Trailering 27ft from Belgium to Costa del Sol

Your tow and boat looks very nice! well done!
did you check the weight on the tow hook? better too much instead of too low, I did 100 to 150 kg, never below 100 kg!!
= increased stability !
Check tire pressure, I guess they must be 4 bar! make sure its never below ( more stable)
we drove up to 90km/hr (cruise control). Above 90km/hr our tow felt unstable. (Your 80km/hr sounds good and safe)
we stopped for a SHORT beack every 3..4 hrs, and swap drving wheel with wife, and walked around the tow and check if no loose items, and wheel drums not heating,

over the years I had two boats bought in spain, and towed them to Belgium, our first grp boat was a faeton 630, purchused in Valencia the next was a Faeton 730, purchased in Palamos, the next one was the Karnic (that came on a ship to Antwerp).
we never towed to Spain, but many times to Dubrovnic region (1800km) and Cassis in France (1100km) and 2 times to UK, Cornwall and Schotland

We were trailable boaters for over 10 years, had loads of fun and nice adventures,
and wish you much of the same ! Good luck !!
 
We used those boats a lot in Zeeland for diving, for quick launch and recovery we mostly used a slipway, and trailer wheels where submerged in saltwater on each occasion, so I had todo lots of service on the wheels and bearings, replace them every two years, the last few years I ordered complete new drums at Knott, and a few times complete new wheels (instead of just tires) all very cheap and easy to replace,

if you dont launch very often, better use a crane, will keep the wheels and bearings in top shape. (But requires some more time and planning)
 
Thanks Bart for the infos and advice.
Weight on the tow hook will be close to 150 kg for stability (=max allowed on the car).
Will take weighty stuff from the boat into the car like : batteries, anchor chain, possibly the chairs, tables,... drain watertank, empty fuel tank, everything possible to keep the tow as light as possible.
Will post pics of the trip!
 
I have always fitted on both car and trailers the liquid pre-puncture tyre sealant. The main advantage is that if you get a nail in, rather than a puncture and flat you have to deal with, it seals the nail into the tyre air-tight and you don't have any issue.

In last 10 years I've picked up loads of nails etc but never had a "flat".......

However when I switched to a company car and no sealant I've had 3 punctures / flats in 3 years and it's a pain.

There are several about - but I think Slime is one of the best. The very best was magik-seal but I don't think you can get it anymore (at least in UK anyhow) - it never ever let me down. The only thing to remember is when you put it in the tyre you need to drive for at LEAST 1/2 hr (preferably an hour) at decent speed to spread it evenly around the tyre before it "skins over".

I agree with making sure nothing in boat or on trailer is easy to pinch as well - sadly there are all sorts about!
 
ontheplane said:
However when I switched to a company car and no sealant I've had 3 punctures / flats in 3 years and it's a pain.
Click to expand...
A puncture... that's how I met my wife.

Had 3 punctures within a week in my MG ZT260, 2 happened within a few hundred meters of my work on my way home, they got fixed and later that week I drove from my work in London to our offices in Glasgow, was there until the friday and then the long drive south. The ZT 260 is the rear-wheel drive version of the Rover 75 and it has an axle where the spare wheel would normally go, MG thoughtfully provides a can of spray puncture sealant so if your tyre leaks you can re-inflate it with this. ?

On the M74 heading down the long drag towards Moffat, it's just gone 5pm on a friday evening when there was a loud bang and a thump at the rear of the car, looking behind I see a bit of wood twirling through the air, so I slow down from 70 and pull onto the hard shoulder and check the car, the car is ok but the tyre on offside rear wheel is shredded. I call the AA as there is no way a small can of tyre gunk is ever going to fix this. I have a discussion with the AA about it and finally they agree to relay me back to Sunbury on Thames as there are no tyre fitters open on a friday evening.

Car off the road, picked up by the local garage to get the 3 tyres replaced that punctured that week, replaced all 4 tyres. Stuck at home I did some house cleaning on my PC and found a message in my junk folder from a nice looking young lady in Belgium, I accepted the chat request and now we have been together for 17 years and married since 2015... must remember it's our anniversary is in a few days... :)

Punctures can be a blessing or a curse .... ;)
 
.. Got to my port without punctures nor technical issues, then again the trailer is brand new and never saw salt water so I guess that helps.

First leg Hasselt to Girona via Luxembourg, Lyon, Perpignan : 1250 kms, 17 hrs.
Perhaps being over-cautious drove less than 80 km/h so got pulled of the road by the Gendarmerie in Valence : was told minimum speed at french highways is 80. Gendarmes decided to weigh the car + trailer.. Luckily (!) I removed winch/battery/anchor + chain/ chairs/drained water at home : trailer weighed in at just under 3500 kg, the legal limit of what I can tow . Car @ 2800 kg, under the 2900 kg limit. So was allowed to continue!
At night, finally arriving at the toll booth near the Spanish border, the machine did not accept my credit/debit cards (tried 5 of them!).
Desinterested & unfriendly staff told me "bank refused payment" : had to back out and pay cash. (turned out nothing was wrong with my cards but toll booth had a problem). Backing out of a narrow toll booth in darkness by myself with a 11 m long trailer was hard.. Furthermore ticket was swallowed by machine.. so at cash booth they made me pay just 49 EUR as they did not know what to charge, saved at least 70 EUR so it was worth it!
Got to my hotel by 11 PM, Eden Park hotel in Girona, recommend it : large private parking, quiet location in woods just off the highway : super easy with the trailer.

Second leg Girona to Cabopino via Valencia, Murcia, Granada, Malaga : 1150 kms, 15 hrs.
Prepared trip to drive via coast but felt so confident on trailering capability of the car that I decided to let Waze guide me to the shortest rout via Granada. Wrong decision, so wrong I could hit myself. On the the first part there was an unfinished highway where I was sent off to a simple 1-lane B-road without gas stations for miles. Via Michelin helped to find gas with a nearly empty tank.
On second half of the leg, towards Granada elevation changes of 5-7% drove me crazy. Trucks I passed at 90 uphill then thundered past downhill. Highest point was at 1350 m, got hit by storm and hail stones . really a horrible experience.
Average fuel consumption because of this route was at 13,5 L/100 km, on first leg it was only 11,5 L/100 km.

Got to my port by 8 PM, passing through their narrow entry tunnel : 300 cm curved tunnel with trailer of 260 cm! Marina is guarded so staff welcomed me and let me put the trailer in guarded area for the night.

On the third day I registered with a helpful & super friendly marina captain.
Was allowed in the water even though my registration papers were still pending (Belgian registration did not accept CE-document that was in Spanish language as boat originated from Mallorca). Probably safe not to take to sea until I have the registration document as Guardia Civil may not be so understanding.
I had time to get the boat ready and late afternoon the marina (also very friendly staff !) put it in the water whilst I was picking up my wife at airport.
In the evening I could drive her to her final berth and tie her up (her = the boat).

11 Years ago my wife and I were at this port and we really wanted "one day" to have a boat here, this dream has now come true. I feel grateful even if I had to make the sacrifice to sell my Porsche 911 for it :)
 
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