A large trailer sailer....... Kind of.

[SailWYO]

my 2 pence, if you're doing it once a year (in/out) this seems reasonable. Many people have to do a haulout in the winter anyway, so you just put it on a trailer vs stands. I exclusively trailer sail my capri 25 (4.2' draft and 9.16' beam) and strap launch it every time I sail. With only 4.1' of draft you might not even need a crane. just 30' of tow strap (at 9 tons i might use 2 tow straps lol. or a big chain)if the ramp is long enough. A guy we race with strap launches a farr 30 every other weekend and his draft is 6.75' (he even trailered it to the east coast for a summer of racing).

With a beam of 9.16 on the capri I have never gotten a wide load permit and I have never had any issues. whatsoever. My buddy also campaigns a capri 25 across multiple states and has never gotten a wide load permit. Youll be on the line for the wide load thing, but if it is truly only a 9' beam you might be able to skirt by it. However your bigger problem will be legal weight. If the boat is truly 18000 lbs, plus 4k for a trailer, plus 7500 or so for the tow rig your gvwr is at 29,500, 3500 lbs over the limit for non CDL transport.

Now, rednecks all over the country are exceeding that 26k limit in clapped out 5.9 2nd gens all the time...but do you want to do that? Again you could probably get away with it, but not if you legally get a wide load permit. And then you are both over the weight limit and the wide load limit, and the illegal things are adding up.

As for the actual trailering of it, to my understanding very few places will rent a full size truck capable of towing that. Then you have to rent the truck, bring it to where you are, haul the boat, then bring the truck back (likely to a place that is not where the boat is launching at). You can get an older 6.7 3500 for the 17-25k range, which isnt too bad if you have that extra kind of money. Paying a transport company, id guess after the 3rd time you move that boat any significant distance you have paid the same cost as a higher mileage ram 3500

Another friend trailered a j105 across the country with a rented truck during covid sans wide load permits, no issue. But that boat only weighs 8k lbs, so weight was a non issue.

So all of it is perfectly reasonable to get to new cruising grounds once a year, though i think legal weight might be your biggest issue, depending if you want to risk it or not.

[Grith]

Originally Posted by SailWYO

my 2 pence, if you're doing it once a year (in/out) this seems reasonable. Many people have to do a haulout in the winter anyway, so you just put it on a trailer vs stands. I exclusively trailer sail my capri 25 (4.2' draft and 9.16' beam) and strap launch it every time I sail. With only 4.1' of draft you might not even need a crane. just 30' of tow strap (at 9 tons i might use 2 tow straps lol. or a big chain)if the ramp is long enough. A guy we race with strap launches a farr 30 every other weekend and his draft is 6.75' (he even trailered it to the east coast for a summer of racing).

With a beam of 9.16 on the capri I have never gotten a wide load permit and I have never had any issues. whatsoever. My buddy also campaigns a capri 25 across multiple states and has never gotten a wide load permit. Youll be on the line for the wide load thing, but if it is truly only a 9' beam you might be able to skirt by it. However your bigger problem will be legal weight. If the boat is truly 18000 lbs, plus 4k for a trailer, plus 7500 or so for the tow rig your gvwr is at 29,500, 3500 lbs over the limit for non CDL transport.

Now, rednecks all over the country are exceeding that 26k limit in clapped out 5.9 2nd gens all the time...but do you want to do that? Again you could probably get away with it, but not if you legally get a wide load permit. And then you are both over the weight limit and the wide load limit, and the illegal things are adding up.

As for the actual trailering of it, to my understanding very few places will rent a full size truck capable of towing that. Then you have to rent the truck, bring it to where you are, haul the boat, then bring the truck back (likely to a place that is not where the boat is launching at). You can get an older 6.7 3500 for the 17-25k range, which isnt too bad if you have that extra kind of money. Paying a transport company, id guess after the 3rd time you move that boat any significant distance you have paid the same cost as a higher mileage ram 3500

Another friend trailered a j105 across the country with a rented truck during covid sans wide load permits, no issue. But that boat only weighs 8k lbs, so weight was a non issue.

So all of it is perfectly reasonable to get to new cruising grounds once a year, though i think legal weight might be your biggest issue, depending if you want to risk it or not.

