R31 too big to be a trailer sailor?

[desertug]

:shock: I just took delivery of a R31S from Long Beach Yacht Sales. Great People! I am a landlocked boater in New Mexico they were great,choose the boat negotiate price, factory builds it, ship to Long beach dealer prep, sea trials to Catalina Island. They secured mooring in Avalon and Isthmus harbor, less than 25hours its not a California boat, NO SALES TAX.
Ship to New Mexico take delivery there, register boat with Coast Guard no excise tax in NM. They are making the trailer registration difficult NM DMV is a department of the Russian government. I cannot say enough about how kind ,attentive and knowledgeable these people are! next spring lake Powell summer in the San Juans. 😀

 

[JamesTXSD]

It takes a proper tow vehicle and permits (since the beam on the 31 puts it into "Wide Load" category), but it is certainly trailerable. You don't want to have a casual attitude about hauling something that size down the road... but what a way to get to the best cruising areas at the best times!

Congrats on your new boat!

 

[Scuba Too]

We're in the process of buying an R29 CB from Long Beach Yacht Sales. We pick up the boat in 3 weeks!

We don't plan on trailering - at least for now. We're keeping in a marina.

Eric

 

[Jmerriman]

We love to trailer our
R R31. It is very easy to load too even for a girl. We have a metal building we keep it in. The oversize permit is easy and it is for 1 year no matter when you get it at the DMV. Not like a marine license. Cost about $200 a year. Piece of cake.

 

[desertug]

The delivery driver from RV Transport, says that on the street knowledge, is that since you are doing this for yourself with your equipment you can get away with just about anything. I have the signs and have bought the permits just in case a transportation officer has an attitude, but I just get up and go. It is only 10' for four inches on the chine. I don't recommend casual just informed and measured. The federal government has waived a CDL for those giant three axle bus things that weigh over 26000#. Out here we see them towing a pickup with a trailer containing a jeep like ATV, gotta be longer than 72 feet.

 

[Irish Mist]

I would comply with what ever is required . If you happen to get into an accident and not legal not sure how well insurance will look after you.. From what I hear they try too wiggle out of claims any way they can . I had to upgrade my drivers license due to the combined weight being more then I was licensed for. Required doing a written test and a driving exam with trailer attached.. Truck regestration needed to be upgraded for heavier loads and both truck and trailer need to be inspected every year.. Having said all this I have been from Ontario to BC and back and Ontario to Florida 3X and have had all these things checked only twice.. And the first time I didn't have proper drivers license and the officer gave me a warning... I think if they see you are trying to comply they are understanding if you are missing part of the list..
It is very easy to get all that's needed and I enjoy towing the boat.. But it is not something to be taken lightly.. You are moving a lot of weight and need to check brakes and tie downs when ever you stop. Travel slower and keep checking your mirrors and all goes great .. Towing opens a lot of cruising opertunities .

 

[agallant80]

They are making the trailer registration difficult NM DMV is a department of the Russian government.

This is mostly an east coast thing but you can register your trailer in Maine if your local DMV is a PITA. They allow out of state trailer registration and there are about 20 companies that facilitate this.

 

[Bel Canto]

We have towed our C30 from Oregon to Texas. We were pulled over and ticketed because our mirrors weren't wide enough. We have a Ram 3500 with the mirrors set to tow. We had to purchase extensions. Some places offer annual permits, some are just for a few days. Some places will cut you slack because you aren't commercial, some won't.

I would very carefully follow all rules, as well as measure and weigh the rig. One state measured us as over the stated width. In the event of an accident, if you are not completely legal and safe, you can be found at least partially at fault for an accident.

We are limiting our towing, and using a service for multi-day trips. We also have trouble finding places to overnight which are dog friendly, and don't want to "boaterhome".