Smaller trailer?

[beyond repair]

I found a boat I'm interested in on CL, but the combined weight of the boat and trailer is pushing it for my truck.
The boat supposedly weighs close to 1000lbs, the trailer its on, which I'd not be buying, is near 600lbs.
I've been looking for a deep 17' hull for some time, something I can set up as an open boat for crabbing and fishing the back bays with a small motor.
My truck is rated at 1500lbs max, so I'd like to keep it close to that with the boat, motor, and trailer.
I figure the hull is about 1,000, a lighter bunk trailer maybe 300, and about 120lbs for a 25hp motor.
Then about 6 gallons of gas would keep within the limits of my truck.

Its got to be the coolest aluminum boat I've seen yet, its built like a tank. The seller says he'd sell me the boat alone for $1,000 cash since he can sell the trailer just as easy. I'd buy the trailer too but I feel its too big for the boat. The trailer has a 2500lb GVW, I'm thinking of buying a 12" wheel bunk trailer with a 1,700lb rating, it'll both lower the boat and make launching it easier, and it'll be half as heavy as that roller rig under it in the ad.
I actually found a decent used trailer for cheap that needs an axle, so I should be able to get on the water pretty cheap this season, I figure $1500 in buying and rigging the boat, $50 for the trailer, and another $100 to fix the trailer axle and I'm all set. I've already got a good running 25hp and fuel tank. I priced new and anything close to this size in aluminum new is over $9K for just the hull, and that's not even close to being as heavy duty as this thing looks.

This is the boat, does anyone know how much this thing really weighs? The seller says its in the 1,000 lb range, with a floor installed, I figure I can toss the wood floor and go with all aluminum to save a few pounds too.

Vintage 17' aluminum boat - $2000 (Vineland)

Rare vintage aluminum boat
17' long, open hull.
Aluminum hull, super heavy duty boat.
Rated up to 85hp.
No Motor.
You cannot buy anything close to this these days, this thing is made of heavy gauge aluminum and has five super heavy duty all aluminum stringers down the middle.
Transom is all aluminum with small wood panel where motor mounts.
Title in hand.
$2000 cash.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Smaller trailer?

:welcome: Aboard. Since there really isn't any way to research the boat without a brand name just take it to a truck stop or truck scale to find out for sure. Sometimes the DMV will let you use their scales.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Smaller trailer?

Well the boat in the picture seems to fit that trailer very nicely but if it really is a 2500lb rated trailer then yes it is more trailer than is needed or wanted. A 1000lb boat will be beat to death riding on a 2500lb trailer. It will be like driving that thing with no springs under it.

From what I've seen from Shoreland'r there isn't much weight difference between their 1700lb trailer and their 2500lb trailer of the same model.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Smaller trailer?

what kind of truck only has a 1500# towing weight? Even an old Mazda B2000 had a 1984# towing capacity, and the old izusu pup was 2000#

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Smaller trailer?

Maybe it's only got a class 1 hitch on it.

 

[gm280]

Re: Smaller trailer?

I think the OP need to research the towing capacity of his truck as well. I've never heard of any truck that couldn't trailer more then that. A lot of cars can pull that little... Something is right here?

 

[beyond repair]

Re: Smaller trailer?

My truck is a 1993 Ford Ranger, the towing supplement that came with the truck says the truck is rated at 1,200lbs, but the truck was re-sprung in the rear, has a class III hitch and a manual transmission. The rear differential was also changed to a lower gear ratio and rear disc brakes added.

It tows well and stops fine up to about 2,500 lbs on flat ground but I wouldn't try running any distance with a larger trailer. The changes also increased my mileage to about 25 mpg when empty.

I called the dealer and they said the trailer weight is listed at 236 lbs, plus the weight of the winch and tongue jack.

My thought is that even though the truck is probably very capable of towing far more than its rated for, its still a two wheel drive truck with limited traction on the boat ramp. I feel anything more than about 1,500 lbs or so will be pushing my luck on a slick boat ramp.

