New owner with basic trailering questions

[Curwen]

Hi Curwen and other YATCHMEN: Story about Mac Bump. Many years ago we were putting Freedom to bed at Marina Del Rey. Usually got up to about 10mph and applied brake and she slid right into place. Fella decided he was going to perform the same maneuver. He got his pickup truck up to about 35 mph and slammed on the brake The boat sheered off the bow support on the trailer and the boat ended up in the bed of his pickup

Is this something we need to be worried about if we need to brake hard in traffic? Should I think about back straps to help her stay in her berth if I need to brake hard?

[paulkayak]

Curwen with the boat against the v block it should be fine in hard braking. If the boat has time to move on the trailer before the hitting the v block the forces increase exponentially. Like when you fire a shotgun hold the butt against your shoulder tight or it will brake your shoulder. I have personal experience with that with 3 loving brothers that told me to hold it 2 inches off my shoulder when I was a kid. (But that is another story)

Also I leave the motor on the transom of my 26S (same transom as the 26D) with it in the down position and there is lots of clearance form the road. In the up position it is not very stable and is only held by a light bracket and the pivot joint. In the down position the weight is dispersed over a greater area. But if removing it is no hassle it is better for the motor and boat.

[Tomfoolery]

Should I think about back straps to help her stay in her berth if I need to brake hard?

A strap over the back half of the boat, or two short ones, usually to the transom, are required in many states anyway. But that won't do anything for hard braking, which as already stated, isn't a problem if you bring the boat into the soft bow block when you first haul the boat.

As the the Mac Bump, I've found that cranking on the winch, then doing the bump, then cranking some more, then bump again, will walk it the few inches into the block without risking a hard landing. I've tried multiple attempts without cranking down on the winch, and found that the boat slides easier if the winch has some heavy preload on it.

Liquid Rollers helps hugely, but you have to lighten up on the Mac Bump, as it slides quite readily with that stuff on there.

[Curwen]

I found this at http://www.ne-ts.com/mac/cc/cc-108page01-08.html:

MAKE SURE THE OUTBOARD MOTOR AND MAST ARE ATTACHED FIRMLY TO THE BOAT WHEN THE BOAT IS BEING TRAILERED.

Put an extra cable on the outboard and make sure the clamps are tight. Having it bounce off onto a busy street could be lethal. The mast should be bolted to the bow pulpit and properly secured at the rear (wood) mast carrier. Just tying the mast is not enough. Unless it is bolted, with a lock nut that won't vibrate loose, it could shoot forward and do some real damage if the car stops quickly.

The site claims to host an 88 26D manual. If this is an manual, can I believe it is safe to haul my motor while mounted?

[korn_kid_12]

I like to run a strap over the boat behind the companion way door. Feel like the boat is more fixed on the trailer that way, Reducing sway. I have never had sway issues with my x or s behind my truck. However the 25 behind the jeep was terrible. When you have a small outboard take it off for sure even though it's less then 100 pounds it's so far back on the boat it requires a good bit of bow weight to counteract its effect. Also the harbor freight sells a sway control for 29.99 that helps if you do have an issue

[Curwen]

Korn_Kid_12,

I haven't had any issues with sway as a I have a decent sized tow beast that doesn't get pushed around at all. I just wanted to avoid as many rookie mistakes as possible so the Admiral will continue to support my expenditures on the boat. she would rather spend money on new cushion covers than being towed home.

I still haven't come to a final conclusion on whether it is safe to trailer with the 9.9 hp outboard in place. I would like to be able to able to trailer with the motor in place since the admiral has mobility issues and I am usually setting up and breaking down solo. I can move the motor, but it is a little heavy and awkward and it leaks oil while on its side. I am having the motor reworked this winter to make sure it is in proper shape for next season. It is a neater solution if I can leave it in place. The trip to the lake is about 75 minutes on paved roads. And I really don't like worrying about the blade scraping up my cockpit. I just want to be comfortable that the transom was designed to hold the motor while in transit.

As to counter the weight of the motor on the transom, I thought of working the numbers and just adding some weights to the front of the trailer to counter balance the weight of the motor. Probably some rule of sailing or common sense I am breaking with that solution.

