[Rhodes22-list] Re ply to Alan Robertson about securing boat for trailering

Tootle ekroposki at charter.net
Fri Oct 12 19:28:38 EDT 2007


Alan:

You should have been on the Rhodes 22 List about 13 months ago with that
post.  There was a famous Rhodie going around Washington, D.C., hauling a
Show Boat from Annapolis when exactly that happened on I-495.  All
trailering Rhodies should reread your post with great appreciation.

Do you have a picture?

Ed Kroposki
Greenville, SC, USA
"Young people are "threatened . . . by the evil use of advertising
techniques that stimulate the natural inclination to avoid hard work by
promising the immediate satisfaction of every desire." - Pope John Paul II,


Alan Robertson-2 wrote:
> 
> Good to hear from you Claude. One tip I omitted was to run a tight 3/8 -
> 1/2" line secured to the bottom of a bow pulpit side support down to the
> trailer's side channel itself. When hitting a bump or pothole at higher
> speeds, this restrains the boat bow from jerking up and down and keeps the
> trailer hitch from jumping off the ball of the towing vehicle. We used
> this with only the cockpit tie down strap securing the boat on the trailer
> and it work very well.
> Alan
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Claude Cox<mailto:ccc974 at comcast.net> 
>   To: The Rhodes 22 mail list<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> 
>   Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 12:08 PM
>   Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Retrieval of Boat
> 
> 
>   Hi Alan;
> 
>   For this trip, I was able to find a speed at which there was no 
>   fish-tailing.  I did retract the bow chock, but only after hitting the
> road 
>   and needing to stop to do some adjustment.  And I will leave less of the 
>   bunks showing the next time I pull.
> 
>   I left the motor and rudder attached to the stern, but secured them
> well, 
>   and had no problem with tail-gaters.
> 
>   I'm probably a couple of years away from replacing my tow vehicle, but I 
>   will be getting a heftier engine to be sure.  Thanks for your post and
> the 
>   useful suggestions.
> 
>   Claude
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: "Alan Robertson" <bigal_61 at msn.com<mailto:bigal_61 at msn.com>>
>   To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>>
>   Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 10:22 PM
>   Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Retrieval of Boat
> 
> 
>   > 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<mailto:ccc974 at comcast.net>>
>   >  To: Rhodes22
> list<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org<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 w
>   > er
>   >   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
>   >
>   >  __________________________________________________
>   >  Use
> Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org<mailto:Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org<mailto:Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org%3Cmailto:Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>>,
> Help? 
>   >
> www.rhodes22.org/list<http://www.rhodes22.org/list<http://www.rhodes22.org/list%3Chttp://www.rhodes22.org/list>>
>   > __________________________________________________
>   > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org<mailto:Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>,
> Help? www.rhodes22.org/list<http://www.rhodes22.org/list> 
> 
>   __________________________________________________
>   Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org<mailto:Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>, Help?
> www.rhodes22.org/list<http://www.rhodes22.org/list>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> 
> 

-- 
View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Retrieval-of-Boat-tf4591466.html#a13184744
Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.



More information about the Rhodes22-list mailing list