Launching a biggish yacht off a trailer- advice/encouragment please!

[Kelpie]

Looking ahead to the spring and wondering whether to get the boat craned in, like everyone else, or to float off the trailer directly.
The boat is an Albin Vega, so very much on the large side for a trailerable yacht. Draft of about 3'10 and the total combined weight of the trailer and boat is about 3250kg.
My plan would be to use a landrover, or even a tractor, for the towing, and park the boat down the slip and then wait for the tide to come up. I have a choice of slips and they both have rings for tying to. I am also thinking about using a chain between the trailer and vehicle, to avoid the vehicle having to back onto the sloping slipway (in which case I would launch at high tide).

The main reason I am contemplating this is that I would like to get the boat in the water around Easter time, and if I book the crane on my own it would cost a fotune.
I also know that the prevous owner of the trailer launched his 27ft Jeanneau off it into a lake and never considered using a crane.

Anybody done this with this size of boat, and any videos etc?

 

[Rick_A]

We launch/recover our seacracker 33 every year and have done for the last 25. We do it off the beach at Loch Riddon. Drive boat down and unhitch the trailer, wait for tide, reverse off trailer, recover trailer on the next low tide. Only thing you would need on a slope is wheel chocks for the trailer that wont float away. One thing to consider is do you have a way of raising the mast without a crane?

 

[dmmbruce]

What do you perceive as a problem. You have obviously thought it through.

You would have to take account of the saltwater damage to the trailer, particularly the wheel bearings and the electrics. At least, these will need hosing with fresh water asap.

With the right slip and slope, and the right tidal range, just go for it I would think.

Mike

 

[ProDave]

Launching is not the problem.

Don't let the tide float it off that will take forever and leave the trailer sumberged for a long time.

You will NEED something in between the towcar and the trailer otherwise the towcar is in for a dunking as well.

In that case, what I do is reverse until the towcar wheels are just clear of the water, then winch the trailer down the slip using the trailers winch.

Recovery is a whole lot harder and for that reason I chose crane out rather than recover from the slipway.

 

[Kelpie]

Thanks for the encouragment!
Hadn't thought about the length of time immersed. This will affect brakes and bearings only, as the electrics are just a trailer board which I would obviously remove.
How about this plan: park with the boat just nuding onto the top of the slope. Chock wheels and apply brake, unhitch from vehicle. Drive vehicle required distance forward, and then connect then using a chain. Protect chain in a length of plastic pipe where it will drag on the ground. Take up tension, remove brakes and chocks, and down we go. Seemples?

What would be a good size of chain to use? Would 10mm anchor chain be up to it?

 

[maby]

We launch/recover our seacracker 33 every year and have done for the last 25. We do it off the beach at Loch Riddon. Drive boat down and unhitch the trailer, wait for tide, reverse off trailer, recover trailer on the next low tide. Only thing you would need on a slope is wheel chocks for the trailer that wont float away. One thing to consider is do you have a way of raising the mast without a crane?

For mast raising, try the trick described in PBO a few months ago - enlist the help of two other yacht owners with masts taller than yours, raft up three in a row side by side, and use their halyards and winches as a crane!

 

[VicS]

Looking ahead to the spring and wondering whether to get the boat craned in, like everyone else, or to float off the trailer directly.
The boat is an Albin Vega, so very much on the large side for a trailerable yacht. Draft of about 3'10 and the total combined weight of the trailer and boat is about 3250kg.
My plan would be to use a landrover, or even a tractor, for the towing, and park the boat down the slip and then wait for the tide to come up. I have a choice of slips and they both have rings for tying to. I am also thinking about using a chain between the trailer and vehicle, to avoid the vehicle having to back onto the sloping slipway (in which case I would launch at high tide).

The main reason I am contemplating this is that I would like to get the boat in the water around Easter time, and if I book the crane on my own it would cost a fotune.
I also know that the prevous owner of the trailer launched his 27ft Jeanneau off it into a lake and never considered using a crane.

Anybody done this with this size of boat, and any videos etc?

