Thanks to Revenue Canada I was able to pick up a trailer for the Weekender (which has been in progress since 2005). It's a new trailer built by a local manufacturer. With some able assistance from my now 14year-old son, we got the boat up and lashed down. I've ended up with a tounge weight of about 140lbs. It was 150 but we shoved the boat back 2" so that the end of the bow sprit didn't go past the trailer hitch. That might be a bit heavy on the tounge, but I can offset that by tossing sailing gear into the cockpit rather than the cabin.
My wife - who used to live at a marina - laughed at me and said that in her experience, people just bought trailers and put their boats on them - they didn't have to mess around nearly as much as I did.
Fortunately, about all I had to do was move the winch post and re-position it, move the bunks and put a spacer under them so the keel would clear the trailer frame.
Hope to have picture soon.
Still to do for launch:
- Running rigging
- Sail
Should do before launch
- Finish sanding and filling on topsides
- Paint top sides
- Fasten down hatch covers
- Add toe rail
- Add taff rail
- Install lights
It's still more than a month before the water is warm enough to fall into (my criteria for sailing) so I might have time. Now - just have to figure out how to find the money .....
Oh - and for the entertainment of all, I'll be attempting to pull the Weekender with my Toyota Echo. The numbers all seem to work out OK based on the factory rating etc but it is close.
Greetings Andrew,
Great progress on the Weekender. Look closely at your axle set on the trailer. If the axle is bolted on, you might be able to slide the wheels forward to reduce tongue weight.
The Echo will be hilarious. Ontario is pretty flat and the roads very straight, so the Echo will not be working very hard. If I remember correctly, there is an 80 km stretch of the 402 that is so straight you could lock the steering wheel with "The Club", set a brick on the gas pedal, and take a nap, and the car would not leave the road. I would be more worried about having enough traction to get the boat back up the ramp. The guy I know (Don) who tows his 18 ft Hobbie cat around with his 1980's vintage Honda CRX (about the same size as your Echo) never launches from a ramp. The boat is always carried or rolled or dragged off the trailer and launched from the beach. He's just very careful about not overloading the back axle of the car by loading everything he can in the storage box on the trailer between the Hobbie's sponsons. He drives slowly (under 50 mph / 80 kmh) and leaves a lot of extra room for braking. I've never asked him why he doesn't use the ramp. I should. I just assumed he was worried about not getting back up the ramp. I'll ask when I see him next ... after the snow finally melts ... and the water gets warmer ...
Cheers,
Tom
Unless you start storing lead ingots in the cabin, the Echo will easily tow your Weekender. It will launch and recover it without difficulty too. In stiff cross winds, the car will be tossed around a little, but this is normal when towing something with as much windage as a Weekender, with a little car. Avoid trips up and down hills in gale force winds and you'll be just fine.
Also don't worry if the tail pipe goes under water, it will not hurt anything. Since your traction wheels are at the front, you will have little trouble at the ramp.
The only thing I can add is in higher tidal areas, ramps at low tide can be very slippery, even at the front wheels. Something to watch for.
Snow chains, big honking trucker's chains. Keep them in the trunk. The folks that own the ramp will get pissy if you pull them out, so be discrete and only use when you really need them.
Hey Andrew, nice to see things progressing on your Weekender. It's real helpful when our kids get older isn't it. The towing issue is one that I haven't had experience with. My big Ford 4x4's have always had the power I needed. So I can't really advise you on that, look forward to the pictures. What did you name your vessel?
Greg
Thank you everyone for the feedback.
Greg - The boat's name will be "Floating Bear" - which comes - of course - from Winne The Pooh"
Quote:"Now then, Pooh," said Christopher Robin, "where's your boat?"
"I ought to say," explained Pooh as they walked down to the shore of the island, "that it isn't just an ordinary sort of boat. Sometimes it's a Boat, and sometimes it's more of an Accident. It all depends."
"Depends on what?"
"On whether I'm on top of it or underneath it."
"Oh! Well, where is it?"
"There!" said Pooh, pointing proudly to The Floating Bear.
I'm getting less worried about pulling the boat now that I have it on the trailer. I can move it around fairly easily by hand. I will be getting new tires for the car as the existing summer tires are almost bald prior to trying a ramp.
If I "do" run into a problem, I have a plan "B" which involves unhitching the car, moving it up the ramp and then winching the trailer up. I hope to not have to do that though as it is sure to take time and annoy other ramp users.
That's one thing that it will be tough to get used to. Past boats have all been beach launched and I haven't had to worry about taking turns or being speedy. I'll probably pick a mid-week day for the first launch or two so that I can take my time.
So long as it's not a Friday.
Hey Andrew great to hear you got your trailer, I know you mentioned you were looking for one last time we crossed pathes at the restaurant, that was quite a while ago. Hope you will post pictures! Been making progess on the "Enchantress", deck is now on and most of the gussets at stem, cockpit, bulkheads and been putting in some backing for some cleats, and am working on the bitts. I know pictures.
Pictures we want pictures ;D
Hang in there you will be sailing soon.