Towing

danfoley

danfoley

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www.ybw.com
Hi all,

We're building a microsite that will hopefully be a useful resource for information about towing your boat. In order to make sure we don't miss a trick I'm here to ask you what problems you encounter when towing so we can provide useful advice. Input much appreciated, any towing-related thoughts at all!

Thanks,
Dan
 
A long tow line is a good start ....

Problems are snatching in a sea when the towed boat starts to surf down a wave
helm of towed boat not steering to your transom
towing through congested waters - others are not always aware or considerate
Then, if the towed boat is disabled (no power of its own) then there is the problem of getting the towed boat onto a mooring or into a berth....



Oh ... not _THAT_ sort of towing!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
How long a list did you want ?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

We had a MacGregor 26X so 1.5 tonnes of boat on a single axle trailer, approx 29 feet long (including raised outboard and hitch part of trailer) and over 9 feet high at the highest point of the supported mast.

Trailer tyre puncture on motorway requiring use of 2 ton jack to change wheel
Trailer wheel bearings seized after trailer stood in carpark while we were away for two weeks on boat - discovered many breakdown people can't cope with this, need a specific mobile mechanic with gigantic press in back of van
Handbrake seized on whilst we were away for 3 days - leave it off and use wheel lock to secure trailer
Know how to deal with fish-tailing (and how to load boat/car to try to prevent this happening in the first place)
Salt water and boat trailers don't mix very well. Let trailer bearings cool down for as long as possible after towing before putting the trailer/boat into the water (also applies to launching in lakes or rivers). Rinse / hose down trailer and back of car/rear wheels / brakes as thoroughly as possible after every immersion in the sea.
Practise manoeuvering your trailer in tight spaces, including reversing BEFORE you go anywhere, preferably without the boat on the trailer!
If you get stuck when reversing, don't be afraid to get out of the car, unhitch the boat and manoeuvre the trailer manually into a better position before reattaching it. Better a few minutes hard work than jack knifing the trailer and possibly damaging car and/or boat
Ditto if you don't know the last part of your route to your launching point. Leave the boat and trailer somewhere safe, drive to the launch point to have a good look around, then go back for the boat knowing what you are dealing with.
 
Two towing hints for you.

1. let the bearings cool. too many times have I seen the weekend crown roar up and dump the boat straight into the water, 30 seconds later, the trailor wheels stop going round !

2. Carry a spare wheel for the trailer - they don't all come with one as standard.

ta
 
[ QUOTE ]

Carry a spare wheel for the trailer - they don't all come with one as standard.

[/ QUOTE ]

A jack is useful also, many car jacks may be unsuitable to lift the trailer, as they are specifically designed to work with that make of car. When we towed regularly a spare wheel and jack were essential, used in anger at least twice in 10 years.

Another point make sure the spare is correctly inflated. To slickly change the wheel on the trailer, lower the jack and find you have a flat spare is unfortunate. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

It is even worse when you find you have to leave your trailer and drive miles to find an all night garage with a working air line.
 
Hi Dan. Nearly every tow I've done has been when staffing MBM cruises in company, the most being 5 tows in one cruise! We used a long (50 m absolute minimum to absorb the snatches and effects of swell etc) 24mm (or was it 28mm?) octoplait (which can stretch) rope, double bowlined to a strop on Calm Voyager. The strop was cleated from mid ships to the aft cleat on both sides (to spread the load) and looped loosely across the transom (but not over it).

We would approach the vessel to be towed, asking them to fix a tow strop from their midship's cleat to the bow cleat, with a small 'dangle under the bow an back to the cleats on the other side.

We would throw the end of the tow line which would be tied by another double bowline to the loop. Essential the loop is under the anchor and any pulpit, for obvious reasons!

The crew member in charge of the tow line would slowly let the tow rope out as Calm Voyager gently went ahead so the rope would not entangle in the props.

