Are Fin Keel boats that difficult to transport by road?

[Francoisvdm]

Hello All,

I bought a small Hurley 20 Fin Keel which is on hard stand at the brokers. It is stood on a cradle with wheels but the challenge is no lifting gear on the pickup end.
I kind of feel it could be winched onto a car trailer but am I being stupid even thinking that?
Any suggestions appreciated (else I will revert to the hiab solution)

thanks

 

[SaltIre]

Welcome to the forum. Have you any pictures of the boat/cradle arrangement? Your cradle may be a "yard cradle", not designed for use on a road trailer.
Another source of advice is the Hurley Owners Association: Hurley Owners Association

 

[Francoisvdm]

Hello All,

I bought a small Hurley 20 Fin Keel which is on hard stand at the brokers. It is stood on a cradle with wheels but the challenge is no lifting gear on the pickup end.
I kind of feel it could be winched onto a car trailer but am I being stupid even thinking that?
Any suggestions appreciated (else I will revert to the hiab solution)

thanks

This is a pic of the boat, part of the problem is hiring a trailer for a fin keel is near impossible.
Even the guys with the hiab's are looking to use the cradle during transport, so that's what made me think about pulling it onto a 6 wheel car trailer

 

[Refueler]

Bite the bullet and get a Haulage Co to do the job. It may cost a bit more - but its done job then.

I've moved many boats Fin / Long / Twin / Triple etc. incl much larger than yours ... but when it comes to Road Haulage - I have always left it to the real boys.
My present boat 4 tons ... 25ft ... Bilge Keeler .... guy I know - Haulage Contractor provides an artic truck with 30ton telescopic crane ..... if I was a single keel - he would provide a cradle to sit boat in on trailer ...

The question remains - what will boat stand in at destination / what's organised there ?

 

[Refueler]

In the UK are many 'Boat Movers' ... and they usually have all the kit to do the job.

Again its price - but job is done properly.

Is the trailer bought with the boat - or it property of the yard.

I would search the classifieds etc. for a 'yard trailer' ..... BUT if you can find a road trailer ... the H20 is not such a large boat that a decent van or car cannot tow. I used to tow my Snapdragon 23 behind a Toyota Pickup .... my Alacrity 19 (similar weight / size to your H20) behind a Capri 2.8i .....

 

[The Q]

The boat's about a ton.. Easy enough to jack up that trolley and then slide a flat bed trailer under it..

 

[Chiara’s slave]

A trailer for a fin keeler is surely 4 adjustable pads and a central channel or plank. Same as any single keel boat.

I reckon that Hurley would fit on an X one design trailer, even though they are long keel. You’d just need to move the pads up a bit.

 

[bignick]

You have no triangulation in the fwd/aft direction on your cradle. If you look at a trailer for a fin keel yacht then you will see bracing fore and aft, as well as the transverse bracing on your cradle. Fairly easy to fix - you could do it with cables and bottle screws. However, if you’re going to have to modify your cradle and still hire a trailer to put it on, then you may find it easier to contact one of the boat moving companies who are already set up to do it.

You say that there’s no crane facility at the pickup end. How did the boat get put on the cradle in the first place?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

You have no triangulation in the fwd/aft direction on your cradle. If you look at a trailer for a fin keel yacht then you will see bracing fore and aft, as well as the transverse bracing on your cradle. Fairly easy to fix - you could do it with cables and bottle screws. However, if you’re going to have to modify your cradle and still hire a trailer to put it on, then you may find it easier to contact one of the boat moving companies who are already set up to do it.

You say that there’s no crane facility at the pickup end. How did the boat get put on the cradle in the first place?

How? I suspect a lunar powered hydraulic lift was employed.

 

[bignick]

The cradles that I’ve seen to recover boats have steerable front wheels, but yes, I guess it could have been floated on.

