Michigan rescue mission.....

[oscarvan]

OK, the deal is sealed so the story starts NOW. Step one..... drive to Michigan from Eastern PA on Wednesday to rescue this pretty girl.... Currently out of town on business but will return home Tuesday afternoon when I will get my rig road ready. As you can see in the picture, this girl has not moved in a while..... 15 years plus or minus I have been told. So, I don't think I want to just take that trailer on the road for 750 miles without some serious TLC. The plan is to jack it up, take off the wheels and stern drive, (OMC White Leg of Doom for those that missed that in the other thread) and put it all on my flat bed trailer, stern facing forward..... I plan on building supports for the axles out of 6x6's and screwing them to the flatbed..... This WILL be interesting.....

 

[bob johnson]

nice hull!!!!!!!!!! that canvas work isnt cheap!!!!!!! good luck.......you might have $1500 worth of trailer expenses, but.... you could get lucky and find it is all good under ythere

 

[oscarvan]

Getting the trailer fixed up won't be that bad. Figure $400 for wheels and tires, $100 or so for bearings etc, some paint and another $100 for some decent LED lighting. If I am not mistaken the whole rig should be less than 3000 pounds so no brakes required.... As far as the canvas I have access to a Sailrite sewing machine so a few yards of Sunbrella and some hard labor should do the trick there. (Not the first time).

No, the real cost will be to get the propulsion into the 21st century. Right now thinking pod and a nice fuel injected four stroke in the 200-250 range.... that's close to 5 figures right there... We'll see.

 

[Watermann]

Oh boy a V5 Islander to add to the Starmada! Looking forward to seeing this one back on the waves again, she deserves it!

 

[oscarvan]

Oh boy a V5 Islander to add to the Starmada! Looking forward to seeing this one back on the waves again, she deserves it!

Yes she does..... it's a CR 221V, 1982

 

[Watermann]

Putting it on the trailer stern first may cause all kinds of drag with that cabin and upper windshield.

 

[oscarvan]

Putting it on the trailer stern first may cause all kinds of drag with that cabin and upper windshield.

Yes it may. Reason I'm doing it is because I can't have the weight dangling off the rear end of my flatbed. Has to be on or slightly in front of the axles. Good news is I'll be pulling it with a mid roof Ford Transit which is 9+ feet tall, and I'll keep it under 100. Should be OK.

That's another story..... read here if you're interested.

https://flyingdutchman.blog/

 

[Watermann]

Yeah just have to push on the peddle a bit more is all with that set up. :lol:

 

[oscarvan]

Yeah just have to push on the peddle a bit more is all with that set up. :lol:

Oh don't even get me started. By itself the van gets 14-16 mpg..... any sizable trailer behind it and that gets cut in half, with the house in the picture below I was down to 6...!!!! Careful fuel cost management using Gas Guru is containing the damage somewhat but it is thirsty. Oh well....

 

[GA_Boater]

Is that the trailer you'll be using? Hang some running/brake lights off the bow because the Islander will be longer than and overhanging the trailer.

Have a save recovery!

 

[bob johnson]

i wasnt knocking the canvas, I was thinking they spent a lot of all that canvas.... dont know if you can save any of that. I got a FREE 21 ft islander a few years back and I had to dig it out of the hole it was in and it cost me $750 for one complete axel set up..... i put the second set on later after I got it home..... that was axle, hubs,2 tires on rims, springs, shackles u bolts, hardware. Thus the $1500 estimate! actually i dont think Id sink moiney into a trailer that was NOT aluminum or Galvanized.

 

[bob johnson]

will the Ilsanders trailer fit in between the fenders on that flatbed?

 

[M2HB]

Would it be easier to buy a couple of new tires and wheels, spend a couple hours repacking or replacing the bearing and seals and just towing the existing trailer?

 

[oscarvan]

No, the tires will not fit in between the wheel wells of the flatbed. I'm planning on taking the wheels off and building cradles under the axles so the hubs sit just clear of my fenders, or rest lightly on a piece of lumber. My fenders are pretty heavy duty steel.

I thought about re-working the trailer on site, but then I'm depending on what I can buy locally for four wheels and tires and not able to shop around, I'm betting on the spindles being OK, and I also have the lighting to contend with. Yes, I could put a towing light setup on the back deck. And, I would have to do it all again when I got home.

Lastly I also would have to get a temporary registration to get it out of the state.

All in all a lot of running around in a part of the world I don't know. If I load it up as a package I got all of that covered.

Yes, I'll hang a red flag/light on the overhang.

 

[GA_Boater]

Parking her on the flatbed, you won't have to mess with brakes. You know they are shot, at least the master cylinder is.

 

[oscarvan]

Yup.... Then again, as I said earlier, the whole rig should be under 3000 pounds and no brakes will be required under my PA registration.

 

[GA_Boater]

Sitting as long as she has and appearing to be sunk into the ground, the chances of brake shoes being seized to the drums are high. That's why I mentioned brakes if you towed with the trailer instead of on the flatbed.

Seized brakes could be a problem moving her on the the flatbed. Hope not.

I think you will find out the complete rig weighs over 3000#. But that's a later problem to address.

 

[oscarvan]

I plan on jacking it up right where it sits and moving the flatbed under it.... there will be no rolling. In fact, stuck brakes would help getting the wheels off... lol.

 

[GA_Boater]

^^^^ Then the wheels free! It works that way. LOL

 

[bob johnson]

you know the stern is going to be extra heavy... youve got a 500lb motor back there, plus the weight of the boat and trailer.... thats a jacking up job for sure......where will you support the assembly so the flatbed rolls under it all via the stern?? you almost need to raise it enough to clear the top of the fenders!!!!!!! thats like 3 feet or more!!......what can hold that up, thats wider than the flatbed, but still supports the boats trailer??