There are several Vegas in the yard. They are loaded onto a launching trolley/ trailer.
Towed backwards, using chain between trolley and tractor, to the top of the slip and the wheels chocked.

Tractor then comes back up the slip and hitched to the trolley with a wire rope ( long enough so the trolley can get to the bottom of the slip while the tractor stays on the level... its brakes are not very good!)

Chocks taken away and the trolley allowed to run to the bottom of the slip controlled by the tractor.

Can be done at low water and wait for the tide or it can be done when the tide is up so it floats off straight away but easier to steer the trolley when there's no water

"Reins" from the front of the trailer to the sheet winches stop it sliding backwards on the trolley while going down the slip.

"Docking arms" lashed tight across the boat keep it upright.

One used to have his own purpose built trolley ... not sure if he still has it or not.

If you are using a road trailer remove the lighting board. Allow the hubs to cool and do it when the tide is already up to minimise the immersion time as suggested.
You'll have adequate support to keep the boat upright anyway. But use the reins to stop it sliding off.
You'll not need to tow it backwards as you'll be able to reverse in the usual way.

Breaking strain of 10mm chain is about 5 tons I think you will find.

 

[ProDave]

Re the mast, I raise ours while still on the trailer before launch, using the trailers's winch and strop over the boat's bow roller, and pulling the mast up by the forestay (after someone in the cockpit first lifting it as high as they can reach)

This year we lowered the mast afloat (ready for crane out) by lowering it down from the harbour wall, which being higher than the boat, worked even better than the trailer winch idea.

 

[Kelpie]

There are several Vegas in the yard. They are loaded onto a launching trolley/ trailer.
Towed backwards, using chain between trolley and tractor, to the top of the slip and the wheels chocked.

Tractor then comes back up the slip and hitched to the trolley with a wire rope ( long enough so the trolley can get to the bottom of the slip while the tractor stays on the level... its brakes are not very good!)

Chocks taken away and the trolley allowed to run to the bottom of the slip controlled by the tractor.

Can be done at low water and wait for the tide or it can be done when the tide is up so it floats off straight away but easier to steer the trolley when there's no water

"Reins" from the front of the trailer to the sheet winches stop it sliding backwards on the trolley while going down the slip.

"Docking arms" lashed tight across the boat keep it upright.

One used to have his own purpose built trolley ... not sure if he still has it or not.

If you are using a road trailer remove the lighting board. Allow the hubs to cool and do it when the tide is already up to minimise the immersion time as suggested.
You'll have adequate support to keep the boat upright anyway. But use the reins to stop it sliding off.
You'll not need to tow it backwards as you'll be able to reverse in the usual way.

Breaking strain of 10mm chain is about 5 tons I think you will find.

Thanks Vic that's good information, very encouraging!

Not too worried about rasing the mast, haven't used a crane for this in the past anyway.

 

[NormanS]

I used to do it every year with a Folkboat, towed across the country, on a home-made trailer. I used a wire span between the Landrover and the trailer. The first time, I let the boat down the slip when the tide was back, and then let the rising tide float the boat off, but it took ages. With greater confidence, did it with the tide in - no bother. An added refinement was to fit a tow-ball to the front of the Landrover. That made it much easier. Slipped the same way, by fitting docking legs to the trailer, and guides for the keel.

 

[sarabande]

if you are using any form of chain or wire rope between the vehicle and the trailer, beware of losing directional control if the slope runs a bit sideways, or there are rough patches.

Some form of lateral control to P and S is needed at the towbar end of the trailer.

 

[CreakyDecks]

One thing to note about beach launching, if that is an option, is that you need to be absolutely sure it will be deep enough! Even my empty trailer sinks into the sand a few inches when left underwater for a few hours, one with a boat that doesn't float off would probably disappear down to the axles and would definitely need a tractor to get out again. Also, if you do beach launch don't forget to put buoys on the trailer so that no one sails into it!

