Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

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Declan
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Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by Declan »

A friend who is considering buying a Mac26x enquired with the cops in Spain if it would be OK to drive it there on foreign plates with a regular car and regular car licence (3500KG) and they told him they would seize it because the total length (including the car) would exceed 12m.
I have started now to look into it on the net and the matter seems complicated with regulations governing the home country (eg UK), Eu Regulations and the regulations of the Country one hopes to visit (eg Spain), and then there is what the cops say on the ground (how they interpret the 3 regulations in this case) . Thats 4 sets of regulations.

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co ... -licences/
http://www.batesontrailers.com/trailer-towing-guides/

Has the info for the UK.
Can anyone direct me to a similarly clear and supportive site with the EU regulations?

Any hope of getting a clear answer on it from Spain?
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kurz
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by kurz »

Well the MACs are popular here in EU any many other trailerboats too.

So I would not worry. I had not any problems towing over 1000 of miles in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Slowenia, Croatia. So I never was in Spain... But could not be a real problem.

Look this link:
http://www.eu-info.de/europa-punkt/auto ... panne-pkw/

Indeed any country in the EU can have his own rule.
So the max trailer length is 12m, and car and trailer together is 18.75m.
So I think it should not get any problem concerning size.
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Cougar
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by Cougar »

I won't take any responsibility if your friend gets a fine, but my information is unanymous in that a single axle trailer can be 8 m, a double axle trailer can be 12 m and the car plus trailer combination can be max 18 m in length. And I guess it's EU regulation.
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kurz
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by kurz »

Hello Cougar
I don't think that this is true.
I myself had a :macm: trailer with just 1 axle immatriculated in Germany. Well, but there still is the question: the trailer is quite short - but the boat on it as a load makes it longer.

So loads can be longer than than trailer, so I am shure there will be no problems.

And also about 1/2 axles: There are light boats, but being VERY long sitting on a 1axle trailer. I can see very often.
The axles just have to take the load.
In EU normally a single axle ends in 1800kg, then you have to put a tandem axle (unless you take a havy duty axle from trucks, the you get any loads also on a single on ;-)
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by Hamin' X »

Why don't you drop a PM to JotaErre? He lives in Spain and owns a 26X.

~Rich
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Cougar
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by Cougar »

kurz wrote:Hello Cougar
I don't think that this is true.
I myself had a :macm: trailer with just 1 axle immatriculated in Germany. Well, but there still is the question: the trailer is quite short - but the boat on it as a load makes it longer.

So loads can be longer than than trailer, so I am shure there will be no problems.

And also about 1/2 axles: There are light boats, but being VERY long sitting on a 1axle trailer. I can see very often.
The axles just have to take the load.
In EU normally a single axle ends in 1800kg, then you have to put a tandem axle (unless you take a havy duty axle from trucks, the you get any loads also on a single on ;-)
I got my info from several internet sites, including the Dutch Automobile Club. The text on the various pages was pretty similar. The law is saying something about the length of the trailer, which is max. 8 m for a single axe trailer. The fact that the trailer with the boat on it actually exceeds 8 m, seems to be no problem at all. As long as the combination car+trailer+cargo(boat) does not exceed 18m. My single axe trailer with :macx: seems to proof me right. My combination is road legal, but measured from hitch to rear lights it's about 9 m. :)
Declan
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by Declan »

The cops in Spain are saying they would seize the trailer, boat and the tow car if the total length exceeds 12m. My local Marina confirm that this happens.Welcome to Spain.
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kurz
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by kurz »

well the size of 12m is the maximal size of the TRAILER. Car and trailer together can be 18.75m.

This can be read anywhere in the net, and the biggest car association ADAC.de sais the same.

Imagine: You could even not tow a caravan with a big van if car and trailer should not be greater than 12m.
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dlandersson
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by dlandersson »

Bear in mind "the cops in Spain" is a bit vague.

Some will, some won't. Some will "wrongly" think somethings wrong. But you may still have a hassle. 8)
Declan wrote:The cops in Spain are saying they would seize the trailer, boat and the tow car if the total length exceeds 12m. My local Marina confirm that this happens.Welcome to Spain.
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by Declan »

My sincerest apologies. I got it totally wrong. There is no restriction on vechicles with a total length of more than 12m in Spain and its not true that the police here will impound your car and trailer if its over 12m. Was a misunderstanding at the local police station between my friend and the police there. What they were saying was same as on the web everywhere that when you are over 12m some rectangles and other stuff is required on the back is all. Only if you dont have that stuff will they impound your car and trailer.
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dlandersson
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by dlandersson »

Rumor has it that every now and again, someone didn't get "the word". :P
Declan wrote:My sincerest apologies. I got it totally wrong. There is no restriction on vechicles with a total length of more than 12m in Spain and its not true that the police here will impound your car and trailer if its over 12m. Was a misunderstanding at the local police station between my friend and the police there. What they were saying was same as on the web everywhere that when you are over 12m some rectangles and other stuff is required on the back is all. Only if you dont have that stuff will they impound your car and trailer.
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by JotaErre »

As far as I know, as long as you have the correct permit (I think it is called a B-92 license attached to your driving license) and your car is allowed to tow the total weight of the boat + the trailer (somewhere in the car's documents says the maximum weight the car is allowed to tow), you should be safe. You need an insurance for the trailer, and, in Spain, trailers must pass an inspection (ITV, similar to British MOT) every six months.

Remember also that the Mac's original trailer has just one axle and thus, you cannot legally use it to tow the Mac in Spain. You can modify it to add a second axle, but then you have to pass a new MOT to make it road-legal. All together it's probably easier and cheaper to buy a 2-axle trailer...
Declan
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Re: Is it Legal to Tow a Mac in the EU?

Post by Declan »

http://www.chastheboat.co.uk/download/legal-trailer.pdf

Says 7m max length in UK. I believe this may be the same for the EU. My Original single axel trailer for 26x is 7.5m. Seems Mac users in Uk and most of EU get away with the extra length. Spain seems much more strict lately and for violations of towing regulations they do, on occasion, seize the car and what is being towed.I wonder if its worth the risk to venture out on the highway being a half a meter over the regulation length? (Even if I sort out all the other violations mentioned)
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