Picked up a new boat sitting on a new Venture vab-3025 trailer (alum, bunk, single axle, w/ brakes). As soon as we hitched-up we noticed that the boat seemed to be waaaaay back there! The toungue was a good 1.5' longer than what we were used to - our experience is with roller trailers. At first glance, we didn't like the longer length of the rig. We asked the sales/support staff why this was and they explained that with this type of trailer, the boat needs to be floated off and without the long tongue the towing vehicle would be well into the water - "Trust us, you'll be glad you have the longer tongue the first time you launch." Sounds like it makes sense but we still aren't convinced, nor do we like navigating a longer rig than we have to.
a longer trailer tows better, it launches and retrieves better. you will be happy you have it. it will back easier. i always buy a longer tongue than necessary. they even make extenders for short tongues.
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Generally, the longer tongue is a good thing.
The only minuses that come to mind are maneuverability and storage (depending on your given situation).
For me, these are so minor as to not even be decision criteria.
Many tongues can slide in and out for adjustment purposes.
If yours is built like this, you have the option to do this if you find it necessary.
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Nothing is so broken that Government can't make it worse.
I hate it when a salesman says "Trust me". In this case he is telling you the truth. Unless you have a physical storage problem, I believe you are better off with a longer tongue on your trailer. TD is correct. It will haul, launch, and retrieve better. You may not have to get your feet wet when launching and retrieving. The disadvantage of having a trailer tongue (rig) a little longer is more than offset by it's advantages.
You will like longer tongues. I have 5.5 feet between the winch post and coupler, which is about 6 feet to the boat, and my rig is a 15.5 foot aluminum. Wouldn't give up an inch of that tongue. Just wait until you have a shallow ramp, or need to open the truck's tailgate when parked with the boat at an angle. You will appreciate it.
If you ever watched a pickup truck sitting in the water with a cooler floating in the bed, the door halfway under water, the exhaust pipe bubbling under water and a person jumping up and down on the back of the boat, then you can easily see why a longer tongue is an advantage.
__________________ 1987 Boston Whaler "Outrageous 18"
1989 Johnson 120 V4 VRO
New boat and trailer - long tongue?
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