Experience of Towing in the UK ?

A forum for discussing issues relating to trailers and towing MacGregor sailboats.
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kb_potential owner

Experience of Towing in the UK ?

Post by kb_potential owner »

I am very close to buying a Mac. Anyone any experience of towing in the UK - I am guessing the Mac is right on the limit of trailering laws.

Is it stressful/easy , generally OK or a pain ?

I have experience of towing a 21ft 5ft wide boat and that was OK - just wondering what the experience of 33ft of MAC at nearly 8ft wide is like in the UK.

Cheers
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mike uk
First Officer
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Joined: Thu Sep 23, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: England 26X

Post by mike uk »

The Mac on a UK trailer is legal in the UK.

Max speed when towing on motorways and dual carriageways is 60mph. 50mph is comfortable and at this speed you will never need to overtake anyone. In fact, you will very often not be able to keep up with the cyclists.

Visit herefor lots of information on towing laws in UK.

Yes, a Mac is quite a big lump to tow round but if you have experience of a 21ft boat then you probably already know the issues - it's much the same with 26ft.

The Mac used to be supplied with a galvanised steel single axle trailer - rated either for 1600kg load or upgraded to 1800kg. The weight of the boat and trailer and all the gear is quite close to the load rating of the axle and of the tyres. For this reason, some owners have added a second axle.

The new M is supplied with an aluminium trailer with two axles.

It's wise to carry all necessary gear for wheel changing etc and good breakdown cover (covering tow vehicle and trailer) is very comforting.

There is a UK Owners Association who organise rallies and events around the coast. Visit them here

Hope this helps a bit.

Mike
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bastonjock
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Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 10:41 pm
Location: Lincolnshire United Kingdom Mac 26X

Post by bastonjock »

may i ask ,what is your tow vehicle? and do you intend to tow the mac a lot?

i picked my boat up from Cornwall and towed it all the way to Lincolnshire,i have a Pajero 2.8 4x4 and towing the max was no problem.
kb_potential owner

Post by kb_potential owner »

bastonjock wrote:may i ask ,what is your tow vehicle? and do you intend to tow the mac a lot?

i picked my boat up from Cornwall and towed it all the way to Lincolnshire,i have a Pajero 2.8 4x4 and towing the max was no problem.
I probably will not tow it too much as I intend to keep it on a mooring in the Summer. I have a BWM X5 so should be OK. Just need to be prepared to be the cause of traffic congestion on the way out of Cornwall to the M5 I guess!
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bastonjock
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Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 10:41 pm
Location: Lincolnshire United Kingdom Mac 26X

Post by bastonjock »

getting out of Cornwall with an x5 towing a mac will be no problem,id never towed anything as big as the mac before,i was dog tired,i had driven down from Lincolnshire the prievious night and could not find a hotel with a bed.

I took the trailer first,that way i got used to the lenght at the back,i picked up my mac from the Macgregor dealers yard at Falmouth,i then took the PO home and he had to live down a country lane,reversing for the ist time was fun,it was then out of Cornwall,those are long hills :) by the time i hit the M6 it was closed so the sat nav routed me through unfamilliar town centers,that was fun Northampton Town center just as the drunks were falling out of the Bars,i onlt touched one kerb during the whole drive

i got home at 1.30 Am and my wife had a steamimg hot coffee waiting for me and we drank it in the galley of our new boat :)

Towing its no probs,just be cool 8)
albion
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Location: Medina Ohio 2007 Mac26M Suzuki 50hp Hull#M1494g607

TOWING A mac

Post by albion »

Just dont try to pull it through Lynmouth and up over to Porlock Hill. Stay on the widest roads and stay out of the small villages in Devon, Somerset etc.
andrew twaites
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:09 pm
Sailboat: Venture 23

Re: Experience of Towing in the UK ?

Post by andrew twaites »

Bought my second hand 26M from a guy on South Coast of UK at Poole. Never towed anything before but had a couple of hundred miles to do back to Yorkshire. Tow vehicle was a Defender 110 and it was a breeze until we started to drive through accidents and other wrecked vehicles on the M1 in a snowstorm. It became more interesting when we got back. Storage Yard obviously closed so took it near home and parked outside local pub in quite a few inches of snow. For security reasons I decided to sleep on the boat (in minus 4 conditions) As I climbed aboard with sleeping bag, a man came out of the pub for a smoke and very possibly a sober up. He yelled the words "Ahoy there" with his thumbs up then returned to his friends inside. I was too tired and cold to reply.
PEN24
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Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:21 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Poole Harbour, UK

Re: Experience of Towing in the UK ?

Post by PEN24 »

We have a berth for our :macx: at Cobbs Quay in Poole but bring it back to Berkshire for the winter so two towing trips per year. I hire a Mitsbuishi L200 for about £60/day and towing is simple enough if you remember the length and don't cut corners too tight. Cruises happily at 50-55mph. The last 20 miles to our home is small country lanes but I've never had any difficulty. Biggest problem is manouvering it in the drive. I use a manual caravan mover (cable on a winch) but turning round on a gravel surface is hard work.

Thinking of leaving it in the water next winter. Not because the towing is difficult but it is quite a hassle. Rigging and setting up for the season takes about 2 hours from arrival. Roger pretends it is a 10 minute job but this is simply not realistic.
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kurz
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
Location: Zürich, Switzerland, Europe

Re: Experience of Towing in the UK ?

Post by kurz »

I let her in the Lake also in Switzerland. And yes to get her into the water and be prepared takes at least 2 hours...

Do you worry in the winter if the water gets freezed? ??
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