Thoughts would then be about the max speed through the water, the fact that Calm Voyager may well have a heading very different from the track due to the towing, hoisting the appropriate signals for towing / restricted in ability / broadcasting on Ch 16, etc etc. Other thoughts would be that the towed vessel can be very uncomfortable to be in, so what the crew to remain on board.

When nearing port, reducing the tow to an alongside tow (and knowing how to do it).

Lastly, any action needed to stop the windmilling of the prop(s). That means the skipper needs to know his engines / gearboxs.
 
My old boat, an Impala, allegedly cut off power to a village, due to taking out overhead lines. It wasn't over the max height for the road, but due to the non-flat topography of the road, the end of the mast must have been rather higher at one point.
Also be very careful with weight. Your boat will accumulate weight, from many small items added, and if the police put you on a weighbridge, you may be surprised.
I only tow dinghies now, but I'm very careful with tying down, after a near miss when I was young!
Also, take a good look at your tyres, I once had a real scare with a trailer blowout, nearly had the car off the road, I was only doing about 25mph luckily!
Buy some spare bearings, they're not hard to change sometimes, if you have a hammer and a few old screwdrivers.
Check all your lights with the trailer board alongside the car, before hanging on the back!
When I get around to it I will paint the mudguards white, as they are wider than the car, and not easy to watch in the mirror at night.
HTH
 
A lot is covered in the excellent Sonata web site.

I have had my share of "experiences" over 14 years of trailer sailing, but I think the most important lesson is to carry a comprehensive tool kit and also carry a bag with specific trailer needs.

I think these specific needs are wheel chocks, a trailer jack and long brace for changing wheels, spare bearings and seals, hub split pins, a grease gun (waterproof grease), spare bulbs, disposable gloves and rags etc. etc.

Bearings seem to be a problem for some so knowing how to inspect the bearings is a definite benefit.
 
- 85% rule isnt a rule, its a recommendation
- check breakdown insurance does/doesnt cover trailer (size)
- sealed bearings cant be replaced roadside
- spare tyre
- adequate jack-not just weight but usability
-tyres have a finite life, not just tread measurement
-make sure you can actually reverse
-balance the trailer, especially weight on twin axles
-check angle of trailer at hitch (small drop)
-keep it slow
-allow plenty of room for calm breaking
-allow wide turns on roundabouts etc
-make sure hitch REALLY is on, and braking cable
-check lights
-make sure cable doesnt drag on the ground
-winch jockey wheel high under the A frame, so if it spins, it doesnt wind itself down onto the road
- be sure your canvas will stay clipped on;poppers arent reliable
-if a bigger load, remember height in petrol stations.. you may just rip your canvas frame off
-no need to trail 00s litres of fuel and water too
-SERVICE THE DAMN TRAILER !!

At the slip-
-well, this is where the danger starts, but you didnt ask about that.

I used to launch with the road trailer alot. I tried every know trick in the book, but the whole braking/bearing system still had to be replaced each year.
 
In no particular order:

- The jack for the trailer is essential and a cheap trolley jack with a good lift, plus some wooden blocks increases the usefulness. You may get your hitch stuck on the ball and jacking can help with removal, or you may even need to lift the boat slightly on the trailer.

- Don't forget some means of getting onto the boat whilst it's on the trailer like a folding ladder. Don't stand on the mudguards unless they are very stout.

- If you can fit a (removable - it's Type Approval no-no) front hitch it can make manoeuvring in a boat park and on a slip much easier, especially if your tow vehicle is front-wheel drive.

- Think about and practice using a strop between the tow vehicle and trailer for shallow slips to avoid dunking your tow-vehicle, or for very steep slips so that the tow-vehicle only has the boat and trailer to drag up, not itself.

- It's not always warm so have some waders to allow you to reach the boat on the trailer.

- Use ratchet straps to secure the boat to the trailer. But don't do them up so tight that flex in the trailer chassis is transmitted to the hull.

- Think about recovering your boat in bad conditions. Could you centre the keel on the trailer if there was a cross-wind or heavy swell? Do you need some (removable) docking arms or keel guides?

- If your jockey wheel can wind itself down during the journey use a bungee to secure the winding handle to the winch post.

