inquire both of these...

I know my local trailer shop is over 2 weeks behind orders..I would not be surprised to find that ST and OS were also back ordered.

My Load Rite is as good as the OS or ST trailers. All trailers use the same basic components, it is how they are put together. The better trailers are going to cost more, because they are heavier duty and there is no cost cutting, as in some mass produced trailers.
 
Pretty sure I'm just going to go for the Load Rite. There are at least 4 folks here that have them, whose opinions I trust, and that have been happy with the Load Rite. When it comes right down to it, the only thing that has held me back so far, is rather or not I can find something local (in Wisconsin) that I like. But I like everything I've seen about the Load Rite, and I've got the time to travel out of state to get one. I've gotten a few replies back from Wisconsin or Illinois dealers, but either I don't like the bunk set up on the trailer, or it's a big boat dealer than has a markup putting the trailers in the $10,000 range. I can get the Load Rite from either Enterprise, or Pirate, for $7000 with the options I want. That's about what I was hoping I could find one for. (Last new trailer I bought was around $6200, a custom made one for my Sea Ray Sundancer at the time, and was about 15 years ago. I was worried that maybe I was kidding myself thinking I'd find a trailer for under $7000.) The base LR trailer is about $5200. The EOH upgrade is approx $700, S/S hardware upgrade around $330 (for frame hardware, bunk tube fasteners & brake lines), and adding a spare tire, and spare tire carrier with spare hub/spindle assembly pushing it up around another $250 or so. Pirate would actually be just a tad closer in distance, however they close for the winter and wouldn't even get my trailer in until after March. The gal I've been working with at Enterprise has been very prompt in returning my emails and answering my questions. And she can set it up so I can either pick the trailer up from them in the Orlando area, or from one of the two factory lots in either PA or NC. And I know Load Rite has made many trailers for the C-Dory, so they should have the initial setup specs. Not saying I won't change my mind in the next day, but that's where I see it now. Colby
 
Colby, I think you are making the right choice. I ordered my LoadRite Elite in 2016 (GVWR 9940 lbs) and have put about 15k miles on it since with no problems other than tires, It came with 15" Karrier Load Stars D, an inferior quality tire in my opinion.
Tom (Avidmagnum) was a lot of help with the set up of the bunks and sent me detailed instructions & pictures. Thanks again Tom.
I had LoadRite add a second set of vertical guide poles forward of the axles, something to consider.
All lights are LED and have been problem free even after many dips in salt water.
My dealer was Marine WareHouse in wilmington NC, a very efficient and friendly
outfit with a good working relationship with LoadRite. It took about 5 weeks between order and delivery. You might want a quote from them. If you need a serial or model # let me know.
Best of luck, Alain
 
Thanks Alain. You were one of the four I mentioned above and Tom has already sent me the same measurement photos. I just started the order process thru Enterprise this morning. I’ll set it to pick the trailer up in PA. Their lead time was 10-12 weeks, but hoping with winter setting in and fewer orders that might shorten up. Their pricing was comparable to Pirate Marine. I wasn’t quite as impressed with them and they wouldn’t get my trailer until April or later and wouldn’t let me pick it up sooner at the factory. My total price with upgrades to stainless hardware and brake lines, along with the spare tire, carrier and spare hub/spindle is $6550. My only disappointment is that the EOH actuator is mounted on the tongue and they won’t raise it. They would however extend the tongue for $67 and I wasn’t interested. I don’t know why these builders can’t figure out a tongue mount isn’t high enuf for shallow ramps at places like Bullfrog Bay! Btw the model number I have been using is LR-AB26T8400102LTB2. That was the one Tom gave me and appears to be the right trailer.
 
Yes, that's the same Model #. Did they give you a choice of tires? You are right about the actuator being too low on the tongue, I submerged mine on the Wahweep ramp last month, my exhaust pipe was underwater as well.. No damage was done to the actuator itself I think (HydraStar) but I had to remove the breakaway battery and dry out the board.
Alain
 
The specs say the tires are Kenda's. I did some quick research on them, and they sound ok. I'm tempted to change them out when I get the trailer with my Carlisles, as they are LR E, and the tires on the new trailer are LR D. However, with warranty policies, I probably best leave the tires it comes with on it. I will probably move the actuator higher on my own. Or perhaps give Load Rite a call directly and let them know that the tongue mount is not wise! Colby
 
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