Need towing advice

[brendan1718]

Im looking into getting a 28' pontoon with no trailer about 400 miles and have a couple of concerns. The first is trailer size. I have to rent a trailer and can't find anything over 25-26'. Any chance I can get away with a trailer thats shorter than the boat? The second is just how sketchy going 400 miles on a lift trailer sounds to me. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Drcoffee]

Have you priced out a trucking service to ship it

 

[racerone]

Consult your insurance agent.----I say 400 miles is a long way to go.

 

[mike_i]

Towing 400 miles is a big deal, you didn't mention if the route is all flat freeway or bumpy mountain roads or what you're towing with. I wouldn't do it without the proper trailer and tow vehicle but that's me.

 

[racerone]

I am planning a 2000 mile tow.----New wheel bearings. new tires, new spare tire.-----Extra support ( temporary ) for the Action Marine 17 hull.-----Using 3/4 ton with diesel.

 

[Bob Sander]

Im looking into getting a 28' pontoon with no trailer about 400 miles and have a couple of concerns. The first is trailer size. I have to rent a trailer and can't find anything over 25-26'. Any chance I can get away with a trailer thats shorter than the boat? The second is just how sketchy going 400 miles on a lift trailer sounds to me. Any advice would be appreciated.

It depends on weight distribution. You can have some boat sticking off the trailer.... that's not a big deal. The weight distribution is the biggie though. You NEED roughly 10-15% of the gross weight on the tongue to keep you out of harms way on the road. Any more and you risk overloading the tow vehicle, and any less you end up in the ditch after a "tail wagging the dog" episode. Trailers and boats are specifically paired up and balanced out for this so you can't just grab any trailer and throw a boat on it any which way you want.

Here's a camper trailer... but it can happen with a boat too if you don't get the balance right:

 

[Scott Danforth]

I would buy a proper trailer, then sell it.

 

[roscoe]

Proper trailer, with fully functioning brakes, and a proper tow vehicle. Period.
Or hire someone to haul it.

As far as 400 miles goes, shouldn't matter as long as the rig is up to snuff and you are prepared for issues.

75 miles from home would leave me stranded just the same as 400 miles would.

So, 400 miles each way?
Plan on spending the night.
Do all your driving in daylight, during business hours; unless you have to go through a city like ST Louis, KC, Atlanta, or Chicago, etc.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Im looking into getting a 28' pontoon with no trailer about 400 miles and have a couple of concerns. The first is trailer size. I have to rent a trailer and can't find anything over 25-26'. Any chance I can get away with a trailer thats shorter than the boat? The second is just how sketchy going 400 miles on a lift trailer sounds to me. Any advice would be appreciated.

26 ft trailer fine... be more concerned the trailer is capable of the weight load.. trailer regs are rated on gross towing limits, not the length of the trailer... if your logs are sticking out back a foot or so,, no big deal.... the vehicle being used is just as important...

 

[bruceb58]

A 26' trailer would not be fine. A trailer for a 28' pontoon will be at least 32' long.

Even if you meant a trailer for a 26' pontoon, that would also not be fine. 2 feet hanging off the back would mean you would have little to no tongue weight.

 

[ahicks]

A lot of 28' toons are I/O powered. That would darn sure make a difference in what the proper trailer looked like. Same story is transporting with a motor installed, or no?

I've pulled pontoons all over creation and the biggest thing I can share is that they pull like a parachute. I would plan on making that trip at no more than 60-65mph and that's using a pretty heavy duty tow vehicle. Allow plenty of time to cover this 400 miles.

When you say 25-26' trailer, are you talking about a trailer with bunks that long (the things that actually support the boat structure), or is that the total length of the trailer? A trailer with 26' bunks should be OK, but the big question remaining would be tongue weight, whether or not the boat could be located on those bunks to give you enough tongue weight to get proper handling. Without actually loading the boat, I don't know that you're going to be able to predict proper tongue weight one way or another. Might be fine, might not...

To make it right if it's not right, the axles are moved forward or backward on the frame. Back increases tongue weight, forward decreases. Point being here, this trailer you rent should be easy to adjust using a minimum amount of tools.