Trailering Advice

[JimGo]

Thanks! I actually considered buying one of the trailers I've seen for power boats, then bolting a wooden frame to it. For a 5500 lb boat, though, I had some worries about how well the wood would hold up! That seems to be a lot of weight.

[Cormorant]

You're right -- the forces involved as you bump your 5500-lb boat down the road are tremendous. I tried to base as much of my wood frame as possible on the steel crosspieces of the trailer, so all significant lengths of wood are underlaid by steel.

[Cheechako]

Dont know about your area but there are quite a few trailers in mine on craigs list. If too complicated to get a trailer now i agree, agood outboad should get you there.

[JimGo]

Cheechako, I scour CL every night, from Washington, DC to Long Island. So far, if I can find a trailer that can handle the boat, it's $4000. Otherwise, I can find a trailer that's specifically designed for sailboats and can handle a 25' and is $850, but it only holds up to 3500 or 4000 lbs. Or they can hold 5000+ lbs, but (oddly) they can't handle a 25. Or they are a perfect combination of weight capacity, price, and size capacity, but they are set up with rollers and no keel support, and the rollers don't go high enough to provide good lateral support to the boat (they're set up for power boats).

You're right, an outboard would get me there, but realistically, it would be about a 3 day sail. With cold weather having already moved in, I'm not sure I want to try that trip right now, and the owner wants her gone from his slip.

Sorry...just getting frustrated. She's a very nice boat - needs a mainsail, engine, and sheets, but her "bones" look very good - and its looking like I may have to pass on her, too, because it's just too expensive to move her.

[Cheechako]

Yeah, alot of people want too much for trailers up here too. There dreaming. For instance, you can buy a nice 25 ft sailboat on a traler for about 5k, but some people want 3500 for a trailer. It doesnt add up. That,s a swing keel right? Seems like you could make most double axle trailers work, one with adjustable bunks. Take a bunch of new bolts and 4x4 dunnage pieces. Youre right though, it would take some time and work.