Moving a Boat

[Coyote machine]

If it has true 'trailer tires' their sidewall will not show a loss of air as a regular car tire would; they are specially designed to NOT blow out from sidewall collapse. People make the mistake of buying a truck or passenger car tire and put it on a trailer. Trailer tires are designed to take the heat, sidewall loads etc. that other tires not made for trailers are not designed to handle. Check each tire with a gauge and fill them all to the specified range several days prior to towing. Make sure you have a spare trailer tire on a wheel and wheel chocks, a wheel lug wrench and a bottle jack just in case. If you take all precautions you will hopefully not need to stop for anything but lights.
Good luck.

Check out: Trailerpartssuperstore at: Trailer Parts Superstore - Recreational & Commercial Trailer Parts Dealer Since 1981 for valuable additional info and any possible parts you may need for the trip....

P.S. I have a 22' Mako with a 200hp Mercury outboard on a 27' dual axle trailer that now has brakes on all four, but had only two wheel brakes and I tow it from VT to CT and back, (+/- 400 miles r/t.) once per year with my '07 Toy 4runner, 6 cyl, (NO trailer brake to vehicle, just a hydraulically actuated inertia brake that actuates the 4 drum brakes at the wheels; boat is probably 3000 with the trailer. Vehicle towing cap is around 5K as I remember.

 

[Mace Canute]

My friend's Aquasport 225 (I/O Family Fisherman) has been sitting in my yard for a few years. He would like me to move it to his house (50 miles).

The boat is on a tandem axle trailer which is in solid shape and has good wheels and tires. The problem is it has no brakes. Would I be OK to tow it the 50 miles with my 2008 Chevy K 3500. The route is flat multi-lane roads with a dozen or so traffic lights. I estimate the boat and trailer weighs mid to high 4000 lbs, but not too sure about that.

Here's a pic of one...it's a pretty fair sized boat...probably much heavier than it looks.

Do yourself a big favour and tell your friend that you'd like to tow his boat for him, but you can't since your insurance doesn't cover towing that heavy of a load on a brakeless trailer because it's illegal! (Also unsafe).

 

[Diamondpilot]

I will chime in here. Boat manufactures lie. Weight and HP = speed. The lighter a boat the faster it is with X HP. Most boats list the empty weight with the base motor or in the case of a outboard most list the weight with no motor. Case in point is this boat in my picture. According to the manufacture it weighs 9,500# but that is boat only, base single engine, no generator, stereo, tv/dvd, ect. The trailer weighs 2,800# so the total weight should have been around 12,500# ballpark. I had it weighed the day I bought it 15 minutes after the papers were signed and it weighed 15,600# with no water and 5 gallons of fuel. It does have twins, generator, AC/Heat, TV/DVD, and a heck of a stereo.


Either way you will have no issues with your truck but the tires are still my main concern. I am in the marine business and sell and tow about 75 boats a year. Tires are my biggest issues.

Chris

 

[KeithInSpace]

I towed my 24' Bayliner around town without much trouble for years. Then one year, I decided to take it to the Outer Banks.

I didn't get 5 miles at interstate speeds before folks started pointing at me, telling me to pull over.

I had a bearing go and it was nearly on fire by the time I stopped. I had absolutely no idea it was happening...not a sound in the truck and not a single problem with the tow.

Those bearings take a real beating getting dunked in and out of the water throughout their lives. Mine was in saltwater, so it was worst case, I guess.

My co-owner and fishing buddy lived close, so a stop by the marine store, 1 hour field repair, and we were back on our way...after shoving more grease in all the other bearings, of course.

Just thought I'd share. Not sure what I'd rather lose, a tire or a bearing. At least you know when the tire goes...and it typically doesn't catch on fire.

 

[careyo63]

I stated in a previous thread about the same thing happening to me. 2 in the morning when mine came apart not a sound or hint of a problem. Thats why I keep a hole hub and spare tire setup ready to go after that ordeal.

Carey

 

[Marlowe]

Harold, your guess on the boat's weight is pretty close. I sold those boats when they were new. I'm in a salt water market and trailer brakes seldom work beyond a dozen or so trips to the water. Most folks still prefer to not have brakes on their boat trailers since they simply do not hold up. Is it dangerous to tow a load of that weight without brakes? Sure it is. No matter how careful you are it still doesn't assure you that some idiot will not jump in front of you and hit the brakes. So many people will see someone pulling a heavy load and not want to get stuck behind them, and in order to save a few minutes they will risk life and limb to get in front of you. Expect it. We can't rid the world of idiots. As so many have suggested, the tires are a concern, and so are the bearings in those hubs. These are things under your control though. Check the tires best you can and carry a spare. Check the bearings and grease them if needed. You've got plenty of truck to make the tow. Thousands and thousands of hauls have been made with less than you have going for you, but the bottom line is, are you willing to take the risk?

 

[Harold_J]

Harold, your guess on the boat's weight is pretty close. I sold those boats when they were new. I'm in a salt water market and trailer brakes seldom work beyond a dozen or so trips to the water. Most folks still prefer to not have brakes on their boat trailers since they simply do not hold up. Is it dangerous to tow a load of that weight without brakes? Sure it is. No matter how careful you are it still doesn't assure you that some idiot will not jump in front of you and hit the brakes. So many people will see someone pulling a heavy load and not want to get stuck behind them, and in order to save a few minutes they will risk life and limb to get in front of you. Expect it. We can't rid the world of idiots. As so many have suggested, the tires are a concern, and so are the bearings in those hubs. These are things under your control though. Check the tires best you can and carry a spare. Check the bearings and grease them if needed. You've got plenty of truck to make the tow. Thousands and thousands of hauls have been made with less than you have going for you, but the bottom line is, are you willing to take the risk?

I looked at the title for the trailer, it has an empty weight of 1,100 lbs. I don't know the weight of the boat but I would supect at least 4,000 lbs, the older Aquasports were quite heavy for their size. It has an 85 gal gas tank.
You are correct about the risk, I think the most important thing you can do to reduce the riak is to drive slower so long as you're not impeding traffic.