[Rhodes22-list] Retrieval of Boat

Mon Oct 8 22:22:18 EDT 2007

Claude,
   We trailered from '83 to '04 using the GB -Triad single axel trailer and found that about 400 lbs. of tongue weight is needed to keep trailer from "fishtailing."  Also back your trailer in the water further than you stated and retract the bow chock, do not extend it to get Rhodes centered fore and aft. We found that center cabin window should be over the trailer wheel for horizontal balance and proper weight on the hitch; aft window over the axel if you transport boat with outboard still on the transom which I would not advise because of harmonic effect if rig starts to sway a little. Don't go over 55 mph; this is what Stan Spitzer advised. If ramp is steep, raise rudder blade before pulling forward so it does not hit the ramp surface when bow is "up" and stern of your boat is "down." A good hit on a concrete ramp can damage the rudder or at best make it jump off the gudgeons ( i.e. the brackets on the transom).

Take the rudder off and lay flat in the towing vehicle if you can. If some tailgating A H rear ends you and takes a chunk out of the rudder blade, it's darn expensive to replace although Stan can do it; at last he did it for us about 12 years ago.

Finally, with the weight of the boat, trailer and equipment you carry in either one  gets up to 3500 lbs. your towing vehicle is somewhat underpowered for highway speed unless you stay in next to highest gear selection on the AT. We trailered with a 5.3 liter V-8 on a big Buick Station LeSabre wagon which was just about adequate. Went to a 5.7 Suburban with trailer towing package which handled it effortlessly on road and ramps with gas saving rear wheel drive! Good Luck!
Alan & Barbara Robertson - "Thor IV"

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Claude Cox<mailto:ccc974 at comcast.net> 
  To: Rhodes22 list<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> 
  Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 8:39 PM
  Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Retrieval of Boat

  Hello Everyone;

  I'm mostly a lurker on this list, but occassionally I have something to say---like now.

  I pulled my celtic Lass today, for the first time; it started out well, and went up from there.  Following the Commodore's instruction manual made the experience an awesome one!  I drove the boat onto the trailer, and it centered just like the instruction's say it will.  Because of the shallow water at the ramp, I used the 10' tongue extension, and backed into the water until there was about 2 1/2 feet of bunk above water. 

  The trailer is a 1988 Trailmaster, single axle, which I purchased from Peter Thorn this past spring.  I replaced the bunks, recovered the bow stop bunks, and, at PT's suggestion, installed what WM calls "Trailer Sliks (P. 757 in the catalog).  They worked beautifully, as they provide a slick surface, for an extended time, on which the boat can move.  I installed a 5,000 # winch strap, which worked like a charm; as I pulled the boat out of the water, it held the bow eye close, even as the angle of the strap changed when the stern settled onto the trailer.  The bow eye came up "eye-to-eye" with the winch, but the boat didn't move as I pulled up the ramp, which was a challenging ramp because of its somewhat severe grade (at least for this boat retrieval virgin, it seemed to be severe). The tow vehicle is a 2000 Ford Explorer, 2WD, 4.0L V6 engine.  My son-in-law helped with this adventure, and with the two of us in the vehicle, along with "stuff" one accumulates on a boat, we wer
   e at the limit of this vehicle, however.  

  The bow stop is on an adjustable arm.  It was extended all the way toward the stern of the trailer as I retrieved.  Leaving it there, once we hit the road the trailer began fish-tailing at about 45 MPH.  Moving the winch toward the tongue, I winched my 3000 # Rhodes forward (a real tribute to the trailer sliks) until the edge of the rear port was over the axle of the trailer (another PT-suggestion).  That gave me another 10 mph, which was plenty for the roads over which I was towing.

  Several of you on the list are in the decision-making process about how to equip your Rhodes.  If you get nothing else, GET THE MAST HOIST SYSTEM!!!  At least for me, it is worth its weight in gold.  Lest I seem too fulsome about this experience, there was a slightly down side--preparing for the road.  We were going just 40 miles, so how we prepared didn't seem as critical as preparing for 400 miles.  Still, getting all the shrouds and loose lines secured presented a challenge.  I'm sure finding a satisfactory way to prepare for the road will come in time, however.  What we wound up with was a pretty messy bundle, but when we got to the end of the trip, it was still all just where we had put it.

  When I returned home at the end of the day, I celebrated my success with one of those drinks Rummy talks about all the time--what's it called Rumster?  I had one....then another....then another.  And as I have come to the end of my post, I'm going to have another.

  Peace ya'll. 
  Claude     

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