Moving a Sunfish via 5x10 utility trailer.

imported_blough

New Member
does anyone have experience transporting a Sunfish on a 5X10 utility trailer for a long trip? how did you do it and how did it work? I do have a rollaboat tote and was thinking of leaving it on that and strapping the whole rig down in the utility trailer.
 
I have a 5' x 10' all aluminum utility trailer with removeable front rail, side rails, and ramp. This trailer weighs ~400 lbs and its GVWR is 2,000 lbs. I've transported two small sailboats on this trailer: a Force 5 (for about 120 mi) and a Sunfish (for about 25 mi).

I removed the rails and ramp from the trailer each time. I padded the trailer well using felt carpet underlayment rolled to make 8" diameter "sausages", 1.5" thick x 24" wide ethafoam planks, and big ethafoam pool noodles. Each boat was carried upside down, lashed with 1/2" line and trucker's hitches and doubled with lashings of 1/2" shock cord.

I was not happy carrying either boat on this trailer. The boat was so light and the GVWR of the trailer so high that the trailer suspension basically didn't function--it was a *very* hard ride for the boat. I now use a 1950s Elgin-Sears trailer rated at a maximum load of 450 lbs. This trailer uses one transverse leaf spring for suspension. Because the suspension is so soft the ride for a small, light sailboat or canoe is really gentle. Other good very small boat trailers include old (1950s-1960s) Mastercraft Bannerlines (500-750 lb max load, also transverse leaf spring design) and small Tee-Nees (like the OB-50: 500 lb max load). Tee-Nees use a coil spring and shock at each end of the axel.
trailer-1.jpg
trailer-2.jpg
 
Mastercraft.jpg

1958 Mastercraft Bannerline (left)... 500-750 lb load; transverse leaf spring suspension (the aluminum hubs on these trailers often fail, but can be replaced with cast iron 5 stud hubs)

Tee-Nee.jpg

1958 Tee-Nee OB-50... 500 lb load; coil springs with shocks. An excellent small boat trailer (if you can find one).
 
If the trailer had side fences, get a couple winch straps strung between them, so the Sunfish rests on these instead of the trailer bed. The straps will act as shock absorbers depending how many you uses and their stretch/thickness and how tight the are. Some straps over the top of the boat will keep it secure. Don't forget lines/straps going fore/aft, acting like dock spring lines, to keep the boat from sliding forwards or backwards. I've transported small boats using much larger trailers and run the straps between the bunks where the boat I was trailering was to narrow to even fit on them . Works amazingly well.
If you've ever seen a microphone shockmount, this is a large version of the same idea.
 
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I like the strap idea. I have also seen folks run 2 bunks crosswise on the trailer, with the Sunfish upside down on them. One bunk would go under the
mast step and the other right under or right behind the cockpit. Similar to how we transported the upper boat in our picture. Pad the bunk with pool noodles, taped on with duct tape. Then you have the rest of the trailer for bikes, coolers etc...

Still liking the strap idea.

Zip Neptune trailer.jpg
 
Suspending a boat from the rails of a utility trailer with straps sounds great (in theory)... I'll be interested to see how it works in practice. I've carried canoes & kayaks on my utility trailer using 2x4s lashed across the rails--same problem, super rough ride for the boats. As always, this is a data point of one.
 
Suspending a boat from the rails of a utility trailer with straps sounds great (in theory)... I'll be interested to see how it works in practice. I've carried canoes & kayaks on my utility trailer using 2x4s lashed across the rails--same problem, super rough ride for the boats. As always, this is a data point of one.
The kicker is to make SURE the boat is totally tied down. Straps just over the top and underneath and another line or two, are not nearly enough. You'll need a variety of diagonals to keep the boat from shifting, as it WILL slide around if not properly secured. The boat slides VERY easily on just the straps, even more so than really fuzzy, carpeted bunks.
 
The boat is "barely" on the bunks but I'm using the bare minimum of lines for securing. Rode 30 miles at highway speeds, just fine.
What are hard to see, are the black, twin, seatbelt webbing material straps, that I sewed to slide over the bunks with looped ends, ...IOW a custom fit strap/belt, that spans between the two bunks. You can see the "loop ends" on the bunks and their locations. They are actually taking about 75% of the weight, vs the bunks. The orange straps are little ratchet straps over the top and there are a couple "spring" lines to keep the boat from shifting and even securing from going side to side. Everything is tied down fairly tight, but not so much to "crush" the boat. But it allows for enough "spring" to give the boat a pretty smooth ride, instead of relying on the leaf springs in this trailer, which is much too large for the boat, as you can see.
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This looks good! If using a utility trailer I'd still check the GVWR as a predictor of ride quality....
 
1958 Mastercraft Bannerline (left)... 500-750 lb load; transverse leaf spring suspension.
Yes—transverse leaf spring suspension—the answer to the 1980 Chevy Corvette's handling woes. :( (Which it sorta fixed). :rolleyes:

A kayak trailer would be suitable, but I prefer to car-top a Sunfish, and give it an excellent ride at 80-MPH. :cool:
(Except for cleaning up the bugs). :confused:

.
 
Independent rear suspension (with transverse leaf spring) was introduced with the '63 StingRay, replacing the previous live rear axle. This thread has sailed for the Bermuda Triangle....
 
Mixmkr, I have a similar sized trailer to yours. Have you thought of removing leafs from the leaf pack? Possibly all the way down to just the main leaf.

I'm indecided as to what I'll do, We have the AMF and a kayak that I want to haul, but I've thought about poles on the sides with straps across to cradle the boats. I may want the trailer to haul a bunch of kayaks and canoes for our Scout Troop as well, and I've considered decking the trailer making it multi-taskable. Maybe I should go single leaf and add air-shocks, LOL!!
 
I haul too many different types of boats, so I adapt to the boat.
Removing some of the spring would work too
 
I think we lost the original poster...but for them we say no to the Rollaboat Tote. Don't think it is good for the trunk at any time, especially bouncing the boat down the road on it.

Once you start adding a boat or two, some coolers, bikes, kayaks, straps, poles, bunks etc the weight starts to add up. Plus there is the weight of the trailer itself to begin with. We have hauled boats cross country on a double jetski trailer on an axle and springs rated for 1500 pounds. The trailer rode great even unloaded, vs the lightweight early Trailex we had for a bit that bounced all over the place, alarmingly.

If worried about the ride just put some pool noodles under the boat to act as cushions. On our triple pick we had Super Sailfish on the top rack, resting on pool noodles, a Super Sailfish MKII slung under the top rack on cargo straps, and a wooden Sunfish on the bunks cushioned with pool noodles.

Triple fish trailer double stack.jpg


Another suggestion, add some bags of playground sand to the trailer if desired, 50 pounds per bag until happy with weight. There is always a use for sand.

And our Public Service Announcement, check those tire dates. There is a 4 digit Week/Year manufacture code on the sidewall like 0416 (4th week of 2016). Tires should be replaced a 6 years. If you run 8 inch, consider bumping up to a higher load rating like C or higher, they can run at higher speeds and higher temps.

Cheers
Kent and Audrey
 
Independent rear suspension (with transverse leaf spring) was introduced with the '63 StingRay, replacing the previous live rear axle. This thread has sailed for the Bermuda Triangle....
Yes, but that's really old history. In 1981 they were built with a composite transverse leaf spring, removing 20 pounds from a painfully overweight chassis.

There are other discussions, but here's an early contribution to improve trailer ride:
Single Trailer
 

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