Did you know that if you have RAC breakdown cover and the trailer breaks down they won't help ...

If you are trailing your boat and the car breaks down and they can't fix it they will recover the car & trailer but if it is a trailer breakdown your are on your own.

Are the AA or Greenflag the same?

Rick

Lots on this in the Dinghy multihulls about 3-4 months ago under

Breakdown Cover

As the Major put it look at the other thread, but basically!!

Two choices.

Noble Marine have a scheme but there are restrictions on size, through the AA I think.

or

Join the Camping and caravaning club then get their RAC recovery option. This removes all weight height and length limits. imho the only way to go if you have a big boat, ie Hurricane or Tornado.

Can't believe I agreed with the Major!!!! 

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1981&PN=1 - http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1 981&PN=1

Luckily I found another thread so I can add more than the Major. That was just a bit too close

See the pic from SX girl. Kev looks happy in it

We did set up a scheme, earlier this year, with a company called Boat Trailer Assist, using the RAC, but their web site has been out of order for quite a while now.

I have spoken direct to the RAC, and the best that they could suggest was to join the Camping and Caravanning Club, or refer us back through Boat Trailer Assist.

The Caravan Club (who are different to the CCC, apparently ) also have a scheme via Green Flag.  Green Flag are currently trying to decide whether they can set up a scheme for boat owners, but want me to guarantee that a huge number of sailors will sign up

A number of recovery firms have said that it shouldn't be a problem, to include trailer recovery within a standard vehicle membership, but can't promise to always be in a position to provide a suitable tow-away vehicle.  Not great, if you happen to be the one stuck on a motorway at 11pm on a Sunday night.

If I do manage to arrange something, I'll certainly let the forum know.

For those of us twawling around the country for opens this is a bad situation.

I am a member of the RAC - if I join the Caravan club (argh) will they cover my trailer?

Rick

 Not surprising as that was taken at about 4am Saturday morning after about 5 hours on the side of the M23!

The sunrise was nice though

Reading the policy, it says trailers are only covered if you are carrying a serviceable spare wheel and trye for your trailerotherwise yes the trailer is covered provided you have Arrival membership.

Rick, Basically ditch your current RAC, join the Camping and Caravanning club, different to the caravan club, then take out their arrival membership. ( club and arrival about 100 quid).  then feel free to break down. I did it on Tuesday, in my car, not van and without a trailer but everything went well.

One other thing SX girl found out is you are covered to a max of £2500 of specialist cover, though they don't tell you what each breakdown cost? In essence a fair use policy.

P.S.

Credit for the majority of my knowledge on this topic must go to SX girl who had been there and done it before me!!

Must learn more about that sunrise

I'm a member of AA. When my tyre blewout on the way back from Scotland they offered to send a truck, put the boat on the back of it, and take it home for me.

Rick are you talking about trailer only breakdowns here?

If so I guess the answer here is keep your trailer in good condition. There is not much that can go wrong with it. Carry at least one spare tyre or 2 if going on a long journey. Change the tyres if starting to perish. Keep bearings well greased.

On the way to Garda one year a triple boat Contender trailer blew up one of their wheel bearings inside av Swiss mountain tunnel. The guys changed the wheel and bearing in 15 minutes flat - I suppose the motivation to get out of the tunnel was enough. The point is if you are going a long way carry spares o get yourself out of trouble.

Not much else can go wrong with your trailer unless it is badly corroded. Then the answer is don't use it and buy a new one. Would you drive a car in such a condition. What about MOTs for road trailers?

How much longer did it take to get home? If you had a spare then you would not have had the inconvenience. 

Been a member of the camping and caravan club now for 5 years since the nice man at RAC pointed out to me that the trailer cover I had paid extra for did not "actually" cover the trailer!!   After much discussion he told me to "swallow my pride" and join the CCC.

I've had to ask the post man to push the monthly magazine all the way through the letter box in case the neighbors spot it, I also shred it before I put it in the re-cycling just in case

There is one major benefit - Total cost of CCC & RAC cover through CCC is cheaper than original RAC membership.

I'm surprised you bother to go to those lengths to deny your CCC membership Rob, surely the Volvo estate gives the game away (don't they come with factory-fitted CCC stickers?).     Assuming you've still got the Volvo estate of course.. I mean it was only 10 or so years ago I last saw it...

Mike

Still got a Volvo estate, not the same one as you and Graham helped trash, just a slightly newer one which Paul and Alec help trash.

You and Graham still hold the record for filling the back seat with rubish on a Garda Trip

I would have thought the same as Tim but after reading another thread discussing pressures in 8" tyres (Oh, the glamourous lives we lead!) I had a look at a couple of websites.

The first thing of note is that the UK has its very own National Trailer and Towing Association. Marvellous.

The second is that the construction of trailer tyres is slightly different to car tyres, the side walls being stiffer to deal with the trailer's tendency to sway. However, 8" trailer tyres are really really skinny compared to even the smallest car's so I'm not sure if these 2 things cancel themselves out. Boat trailers aside there are any number of box trailers on the roads diy-made from half the running gear of an old mini so I suppose car tyes are safe enough.

I've always towed my Furball at, shall we say, slightly above recommended speed limits and had no problems whatsoever (frantically looking for nearest wood to keyboard!)

Stu with respect your problem is alignment, your wheels toe out something rotten and I'm guessing you had a blowout on the inside wall/tread of the tyres.  we had a look when we passed you (twice!) on the way back from the Skiff nats. (We'd stopped for a FatMacs in the car and Simon was towing my boat back for me, bless him! The joys of not being allowed a towbar on the company car...)

Some new suspension units or some re-alignment of the existing ones might well solve the problem for you mate.

Good thread though, had not even considered this!!

Damn straight! (Or not in this case)

But this a thread about breakdown recovery, not why I had a blow out!