The title for this boat calls it 'homemade' but that's pretty common here in NJ, any boat prior to about 1972 often have had new titles issued with modern hull numbers, if the brand is not listed or unknown, the title will read 'homemade'.

 

[colbyt]

Re: Smaller trailer?

I called the dealer and they said the trailer weight is listed at 236 lbs, plus the weight of the winch and tongue jack.

I am having a bit of trouble believing that number.

Your best advice was given above. Weight the boat and trailer then weigh just the trailer. Then it is simple math to figure out what each weighs. Probably cost $20 and 2 trps to the weigh station.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Smaller trailer?



I too have trouble believing your numbers: I have a 1999 S10 which is the equivalent sized vehicle and it is rated for 4500 pounds. I regularly tow a 21 foot cuddy --3900 lbs --with it. it is also a two wheel drive car and I have very little trouble on ramps. Oh, occasionally I need a couple of people to jump into the bed but that is rare. Usually, lightly riding the emergency brake will equalize traction to the two rear wheels and minimize slipping.

Now, if your Ranger is 4 cylinder and the rear was changed to a higher (numerically lower--that is from a 4.00 to a 3.00 ratio) then I could see a lower tow rating but I still think you would be within specs with the rig. I have seen other Ranger owners who use 4 cylinder Rangers to tow similar rigs and they said "no problems."

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Smaller trailer?

a Ford Ranger with the 2.3 liter was rated at 1500#, however the Mazda B2000 which is the same vehicle with a smaller motor was rated at 1984. go figure.

 

[beyond repair]

Re: Smaller trailer?

Mine is a 2.3L, manual trans.

The guy wants too much for the combo, I can buy the boat for a grand, which I think is a decent price for that much boat in aluminum. I won't have the option of towing the whole rig to a scale, I think he's already got a buyer for the trailer. I called Load Rite, they said the trailer is 236, the trailer under the boat now is listed at either 580 or 620lbs, depending on how its equipped. I'm leaning towards the heavier weight since this one has steel fenders and all the foot steps and light boxes on it. The boat is heavy, its a bare, empty hull and I cannot lift the bow of the boat off the trailer, nor the stern off the rollers. The aluminum on this thing is pretty thick. There is no foam in the hull, just bare metal other than one panel up front with nothing under it.
The trailer that I'm looking at is straight bunks with a few keel rollers down the middle. I can stand in the middle of the trailer and lift the whole thing off the ground with little effort. Its got 4.80x12 tires.
My concern is that the trailer may be on the light side, I'd be near or at the max capacity of the trailer with the boat, motor, and fuel.

The problem with the truck I have is no low end grunt, even with the lower rear, its got no low end power in first gear, but its great on gas and paid for. I've owned it for 10 years now and don't plan on replacing it anytime soon. Its not the ideal tow vehicle but unless I find something super cheap that's as good on gas as this is, I'm not changing trucks.
I've towed heavier loads but this thing is tough to get rolling without stalling it, I've had four of these and their all the same, no torque at low RPM and a tall first gear. I've owned S10 trucks too but they don't get the MPG the Ford does. I had a 2.5L Chevy and it never got better than 15 mpg and the motor sounded like an blender crushing ice at idle. The only thing I liked was that it didn't have a rubber timing belt like the Ford does that needs changing every two years or so.

 

[loose rivet]

Re: Smaller trailer?

I looked at that boat about a year ago, its a great looking package but I got laid off about that time so I had to pass.
The boat is heavy, but its made from plate aluminum not light sheet metal. It would be very unlikely to ever get damaged or even dented for that matter.

The trailer is heavy for the boat but I think the right answer would be to replace the trailer springs with a set more suited for the boat. It fits that trailer like a glove and really isn't all that heavy. Keep in mind that with a roller trailer you won't need to go so deep in the water to launch or load.

I'd guess that boat all set up and ready to use on that trailer will be around 1,900 lbs or so. You may be able to lighten things up a bit but you will be pushing it weight wise on a 12" wheel bunk trailer. With the weight of that boat, you will need more than just two 2x4 bunks to hold the weight of the hull and motor.
I figured that it could be put on a slightly smaller roller trailer but the only real difference is two rollers and a longer tongue from the next model down. The added tongue length will really help when loading that boat on the ramp, especially with a small truck.

