Towing a 24 foot boat - Experiences please

Bigplumbs

Bigplumbs

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There are many threads about the law and towing all with long discussions about weights and dimensions. Theses are all very informative but in this thread I would be interested in knowing people’s towing experiences of larger boats.

My rig will be Landrover Discovery 2 TD5 with a bunked trailer with a Sealine S24 on the back.

I am only intending to tow from water to home and back at the end and beginning of the season in order to make work on the boat easier, save on fees and lift out costs. Distance about 40 miles on good roads

How this sort of rig or similar tows and peoples experiences is what I am interested in.

I already tow smaller boats, trailers and a caravan. All of which are about 1.5 tons less than the S24 set up

Thanks

Dennis
 
If you are not phazed by towing per se you should be fine with that rig.
I just go easy and try and keep lots of room around me, especially in front.
Worth in my view taking the trouble to get the nose weight right, makes for much better driving experience. Easy with a bit of wood and a set of bathroom scales.
With a four wheel trailer you need to set the wood length so that when you read the scales, the tow hitch is the same height as the tow ball on the vehicle otherwise you get a false reading. (this doesn't matter on a 2 wheel trailer.
You will have to check the numbers for your Disco but for my Jeep the max nose weight is 140kg. So I target about 125 to 130 which works good.
By the way, worth checking that the fitted tow bar has the same rating as the vehicle.... I was suprised to learn that many of the approved aftermarket towbars for the Jeep were rated less than the car itself which I think is a bit dangerous!!!
Lastly, I did have an older Jeep that towed like a pig in that it snaked very easily. Turned out to be down to the fat after market off road tyres that had been fitted which flexed far more than normal tyres and allowed the car to wallow side to side hence starting the snaking.
Good luck!
 
Make sure 100% that the over-run brakes are taking their share of the braking load, otherwise the Disco may go into brake fade.

I'd also set up a quick flash LED light at the back. There are always twits who will charge up behind you and fail to realise that you are a vehicle constrained by draft :) Lights from any of the towing/trailer shops. It really does make a helluva difference.

I've towed (on a 3 axle trailer) a 2.4 tonne 24ftr, and a 27ft 3.5 tonne yacht. It is v important to get the balance right. You can adjust the nose weight with cans of water, or moving the stored kit internally on the boat, but just ensure that the loose weight cannot go walkabout under heavy braking.
 
Not sure the total legality but we towed an S24 to Spain several times behind a 3litre Vauxhall Monterey (badged Isuzu Trooper) and a 2.8 litre Pajero (Shogun). No problems with car capability but recommend having the boat crained in rather than give the brakes, cables, bearings a good salt soaking. Also launching and recovering a boat of that size is no joke. Load the car not the boat. And carry a spare wheel, we had a few puncture problems. Going that distance a six wheel trailer would have been better.
Agree with extra light suggestion, we did the same.
 
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Towed a 24 foot boat to Brittany for holidays from North Wales with a Shogun TD. Launched and recovered in Freshwater. Would have craned in and out otherwise. The biggest problem was the beam of the boat. It overhung the trailer by the maximum permitted amount. This means it is very easy to scrape the boat down a wall where there is no pavement. Also you could cause damage to pedestrians if there was a pavement! I second additional LED sidemarkers if trailing in the dark (Bicycle lights ) are a must. If you use the ferry ask to be put with the HGV's not the Caravans as most of the touring vans are considerably narrower! At Roscoff they had a width gauge that only allowed minimal clearance for caravans. Our boat was an interference fit! Go down hills in the same gear as you couldd get up them dont take the risk of making up time ! Steep hills put your heater full on on as the engine and turbo is working very hard and your normal airflow cooling is restricted by your slower speed uphill! Get yourself a good set of rigid extendable side view mirrors. Best if they are at least the width of your load especially on narrow roads.

Steve
 
In addition to what's been said get a spare wheel for a 4-wheeled trailer and a small bottle jack - you only need one puncture when towing to make your life miserable.

Take tools so you can adjust brakes - cables stretch over time and even if you do this before picking the boat up they will behave differently under load. It's not fun having 3.5 tonnes of boat banging you up the rear if they're not working properly.
 
DiscoVolante said:
In addition to what's been said get a spare wheel for a 4-wheeled trailer and a small bottle jack - you only need one puncture when towing to make your life miserable.

Take tools so you can adjust brakes - cables stretch over time and even if you do this before picking the boat up they will behave differently under load. It's not fun having 3.5 tonnes of boat banging you up the rear if they're not working properly.
Click to expand...

Better still replace the cable between the hitch and the 'balancer' with solid rod, I use stainless threaded bar and couplers.
 
If you are going to trailer the boat into the sea then always make sure your hubs are filled with waterproof grease and drill a larger hole at the top of the brake backing plate and a tiny one at the bottom, this way you can flush the brakes out with fresh water after every trip and the flushed brakes will drain, don't forget to fit blanking grommets to the holes.
 
Assassin said:
If you are going to trailer the boat into the sea then always make sure your hubs are filled with waterproof grease and drill a larger hole at the top of the brake backing plate and a tiny one at the bottom, this way you can flush the brakes out with fresh water after every trip and the flushed brakes will drain, don't forget to fit blanking grommets to the holes.
Click to expand...

I always install my home made brake washing kit
 
Assassin said:
If you are going to trailer the boat into the sea then always make sure your hubs are filled with waterproof grease and drill a larger hole at the top of the brake backing plate and a tiny one at the bottom, this way you can flush the brakes out with fresh water after every trip and the flushed brakes will drain, don't forget to fit blanking grommets to the holes.
Click to expand...

Whats the point of the blanking grommets?...there is a gap of a few mm around the circumference of the backing plate between it and the drums anyway!!
 
Yours truly doing the towing ....... have been dragging it about for 17 yrs ...one tip i ALWAYS do is, ONLY tow during the early hours as "some people" think its good fun to pull in front to "test" your reactions and brakes ..... always put stuff in the car rather than boat as it makes the "drag weight" significantly less !!.. you will be amazed how it totals up....https://www.facebook.com/mark.bulcr...010931642/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab
 
dpb said:
Whats the point of the blanking grommets?...there is a gap of a few mm around the circumference of the backing plate between it and the drums anyway!!
Click to expand...

Because the gap is less than a few MM's and open holes allow the dirt from water into the hubs, if this is solid particles it can jam or impede the brakes so make any detritus which enters the brakes as small as possible so they don't affect the braking.
 
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