This is one HEAVY BOAT

ahh

in socal, they heavily frown upon going 75-85 with a trailer

60 is usually the sweet spot
 
i agree three supports under the gunwales is the way everyone has done it for ever here in Cairns .... i have never seen any sign of cracking ... splitting ... or any damage whatsoever doing it this way ...
 
I just think it's not good on the hull. I've heard of it going right through the sides of the hull.

...or support it under the gunwales.

How should one trail a Laser then. PSE sells only the gunwale hung system. I got one of those 'cos I thought it looked a good idea. Boat also lives on it. But I don't like the sound of it "going right through the sides of the hull". What should I be using ?

Ian
 
How should one trail a Laser then. PSE sells only the gunwale hung system. I got one of those 'cos I thought it looked a good idea. Boat also lives on it. But I don't like the sound of it "going right through the sides of the hull". What should I be using ?

Ian
I think the NA potential Olympian should offer more evidence of his doomsday trailer experience. in nearly 35 years trailering and close association withy the Marine Trade I have never heard of damage to a Laser whilst trailing on a gunwhale hung trailer whilst properly strapped down.

One point to consider that I haven't seen mentioned, if you are buying a utility trailer the chances are that the suspension rating is designed for a greater load than your Laser. On rough roads (European!) this means that the suspension will be too stiff and potentially cause problems. In general you will get away with most combinations provided that you strap the boat down TIGHT. There is often a fear amongst those new to trailing that they don't want to 'strain' anything so they leave a bit of give in the straps. This just allows the boat to bounce and is the most likely cause of problems whatever trailer you use.
 
I think the NA potential Olympian should offer more evidence of his doomsday trailer experience. in nearly 35 years trailering and close association withy the Marine Trade I have never heard of damage to a Laser whilst trailing on a gunwhale hung trailer whilst properly strapped down.

One point to consider that I haven't seen mentioned, if you are buying a utility trailer the chances are that the suspension rating is designed for a greater load than your Laser. On rough roads (European!) this means that the suspension will be too stiff and potentially cause problems. In general you will get away with most combinations provided that you strap the boat down TIGHT. There is often a fear amongst those new to trailing that they don't want to 'strain' anything so they leave a bit of give in the straps. This just allows the boat to bounce and is the most likely cause of problems whatever trailer you use.

exactly i believe that if strapped down properly there is no way that it is going to go right through the sides of the hull .... boats have been stored this way for over 20 years and they dont have any damage or deformations in those areas ... i feel any worry about cracking the sides off (if tied down properly) is completely unfounded.
 
I had a combitrailer from "snipe" apears to be a british company with a dolly with the 3 points under the gunwhale. After 3 years trailing it around, there are quite a few stressmarks and cracks on the hull where the trailer suppported the boat.

Now i use a "Kalf" trailer, a dutch company. Here there is a suport on the bow, 30cm back, and a big wide sling like the seitech, 3times as wide. Galvanised dolly, wich is much to heavy, so i use it as roadtrailer and a small alu dolly for launching. Works perfect. if i find a picture somewhere i will post it.

Tom
 
This is the trailer i mean, pretty heavy dolly, as solid as possible. Mine has a rack on top so i can take an other laser on it's deck above, together with one on the rooftop of the car i can tranport 3 lasers, perhaps one deck down in between, butt maybe that is to dangerous, so i am not gone try.

31949415-combi-trailer-kalf-remorque-combinee.jpg

31949415_3-combi-trailer-kalf-remorque-combinee.jpg
 
Psych

You said the boat came with a dolly - if it is an 'A' frame dolly any simple flat bed trailer or reasonably low box trailer with a lon enough drawbar will let you drag the boat on the dolly up onto it so you can tie the whole thing down to travel. (heavy trailers are only a problem in terms of gas mileage and wheeling the boat thru a boatyard - unless you install a jockey wheel)

The boat's weight sounds a problem - advice on de-humidifying will probably result in some improvement - but if it has old school foam bouyancy blocks this could take some time. More radical replacement of the foam with 'quibi-containers' requires at least inspection port surgery and a process of breaking the foam into extractable chunks plus lots of vacuuming out of residue. Inspection port installation however lets you use bigger fans to dry the hull without over presurising - but I would try the small non-invasive computer fan route first to see if there is any noticeable effect.
 
Thanks, Had the boat checked and no problems with waterlogging or wettness within the hull. You are absolutely right on about using a small utility trailer to slide the boat and dolley as a unit onto it. Thats the only way to go to make it a easy operation to get the boat to the marina. I found a hitch for my van ($80) and trailer ($200). Will fashion a track to slide the dolly onto and I am ready to go.
 
Thanks, Had the boat checked and no problems with waterlogging or wettness within the hull. You are absolutely right on about using a small utility trailer to slide the boat and dolley as a unit onto it. Thats the only way to go to make it a easy operation to get the boat to the marina. I found a hitch for my van ($80) and trailer ($200). Will fashion a track to slide the dolly onto and I am ready to go.

Once you finish your trailer, post some pics!

Better yet, document your building process on the TLF knowledge center: http://www.laserforum.org/know/index.php?title=Trailers
 
or u could get a float on trailer like mine and have a car do all the work

They are definitely easier to handle, but ultimately not as good for your hull.

Personally I'm using a deck down trailer. I'd rather end up with road rash on the deck than on the hull.
 
I think it's best to trailer deck down unless you have a nice kitty hawk type trailer that supports the boat by the gunnels. Also, when you put those trailers together you have the option of placing the axel either over or under the springs. I think if you go under the springs it gets the hull higher off the road. Either way hull covers are a must, (IMHO) if you want the hull to have the best competitive life span.
 

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