 

[Francoisvdm]

Hello All,

I bought a small Hurley 20 Fin Keel which is on hard stand at the brokers. It is stood on a cradle with wheels but the challenge is no lifting gear on the pickup end.
I kind of feel it could be winched onto a car trailer but am I being stupid even thinking that?
Any suggestions appreciated (else I will revert to the hiab solution)

thanks

Thanks all for the suggestions. I guess the risk is always you don't know what you don't know, so doing it yourself carries a lot more risk. I think

 

[Francoisvdm]

Hi All,

Thanks very much for all the input, its really valuable. I don't know how the yacht got there in the first place (been wondering a bit about that as well). On the target end its going to a Marina with lifting gear so no problem there. So whilst it looks kinds doable I think the point on triangulation and balancing the load (thanks Chiara's slave) gives me a better understanding of some of the challenges. As suggested by a number of folk, this is not a DIY / amateur job so get someone who knows what they are doing and have the right gear.

Great forum and super feedback, thanks again for all the contributions

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We crane and trail our own boats in the XOD class. 20ft 7 and 1300+ kg. I jack, prop and chock mine to paint her every year. You need the gear, but at this weight it’s not rocket science. Just a great deal of care, and thinking it through before acting.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

In the UK are many 'Boat Movers' ... and they usually have all the kit to do the job.

Again its price - but job is done properly.

Is the trailer bought with the boat - or it property of the yard.

I would search the classifieds etc. for a 'yard trailer' ..... BUT if you can find a road trailer ... the H20 is not such a large boat that a decent van or car cannot tow. I used to tow my Snapdragon 23 behind a Toyota Pickup .... my Alacrity 19 (similar weight / size to your H20) behind a Capri 2.8i .....

That trailer looks very similar to the one that came with my first boat, which was a Leisure 17. It had two 6 inch wide channels where the keels sat (note gramatically correct use of the word "sat" ) and it had rings fore and aft to which to attach ratchet straps. OP could obtain an old flatbed trailer, remove the body and weld/have welded on the requisite channels and tie-down rings. Of course the bearings should be renewed, and if possible rust prevention should be applied internally to the tubular framework. Any boat less than 8 ft wide can be towed behind an adequate tow car.

 

[jwfrary]

This is a pic of the boat, part of the problem is hiring a trailer for a fin keel is near impossible. View attachment 143622
Even the guys with the hiab's are looking to use the cradle during transport, so that's what made me think about pulling it onto a 6 wheel car trailer

Car trailers are often quite heavy by themselves so it's quite easy to get overweight. But there's no reason without some care it couldn't be done.

 

[TSB240]

That trailer looks very similar to the one that came with my first boat, which was a Leisure 17. It had two 6 inch wide channels where the keels sat (note gramatically correct use of the word "sat" ) and it had rings fore and aft to which to attach ratchet straps. OP could obtain an old flatbed trailer, remove the body and weld/have welded on the requisite channels and tie-down rings. Of course the bearings should be renewed, and if possible rust prevention should be applied internally to the tubular framework. Any boat less than 2.9 M wide can be towed with an adequate tow vehicle and trailer.

Corrected that for you. It is the maximum load width not the trailer width that is important. I towed a 2.8M wide trailable yacht but I had to ensure the mudguards of the trailer were no wider than 2.55M as that is the maximum trailer width in the UK.

 

[Refueler]

Corrected that for you. It is the maximum load width not the trailer width that is important. I towed a 2.8M wide trailable yacht but I had to ensure the mudguards of the trailer were no wider than 2.55M as that is the maximum trailer width in the UK.

As I remember from my days in UK ..... there are two rules .... max trailer width for non-commercial use - your typical household trailer. Second is commercial / WIDE LOAD regulations.

 

[westernman]

Beneteau First 27 on a trailer. Max beam is 2.54m.

 

[Refueler]

Pal of mine had job of transporting Centaurs / Pageants and similar sized boats all over UK back in days of Westerly. He used a Land Rover and dual purpose boat trailer. It had bed for bilge keels as well as central slot for fins and telescopic side props. Couple of truckers straps fore and aft to steady and hold in place. But lets be honest - he made a business of it.

I had a purpose trailer for my Alacrity 19 ... then a larger 4 wheeler for my Snapdragon 23 ..... I did consider for my present 25ft'r - but it was then into a higher GW rating ...

 

[dunedin]

Many Hunter Sonatas (23 foot, 1.2ton) used to be towed e tween regattas using similar yard cradles rolled onto car trailers, so in theory should be viable, provided
(a) cradle checked very carefully, and extra bracing added where necessary; and
(b) trailer, tow vehicle and driver all up to the job, legally and practically.
But would need careful checking of cradle.