I would like some of the wingers who complain about the effort involved with launching and retrieving a trailer sailer to look at what you do!
I have just gone to a fair bit of effort to move to a roll on roll off trailer as my float off trailer ( still attached to my car ) was prone to going off the end of shorter boat ramps and being difficult to retrieve back up over the ledge that sometimes then exists.
Your yacht then must look like a treehouse on its trailer perched high above it’s keel requiring a ladder to reach getting on board up there.
I would guess no overnight camping onboard when driving between distant cruising grounds?
It sounds like America is a lot slacker about enforcing road regulations than here in Australia. Here trailers/caravans over 2000kgs (about 4,400lbs) require drivers seat controlled independent brakes on the trailer and breakaway fail safe systems that brake the trailer if it becomes detached.
An inch or so overwidth and a little bit overweight might go unnoticed but you had better hope your insurance stands up if an accident occurs.
You can still have a decent sized easily trailable yacht capable of extended cruising. Ours is 28 foot with standing headroom at the galley and enclosed shower toilet whilst drawing about 1 foot of water with the keel and rudders fully retracted.
It’s under an hour for me to rig and launch and the same to retrieve. Generally a bit too much effort for a regular day sail in my view but fine for a weekend or longer cruise.
The last photo is out at a desert refuelling stop during a 3000 mile delivery tow across Australia West to East coasts playing dodgem with huge road trains.

[SailWYO]

Originally Posted by Grith

I would like some of the wingers who complain about the effort involved with launching and retrieving a trailer sailer to look at what you do!
I have just gone to a fair bit of effort to move to a roll on roll off trailer as my float off trailer ( still attached to my car ) was prone to going off the end of shorter boat ramps and being difficult to retrieve back up over the ledge that sometimes then exists.
Your yacht then must look like a treehouse on its trailer perched high above it’s keel requiring a ladder to reach getting on board up there.
I would guess no overnight camping onboard when driving between distant cruising grounds?
It sounds like America is a lot slacker about enforcing road regulations than here in Australia. Here trailers/caravans over 2000kgs (about 4,400lbs) require drivers seat controlled independent brakes on the trailer and breakaway fail safe systems that brake the trailer if it becomes detached.
An inch or so overwidth and a little bit overweight might go unnoticed but you had better hope your insurance stands up if an accident occurs.
You can still have a decent sized easily trailable yacht capable of extended cruising. Ours is 28 foot with standing headroom at the galley and enclosed shower toilet whilst drawing about 1 foot of water with the keel and rudders fully retracted.
It’s under an hour for me to rig and launch and the same to retrieve. Generally a bit too much effort for a regular day sail in my view but fine for a weekend or longer cruise.
The last photo is out at a desert refuelling stop during a 3000 mile delivery tow across Australia West to East coasts playing dodgem with huge road trains.

haha it is by no means a trailer sailer. being young, and stubborn (with no options for local racing) we just deal with it. I balked at the strap launch idea at first, but now, its as normal of a process as stepping the mast or rigging the boat. With our dialed crew, rigging is about a 45 min process and launching is about 5-7. When you do it 10ish times a summer, it becomes a very quick process.

All the ramps we launch at are long enough to launch the boat no worries, though last summer at one race we had to fully drop the trailer off the end of a ramp to launch/retrieve (thought he locals had built little rock ramps to help get over the 8" ledge. It came up rather easily with no damage to the trailer, though a full size diesel would likely rip the axles off the trailer before actually struggling.

Usually we get to the destination later in the evening, so we will rig (half the time in the dark) and sleep in the boat on the trailer, then launch in the am and then sleep on that at the marina. Though we've slept in it at truck stops or random dark frontage road pull offs during multiple travel days.

The US us pretty slack until you cross that threshold from private to commercial. Nobody really stops you or cares wtf you're towing as long as its not horrendously dangerous or illegal looking. As soon as you have to pull into a weigh station, now they care about everything. Legally in the US anything over 3500lbs has to have trailer brakes (can be hydraulic surge or electric), but nobody actually checks that. Your time comes in the court of law if they are faulty.

Those road trains are bad ass!!
Nice little camp spot off the side of the road to get some shuteye lol.

