Laser road trailer - What's the perfect setup?

Hi
For awhile now I have wanted to design and make a road trailer that is "perfect".

Perfect being:
- Easy to load myself
- Ability to load 2 lasers (future task, building a second level).
- Protection from rocks/stones flicking up from the car.

I have managed to source a trailer similar to the below which currency has a laser hull on it:
1544732856231.png


Does anyone have some pictures of their setup/ have some advice on the best way to build it out to have a flat deck and a second level? Perhaps a specific area for holding spars?

I have tried search previous posts but found no results, if this has been mentioned somewhere please let me know.

Thanks!
 
That's something that has my interest as well! I have two trailers. A heavy one that's so heavy that it can only be towed by my SUV, the second one is much lighter and can be towed by my VW Polo.

Personally, I am not a fan of 10" wheels and ellipse-shaped suspension. But, that's personal, I think. Apart from that, a friend and I were considering the perfect 'box' under the Laser; especially as 'rock catcher'. We came up with a solution that looks a lot like the YT videos of long drawers inside a truck!
A long, narrow & flat box/drawer is all you need: with two Lasers, you need to haul 6 items for the mast/boom + 2 sails. A flat drawer for 6+2 items side-by-side will do the trick! Make sure though that there's enough weight at the front of the trailer, preventing it from jack-knifing (is that the correct term in English?).
A box with a drawer is waterproof, light when you use camper-van materials or aluminium sheets.

Menno

Trailers; on both occasions, there was a 'guest' on the trailer.

Off to the UKLA in July. Hauling everything but the kitchen sink... The Honda is strong enough for the steep Devon (UK) hills. The pictured trailer belongs to another Laser sailor. I bought mine (similar to this one) a few weeks later.

IMG_3886.jpg


Off to Kiel in Germany for the Under19 Worlds, a few weeks later. Flat stretches of Autobahn and we were staying at a hostel. No need to carry the whole camping gear as well! For this trailer, I'm considering a drawer-box.
On the other hand, my son is completely self-supporting when he wants to put the Laser with the green trolley wheels on the trailer/ or takes it off. No need for an extra hand.
IMG_4078.JPG
 
Last edited:
That is the Trailex trailer made for the Sunfish. I would have two issues with it. First, the bottom of the hull sits directly on the supports. That can lead to indentations in the hull. Second, it was not design specifically for a Laser. That means it may be supporting the hull at very bad spots.

This is the Trailex trailer specifically for the Laser:

Trailex-250L.jpg

I have a KItty Hawk, which is very similar. It supports the boat by the gunnel. That may have its own issues with hull stress, but I still find it a better option. It is very easy to load by yourself with a dolly and the bow pivot on the trailer. I always trailer with a hull cover to protect from rocks and stones.

To carry two Lasers, I have seen various adapters sold which allow you to place the second Laser upside down on top of the first Laser. There are slots in the adapters for carrying your spars. Unfortunately I can't find any examples online right now. A stopgap may be to use padding between the two Lasers. People often use life jackets.
 
I am pretty sure that Trailex has a proper trailer for two Lasers. Just copy that design, if you insist on DIY.
 
Trailex and Kitty Hawk are the best two options. The gunnel supports are at the strongest points of the hull/deck and will never crack. Just make sure the boat is well secured to the trailer. The trailex has softer springs, (I've owned both and put a lot of miles on each) but the kitty hawk is more solid/sturdy.

There are spar holders designed for the deck. I got a great set through APS. If you want to double stack there are racks available that allow you to put one laser right on top, (deck down) of the first and hold all the spars between them. I would do this with the kitty hawk, but not sure the aluminum frame of the Trailex would support all the weight as well.
 
Trailex and Kitty Hawk are the best two options. The gunnel supports are at the strongest points of the hull/deck and will never crack. Just make sure the boat is well secured to the trailer. The trailex has softer springs, (I've owned both and put a lot of miles on each) but the kitty hawk is more solid/sturdy.

There are spar holders designed for the deck. I got a great set through APS. If you want to double stack there are racks available that allow you to put one laser right on top, (deck down) of the first and hold all the spars between them. I would do this with the kitty hawk, but not sure the aluminum frame of the Trailex would support all the weight as well.

This is all good advice. I have had two Kitty Hawks made specific for the Laser. The one I have now is the stainless steel model. It has held up very well and trails long distances easily. It properly supports the boat. I have seen others put a second Laser upside down on top of the first. You can find brackets made for that purpose. It looks like a good solution. I always have a bottom cover on the boat when I trail it to protect from rocks, etc. on the road. And of course the wheels have fenders. I strongly recommend the Kitty Hawk.
 
Thank you very much for the responses.

I have established that I need to go to a trailer fabricator to build out the base of the trailer to create the flat deck. I think i will then build an additional second level for a second laser, avoiding the need to put them deck to deck (even with an adapter as such).

I also like the second story as the spars can be stored on the decks using the spar carriers all whilst under their deck/hull covers.
 
On the Sunfish Forum in the Sunfish knowledge section under "trailers" there are photos of trailers that people have built. Not sure if it's much help but may be worth a look if you haven't already. Really like Theiuster's setup by the way!
 
IMG_4078.JPG


I forgot to add: you can store/carry three boats if you want. I sometimes did that with another trailer from someone else; we have an intricate logistic system of hauling boats and RIBs so that not every weekend every parent has to go out with a trailer behind his/her car. I'll try to find a pic of 3 boats as well...

The nice thing of this trailer is that the 4 vertical beams can be removed by unbolting 8 U-shaped bolts. What's left then is a 'single story' trailer. But I must confess that I've never dismantled the trailer (yet). When using the trailer with only one boat, I usually mount an old roof box on the 'next level' for storing the foils, tiller, sponges, collapsable bucket etc.
 
Its been a long time since 2018 but I finally got a road trailer sorted that is perfect for what I need. Pic's attached.
Pic with the boat on is when I first got the trailer and after is when I have: replace tyres, replaced and extended the plywood decking, changed coupling to another size and even got new brand stickers. I have also screwed some trailer skids on the back so the boat slides on easier and don't chip the ply.

Came back to this thread to see about adding a second story now and @thieuster has got it spot on. I will get some removable racks put on and a roof box or sail tube for the gear. stone guards to come but can only be 30cm high due before they may hit the hull. Only downside so far is that is quite light so when there is no boat on it bounces around and makes a fair bit of noise.

The orange flag is because I was rear-ended two times in one month. Both times sitting at the lights and the person behind me was on their phone, not looking up and just edged forward into the trailer, smashing all the lights. Thankfully they always paid for a replacement. This weekend however, even with the flag I had someone almost do it again!! Stay off your phones people :D.

IMG-5640.jpg


IMG-5869.jpg
 
We are currently looking at building a double stack Laser Trailer.
Using 2 1/2" carbon steel.

We don't want to re-invent the wheel but:

a) What should we avoid in designing this trailer?

b) What are the must haves?

c) Towing deck side down, it looks like 78" is the ideal space between the left/right deck support beams. in terms of front to back spacing.

d) Wheel size (the larger the better?)

e) Is there an accepted "best design" for a double stack Laser trailer?

f) It looks like spar tubes (PVC pipes) are not the greatest idea as it leads to scratching of the spars?
 

Back
Top