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Towing a Boat |
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Geoff 
Newbie 
Joined: 06 May 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
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 Topic: Towing a BoatPosted: 22 Feb 09 at 9:54pm |
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I wouldn't recomend doing 90mph as has been mentioned on here! Those little trailer tyres could easily explode at those speeds, and then you wouldn't even make the 2nd race, never mind the first!! I never go above 70 when towing a boat, its not worth the risk of a blowout
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Granite
Far too distracted from work 
Joined: 12 May 04 Location: Scotland Online Status: Offline Posts: 476 |
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Posted: 22 Feb 09 at 12:22pm |
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If you are using a strap to tie down then always put a twist or two in it, stops them from drumming, which damages you boat and can cause the strap to fail in a few hundred miles.
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If it doesn't break it's too heavy; if it does it wasn't built right
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tmoore
Really should get out more 
Joined: 01 Nov 07 Location: Wales Online Status: Offline Posts: 880 |
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Posted: 22 Feb 09 at 10:52am |
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i would be very worried if straps dissapeared whilst towing! i was convoying with a friend to the 300 nationals and his main strap came loose and i could see the boat moving about on the trolley (we were both using straps on the front aswell luckily). even so when we got 1mile further down the road to the nearest slip way his boat had huge rub markings from the trolley. i would always put as much tension on the boat as i can with one of those small ratchets. aslong as you pad it the boat will be fine - gunnels are one of the toughest parts of the boat.
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Landlocked in Africa
RS300 - 410 Firefly F517 - Nutshell Micro Magic RC yacht - Eclipse |
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Paramedic
Really should get out more
Joined: 27 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 929 |
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Posted: 22 Feb 09 at 7:57am |
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Doesn't do the boat any good though, and if pulled could lead to points and a sore wrist
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gordon
Really should get out more
Joined: 07 Sep 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1037 |
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Posted: 21 Feb 09 at 10:13pm |
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When towing our utterly uncool, very battered old boat round Ireland that it is like driving in a time warp.... we always have a delighfully open road in front of us just like in the tourist board ads 30 years ago! when someone overtakes us they rapidly disappear over the horizon. Motoring as it used to be... keep looking for an AA man on a motorbike to salute us.
Whilst it is important to adjust straps and suchlike - I have realised several times after a long trip that straps have disappeared. If the trailer is right for the boat the boat wil stay put. Gordon |
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Gordon
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tmoore
Really should get out more
Joined: 01 Nov 07 Location: Wales Online Status: Offline Posts: 880 |
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Posted: 21 Feb 09 at 7:30pm |
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if you have not bought a car then go for a diesel. its cheaper on insurance (seen as less sporty) and you get much more torque which is great for towing. added to that you also save a lot of money on fuel. otherwise just take it steady. leave plenty of time so your not in a rush. the first time i towed my boat i was bottling it but after a few mins its fine. everythings been covered already so no point repeating. just be careful because the trailer may well be wider than your car. its easy to forget the boat is there sometimes. also make sure you have that loop of wire to catch the trailer if the hitch comes off. its now illegal if you dont have it. |
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Landlocked in Africa
RS300 - 410 Firefly F517 - Nutshell Micro Magic RC yacht - Eclipse |
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29er397
Really should get out more
Joined: 02 Feb 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 505 |
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Posted: 20 Feb 09 at 11:44am |
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Thats what i mean though, really going for it with a boat on the back when you havn't got the power, for example; up hills (I suppose this might be more of an issue 'up north') or in your case, fast with a double trailer. When driving less aggressively, fuel consumption isnt much of an issue. I guess the effect is also greatly increased with a smaller car, even that 0.4 difference will help. |
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craiggo
Really should get out more
Joined: 01 Apr 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1810 |
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Posted: 20 Feb 09 at 11:06am |
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Fergus, behind my 1.6 Saxo I never noticed much of change in fuel consumption, generally around the 30-32mpg mark, however I did attend the Inlands once where I travelled up with Matt Humphries with the double stacker on the back. Unfortunately Matt was a bit late getting from Bristol to my club and so we ended up doing the best part of 90 most of the way there, and got there 30 mins before the start, Matt even won that race ! Anyway fuel consumption at that speed with the two boats on the back dropped to 12mpg. On the way back at 65-70 I averaged 28mpg.
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29er397
Really should get out more
Joined: 02 Feb 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 505 |
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Posted: 20 Feb 09 at 10:25am |
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I towed my old 600 to Edinburgh the week i past my test, and learned a few things along the way, most of which have been mentioned already. Probably important to you as it was to me, is fuel consumption; towing behind my 1.2 clio, up hills would go no faster than 40 really... i dropped gears, planted my foot to the floor and achieved a lot more noise, but no more speed. I attempted this technique all the way there and used a truley mind boggling amount of petrol for such a little modern car. On the way back i didnt push it and settled for 40ish on the long inclines (letting others past if necceaary) and driving as normal on the flat. I found that i could achieve fairly regular speeds on the flat and was still plagued by the many speed cameras on the A68, however used roughly half the petrol. Its just like burning money really. |
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craiggo
Really should get out more
Joined: 01 Apr 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1810 |
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Posted: 20 Feb 09 at 8:56am |
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Towing a 600 is no problem at all if you are on narrow wings as the boat is still narrower than most cars, I towed mine behind my Citroen Saxo for years with no problems, including the toll brdige at Porthmadog! on the way to the 2000 nationals at Phwelli.
Wide wing owners need to be a bit more careful, and indeed most of them have reflective stickers on the front and back of the wings so that other drivers know just how wide you are. Easiest way to tie a 6 down is one rope around the forestay ring on the bow, and then a rope around each wing down to the trolley. Tie the mast to the mast support with shock cord, and the other end to the bars across the stern (with a bit of foam padding to avoid scratches). Check it after a few minutes and re-tension if necessary. Mid lane hoggers are the biggest problem but if you fancy a bit of a risk then the boat can be towed at normal motorway speeds  no problem so the occasional trip into the outside lane presents no physical problems just dont get caught.
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