[Bodger]

I tow a Pacific Seacraft Dana 24 on a trailer built for it. Loaded (dry) weighs around 9000. My tow vehicle is a 2000 F350 7.3 diesel. Nine miles to the gallon at 55mph.

It’s hard work driving the rig down I 95. It’s 8’ 7” feet wide. Technically it requires a permit in some states. I’ve never bothered and never been pulled over. I will say I was nervous going through a few toll booths, about 3 inches on each side. Seriously, anything bigger or heavier would be such a big task and so expensive it simply wouldn’t be worth it

[Trimaran Ken]

Originally Posted by thesaltytar

36' (10.9m) long on deck if I pull the bowsprit, draws 4'-10" (1.47m) with a 9' beam (2.7m) Wide load.

Look at a Corsair 37 folding trimaran.

[tomtriad]

My friends dad had a 35' Meadowlark sharpie sailboat which he used to trail from MA to FL then sail to the Bahamas. He finally got tired of the annual hauling and bought 2 cat boats, keeping one north and one south.

There are numerous yacht delivery services that use a hydraulic trailer and necessary permits, plus they're insured. They ain't cheap, but are reliable.

[acem]

If your boat weights 9 tons that's 18,000 lb. By the time you add truck and trailer your getting right at the 26,000 lb limit for no cdl. Also any trailer weighing over 10,000 lb requires a CDL.

Unless you tag it as an RV. RVs and Rv trailers are exempt from CDL requirements!

I have a Catalina 27 on a trailer. It's not that bad to pull with my dodge 3/4 ton pickup. However it's a bear to load on the trailer. A deep ramp is required. Your boats alot bigger...

Have you considered having someone sail it for you to your destination?

Thx-Ace

[sesmith]

If you're really considering trailering, you'd be further ahead looking at something with a trailer designed to be trailered. Seaward 32 comes to mind, since we have trailered a Seaward 25 all over the place. The 32 hits a good spot between big enough to live on for the season and transportable with a decent size tow vehicle. Also, the folding trimarans are fast and trailerable. Just not as roomy inside.

[cdreid]

Trucker here. NOT trying to be a downer heck id love to do what (except the trailer would cost as much as a lot of boats)

You absolutely cannot trailer this without a class a license and wide load placards. Ive forgotten the rule but you might also need a pilot car. TLDR no you absolutely cant. The beam is illegal for class c or b as is the weight and the height is probably unworkable.

So the boat needs to be 102" wide or less. If the combined vehicle is over 26000 pounds you need a class a cdl. Your height limit should be 13'6" total.. max.. there are a Lot of places you cant go with a load that tall. There are places you can go taller but theyre rare and youre brave if you do... you hit that bridge with your 15' tall load to avoid the 13'6" bridge and.. take out two sets of powerlines that cost way more than that boat to fix.. and set it on fire.

For this specific load.. as a trucker.. you'd need wide load placards (which i doubt a class c driver can use). This isnt wide enough id stress over driving it at all on most roads but it isnt legal without wide load placards. The height could easily be a problem. About 2' for the trailer. 4'10". Your total height above waterline would need to be about 7' or less.... that's for a professional trucker to haul it.
Another huge problem is i absolutely wouldnt trust anyone but a trucker to be competant. Note: Some big rv drivers do become pretty skilled with their rv's .. eventually. They do not driver just anywhere (truckers actually do) but a lot of them become very good drivers... and have class a's.

Upside: you can get a class a.. with that truck and a full length trailer. It will have "no semi" or something like that on back. That will allow you to overcome the weight limit. Id guess it allows you to use placards to overcome the width (6" too wide.. you'll fit on eh...most roads). I dont think youre overcoming height restrictions though youd have to make sure there are no powerlines bridges trees etc on your route. A 4" tree limb that isnt cut back would do an AMAZING amount of damage to your boat.
Oh also.. the combo is going to be heavy as hell for a pickup. 5-7k pickup. 9k boat. 5-10k trailer. All the **** in the boat. That better be one hell of a pickup



Good luck...

[Grith]

Originally Posted by SailWYO

haha it is by no means a trailer sailer. being young, and stubborn (with no options for local racing) we just deal with it. I balked at the strap launch idea at first, but now, its as normal of a process as stepping the mast or rigging the boat. With our dialed crew, rigging is about a 45 min process and launching is about 5-7. When you do it 10ish times a summer, it becomes a very quick process.

