Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

[Stoutcat]

Hi,

Yeah, I'm an idiot... I'll say it right up front... I've never trailered a boat before, and now I've got to trailer a 14' 1957 Starcraft (on an old, and less-than pristine trailer) 200 miles. You can see the boat here:

http://tinyurl.com/664zx8

Here's what I know so far...

* I don't think the trailer has Bearing Buddies.
* My best guess is that the boat/trailer/motor(9.5hp) weighs around 500# - 750#.
* We'll be towing with a powerful 6-cylinder Camry in excellent condition with new brakes.
* Just had the hitch and electrical installed professionally.
* I plan on taking a a small auto repair shop with me including grease gun and rabbit's foot.
* Will be driving in MA only.
* I'll only have a week or so to prep/learn. (95% highway)
My wife will be with me, but she's completely new to driving, and has never driven a vehicle with a trailer.
* Don't know the wheel/tire size... Any ideas from the pics above? Need to buy a spare and possibly a jack.
* Plan on LOTS of rest areas to check bearings, etc. (Stop every 50 miles?)

I know that there's a ton of questions out there, and I don't even know enough to ask them...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Alan

 

[ferrellb]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

Whoa! No need to trash yourself. It is not SO crazy a scenario. The experts here will need more precise info but in making some assumptions, your plan should work. Add 50% to your weight assumption for safety. Not sure what year your Camry is. A 2003 Camry has a 2000# tow rating. Not the ideal tow vehicle but capable of one 200 mile trip. Your plan to take it easy is the most important thing. I would stop at 25 miles; take a look at everything (paying special attention to the hubs - they may be warm, but they should not be hot). I have no experience with a boat or trailer this old but if they would fit and it is possible, have the seller get bearing buddies attached for you. If everything is fine, I would stop once more in the middle, doing the same thing. BTW, Your bow eye is above the winch, which needs to get corrected at some point very, very soon. I have never seen chains used to hold the boat down in the back. Some of the experts may have some solutions for that.

Personally, your lack of trailering experience is the most concerning. Myself (a true idiot), drove a borrowed 1991 Jeep 600 miles to grap my internet purchased boat. I had never pulled anything. If I were you I would go at time where there is as little traffic as possible. Triple or more your normal spacing, cut the stereo off and anticipate stops, turns, what other idiot drivers are gonna do, etc. Slowing down will take forever. Cut off your overdrive to protect your tranny. Let that control your speed also. Get home and then let the, "I've never used a boat ramp before" butterflies take over!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

the Camry will tow that little boat with no problems. buddy bearing are not necessary, actually i think they are more of a problem, as they give unwarranted confidence, people neglect there bearings, because they have buddy bearing. that trailer is fine, they only concern is the condition of the bearings. take a floor jack, when you get there jack up the axle, turn the wheel, should turn freely, grab the top and bottom, and try to rock the tire back and forth, should not have any play. if they turn freely, and don't rock, or make a grinding noise, you should be good to go. remember your trailer lights, and safety chains.

not on driving with trailer, if you have to back up, put you hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, move you hand in the direction you want the back of the trailer to go, do not over steer, and take it slow. it is that simple. when going around a corner make you swing just a little wider, so the trailer tire does not hit the curb.

actually the camry, will hardly know the boat is there. good luck, you will be fine. by the way, nice find.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

suggestions when you get home. buy a new taller winch stand, as mentioned above, also that boat will go really great with a 40hp johnson/evinrude.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

Unless those tires are new, and they don't look it, I'd get the tire size from the seller and buy two complete spares. They look like the 8-inch, 4-lug wheels I had on my smaller boat/trailer. When you get there, inspect the wheels/hubs...do they turn freely with no wobble? do they make any noise while turning? If not, I'd trailer it on home...going no more than the speed limit and checking the hubs for heat every now and then. If you detect any heat, it would be wise to know of a tire shop/garage along your route where the bearings could be replaced if necessary. Checking for soundness before you start, checking for heat as you go and traveling the posted speed limit is indispendable when you're bringing it home. Be safe.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

I looked at the photos. I agree about the bearings. Check them. This trailer may well have combination wheels and hubs. They were pretty popular back then. It may also have 3/4" axle stubs. If the bearings are bad, that's going to present a problem, since the bearings for that size are a little harder to find.

