Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

[F14CRAZY]

Again, a friend of mine and I got thinking...

You can get ex-Ryder (etc) box vans at auction pretty cheap. Ford E350s or GM 3500s. Could you just take the box off (woo hoo more garage space!) then fabricate rails or rollers and put a boat, such as my Capri, on the truck, skipping having to use a trailer? Heck you could tow the jet skis behind all that. 2000-some lbs shouldn't be much for a chassis vehicle like that...I don't know what they're rated but its far more than one ton. Would be easy to back up, no worrying about trailer brakes or lights...

Could it work? Has it been done before?

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

HA my friend brought up the fact that the truck would have to go pretty far down in the water for the Capri to get buoyant...extendable rails?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

you would have to put something like the roll on wrecker bed on the frame to launch the boat. some states do allow double trailers.

i also think it could get expensive, as you would have to have insurance on the truck, etc. where a trailer liability is covered by the tow vehicle insurance.

 

[woosterken]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

whoa! a bare frame wouldn't give much weight to get it back up a wet ramp

woosterken

 

[Bondo]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

i also think it could get expensive, as you would have to have insurance on the truck, etc. where a trailer liability is covered by the tow vehicle insurance.

Ayuh,...

Sounds like a $10,000.00 Cure for a $1,000. Problem....

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Insurance wouldn't have to be commercial though...just an E350 chassis. I haven't checked but PLPD shouldn't be much for that

 

[dlngr]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Probably rated for 25,000 to 30,000 lbs. It's gonna bounce you and your boat to pieces. You'd have to remove most of the spring leaves,and maybe built an adjustable air ride.
Why not leave the box on,so the boat is 'garaged' all the way to the ramp?

 

[180shabah]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Again, a friend of mine and I got thinking...

Anybody else get scared just reading that

Just stick to the trailer - already know it works.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

They use something really similar to deliver new boats. I see it all the time, just like newer car haulers put part of the load up on the truck and then tow off the rear. (Stinger fifthwheel)

I think the rollback idea is great and really isn't that much fabrication. Really just rails, a pivot and a winch would do. ( I'm thinking about my old bosses roll off construction trailer now)

As far as insurance why would it be any different your just hauling a load on your truck. Kind of like when you put to motorcycles in your pickup.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Why not leave the box on,so the boat is 'garaged' all the way to the ramp?

Ayuh,... Ayuh,... That's the Ticket.....

Anybody else get scared just reading that

Ayuh,....

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

This post just reminded me of something I saw the other day, I saw a 70's V hull about an 18 footer, it was married to a 4 wheel drive chassis set up for mud bogs. I had to swing around to get a closer look dang I wish I'd had a camera it was very weird looking but definately functional and covered in mud , imagine that thing going down the road!

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Probably rated for 25,000 to 30,000 lbs. It's gonna bounce you and your boat to pieces. You'd have to remove most of the spring leaves,and maybe built an adjustable air ride.
Why not leave the box on,so the boat is 'garaged' all the way to the ramp?

lol I was thinking a Ford E series or Chevy Express/GMC Savannah chassis, not a Freightliner or Intertrashional but I agree that some leafs may need to be removed.

but yeah, I've seen boat hauling trucks and it would be like that though in most cases those have their bow-up. I'd have mine about level. The truck may be like a 16' (16' box or 16' from the back of the cab to the end of the frame rails), so I might have to engineer an extension but that'd be pretty easy. Then a hitch to tow the Jet Skis!

No risk of jackknifing, easy as heck to back up, plenty more than enough engine/trans/brake power. I've seen decent cube vans like this sell for $1k at auction

Mileage wouldn't be bad either even if it's a big block or V10

 

[DJ]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Those vehicles carry a GVW of 11K to 14K. Payloads of 6K to 9K, depending on vehicle tare weight.

Still pretty stout for hauling around a relatively light boat.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

I have a one ton van, it's no boat hauler, it gets stuck on wet grass even with new tires. I've owned vans all my life, their all like that.

Your problem will be trying to get traction on a slick ramp after you launched the boat. It maybe even worse than a light in the rear vehicle with a trailer since even an empty trailer adds some rear axle weight.

You may need to add a posi rear, special tires, more weight, etc?