All the ramps we launch at are long enough to launch the boat no worries, though last summer at one race we had to fully drop the trailer off the end of a ramp to launch/retrieve (thought he locals had built little rock ramps to help get over the 8" ledge. It came up rather easily with no damage to the trailer, though a full size diesel would likely rip the axles off the trailer before actually struggling.

Usually we get to the destination later in the evening, so we will rig (half the time in the dark) and sleep in the boat on the trailer, then launch in the am and then sleep on that at the marina. Though we've slept in it at truck stops or random dark frontage road pull offs during multiple travel days.

The US us pretty slack until you cross that threshold from private to commercial. Nobody really stops you or cares wtf you're towing as long as its not horrendously dangerous or illegal looking. As soon as you have to pull into a weigh station, now they care about everything. Legally in the US anything over 3500lbs has to have trailer brakes (can be hydraulic surge or electric), but nobody actually checks that. Your time comes in the court of law if they are faulty.

Those road trains are bad ass!!
Nice little camp spot off the side of the road to get some shuteye lol.

Glad you are young! I would hate having to deal with “darling I left my phone in the car” and similar when sleeping way up there in the sky! I would also worry about big side winds and even two people hanging off one side at once when that high up on the trailer.
I used to race with “wet launch fixed keel trailables” and it was lucky our yacht club had hot showers.
My quoted rigging and launching time of under 1 hour was completely solo and with just my daughters help it’s at least halved.
I keep finding few people in the US actually using a true trailer sailer to cruise. Racing is a whole other deal and I have been there, done that and have the obligatory box full of dusty trophies.
Yes swing keel trailable yachts generally sail rather poorly directly upwind but for cruising it isn’t that big an issue.
My kind of sailing these days. 3 hours from our overnight onwater camping spot and tied up on the bank of a winery for a long lunch!

[ozsailer]

Sorry for the late reply but since first reading this post I was racking my older trailer sailer brain trying to remember an American Trailer yacht builder that may fit your bill. Have a look at Seaward yachts, If I recall they built a 26 trailable and a 32 trailable yacht. Link to a 26 for sale https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/201...-26rk-7912120/

Also a 32 for sale https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/201...-32rk-8085353/



Ozsailer

[Grith]

Originally Posted by ozsailer

Sorry for the late reply but since first reading this post I was racking my older trailer sailer brain trying to remember an American Trailer yacht builder that may fit your bill. Have a look at Seaward yachts, If I recall they built a 26 trailable and a 32 trailable yacht. Link to a 26 for sale https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/201...-26rk-7912120/

Also a 32 for sale https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/201...-32rk-8085353/



Ozsailer

A couple of really great looking maxi trailer sailers though the 32 would need a serious truck to pull it. I have never seen one here in Australia but might have been interested. The only thing is their drop keels with weighted bulbs are great for upwind sailing performance but not so great for accidental encounters with reefs, sandbars or floating debris.
I had a similar drop keel with bulb arrangement on a light weight coldmoulded cedar junior jog trailable flier and drove the keel clean through the keel case when a powerboat dragged the club rounding mark onto a sandbar which I struck at speed whilst leading a race. Swing keels generally just retract back into the yacht. I call mine the emergency depth sounder.
Most of those here with fixed keelers and used to sailing in well charted deep waters will have little understanding but my sailing is in often uncharted shallow locations and it’s an issue there.
Love seeing these trailables however being a fan of the trailable alternative to cruising.

[Mickeyrouse]

Like most things, you’re only limited by money. Maxi yachts are trailered. Just remember that the bigger the boat, the bigger the trailer. And just because you have a 400 hp pick-up doesn’t mean its suitable for towing. Towing considerations are as much about gearing in both the rear-end and suitable transmissions as horsepower. Plus the attachment system and suspension. And then we get to travelifts and spar capacity……

[Wolfe10]

My brother has trailed a Nimble 32' Pilothouse 10's of thousand miles. Triple axle trailer and Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins diesel.


Just returned to Texas from a summer in Alaska (trailered Texas to Port Edward BC).


Other years Texas to Maine for the summer.


https://www.google.com/search?source...ih=570&dpr=1.5