If it has bolt-on wheels, though (ask the guy before you go), locate a Northern Tool and Equipment store, Tractor Supply, or another trailer-oriented store near the location of the boat. If the bearings are bad, in that case, you can just buy a pair of new hubs. They're not horribly expensive, and the Northern Tool and Equipment ones have pre-packed bearings in them already.

The guy says he put new tires on less than a year ago, so I wouldn't worry about that.

The only other thing I'd do is to remove the outboard. There's a long overhang on that boat at the stern. Just put the outboard about amidships on a blanket or something. It'll take a lot of weight of the back of the boat for your trip and keep the transom from flexing. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to do.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

you can see in the picture where they have moved the winch stand back, that boat had a bigger motor on it, which balanced the load. with the little motor, the tongue got too heavy.

 

[Stoutcat]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

Thanks folks!

Life is always an adventure!

One last question... What should I be aiming at for a trailer tongue weight?

Thanks again,

Alan

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

that boat won't be much, less than 100lbs.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

I towed a 15' Duracraft home two years ago with a 20hp Johnson on it with a Ford Pinto, I took a set of bearing buddies with me and grease gun. The problem I ran into was that the trailers bunks were totally rotted and even the bunk supports were collapsed. I was lucky and found two big rolls of carpet along the way which I used to support the boat for the 100 mile ride. The car towed the boat just fine, I could hardly feel it behind me. I was able to run at acceptable speeds and stop just fine. I stayed off main roads mostly since the boat was sitting on two rolls of carpet. My biggest problem was disposing of the two nasty rolls of carpet I trash picked.

Make sure the boat is secure to the trailer, make sure the wheel bearings aren't loose or noisy, make sure the motor won't hit bottom, I'd consider even pulling the motor and putting it in the trunk or on the floor of the boat. A spare would be real nice to have and you'll eventually want one anyhow. It don't sound like the trailer is all that bad, so long as it's not salt eaten, a little surface rust is no big deal. I'm used to seeing whole cross members falling off here around salt water.

I've owned a few of those older Tee Nee trailers from that period, they all had bolt on rims, but a few had 3/4" bearings. Make very sure that the tires have sufficient air in them before heading on your way. Check the side walls for the max rating. Small tires heat up fast and that causes premature failure. They also make for some very high bearing speeds, so make sure they have plenty of grease. The right tire looks pretty soft in the one pick, the one in front of the garage, it may only be a shadow but it looks pretty low, if it leaks, make certain you have a spare.

My normal procedure for going to pick up an unknown trailer is also to take along a set of clip on tail lights, I never trust someone else's wiring job and it prevents damaging your tow vehicles wiring.

I'd also take a few good ratchet straps along, one to tie the bow down and one for over the transom just as a safety precaution. It appears to have a pair of older spring and chain binders holding it down in the pics, they are fine for local trailering but I like something a bit more definite for long hauls.

Your car will have no problem with that trailer, I have a buddy with a 4 cylinder Camry that tows a glass trihull with no problems.

PM me with an email address and I can send you some improved pics of that boat so you know better what to expect when you get there. It looks pretty good to me.

Like TD says, a 40 HP would go good on that boat, even a 20 or 25 would make it move along real nice.

 

[floatingwoody2006]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

I am NOT trying to whip up any trouble, but does that axle look a little bent? Im not a fan of the old square tube axles as i did exactly what your doing, only i had a leaf spring snap on a frost heave, and i had to pay 100 bucks to have it and the trailer towed home. Looks like a nice little craft though..Look for any dry rot cracks on the tires.. I know he replaced a year ago, but you will feel better having inspected the tires closely for yourself.. At least buy 1 spare.. Dont forget a 4 way just in case, and a couple extra tie downs. Maybe wrap the outboard in an old blanket with the head higher than the leg, and put it in the boat as others have said.. Good luck.

 

[greggholmes]

Re: Help! Newbie needs to trailer old small boat 200 miles!

grab the top and bottom, and try to rock the tire back and forth, should not have any play..

NEVER put your hand under anything held up by a jack without a jack stand under it. Please. side to side will tell you the same thing