You will also need to either make a slide out set of bunks or be prepared to waterproof the rear axle really well. Dunking a rear axle in the drink is far worse than just a pair of trailer bearings. You also may have to deal with the taillights, as they will be hot when they hit the water and most truck taillights aren't submersible.
You can extend and seal the vent on the rear, but without a body, you'll most likely have to run it all the way forward and up the firewall to keep it from submerging. Most one ton trucks also have full floating rear hubs, which already have sealing trouble, add some water pressure to that and it could also be a problem.

TD had the right idea of doing something along the lines of a roll back, maybe a set of hydraulic retractable bunks?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

want so real ideas, http://shadowtrailers.com/

http://www.beartrailersports.com/boat-trailers.html

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

That combo trailer there reminds me of something a buddy did, he took a small galvanized boat trailer, which he used for an small aluminum jon boat, removed the bunks, covered the trailer frame with galvanized expanded metal, then made the bunks so they attached with a pair of big home made wing nuts. He would then pull the bunks when he wanted to haul the quad, golf cart, lawn mower or what ever. He added a few tie down loops the frame and it was great. One trailer for all purposes. Of course, all of that work was to save maybe $12 per year in registration on another trailer? Maybe a few hundred buying another trailer? Either way, it worked great. The expanded metal surface was great when launching the boat too, no chance of falling in since the whole trailer was covered.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

one more thing to think about is you have now built and own a single purpose vehicle. Gas insurance and upkeep for somehting that can only do one thing.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Consider the following though...

1. Nobody in iBoats would scold me for towing my Bayliner with my...HA you thought I was gonna say what I tow with ...this ex-box van would be plenty more than capable

2. Truck with the boat on it wouldn't take up that much more space than the boat sitting on its trailer and we have plenty of storage space anyway. Since I would be using this truck instead of the vehicle I usually tow with the wear/tear wouldn't go to that vehicle but instead to one that won't wear out quickly. I'm not too worried about the cost of insurance on this

3. POSSIBLY MIGHT sell the trailer...few hundred bucks pocketed

4. SWEET more storage space with the box that used to be on the truck

5. I could build a flatbed underneath the bunks/rollers...if needed I could put the boat back on the trailer (public ramp is nearby), remove the rollers, and have a 19' flatbed...my dad buys, fixes, and sells a car once in a while as a hobby and has me pick them up out of state and using this truck of mine would get similar mileage and result in less wear of my [secret vehicle]

6. Besides, it would be cool pulling up to the ramp without a trailer

7. Michigan doesn't let us tow multiple bumper-pull trailers (can have a 5th wheel with a bumper pull behind it). So in this situation I could haul my boat and my/my brother's Jet Ski(s)

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Ayuh,...

Sounds like a $10,000.00 Cure for a $1,000. Problem....

+1.

 

[clarkbre]

Re: Van/truck chassis vehicle for boat hauling?

Consider the following though...

1. Nobody in iBoats would scold me for towing my Bayliner with my...HA you thought I was gonna say what I tow with ...this ex-box van would be plenty more than capable

2. Truck with the boat on it wouldn't take up that much more space than the boat sitting on its trailer and we have plenty of storage space anyway. Since I would be using this truck instead of the vehicle I usually tow with the wear/tear wouldn't go to that vehicle but instead to one that won't wear out quickly. I'm not too worried about the cost of insurance on this

3. POSSIBLY MIGHT sell the trailer...few hundred bucks pocketed

4. SWEET more storage space with the box that used to be on the truck

5. I could build a flatbed underneath the bunks/rollers...if needed I could put the boat back on the trailer (public ramp is nearby), remove the rollers, and have a 19' flatbed...my dad buys, fixes, and sells a car once in a while as a hobby and has me pick them up out of state and using this truck of mine would get similar mileage and result in less wear of my [secret vehicle]

6. Besides, it would be cool pulling up to the ramp without a trailer

7. Michigan doesn't let us tow multiple bumper-pull trailers (can have a 5th wheel with a bumper pull behind it). So in this situation I could haul my boat and my/my brother's Jet Ski(s)

I think you're totally onto something. I mean, if this guy can do it with a Dodge pick up, why couldn't you use a Uhaul?