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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| odet |
Posted - 10 Nov 2012 : 14:26:14
Hi everybody,
I have been contemplating getting a small GRP cruiser for a while. Living in Ireland, ideally it should be trailable, to get to the English canals or even to France.
Ideally I would get a Norman 32, but im not sure what the weigt of it is, and also if its trailerable at all.
Has anybody done this or will you tell me outright that this is a silly idea ?
Thank you very much for your answers.
odet
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| stratford4528 |
Posted - 15 Nov 2012 : 20:14:13
How about this for a story.
Some one stole a large boat and tried to get away with it on a launching trailer with no brakes. He had an accident a few miles from me then drove off. The boat was put in a compound by the police and he had the cheek to go and steal it again. |
| Knighty |
Posted - 15 Nov 2012 : 12:30:09
I get paranoid slipping my 20 out and towing it the 2-3 miles home every year and back again in the Spring and that's with a 4x4 and sturdy Peak trailer so god knows what i would be like towing a 32ft boat. Even a 20 looks huge out of the water...well to me anyway.
Huge sigh of relief after i have taken out the conifers either side of my drive entrance (again!) and reversed it on the drive  |
| jamesbagnall |
Posted - 15 Nov 2012 : 08:49:01
Hi all.
To be fair, the whole towing thing is a bit of a minefield!
With the various boats I've had, even getting the police to confirm the legalities is quite a challenge - I got the impression that they weren't really sure themselves, including a phone call to the traffic police.
However, I understand that as a previous poster has said, with a suitable tow vehicle (and they are quite few and far between ranging from 'proper' Landrovers (90, 110, Disco, real Rangie) and some of the bigger Nissans, that 3.5 tonnes (metric tonnes note) ALL UP WEIGHT is the law. So that's the total weight of the boat and trailer combined.
There is also a legal length and weight limit, which we worked out meant that in practical terms a boat that weighed in at less than 2.7tonnes and was 27ft x 9ft 6in total - funnily enough the exact dimensions of the Elysian 27 or a Sheerline 24 or 740. We figured that the Bounty 27 (Elysian mould) was probably just slightly too heavy although based on the Elysian.
Now, speaking from a real world experience towing a 2.7tonne boat of these dimensions on a brand new purpose built CE plated boat trailer, behind a two year old Landrover 90 is a pretty hairy experience!! I'd not recommend it to anyone as even when properly balanced and setup, with a significant tow vehicle, you do need a change of underwear I can tell you.
In the end, we concluded that even with the proper gear and spending a fortune of tow vehicle, trailer and researching the rules, it really wasn't a pleasant experience - sold the whole rig and let professional drivers take the strain!! We now use a guy with a flatbed, hiab and boat movement experience - in the long run it's so much easier and actually probably cheaper.
A joiner once said to me that the 'D' in DIY stants for 'dont' and I think the same applies here. If you have anything other than a 20-ish foot long boat, it's really a whole load of effort, stress and expense to tow yourself - leave it to the pros!
Cheers,
James.
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| Deano |
Posted - 14 Nov 2012 : 23:22:27
quote:
Originally posted by df
A guy bought a fairline fury from our old marina a couple years back with the intension of taking it to scotland on an inadequate trailer, I beleive at least 2 members of this forum saw it skate down thw A1,
And there wasn't much left after!!!
I always fancied one of those though .... good, small, fast, coastal boat.
Dean - Boating on the Great Ouse.
Freeman 30 "Silver Gem"
See the photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/54758027@N00/ |
| Morse |
Posted - 14 Nov 2012 : 09:05:58
They always look bigger, lying on the road.
Jim |
| df |
Posted - 14 Nov 2012 : 07:35:49
A guy bought a fairline fury from our old marina a couple years back with the intension of taking it to scotland on an inadequate trailer, I beleive at least 2 members of this forum saw it skate down thw A1, apparently the recovery and fine cost him a fortune.
NBAS--The communal colostomy bag of the boating community.
Visit leomagill.co.uk |
| adi-n-chez |
Posted - 13 Nov 2012 : 22:47:55
Could be worse - You could have binned your 'Binliner'
& thats only 27ft (ok its fatboy beam) !
Adi
Sewer Tubes ? I'd rather have a D**ncr*ft (Only Kidding) |
| Deano |
Posted - 13 Nov 2012 : 19:25:00
Having struggled launching and recovering a 22 foot hull on slipways, think you will need to crane a 32 in and out. I will be amazed if you find a suitable slip.
Sorry, just another thing to think about.
Dean - Boating on the Great Ouse.
Freeman 30 "Silver Gem"
See the photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/54758027@N00/ |
| Morse |
Posted - 13 Nov 2012 : 09:27:31
I'm afraid caravan parts just aren't up tp it. You would bend the chassis in a heartbeat. The suspension and tyres would fail as well. The only way is to start afresh with substantial steel and much bigger suspension, wheels and tyres.
It's going to be very expensive, and I still think you would be better off with a truck with a Hiab. I assume you're not going to be moving it every weekend.
I used to tow a lot of boats, as we had a boat hire company on the canals. Up to 25 foot is quite reasonable, but anything bigger is a pain. 32 foot will be seriously difficult, especially if you haven't done much boat towing. I really don't recommend it.
Jim |
| adi-n-chez |
Posted - 12 Nov 2012 : 20:44:48
quote:
Originally posted by stratford4528
Some where on this site there is a 32 which was towed abroad with a range rover
Yes - That was Freds 'Rock n Roll' - However , having talked to him (he used to moor opposite me) not really recommended !!!
IIRC he was almost thrown off the cross channel ferry !
Adi
Sewer Tubes ? I'd rather have a D**ncr*ft (Only Kidding) |
| df |
Posted - 12 Nov 2012 : 20:12:49
Caravan chassis are pretty flimsy.
NBAS--The communal colostomy bag of the boating community.
Visit leomagill.co.uk |
| kev13 |
Posted - 12 Nov 2012 : 20:06:38
I was planning on using a chassis from a twin wheeled caravan as the basis for the start of a trailer, after I had taken my 23 on a weigh bridge first to find out her weight. |
| Deano |
Posted - 12 Nov 2012 : 17:19:05
I used to tow my Freeman 22 with a large 4x4. Not a pleasant experience, anything above 40mph was a definite no, no and we were not technically very close to the limit.
We used to move the boat from Cambridgeshire to Norfolk. Not very far, relatively speaking, but I would not fancy motorways as every time a truck passed, the air disturbance caused all sorts of handling problems.
32 foot at any weight is going to be hairy on the road, whatever the tow vehicle.
Dean - Boating on the Great Ouse.
Freeman 30 "Silver Gem"
See the photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/54758027@N00/ |
| Morse |
Posted - 11 Nov 2012 : 12:37:05
Sounds like in theory it mightwork, but I wouldn't even try. The boat would have to be completely emptied each time it was moved, water, fuel, every bit of gear. Also, if you're not used to towing boats, it's definitely not a good idea to start with something ight at the limit. Only a handful of 4 x 4 vehicles would be legal for this. Better to get it done by lorry with a Hiab.
Jim |
| odet |
Posted - 11 Nov 2012 : 12:05:58
Thanks very much,
I well might come back to you in due time.
Regards
odet |
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