[Rhodes22-list] Trailer Sailing the Rhodes 22

[Mary Lou Troy]

I've said this before but just in case there are some new folks here, 
I'd like to mention that Fred and I rarely use the tongue extension 
when launching Fretless. Both of the ramps we've used extensively are 
deep enough that we can launch and retrieve without the extender as 
long as we are willing to get the truck wheels wet. With the old 
Blazers we had to get the tailpipe bubbling a bit but that never 
seemed to do any damage. We put well over 100K miles on the first one 
and traded the 2nd one for a pick-up when the Blazer had 95K. miles. 
The truck's hitch sits a bit higher and we just get the wheels wet. 
The Blazers towed the R22 OK though they would have been a bit 
underpowered if we towed in the mountains. The Nissan Frontier 
pick-up (6300 lb tow rating) is overkill but great.

Mary Lou
1991 R22 Fretless
Rock Hall, MD


At 10:49 AM 10/1/2008, you wrote:
>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
>
>__________________________________________________
>To subscribe/unsubscribe or for help with using the mailing list go 
>to http://www.rhodes22.org/list
>__________________________________________________
>
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
>Version: 8.0.173 / Virus Database: 270.7.5/1702 - Release Date: 
>10/1/2008 9:05 AM