[Rhodes22-list] Trailer Sailing the Rhodes 22

[Joe Babb]

Hi Wally,
Sharon and I trailer sail our Rhodes 22.  We find that extending the 
trailer tongue to launch and retrieve is the most
aggravating thing about it.  Otherwise things go quite smoothly with the 
mast hoist system.  It just takes time and patience.
It takes us about 1.5 to 2 hours to rig and launch.  That's from parking 
at the launch ramp to parking the truck and
trailer.  The best tip is to minimize the amount of time you spend 
getting on and off the boat through planning your
work.  We tow with a Chevy 2500 Silverado.  We usually get 16 -18 mpg on 
the highway without towing.  On the way
back across the Smoky Mountains from Edenton we got about 12 mpg average 
towing the Rhodes.
Going up steep hills usually slows us down to 40 or 45.  We found the 
boat tows well at 55 mph.
So far, I've always just jumped in the water and led Harmony onto the 
trailer.  The trailer extension is a pain, but also
very nice as it gets you far  enough into the water to avoid having to 
use muscle power to launch.
Hope this helps. 
Joe