How large a boat can I trailer ?

[Pat Clarke]

Is it possible to trailer a 34 ft cruiser weighing 6 tonnes. I live a couple of kilometers from the inland waterways and have lots of space to store a boat. My local marina is charging 3,500 Euro for mooring a boat. What type of trailer would handle this type of load. Pulling power is not an issue as my jeep can pull up to 9.1 tonnes. Ideally I would put the boat in the water at the beginning of the season and store it at home for the off season.

[Boatguy30]

what spec puts a jeep at 9.1 tonnes? jeeps are quite dangerous tow vehicles. boat size would be no problem to tow in N America on a triple axle trailer and 3/4 ton truck or suburban.

[TooCoys]

What the hell kinda jeeps are they building across the pond? I have both a Jeep Wrangler, and a Jeep Gladiator and neither one of them can pull anywhere near that kind of weight. Max tow on the Wrangler is like 3500lbs, and max on the Gladiator is like 7000lbs if I upgrade the rear axle.

If Euro Jeeps are anything like US Jeeps, you need to re-check your towing information.

[Cheechako]

I trailed a Contessa 26. I had a Ford F250 Diesel. At times it seemed not enough. It pulled fine but control is another thing. The Contessa is a heavy little boat.
You will have to have the boat lifted in... is that possible? (unless it is a swing keel/flat bottom)
Retracting keel boats are far easier to trailer than like my Contessa which was deep draft and sat high on a trailer.
You will find that rigging the boat takes a long time once you get to the launch.
A 34 foot boat will be a challenge to get the mast up.

[goboatingnow]

Typically limits on euro licenses is 3 tonnes and Max 2.55 metres wide

That’s no way your jeep is rated for 9.1 tonnes the typically Max is 2.5 to 3t

To tow above 0.7 t will need an “E” extension to your euro driving license. This is now a separate test.

The easiest way to haul 6 tonnes a few kilometres is to use a farm tractor ( W license )

A custom trailer can be fabricated.

[Topspin]

I think the biggest problem is the keel structure and the draft. For most boat ramps I have problems to get my trailer for a 7.2m boat down deep enough that the boat can swim off the trailer. The biggest boats I have seen on a trailer are the large McGregors but I have never seen something bigger than 28 ft.
If 3500Euro is the yearly charge :-), go for it and store the boat in the water ready to sail, it makes things much easier than fiddle with an oversized road trailer on the fringe of the legal requirements or get the mast up and down every time you want to go for a weekend sail.

Regards,

-Richard

[MCOS]

Originally Posted by Pat Clarke

Is it possible to trailer a 34 ft cruiser weighing 6 tonnes. I live a couple of kilometers from the inland waterways and have lots of space to store a boat. My local marina is charging 3,500 Euro for mooring a boat. What type of trailer would handle this type of load. Pulling power is not an issue as my jeep can pull up to 9.1 tonnes. Ideally I would put the boat in the water at the beginning of the season and store it at home for the off season.

Read your owners manual. If your not sure or don't have a manual, go to your dealer. Absolutely would not even attempt 6 ton load with a jeep. You might move it but God help you if you have to stop fast, your load will end up pushing you down the highway, probably sideways after you lock up the brakes and start skidding.

[denverd0n]

Max towing capacity for a Jeep Grand Cherokee (at least, here in the U.S.) is 7,200 pounds. That's less than 4 tons. And the Grand Cherokee has the highest towing capacity of any vehicle that Jeep sells.


I find it very hard to believe that they sell a version in Europe that has a towing capacity that is more than twice that amount. I think you need to double-check your towing capacity.


As mentioned, finding a ramp where you can launch and retrieve a boat that big will be the real problem. Not to mention that -- if that 3,500 is an annual fee -- it sounds extremely reasonable price to me. Of course, if that's 3,500 monthly then I can surely see your concern.

[wingssail]

I don't think you will like to do this.

I trailered a 30ft retractable keel sloop which weighed about 4000lbs for four years.

