Keeping a Dragon on a Trailer

[Kenzo]

Good Day All,
Over the last 3 years, at the end of the season I have my Dragon lifted out and stored in a local boatyard.
I am considering buying a trailer for her so I can store her in a Barn which is nearer to my home and a more suitable environment for the boat.

There is a company called RM Trailers in Hants who build trailers for Dragons, before I take the plunge and order one I have a couple of questions :-


Your experiences of using and owning a trailer made by RM.

Assuming we use an appropiate slipway how easy is it to launch and recover a Dragon on trailer? Obviously the cost of trailer would save the cost of using the yards crane twice a year.
Your comments would be welcome.

Regards
Ken

 

[Peterduck]

A couple of issues come to mind. Most wooden dragons were very lightly planked and close-seamed. This is not a good combintion for putting into a dry environment, where the seams can open up quite remarkably. It does not have to be warm for this to happen, just dry. I'm not closely familiar with the displacement of a Dragon, but I don't think that you'd get much change out of two tons when on the road. I've seen a lot of trailer-mounted boats, and I have yet to see a set of brakes that could survive immersion without rusting up. it's bad enough trying to keep the wheel bearings operating. I wouldn't want to be towing two tons of trailer and boat with dubious brakes. Very scary.
Peter.

 

[Mirelle]

I am pretty sure that I have seen Dragons wintering on trailers at Aldeburgh. Might be worth a phone call to Russell Upson?

I must say that if you have a barn available near your home the temptation to put the boat in it is irresistible!

 

[ccscott49]

Not sure you can launch for a trailer, it would have to be a very long slipway and very deep, to float a dragon off a tralier, I think they are for transportation ond storage only.

 

[Kenzo]

You may be right, might be better to have her craned on and off the Trailer, I will contact a Dragon association and see if what most of their members do.

Thanks
Ken.