I've owned both the Mazda B2300, and a few Rangers, the 2.3L Ranger is rated at 1,500#, the Mazda at 1,600#.
The B2000 is a much lighter truck built in Japan. The B2300 is a Ranger with slightly different sheet metal.
The Mazda B2600 is rated to tow 1900 or so lbs, but that model is very different from the Ranger.

 

[beyond repair]

Re: Smaller trailer?

My Ranger came new with a 2.73 rear, I swapped it for a new 4.11 rear and tossed the monoleaf rear springs for a pair of custom made 4 leaf springs. I also upgrade the brakes from a newer model with a 4.0 motor. I've had over a ton in the bed and it handled that fine. Its also a long bed model. Other than a few minor mods, the, motor is stock.
I feel the truck can safely handle more than the original rated weight but there's the simple issue of weight when on the ramp.
The big limit is that its only got 98 hp.

 

[matt167]

Re: Smaller trailer?

a Ford Ranger with the 2.3 liter was rated at 1500#, however the Mazda B2000 which is the same vehicle with a smaller motor was rated at 1984. go figure.

Mazda B series swapped to to the Ranger platform for 1994 where it became the B2300, B3000 and B4000. 1993 and prior B2000 was a different chassis... What makes everything interesting is that the Ford Ranger is rated as a light duty 1/2 ton

 

[beyond repair]

Re: Smaller trailer?

I've had over a ton in the back of mine, it handles weight very well, even better than my neighbors F150 does, it just lacks torque, it always did. When I first drove it, I had to double check that I wasn't taking off in third gear.

Either way, this is the truck I own and as far as I'm concerned, its not going anywhere for another few hundred thousand miles, so it will have to do for now. I'll do all I can to find a boat/trailer combo that's within its towing range or at least close but I feel having the right boat is far more of a safety issue than is having the right truck. If the truck breaks, I tow it home, if the boat breaks, it may mean a long swim or worse.

My biggest concern is that it'll be too heavy for my truck to pull up the ramp without spinning the wheels or getting dragged backwards into the drink. I had issues towing a buddies trihull a few years ago, the truck pulled the thing just fine on the road but the boat would drag the truck down the ramp with only the parking brake on, the rear wheels had no traction once the center of gravity shifted rearward on the ramp. Once the boat floated, the truck pulled the empty trailer up fine. That boat was around 1,850 lbs but with an I/O drive, most of its weight was at the back. The trailer would unload the rear tires when on the ramp. It had more tongue weight than you could lift on flat ground, but when the boat was angled back on the ramp there was almost no tongue weight. We had moved the axle back a foot to help this but the boat would still unload the rear wheels while being cranked onto the trailer. I used to have to put 400lbs of steel in the bed to keep traction. While I'm certain this aluminum boat won't be as bad since a 40hp outboard won't come close to what the cast iron four cylinder weighed in that trihull, but it'll still be a bit tail heavy and most likely just as heavy overall.

With the trihull I used to tie a rope to the front bumper of the truck and the other end to a piling just in case we couldn't stop it from sliding on the ramp. It never went that far but more than once it slid several feet with all four wheels locked on even a fairly shallow ramp. I felt like I was playing Russian roulette every time we launched that boat. My buddy eventually bought a full size Dodge van to tow it with but after two launches it got pulled in to the point where the transmission filled with water. It had less traction than my Ranger. The van is still rotting behind his garage needing a $2500 transmission repair five years later. He just couldn't justify putting that kind of money into a $500 van that was only used to tow a boat a few dozen times a year.

While I hope to make more use of whatever boat I buy, in reality it will never get launched more than maybe 20 or so times per year. That just don't justify buying a different truck.
Another reason to swap trailers is that since most ramps here are so shallow, having that boat on a low to the ground bunk trailer would mean the truck won't need to go so far down the ramp.