Question about Towing a 9 foot wide Boat Legally in Virginia

[boatluver]

Hello, we are new to this forum. It looks like a good resource for information from fellow boaters. We have an important question about towing a 9 foot wide Chaparral 275 SSi sportboat on a regular basis in Virginia.

We are lining up to buy the boat for our family. We live in Virginia and have found out that we will need a permit to tow it here since the width is greater than 8'6''. We will be towing the boat with a F350 Superduty Dually Powerstroke Diesel and plan to take the boat back and forth from our home to a local lake, Lake Anna, that is approximately 60 miles distant from us. We also want to boat on the Potomac River as well.

Some people we have talked to say not to worry about the permit since the boat is only 3 inches over on either side, but we typically comply with the rules and laws as we don't like to take chances. If we would ever be in an accident, we would want to have the permit so that we wouldn't jeopardize our insurance.

So our question is has anyone towed a boat this size in Virginia on a regular basis with a permit? What are the restrictions, can we tow at night, holidays and on weekends? That is our biggest concern since we boat a lot on weekends and come home at dust/dark. I have searched the DMV in Virginia website and it provides very little info on this topic.

We would appreciate any advice you all can give us. We are to go to settlement on the boat in a couple of weeks and need to make sure we can tow it to where we want to boat without a problem, and to do so at the times we want to. If not, we may be looking for a different boat to purchase, much to our dismay. We just love the 275 SSi!!!

Thanks and God bless

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Question about Towing a 9 foot wide Boat Legally in Virginia

suggest you contact DMV.

 

[CAVU V]

Re: Question about Towing a 9 foot wide Boat Legally in Virginia

I pulled a 9' 8" boat for a couple of years in Woodbridge, VA area. Had the permit, never was pulled over. I was suppose to have wide load signs posted, had them, never used them, I am sure an accident would have voided my insurance. A lot of rules like no pulling on Sundays etc, pulled on Sundays all the time. No pulling at night, did that also. Stuck on the side of the road for a couple of hours one night and a state cop asked if I needed help and added "nice boat".

VA seems to be boater friendly.

I am not saying break the rules and in retrospect I probably pushed it. If anyone wants to admonished me I would like to let you know that I have given myself 20 lashes with a wet noodle.

http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/pdf/hp401.pdf

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/apps/vahps/vahps_home.aspx

Dale

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Question about Towing a 9 foot wide Boat Legally in Virginia

I am sure an accident would have voided my insurance.

No it wouldn't. I wish everyone would stop spreading this myth. Doing something illegal DOES NOT void auto insurance policies. You may mean to tow an over width boat illegally, buy you certainly aren't intentionally trying to cause an accident. And that's the key, "intentional acts" are what can void auto insurance policies. But having an accident while towing a boat, regardless of its width, length, height, or weight, is not an intentional act.

I know, there are those of you that say, "well my company did this" or "a friend's insurance did this", but the fact remains, you don't really know.

 

[boatluver]

Re: Question about Towing a 9 foot wide Boat Legally in Virginia

Well, we decided against getting the Chaparral 275 SSi due to its width. We do a lot of boating on the weekends and holidays, and tow at night. If we got the permit I found out from the Virginia DMV that we would "not" be legal towing on Sundays, Federal Holidays or at night. It's just not worth the risk to us. I was in a critical auto accident in 2003 where someone crossed the center line and hit me head on. He was charged with reckless driving. I was laid up for two years with crushed legs. I am back walking again, thanks to God and family, but I do have some limited mobility. So, accidents do happen even when you are obeying the law.

On a happier note, we are buying a 2008 Chaparral 250 Signature Cruiser with a 8'6'' beam, that is "legally" towable in Virginia with NO restrictions. It is not a sportboat but I think it will pull the tube, skiers and a wake boarder just fine (we're getting a "tow" ball put on the aluminum Radar Arch as part of the package), it has a Volvo 5.7 300 HP engine. Plus we have the added benefit of a full sized cabin with 6'2'' of head room, warm and cold water, shower, etc.... We are very excited about the purchase. Oh yeah, and it is costing us 10k less than the 275 SSi with "more" options!!!!

We look forward to boating at Lake Anna on the main part of the lake since we won't be able to get under the bridges on the Western end of the lake, and doing a lot of boating on the Potomac and Chesapeake bay!!!!!! We don't currently boat there with our 21 foot Wellcraft 210 Eclipse.

Happy and safe boating to all, and God bless