All up weight of an Etap 22i

[rr_123]

I wondered whether anyone here can help; having sold my Princess 25 mobo I am giving very serious consideration to buying an Etap 22i, the displacement of the boat is given as 975kg with a keel ballast of 235kg, can anybody tell me what the towing weight is including the trailer? Can't seem to find anything on that and I am hoping, somewhat optimistically I realise, for a quarter of a ton...

Would the book weight cover sails/battery/cushions etc which could be chucked in the tractor?

I have a landrover which I know will be able to tow it, but it's a bit agricultural for long distances and it would make a big difference to comfort and economy if the thing could be towed behind my old diesel-merc for example which has a towing capacity of 1500kg

R

 

[Boomshanka]

The Etap Owners Association is probably your best bet, quite a few Etap 22i folk on there: http://www.tabcrest.com/eoa/phpBB2/index.php

 

[rr_123]

Thanks for the Link Boomshanka, I did come across that site in my googling and trawl it for info, but with only 1 or 2 posts in the last month I thought I'd ask on here first (hopefully endorsed by your reply within 11 minutes )

 

[Lakesailor]

The trailer is quoted at 300kg on this Etap document.
That would be the supplied trailer.
I had a fourwheel adjustable trailer for a bilge keeler which would have taken up to a 23 foot boat. That trailer weighed 330Kgs so I would say that is definitely the right area.

 

[rr_123]

The trailer is quoted at 300kg

Thanks LS, that would make it teasingly close to the 1500kg capacity of the merc. I wonder whether the vessel could be lightened or what the fine for being 10kg over would be...

 

[Lakesailor]

Tow it to a weighbridge with the Landy. You may find that with the gear on board and furlers and stuff that it weighs more than the quoted weight. Whilst the lure of towing with a civilised car may strong, you would be at the car's limit and the Landy would probably be a more secure option. You can't do more than 50mph anyway.

 

[Seajet]

Be careful; the police have publicised the fact they 'are going to go after boats on trailers, as up to now they've got away with it'.

There's a police trap near the New Forest where they pounce on trailed boats & caravans and force them to a weighbridge; I get the impression the fines if over are steep.

Also it seems they go by the maximum weight possible on the trailer plate, not the sensible idea of what one is actually towing...

 

[aquaplane]

I towed a 20' boat with a quoted displacement of 910Kg with a 406 rated @ 1500Kg, it did fine. All the removable weight, outboard, tools, and stuff was in the car.
Having said that, the peace of mind towing it behind the Discovery is invaluable, it just feels solid. The Disco 300Tdi has less power than the 406 but that's not an issue, it's the stability that counts.
I think that if you weigh the Etap it'll weigh nearer 2Te than 1500Kg so the Landrover is the best bet.

 

[Lakesailor]

Also it seems they go by the maximum weight possible on the trailer plate, not the sensible idea of what one is actually towing...

That is how the law is. If your vehicle can tow 2000kgs and the trailer is plated for GTW of 2500Kgs you are towing it illegally, even if it's empty!
Absolute madness. I had protracted discussions at Indespension about this, but they were right.

So if the OP finds the trailer with the boat is plated for 1600kgs, it would be illegal to tow it with his Merc.

You can however, quite legally have a trailer plate made with a GTW below your Maximum Towing Weight for your vehicle. You obviously have to make sure you don't overload the trailer according to the new plate.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I do not want to hi jack this thread but it looks like a good place to ask a quick question. I have a Wayfarer dinghy on a new combo trailer. The combo came with the boat but there is no plate on the trailer. Is it a legal requirement to have a plate fitted to the trailer and would this apply to an old home made trailer (8' x 4') as well?

 

[rr_123]

That is how the law is. If your vehicle can tow 2000kgs and the trailer is plated for GTW of 2500Kgs you are towing it illegally, even if it's empty!
Absolute madness. I had protracted discussions at Indespension about this, but they were right.

So if the OP finds the trailer with the boat is plated for 1600kgs, it would be illegal to tow it with his Merc.

You can however, quite legally have a trailer plate made with a GTW below your Maximum Towing Weight for your vehicle. You obviously have to make sure you don't overload the trailer according to the new plate.

That's incredible! I have a big snipe trailer which I used to tow the P25 (and its Fjord predecessor) rated at 2750kg, but it only weighs 750kgs so I've happily moved it empty with the merc I'm a desperado!

I thought that weighing the rig was the best solution, but seemingly not, sounds like that would just be an effective way of getting two offences for the price of one!!

Thanks everyone for your input on this

R