New C-Dory Owner

The manuals mostly are a collection of the instructions for the accessories--and some other general information.

If you have a smaller vehicle with a hitch, you can probably move the boat around the driveway. I have even moved some good sized boats with a garden tractor. If you got it in, you should be able to back it out--slowly...

The trailering will become second nature after a while.
 
Hi Dan and Tanya,
Whaa Hooo, you got it home. :shock: 8) :thup :thup Great. Hey from here on it's cake, and learning and you will get a ton of help right here on the Brat site.

Couple of tips on backing that might help. We occasionally use a pair of the little FRS radios. That keeps the neighbors guessing, in stead of the wild hand signals and lots of yelling. The one my wife really loves :oops: is when we get into a tight spot and I get out and let her drive. (Oh yea, then I go round with the radio and direct in micro steps, wheel direction, forward, reverse, ect.) Our usual parking place gets us within a half inch of the fence and garage, couldn't beat it with a shoe horn, but the little radios work great.

Another backing trick to make it easier, ALWAYS leave the electric hook-up to the trailer plugged in, (except when backing down the ramp into the water). Keeps the trailer brakes turned off when backing.

Hope to see you on the water real soon neighbor. Glad you are in the class. You will appreciate where it takes you.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Hi Dan,

For reasons I've mentioned in another thread we found ourselves with a difficult parking situation. In our case, a guide stripe on the drive made parking OK, and we considered hand held radios to make it easier, but my wife preferred a solution that eliminated her stress, instead of reducing it. We bought a Power Caster and love it.

I'm not familiar with the Power Hitch and couldn't get it to Google up, but I have looked at a number of others. We found only two that were high quality, Power Caster and Power Mover. I preferred the Power Caster for several reasons and am very happy with the choice.

Jill Marie Meier at Power Caster is great to work with. The quality of the dolly is great. If you check sites right now, you will find that Power Caster is currently without testimonials. Their website provider just went out of business, and Jill is reconstructing their site. The guest book page that contained the testimonials won't be back up for a while, but the reviews were glowing and testified to quality, function, longevity and the company's participation in selling used machines.

For anybody with a tricky parking situation, a look at www.powercaster.com would be worthwhile, in my opinion.

Regards to all,

Greg
 
Greg, will the Power Caster work with a gravel driveway? Also what is the cost?

Thanks,
Warren
 
Hi- You might know this already. After my neighbor, a trucker, saw me struggle, he told me this. When backing the trailer, put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. Turn your hand, and the wheel it holds, in the direction you want the trailer to go. Shazaam, your a trailer backer-upper pro.
 
Hi Warren,

Jill would tell you that in relation to the Power Caster the traction issue is almost totally about tongue weight. We are using it on concrete, but it will work on gravel or even grass with enough traction. They do offer a knobby tire for off concrete use. The unit mounts to and adapter no more than 20" behind the ball hitch rather than using a ball hitch. This increases the tongue weight on the unit. Without grade issues, I cannot imagine gravel creating a problem.

The price on the PC-3 unit that you would need was just over $1000. Shipping is additional. Pricey -- but it will last forever -- and promote harmony in my marriage -- which, of course, is priceless. :)

By the way, according to Jill, you only have to factor the tongue weight into consideration. She says they have not found a boat the PC-3 will not move with enough traction. Having used it, I believe her. So the Tomcat's tongue weight is well within range, and you can disregard the total weight.

Regards,
Greg
 
Hi Marty -- Good tip. Another is a strategy for using the mirrors. When possible line the trailer tires up with a parallel line. On a ramp it would be a joint in the concrete. Hand on top of the wheel, turn toward the side the trailer is moving in the wrong direction toward. The parallel line helps this become an early and slight correction. Instant pro -- no matter how far you have to back -- and you can go fast if you want.

Regards,
Greg
 
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