Towing a R29

[Wine47]

What are the requirements and considerations for towing a R29? We have a 1 ton dually Chev 4x4, so the vehicle should be no problem. The question is the "wide load" at 10' - we would be looking at exploring the East coast. Like the idea of keeping the boat on a trailer when we are not using it vs in a slip, and the ability to transport it ourselves. Good idea, or would we be better off with commercial transport? Anyone with experience towing a R29? We have lots of experience towing boats and ranch equipment.
Thanks, Mark & Jane

 

[Phil Nersessian]

Have not towed anything that wide. In many states, if not all, you need a special permit to haul anything over 8'-6" over the road. I believe the permits are issued by the individual states so you would need to get one for each state you are planning to travel through.

 

[Bruce Moore]

Here are several threads to get you started.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[knotflying]

You may find in some of those threads that there is a service that will handle all the permits and from what I understand the fee is marginal. Keep in mind that there are some restrictions regarding towing between , I think, sunrise and sunset. Additionally , again I think, there are specific date windows when you are going to be in a specific state. Anything is manageable. It is all about your flexibility. That is why we stayed with the 27. We can haul whenever we want without the pressure of planning permits. As always, it is a matter of personal preference and what one is willing to trade off.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Additionally one can purchase a yearly permit, especially cost effective for your own home state. With that said and as stated below there are various restrictions for when you can trailer....such as time of day, days of week, weather, roads and signage. Check the treads out as suggested by Bruce and Google wide loads for your state to obtain specific information and pricing.

Jim F

 

[tincup]

There r 2 categories: wide and oversized. Can't remember which is more restricive. Check this but the least of the 2 only applies to loads OVER 8'6". The other involves wider loads and doesn't apply. Blackout times vary between states and within some citest (usually hi traffic times).

Avoid California

 

[JamesTXSD]

Also, there are some road restrictions, especially in the NE part of the country, where even 8.5' loads are restricted (some have 8' wide max allowance) on some roads.

 

[Todd]

If you own the boat and trailer you might as well tow it yourself, assuming you are qualified. This is not the trailer to be learning on. And you might as well learn to get the permits yourself. The permit services sometimes make mistakes and are quite expencive, I was quoted 25-50 per permit plus cost of permit. All of the states I have traveled in allow you to fill out the application on line, pay the fee, and print the permit. It's just a nusence tax. I understand overweight permits, you do more damage to infrastructure but a permit to push more air aside? Anyway if you plan do do it more than once do it yourself. You have to gather the same information to either give to the service people or enter it on the permit application. I keep a file with one past application from each state to make re entry easer.

 

[Irish Mist]

As mentioned you can get the permits on line, and you save the fee charged by the permit company. Going from Canada to to Florida the permits ranged from $15 - $60 but the permit companies add $30 to each permit regardless of cost. The permits take from 30 mins to 5 days to get on line depending on which state or province. Typically its 30 mins on line but you should check with each state or province you will be going through ahead of time to see how long it takes and how long they are good for. You will be given a route to follow that will avoid known obstacles like construction, narrow lanes etc. As Jim mentioned, if you are going to be towing a lot in your home state get a yearly permit, saves money and applying every time. In fact check each state for pricing on yearly permits as typically if you go somewhere you will be returning and the yearly permit may not be much more then one way and saves you applying again. You may need to increase your rating on your drivers license because of the weight you are towing.. You can probably talk your way out of the first ticket saying its an RV etc but not sure if you have an accident if the insurance will buy that one. Check the laws where you live. You will be stopping at all weigh scales. My first time I was told I needed a DOT# to obtain permits by a permit company.. I found out later this is not necessary for a personal truck towing your own boat not for profit. With the DOT number I was checked closer and more often at the scales. With no DOT in most cases I got a green light and drove through with out stopping.
All aspects of towing a wide load are simple but just take time. You need to plan your trips ask lots of questions along the way. I have found most people where very helpful with getting my permits. The transports are going to pass you within inches and they do not care if you are experienced or not as time is money for them and a lot of them are not good drivers.I have learned to enjoy the journey on land as I do on the water. Slow down, stay in the right lane and pay attention. As with any trailer every time you stop walk around your trailer , check the tie downs feel the wheel hubs and make sure it all looks good. This is not a race.
Like Bruce said, there are quite a few other posts here with lots more information. As with boating everyone is different how they approach things and how much work they are willing to do themselves. I enjoy towing and getting the permits. Other would rather pay the money and have others get the permits for them .. Still other would rather drive or fly from point A to point B and have their boat their waiting for them. If you are going to tow once or twice for that trip of a life time... get it done by a professional as it it less expensive then purchasing a trailer. But if you are going to move around a lot or follow the warm weather every year then get the trailer and tow your own boat.You already have the truck so that saves the huge expense.. The side benefits are you can easily pull out the boat to clean or repair. You can store it on the trailer.. which for me means I get to stay in the water later in the season and get into the water earlier the spring then the boats lifted out by the marina ( our water freezes here so all the boats get lifted out of the water ).
As with most things on the forum we are pretty lucky being able to be pondering these things

Good luck with your decisions and look forward to seeing you on the water 🙂