 

[Avocet]

Using a chain or strop from the trailer to the tow vehicle has some drawbacks. I used to do this when we had a trailer-sailor. As has been said, you'll need some way of steering the nose of the trailer, or it will be very likely to just wander off in whichever direction it feels like. However, do not under-estimate how small an obstruction it would take to stop it moving!

Years ago, I was trying to launch a Leisure 17 into the River Wyre. The tide is fast and had already turned and was on its way out. We reversed the boat and trailer down to the water's edge, then put a rope between the trailer and car. Letting the trailer handbrake off allowed it a bit further down the slipway, (which was quite a steep one), and then it stopped. We waded in, pushed the trailer and got it going again, then it stopped again. By this time, we started panicking about missing the tide, so I yelled to my mate to help me shove it again. By this time we were waist deep in muddy water and just assumed that the trailer wheel was caught on a rock. As I yelled encoragement to my mate and we pushed for all we were worth, it started to move again. What we didn't realise is that the reason it had stopped the second time was because the rope to the car had goine tight and we were actually dragging the car (in gear) backwards down the slipway with us! WOrse than that, neither of us saw my wife hopping alongside the car with one foot in the footwell trying to get it on to the brake pedal!

(and yes, we had a good audience!)

A silly thing to do, but it did illustrate the problem well - when a lot of the boat's weight is taken by the water, the trailer will be very easily prevented from moving by a small underwater obstacle!

I think your first idea was best. If you can float off whilst keeping the trailer on the slip, you needn't worry about sinking into any sand. It won't do the trailer any good at all, and even the most enthusiastic washing afterwards is unlikely to get all the salt out of difficult places like the brake cables, but it's certainly possible!

 

[TSB240]

We use a solid connection between our Shogun and our trailer that allows us to launch a big trailable yacht. The solid connection is made up of two 3m lengths of 50mm box section slotted and bolted together with a tow ball on one end and a socket on other.

I have seen scaffold pole used in the same way.

We have a front mount towbar which makes steering in a doddle.

Push rig to water line chock wheels, back up connect solid link, take weight on link, remove chocks, push in, launch and recover trailer. Never even got the alloy wheels near the salty stuff.

Ok on concrete ramps but wouldnt recommend pushing too hard on soft ground.

 

[Avocet]

Oh, forgot to mention, recovering using a rope (or pole) can give the jockey wheel on the trailer a very hard time! This is especially true when the tow vehicle comes to the top of the slip and on to level ground, while the boat is still coming up the slip. You get a massive downward force on the jockey wheel then. We got through a few like that!

 

[Kelpie]

Thanks again for the advice. I will probably chicken out of trying to recover onto the trailer, for a host of reasons:
- it would be much more difficult
- I would find it much harder to do the required maintenance on the trailer to flush the saltwater out afterwards, with the boat on the trailer
- I don't mind so much lifting out at the same time as the other yachts

 

[William_H]

Launching off a trailer

One thing to be very conscious of is that the boat will float level (fore and aft) however the trailer and boat before floating will not be level but stern down. This change of level will see the bow relative to the trailer fall by a couple of feet and the stern will rise a similar amount. Make sure any bow support post is removed or clear of the bow and the stern is not tied down.
I have done launch and recover a few times on 21fter fin keel. The trailer is lowered down a steepish ramp on the end of a stout rope. As said the jockey wheel needs to be robust and you need to know what the ramp is like at low tide. ie clear of obstructions. If the ramp is not steep enough for the trai9ler to roll consider an anchor well out with a pulley so that you can pull the trailer down.
I would certainly not want to wait for the tide. good luck olewill

 

[Lakesailor]

They use a nylon crane strop at Ferry nab and launch/recover boats up to about 11 metres all the time.
This is a class yacht at about 25' but lighter than your boat. These are all recoveries. launching is much easier.

This was a rescue of a Volvo which couldn't tow the boat up the slip (wheelspin)

This guy cooked his clutch (fwd and no low-ratio gearbox)

Should take about a minute

​

 

[VicS]

thats a mighty posh tractor

The boat yard one down here is a little older:

 

[Lakesailor]

Council run.