[Tomfoolery]

To take some load off the motor mount, consider hooking a strap around the OB and tying it forward to a winch. With the motor mount in the up position, you could easily unload the bracket attachment at the transom, other than vertical shear, which is a minor concern anyway. It's the tension at the top bolts and the compression at the bottom of the mount where they interface the transom that's the big concern. And back that whole area up with a large 3/4" plywood panel, preferably glassed to the transom interior.

As to the balance, use a bathroom scale to measure tongue weight. I move some things forward for highway travel, but don't bother for local transport. I have no trouble bringing the tongue load to over 400 lb, even with two 6 gallon gas tanks in the cockpit cubbies, by temporarily moving my heavier supplies and gear to the v-berth and cabin sole just aft of that. And if you add a spare tire, that would go on the pole tongue anyway. And make sure the boat is all the way forward, into the vee block.

You could also move the axle back, or the winch stanchion forward, but that takes money or welding/fabricating skills, so that's at the bottom of the list.

[Sumner]

...... I would like to be able to able to trailer with the motor in place ......I just want to be comfortable that the transom was designed to hold the motor while in transit. ....

Don't know it it was or not but...



...towed from Utah to Canada and back with the 80 lb. Honda on the transom when the trailer had only one axle and...



...have towed twice, 2200 miles one way, to Florida and back with the heavier 9.8 HP Tohatsu back there but...



...it is on a mount I made that probably has more leverage on the transom since it sticks up and back but I did reinforce the inside of the transom...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-25.html

Sumner

============================

1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Sumner]

......As to counter the weight of the motor on the transom, I thought of working the numbers and just adding some weights to the front of the trailer to counter balance the weight of the motor. Probably some rule of sailing or common sense I am breaking with that solution.

As Tom said move stuff to the V-berth if possible. I also have over 400 lb. of tongue weight towing. No problem towing with the Suburban and it tows great. Still a lot of hitch stuff has 500 lb. tongue weight limits.


https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-det ... eight.aspx

Above is how to use a bathroom scale to measure the tongue weight if it is greater than what the scale can measure directly,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links
.

[Curwen]

Sumner,

You are my hero, next time you are in the Lehi area, Cafe Rio or J Dawgs is on me.

I am having some fiberglass repaired this winter, so I will look at getting the transom reinforced so I have some more piece of mind.

When the snow clears, I will check tongue weight, but I am very OCD about having the boat snugged up into the v cradle. So far I haven't had a single wiggle from the trailer.

Thank you,

Curwen

[Catigale]

Don't sweat that outboard, Curwen. It will be fine.

Take your rig out for 10'minutes on the highway and then pull over and inspect everything you have done to see if things stay in place. After 11 years of trailering, we still stop on first hour and then two hours for both us and the boat.

[korn_kid_12]

To note, on the X it is easier to load correctly since the trailer nearly comes to the stern of the boat and the axle is located about 2-3 feet aft of the chain plates. On the S nearly half of the boat is unsupported hanging off the back of the trailer, amd the axle is very near the chainplates port and startboard.

I have towed the 150 miles to the lake with the OB in place with no issues, but I prefer to spare the abuse on the hull by hanging that kind of weight so far off the trailer. I did pull the motor all the way up to move the weight inboard of the transom, but I still prefer not to leave it on nor in the boat at all. Its much easier to lift from the ground to the OB well I think, plus then again the same thing keeps the weight out of the unsupported section of hull.

Sumner's trailer upgrade tandem axles and extension is worth its weight in gold especially for him since he tows all around the country.

Having owned and towed a 25 where the keel moves significant weight right smack in the middle of the trailer directly over the axle. I learned early on several tricks since percentage wise very little of day sailor gear adds up to much VERSUS the keel therefore both move weight forward and REMOVE weight from the stern are worth considering. Some folks never have experienced the issues from a short wheel base and the indescribable fear that goes with it, but for those of us who have can feel instantly the difference between a poorly loaded and properly loaded trailer.
Poorly loaded trailer can be disguised by a long wheel base tow rig.

The effects are negligible at speed below 50ish. Feel safe driving loaded however you want around town, but when getting on the open road its critical to get it right.

I don't know what else there is to say other then when its right and there is no wind you can honestly forget its back there when going down the highway even if you get passed or are passing a semi. In my experience this holds true on all boats I have towed, about 6 different ones with 5 different tow beassts. It does change when towing a travel trailer and adding all of that windage.