"Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

Just realized the capacity plate on the boat says "5 persons or 750 lbs" but there are only 4 seats on the boat. Just struck me as odd.

Anyway, ...........we pack so much "gear" into the boat for our day trips (coolers, grill, charcoal, chairs, umbrellas, beach toys, ice, boom-box, etc) that I realized we were pushing the limits of the boat. So it came down to buy a bigger boat, or go on a diet....

So far I lost 25 lbs, and the wife 12, so that covers the weight of the grill and charcoal!!! LOL!

Well, I got the idea that maybe a trailer is a good idea. Just put all the "gear" (aka crap) in a dingy and pull it behind the boat. Will use more fuel, but I don't think it will impact the capacity of the boat. Plus, it leaves more space in the boat.

I have seen this done before. Now I know why. The boats were never going very fast, maybe 30-35 tops pulling a 6ft dingy. The dingy is on a long tether so it rides in the smooth part of the boats wake.

Anyone ever done this before?

Re: "Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

sort of.
The problem is that if you have a towed boat small enough to ride on a plane, it won't hold much stuff and might not be worth it. Also, anything you have in there is at risk of the dinghy swamping/capsizing.
A light 10-12' jon might ride better, or perhaps an inflatable.
The good thing is, you have a smaller boat to mess around on when you get there.

I saw a 28' cruiser towing a jet ski on a plane recently.

Re: "Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

DUH You just have to always keep somebody waterskiing or on a tube LOL

Re: "Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

What if you have to stop quick? Will you have an "attendant' in the aft seat ready to grab the dinghy before it takes out your outdrive?

We have often towed a jetski thru a no-wake area, but never on plane. That will suck water in the intake and fill the cylinders up! Its a PITA to have to clamp the water hoses to keep it from injecting, and then if you forget to take the clamps off you're screwed too.

Re: "Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

went on along sailing trip with a friend once and we towed a dingy the whole time. W/ a go-fast boat, I would think an inflatable would be best just so it wouldn't hit hard if that ever happens.

As for the size and it being able to get up on plane, a light boat would be very easy to get up on plane and would hold a LOT of the sort of stuff you're talking about. I have little doubt that a 12+ foot inflatable boat would hold plenty of stuff and would ride on plane just fine behind your boat. You should secure the stuff in there in case you hit big waves or flip it for some reason.. and make sure it's not damaged by splash! If it were me, I'd put stuff in there that isn't damaged by water, and get a well-fitted net cover for it, set up so there's grommets on the dingy to easily secure and remove it.

Best to start small/light and experiment and make sure it's safe and secure before pushing it at all.

Re: "Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

Rig up a parasailer with a long line...attach a watertight container that holds the extra gear.

When you cut the trottle...the gear will drop in for a landing conveniently near your boat (BTW, make sure it floats)

Re: "Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

JimS123 said:

What if you have to stop quick? Will you have an "attendant' in the aft seat ready to grab the dinghy before it takes out your outdrive?

We have..... .

Click to expand...

Hey, that's what a boat hook is for!

Maybe I can hook up a small boat as an outrigger to my boat!!!

Re: "Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

You need to find a tender with a strong bow eye that's mounted low. A cheap PVC inflatable won't work.

Home Cookin' said:

I saw a 28' cruiser towing a jet ski on a plane recently.

Click to expand...

Sure. I rigged a harness to tow a 3 seater behind my 34 footer. Works fine, even at full speed. I always assign a responsible deckhand to watch the tow.
I added a valve to the SeaDoo to shut off intake water during the tow. So far no problems.
To prevent 'dry starts', I tie the lanyard directly to the valve!

Re: "Water Trailer" for pulling behind the boat????

Sounds like a good excuse to get a bigger boat!