I ramp launched it.

Putting the mast up and down was very difficult even with well engineered jockey pole system. I had two unfortunate incidents. Once I dropped the mast on a car in the parking lot near the ramp. Big dent. A second time, to avoid putting the mast up and down I moved the boat to the storage lot at the marina, but forgot to stay in the center lane of the access road and consequently hit a street light standard which broke the light, broke the mast and yanked the trailer of the truck I was using as a tow vehicle. It also blew fuses in the village, and made such a racket as everything clattered to the pavement that all the sailors in the vicinity (it was race day) became spectators to my stupidity. From then on I used the hoist and avoided the whole mast thing.

Next issue: Your Jeep might be able to move that boat, regardless of the official towing capacity, but stopping and turning corners with it may be exciting. You might find that the boat winds up towing the jeep.

Cooling system and brakes, not designed for the load.

[Lionshooter]

The only Jeep that could even come close to pulling 18,000 lbs...
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1&d=1628010543

[garyfdl]

So I had to do a little math (since the US chooses not to use a decimal based system like the rest of the civilized world ).

6 tonnes comes out to 13,228 lbs. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Jeep has never made a vehicle that pulled that much (correct me if I'm wrong). In the US you're (probably) looking at least a Ford F-250, GMC/Chevy 2500, or Dodge Ram 2500 pick-up to haul that kind of load. My brother-in-law just bought a loaded F-250 Lariat 'Tremor' MSRP about $80,000 USD. Tow capacity (according to him) is 18,000 lbs.

Then there is the trailer... For a 14,000 lb load you are looking a a custom build or extensively modified equipment trailer. At least a 'tandem axle' and probably 3, with electric brakes on at least 4 wheels. To be able to launch there will have to be a tongue extension, a long one. Bottom line? Lots'a $$$ for not much return IMO.

FWIW I have a 27' Watkins (7500 lb displ probably 8000 lbs fully loaded) on a custom, 'purpose built' 'tandem axle' trailer with the tongue extension. It's a beast to haul, even with the b-i-l's F-250. It gets hauled to the water in spring, picked up and launched with a travel lift, and the mast gets stepped with a crane. In the fall the process is reversed. The only reason I move it is because I have inside storage over the winter.

[PineyWoodsPete]

Checking his prior posts, the OP lives near a village in Ireland on the River Shannon, and was looking at motor rather than sailing cruisers. A triple-axel trailer capable of the load will probably cost at least his yearly rental, plus the lift or crane charges twice yearly, But with a long tongue extension the boat could probably be floated on from a paved ramp, but would need a heavy commercial vehicle tow truck to get it back up the steep ramp. My 13,000 lb Endeavour 32 keel/CB was losded this way from a Georgia lake and transported to the FL Gulf Coast and back for a year's cruise in '79. It took a sizable crew who knew the dance well to position it properly and secure it.

[cruising_ollie]

34 ft cruiser weighing 6 tonnes - sail boat or power boat? No keel and no mast if power boat.

[goboatingnow]

Firstly no conventional jeep on sale legally in Ireland can tow over 3metric tons. The grand Cherokee here is rated for 2.5

However on the Shannon a small number of people with access to storage near the river or lake can get a old modified truck trailer welded up to carry a cruiser. A conventional farm tractor with an under 40 kmph gearbox can tow this without any brakes or other systems without anything other then a W license

Note that on the Shannon 3400 euros for a 34 footer is an utter rip off. , it should be 2k or less ,don’t bother towing it. Look at the other marinas

[Pat Clarke]

Thanks for all you comments. However I am more interested in the trailer rather than the vehicle towing it. By jeep, I mean LWB Landcruiser, but I also have access to a tractor - so towing the trailer will not be the problem. So from what I gather so far I would need a tripple axel trailer (with brakes). The boat would be a power boat (3 ft draft) so keel and mask are not a factor. The boat would be launched from a paved ramp