The bit on the Sonata site about the tow vehicle looking up to the job is very relevant. I have seen a Sonata behind a Peugeot Partner van. Far too small and it looked it. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
As already mentioned, a length of rope for launching down the slip and keeping the vehicle dry. However, if uncoupling on the slip, chock the wheels first, auto-reverse brakes often don't work backwards. I very nearly learnt that to my cost!! I had a ton and three quarters of trailer and boat running away down the slip, fortunately the rope was already attached to the car and I managed to get a bite around the jockey wheel before it went too far.
 
Instead of using rope to launch down the slip (to keep rear wheels of launch vehicle out of the salty stuff) I have made a long draw bar that attaches to the towbar at one end and the trailer hitch at the other. Extra side pieces are fitted at the trailer end to keep the bar in a straight line.

To stop the whole lot dropping to the floor, the trailer dolly wheel is kept down during launch.

A good trailer brake and two big chocks are essential to keep the trailer in place while the vehicle is moved away, the draw bar fitted and the vehicle re-hitched.
 
one to watch out for is that with a long tow the tow won't exactly follow the path of the car, but cut the corner when rounding bends. this can for example catch you out when overtaking a parked car, or turning through gates. takes a lot of getting used to, and frequent wing mirror checks.
 
Pretty well all the most important points already covered in these previous posts, but the most important lesson I learned 35 yrs ago was...

don't build a trailer for a day-sailer then fill it with the same weight again in equipment & supplies.!
I went through 5 complete wheels trying to get the boat 600 Km from Salisbury-Rhodesia to Inhassoro-Mocambique.
Hopelessly overloaded, what a nightmare, I remember it well.!

1.st time ever, but learned a lot.!
My Lesson No 1: When your mate goes off with the Bakkie to get the wheel re-welded do not sun-bathe on the ground next to the boat-out in the bush, as you will be grabbed by Lions.

I woke up just in time, another 15 seconds on the ground & it would have been "Life with the Lions" for me. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I know...It's not what Dan's looking for here, but just felt like telling you all my best (& worst) towing story.!
Jock
 
Last Sunday towed my Extravert from Yorkshire to Portishead, about 240 miles.

In anticipation of this journey the twin axle trailer was given a full service with new bearings and brake shoes for each wheel and new brake cable. The bill for bits was nearly £300 and I owe my son in law big time for his help.

Half way into the journey going along M42 just before Tamworth spotted steam coming from under bonnet. Pulled into services as temp. guage hit red. Pin prick leak at top of radiator fixed with radweld, topped up and carried on. Don't think it was anything but a coincidence but it did make me reflect on cost of repairs etc.

I've come to the conclusion that rather than ruin all the work on the trailer by dunking it in the water I will have the boat lifted in as it is cheaper than replacing bearings and brake parts. I appreciate it is not an option for everyone but my boat is going in for the summer and it is worth it for me to pay for a lift in
 
Re the 85% rule - it is a guidleine, but modern cars have defined limits which the Police refer to, and will prosecute if you exceed them: 1st is the maximum permissible trailer weight. Next is the maximum allowable mass: that is the all up weight of the car, the trailer, the gear and the occupants. So its no good putting all the 'heavies' in the boot to get round it. There are various other defintions but these are the two the Law checks on most frequently.

Trailer tyres: snaking can be cured by putting the right tyres on. They are marked with the maximum axle pair load rating, but many 4ply tyres cant cope with this load when fitted to a trailer and will allow it to wallow around and snake badly. Uprate to 8ply van tyres with stronger sides, and the wallow magically vanishes! Heavier trailers need heavier tyres.
 
Get the nose weight right to reduce risk of snaking!

Be aware that many of the other drivers will be rubber-necking your boat rather than watching the road. The probability of accidents around a towed boat is high!!! I have noticed cars run into each other on the opposite carriageway as they look at me rather than where they are going.

If a saily boat - allow plenty of time for setting up/ packing down the rig before/ after sailing.
 
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