pwc trailer ok?

kriss

New Member
would a trailer used to transport a jetski(12' but winch post can be moved to lengthen the trailer) be ok to transport a laser?
 
It all depends. If you turn you boat over with the bottom facing up and adjust the bunks on the trailer so they line up just outside the cockpit, a PWC trailer works well. A lot of good sailors prefer to transport their boats this way. Do not put the boat on the trailer with the bottom side down. The Laser is like many other race boats and the hull is thin and not very well reinforced. When you put it on a trailer and transfer the weight of the boat and the tension of the tie downs to just two bunks, it can deform the hull.

I have a trailer now that holds the boat by the deck lip at three places and while I think this is OK for short trips I don't think it's the hot set up for a long haul. I would prefer a good solid trailer with carpeted bunks, flip my boat over and travel with it deck down. If you really want to get fancy you can build a trailer like Fred Schroth has that stores the boat on it's side. Reportedly, traveling with the boat on it's side creates the least amount of stress to the hull. If you are really picky (read very fast) like Fred, this then would be the best set up.

If you are a weekender and just looking for a way to move your boat from lake to lake the PWC trailer will work great set up properly.

Mike
198278
 
One downside of "re-purposing" trailers intended for (relatively) heavy items to carry something much lighter is that the springs are much too stiff. This means that any bumps in the road are transferred pretty much directly through the trailer's suspension to the load making for a pretty rough ride.

I don't know the weight difference between a PWC and a Laser, but I'll bet it's pretty substantial.

Cheers,

Geoff S.
 

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