Towing a roadbase ? Lighting board issues

Hi Folks,

Off to look at another boat at the weekend and knowing that the boat doesn't come with it's own trailer/roadbase we're hoping to strap its trolley onto a roadbase which we're borrowing for the day. Obviously once we're towing a boat it's fairly obvious where to fit the lighting board but on our outwards journey we'll just be towing the roadbase.........do we need to fit the lighting board to it ? ......and if so how on earth do we attach it ?

Any advice would be appreciated,

Nigel

Morning Nigel

I have on the odd occasion traveled 40 or 50 miles with out a board on a road base with just a white bit of cloth tied to the back to mark the end of the trailier.

After all the other road users can see all your lights on the car & if they can`t - why are they driving?

Yeah, same here, I routinely tow a road base with no lighting board, but obviously not after dark!

I have done this quite a few times. The trick is to pull the board towards the car both above and below the rear roller. My lights board has transom fittings and a mast support so I simply tie the lower pintle eye and mast support uptube back together towards the car. After that I use shockcord through the eyes already on the board to pull each corner back. Push an end through the eye, tie a bowline on the car side of the board. Then the tail goes over the back end of the board, undernearth the trailer beam, forward and round a different trailer beam and can be tied off at the loop created by the bowline. This allows you to get even tension and stop the lights board rotating around.

Hope this helps. Good luck with the boat.

From the old chestnut, the The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 Schedule 1

TABLE VI
Trailer drawn by a motor vehicle

(1)	(2)	(3)
Type of lamp, reflector or rear marking	Schedule in which relevant installation and performance requirements are specified	Exceptions
Front position lamp	Schedule 2: Part I	A trailer with an overall width not exceeding 1600 mm; A trailer manufactured before 1st October 1985 the overall length of which, excluding any drawbar and any fitting for its attachment, does not exceed 2300 mm; A trailer constructed or adapted for the carriage and launching of a boat.
Direction indicator	Schedule 7: Part I	A trailer manufactured before 1st September 1965; An agricultural vehicle or a works trailer in either case manufactured before 1st October 1990.
Side marker lamp	Schedule 9: Part I	A trailer the overall length of which, excluding any drawbar and any fitting for its attachment, does not exceed- (a)  6 m, (b)  9.15 m in the case of a trailer manufactured before 1st October 1990; An incomplete trailer proceeding to a works for completion or to a place where it is to be stored or displayed for sale; An agricultural vehicle or a works trailer; A caravan; A trailer constructed or adapted for the carriage and launching of a boat; A trailer in respect of which the following conditions are satisfied- (a)  there is fitted to the trailer all the lighting and light-signalling devices listed in items 1.5.7 to 1.5.20 of Annex I of Community Directive 76/756/EEC, as amended, which are required to be fitted under that Annex; and (b)  all those devices are so installed and maintained that they comply with the requirements set out in items 3 and 4 of that Annex.
Rear position lamp	Schedule 10: Part I	None.
Rear fog lamp	Schedule 11: Part I	A trailer manufactured before 1st April 1980; A trailer the overall width of which does not exceed 1300 mm; An agricultural vehicle or a works trailer.
Stop lamp	Schedule 12: Part I	An agricultural vehicle or a works trailer.
End-outline marker lamp	Schedule 13: Part I	A trailer having an overall width not exceeding 2100 mm; An incomplete trailer proceeding to a works for completion or to a place where it is to be stored or displayed for sale; An agricultural vehicle or a works trailer; A trailer manufactured before 1st October 1990.
Rear registration plate lamp	Schedule 15	A trailer not required to be fitted with a rear registration plate.
Side retro reflector	Schedule 17: Part I	A trailer the overall length of which, excluding any drawbar, does not exceed 5 m; An incomplete trailer proceeding to a works for completion or to a place where it is to be stored or displayed for sale; Engineering plant; A trailer primarily constructed for moving excavated material and which is being used by virtue of an Order under section 44 of the Act.
Front retro reflector	Schedule 21: Part I	A trailer manufactured before 1st October 1990; An agricultural vehicle or a works trailer.
Rear retro reflector	Schedule 18: Part I	None.
Rear marking	Schedule 19: Part I	A trailer manufactured before 1st August 1982 the unladen weight of which does not exceed 1020 kg; A trailer the maximum gross weight of which does not exceed 3500 kg; An incomplete trailer proceeding to a works for completion or to a place where it is to be stored or displayed for sale; An agricultural vehicle, a works trailer or engineering plant; A trailer drawn by a bus; A home forces' vehicle; A trailer constructed or adapted for- (a)  fire fighting or fire salvage; (b)  servicing or controlling aircraft; (c)  heating and dispensing tar or other material for the construction or maintenance of roads; (d)  carrying asphalt or macadam, in each case being mixing or drying plant; or (e)  transporting two or more vehicles or vehicle bodies or two or more boats.