1800 mile tow, part one

B

Bel Canto

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
83
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Well, it started bad and got worse. First, the day before we left Oregon, we got the permit that required a pilot car. It wasn't all bad as it probably saved us 2 hours and 70 miles. Next, day three, through Central/Southern CA, both the routes going south and east were closed due to mudslides. The new Caltrans route takes us through winding mountain roads (200 miles out of the way) and around 50 miles through the greater Los Angeles area, some of the worst traffic in the country.

Also, we found an issue with our Surety Bond in TX, so were unable to get our TX permit. Of course, it's Friday. Can't do anything until Monday.

If the road opens in the morning, we go. If not, we will put the boat in storage and come back for her in a month. I'm too tired and frustrated to write a better post. At least we are at my sister-in-laws house, not a motel 6.
 
Sorry to hear your having problems, hope road opens safe travels.
 
Ugh. What nightmare! I hope your luck improves.
 
Towing is like flying a plane, 90% boring and 10% terror. Hopefully you have gotten the 10% portion out of the way and the rest of your trip goes better.
 
Good luck hope it works out. We are 1200 or so miles into our trip across Canada . Hang in there hopefully it clears and you can continue on... I always stress it's my personal boat and not a professional.. Seems to get me free helpful advice from the permit offices more times then not.. Be patient and look at it as an adventure.. You can share at the next rendezvous..
Best of luck
Mark
 
Caltrans sent me a work around that usually floods and has mudslides, and it did. Of course, it is the weekend and we are stuck until Monday. I doesn't look as if the road will open for a week or more. We can get a new permit, but would have to wait until Tuesday. At least we found the issue while still safe and sound in a house. Splash is currently in long term storage, waiting for us to figure it out. We might choose to return around Thanksgiving for family and the boat.

We are safe and healthy, just frustrated. Everything happens Friday at 3:00 pm.
 
I think I saw your boat on 20 going east while I was going west to Newport in the morning unless there were other Rangers leaving Newport that day. I hope you were able to get through without another run in with the Sheriff. Good luck on the rest of the trip.
 
Which boat are you pulling that needs permits?
 
We are a Cutwater 30. We did finally make it, after a water pump failure and threats of flooding in Texas.

My permits were inspected in Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico. I somehow missed the weigh station coming into Texas. I am still not sure where it was supposed to be.

We were hurt by a combination of weather and mechanical issues. I have seen water pumps leak and fail, but never freeze up. We were finally (the whole rig together) towed to a truck diesel repair shop. 10 hours after we broke down on the highway, we were able to bring the boat and trailer to a relative's home to spend the night.

Even though it was a Ram that failed, my feeling is that the only reason we were able to get nearly instant service is that we went to a commercial truck repair facility, that knows that they need to get their customers back on the road. They were a Cummins authorized service center, as well as Cat and Detroit. I don't know if they would have taken a Ford or Chevy. I doubt a dealer would have had me on the road that quickly, nor had space to store the boat.

I tried to pull 400 mile days. We found a hotel across from a truck stop, and parked the rig with the big rigs for the night. We had our best luck with casinos. They are usually big rig/RV friendly, and have both food and entertainment.

Our final day of travel was into Texas during the flash flood warnings. We have weather radar (Sirius and Galaxy) and although saw plenty of rain, never saw heavy rain, so pressed on.

The final insult was when we pulled into our storage yard. We were told that we had a covered spot reserved. I had initially asked for a 40 foot spot, covered. The owner of the yard figured I just didn't know how to measure, so reserved me a 27 foot spot, the biggest any boat could need. We are back on a waiting list, but parked and safe.

I will admit that this wasn't a pleasant experience. Most of our issues weren't with the boat, so I won't blame Ranger/Cutwater. I would have said that we had used up all of our bad luck, until the storage issue came up. We are considering having it professional towed to our next destination. We will wait and see.
 
One thing I found was do not get a DOT number I was told by the permit company I needed one on my first trip.. After that I spoke to the DOT people and they said no I don't need one.. After that I breezed through all weigh stations.. I would go in and they would green light me through .. One asked me to hold my permit up without leaving the truck..
Sorry you had issues but you have experiance now and I'm sure it will be a lot easier going forward
Good luck
 
Agreed on the DOT number. However, Texas requires either a DOT number or a bond. I have a business with 8 buses and commercial vehicle insurance. We added the truck to the business and had them get the bond for us. This was also an issue with Mississippi, and the commercial truck insurance was needed.

Even though the permits were inspected, the only issue was failing to sign one. I was told to sign and sent on my way. Mostly green lights.
 
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